USA (MNN) — June is almost over, meaning college students have been out of school for nearly a month. And while some college ministries might be taking a break, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is not.
InterVarsity’s Chapter Camps
Instead, over the course of the last month, InterVarsity has hosted numerous Chapter Camps over the country.
(Photo courtesy of InterVarsity via Facebook)
“InterVarsity’s Chapter Camps [are] a week for InterVarsity groups, which we call chapters, to spend a together usually at the beginning of summer break for really three purposes,” InterVarsity’s Kristi Barclay shares. “It’s a retreat for students so that they can get away from the busy campus life and deepen their relationship with God. And, it’s also a week for students to be inspired, and trained, and to plan for the mission on the campus of building witnessing communities that are reaching every corner of campus.”
Students also have the chance to build deeper relationships within their chapters and experience God in deeper ways — together. Even though multiple college chapters will meet at the same camp at the same time, the relational time is often spent within specific chapter groups. Most of them are held from late April to early June, but a few will finish sometime in August.
Who Can Come
These Chapter Camps are open for students involved with InterVarsity, those who are interested in connecting with InterVarsity, and maybe even starting a chapter on their own campus. So really, any college student is welcome to attend.
And, these camps are held across the country. This way, students don’t have to make an intense trek out to a retreat center, though most of the camps are held in three retreat centers InterVarsity owns throughout the nation.
A Week’s Impact
When these camps take place, InterVarsity consistently gives the glory to God for what happens at these Chapter Camps. “I always tell students that when you give the Lord a chunk of time and dedicate it to Him, He’s going to meet you,” Barclay explains.
(Photo courtesy of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship via Facebook)
These camps don’t host only Christian students. Barclay says that students from across the board come to stay for the week including non-Christians, new Christians, seasoned Christians, and even just burned-out Christians.
“There’s a wide range of entry postures and entry positions that people come into the week [with], but without fail, each student meets the Lord. Non-Christian students learn more about who Jesus is and many of them, every year, decide to follow Jesus during the Chapter Camp,” Barclay shares.
And for some students who already are Christians, the Chapter Camp is a week to take a break and refresh in the Lord. After all, the Chapter Camp week is an intense week of Bible study, often in the book of Mark.
Prayer
As students arrive at InterVarsity’s Chapter Camps this summer, will you pray for them?
“When I think of not only InterVarsity students, but students in general, pray that they would just continue to grow in their personal relationship with God and grow in passion for their campus, even if they’re not there during the summer,” Barclay asks.
“And, also, [pray] that the things they learned and the commitments they made at Chapter Camp would become integrated into their lives.”
Pray also for perseverance, creativity, and focus for InterVarsity as the ministry continues to try to reach all students on every campus nationwide. Pray for InterVarsity to hear and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as they seek to share the Gospel with college students.
How to Help
Other ways to help include:
- Giving: Help provide for the chapters on college campuses and the InterVarsity staffers working with students through a financial gift. To give, click here!
- Going: There are limited options to serve students by cooking, cleaning, and more while they take time to dive into God’s Word at the Chapter Camps. Learn more here!
