This fall, Renee Bourdeaux draws on her expertise in psychological research and her experience as a college professor to offer tips on building strong relationships with academic colleagues. In addition to applying her academic knowledge, each week Renee will also offer a prayer and a practical exercise to help build community in academic settings. Read Post 1 here. [Read more…] about Collegial Connections, Week Two: Meeting Connections
Team Meetings
Embracing InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries
Many times in today’s self-focused culture, gatherings of people (even in shared ministry) are little more than a room full of franchises trying to sustain their own local agendas in the midst of significant internal and external hardship. But by God’s grace at our annual gathering, InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries (GFM) once again returned to the roots of our shared mission, i.e., the call of God discerned through worship, prayer, digging into the Word of God, mutual encouragement/conversation (in the hallway, prayer room, small groups, over meals, during walks), and intentionally using the gifts we have been given. Yes, that includes an amazing strategic plan working out our four ministry commitments of spiritual formation, community, evangelism & service, integration of faith, learning, & practice. To God be the glory!
Personally I found significant blessing in the sharing of our stories in mission (framed by Acts 11 – 15 and the larger lens of being part of God’s story/mission): from GFM’s founding 25 years ago in a conversation between Randy Bare and Cam Anderson at Urbana . . . to present day witnessing communities on campuses across the nation (Graduate Ministry, Faculty Ministry) . . . to our sense of God’s leading in the future.
Celebrating 25 years of ministry is not about the numbers, but the Word, work, Spirit, power, and Presence of God demonstrated in Students and Faculty Transformed. Campuses Renewed. World Changers Developed. A few glimpses in the mosaic of ministry with more to come in future posts . . . [Read more…] about Embracing InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries
Praying for InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries
This year InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries (GFM) will not only celebrate 25 years of serving God on campus, but also step into another year of serving the Lord with head, heart, and hands. I asked Carrie Bare, GFM South Central Region Assoc Regional Dir., who is serving as the Meeting Prayer Coord. for our national staff gatherings (March 18 – 20), to share a few prayer requests with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). Below is what I received from Carrie.
The focus of this year’s gathering in Mundelein is mission, prompted by our study of Acts, particularly the story of Antioch. Please pray for excellent times in Scripture study and for God to move mightily as we hear preaching out of Acts 15 and then spend extended time in small group settings talking about our own stories of mission on campus and our hopes and dreams for how we want to see God work in campus ministry with graduate and professional students and faculty.
Pray that as GFM staff meet together, good connections will be made and times of encouragement and refreshment will happen. [Read more…] about Praying for InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries