1/31/2010 God at Work Testimony
Posted by tom | Feb 1, 2010Below is the God at Work testimony which I shared during Sunday Morning Worship on January 31, 2010, Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ. If you desire to join our prayer team team, volunteer, or support us financially, please drop us an email. Note: On-line giving available here
At the turn of the new year, 15,000 plus college students from across North America sang praise to God at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s Urbana Student Missions Convention. In addition to time focused upon the study of John 1-4 and various seminars, students had opportunity to connect with numerous mission agencies. At the Emerging Scholars Network table, we registered over 150 students from a wide range of fields and a number of countries.
Why the popularity of Emerging Scholars at a missions convention? Because many students realize that their campus is their current mission field and many of them are continuing to receive masters degrees and PhDs in this unique mission field. Some are seeking to enter closed countries through business entrepreneurships, engineering projects, staffing hospitals, teaching roles, etc. Others are remaining in the U.S. with a vision to redeem their vocation and participate in regular short term mission projects, such as the 1 PSU-Hershey Medical Center physician who is part of a team in Haiti now, the president of the PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society who is serving in Chile as part of his fourth year, and the 20 members of the PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society who will minister in the Dominican Republic over Spring Break.
What did conversations at the Emerging Scholars Network table look like? Typically one saw a face of astonishment from a student as they passed the books on our table. If they were with friends, they pointed out and chatted about the books they’d read or were on their to read pile [Note: Check out Best Books for Undergrads: Your Picks!]. If a student or a group of students took a moment to stop, I’d introduce myself,
“Hi. I’m Tom Grosh from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Would you like to learn more about the Emerging Scholars Network?”
“Yes, I can’t believe you guys exist. I’ve never heard of you before. Tell about what you do.”
“The Emerging Scholars Network identifies, encourages, and equips Christian scholars to be redeeming influences in higher education.”
“How?”
“We provide on-line materials, mentoring relationships in your discipline, discounts to various resources, a blog and Facebook page for on-going conversation. As part of the ESN team, I blog, connect students with mentors, develop study guide materials [Loving God in the Flesh in the Real World and Scripture Study of John 3:1-21], and pilot periodic local network gatherings in partnership with my local congregation.”
After the overview, many students expressed their enthusiasm regarding the on-line resources and networking opportunities. Many followed this by listing unique challenges of
- being a follower of Christ in fields such as chemistry, marketing, musicology, physics, religion
- being a student on their campus
- taking next steps whether in future jobs or further education.
In addition to resources and mentors, I shared the testimonials of students from South Central PA which have been blessed by the partnership between Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ and the Emerging Scholars Network. For example …
Kelly, a Messiah College alum and member of Cumberland Valley Brethren in Christ testifies, “As a Ph.D. in the life sciences, I often find myself in an environment hostile to Christianity, particularly when it comes to science and faith issues (i.e. stem cell research and other bioethics issues). ESN has been a great outlet and support for me to fellowship with like-minded believers, who are genuinely interested in wholeheartedly pursuing vocation as a calling and a ministry. It's a great support to know that there are other Christians out there who are facing the same challenges I am facing, and who are willing to pray with me and encourage me on my journey.” Pray for Kelly. This weekend she transitioned from PSU-Hershey Medical Center, where she received her PhD in Pharmacology, to another research institution with the support of ESN connections. Pray for avenues to open up for her to harness HIV/AIDS research for medical missions in Africa and give testimony to God in the lab.
Pray for preparations for our next Emerging Scholars Event with Elizabethtown College's Donald Kraybill, which will be the last Sunday in February. Invitation materials, letter size lunch poster, and sign-up sheets for lunch (and volunteering to assist with the lunch) are available on the table in the lobby. [Note: on-line information on the various lecture opportunities and registration for the 12:30 pm lunch is available here]
Also pray for Living Water – True Worship, a retreat for Graduate students which I’ll direct next weekend. Pray for God to use time away to draw students closer to Himself through the study of John 3-4 , the Holy Spirit, and believers from campuses across the Mid-Atlantic. In addition, pray for Tim, graduate student at PSU-Hershey, and Susana (from our local congregation) as they lead worship.
Thank-you for the opportunity to share. For more information please take a moment to review this half-sheet. Hope to catch you at the table in the lobby.
