Lighting Up the Darkness

After weeks of buildup and preparation, we finally had Sexy Pizza and the Proxe Station at UNM, and both went really well! I don't know how many people actually came and talked to us at our table, but we got dozens of responses on our board to our prompting question "What do you think Christians think about sex?" Interestingly, the responses quickly moved from what Christians think (for instance, sex is for making babies only) to what people think about the Christian position (Christians shouldn't be so unrealistic in making everyone get married first). We also had a number of really great conversations with students at the Proxe. I was personally amazed at how well they seemed to go; pretty much everyone I talked to said that they thought people treat sex too lightly and that it should at least be reserved for very devoted relationships. Granted, one guy said that his definition of too lightly was basically "involving more than four people at once", but there was at least some recognition of boundaries... I guess....

Sexy Pizza itself went pretty well also. We had really no clue how many people to expect, especially since we advertised constantly for almost a week. That meant having students hand invitations to friends, telling those who came to the Proxe, chalking sidewalks, and hanging up a ton of posters. We ended up with a total of 76 people in attendance, and more than a third of them were totally new to IV! We were also able to have 4 panel members for the event: a local pastor, a Christian sex therapist, an IV alumnus (the former UNM chapter president), and one of our married IV students. They were given questions which we had received as part of the Proxe, including topics like "Why does God want people to be married to have sex?" and "What do you think about homosexual marriage?" and they answered consistently with both grace and truth. Then we opened up the floor for questions from the audience, and we got even more great questions. Finally, we had another student give a brief explanation of the Gospel, emphasizing that God has made us for relationships and that He desires to have a relationship with us. I don't think that anyone made a decision to follow Christ that night, but I'm sure that some relationships were formed, and I'll be really interested to see how we can follow up with those who came.

Please pray for the students who did show up for Sexy Pizza and the Proxe. As I said, we had a fair number there, and at least one indicated interest in learning more about being a follower of Christ, and it would be so great if we could continue those relationships. How great would it be if we could see 30 students come to know God through these events as we build relationships with them!

I must say, though, that overall I've been wondering how effective our outreach on campus is. It's a difficult thing trying to evangelize on campus. From my experience, evangelism occurs most easily in the context of a relationship, but the few years students spend at the university often seem far too short to train students to seek such relationships and to also invest significantly into their non-Christian friends. That's why so much of the time we focus our time and energy into one-time events, hoping that we can attract some non-Christians and get them interested in spending more time with us. Yet from all of these events over the past few years, I only know of one students who has been interested in really finding out more about Christianity. I think that there really should be a more effective way for us to build relationships with other students and share God's love with them, but I'm a little at a loss as to what that would look like. I'd really appreciate it if you all would pray for me and for all of us as a chapter that we would come to an understanding of how best to engage the campus. If we are called to do more events like Sexy Pizza and the Proxe stations, I would love that, but if we are being called to move in a different direction, I want us to get there.

I'm going on a short setup trip for Chapter Camp (our end-of-the-year conference) this week. I get to be part of the "Creative Response" planning committee, meaning that I will help set up stations where students can respond to the message being presented through things like art, silent prayer, or symbolic action. It's a pretty cool opportunity, but it also means that I'll be away in Colorado for a couple of days and will miss a good number of things here. Anyway, I ask that you would pray both for safe travels and that I would be an effective part of the team, that we could come up with some really great means for students to connect with God this year.

Oh, and I have some other really exciting news: apparently several students from the chapter are interested in the Kenya Global Project, and at least one of them is actively filling out the application! I know that it'll be a great opportunity for any who are willing to go. Please pray for those who are still undecided to know what God's will is for their summer, and for those who have decided to commit to the project this summer that they would be able to find all the support they need in the coming months.

"I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he."
- Deuteronomy 32:3-4