Category: Engage People (Page 14 of 15)

Engage People of All Cultures and Ethnicities

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Empowering the Next Generation

February 4, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Today is the launch of the first Empower Leadership Academy. The Empower Leadership Academy is a 1-year student leadership cohort for InterVarsity/USA students in Iowa and Nebraska, with an aim to develop empowered Black/African American leaders of leaders from the college campus. We have an initial class of eight student leaders.

The program will combine prophetic leadership development, mission to the world, service on the campus, and vision to harness the incredible momentum we are experiencing in Black Campus Ministries (BCM).

Empower will bring some of the best we offer in leadership development in InterVarsity to a targeted group of leaders who will then be a significant voice in our area and region as visionary planners for the launch of a Regional BCM Student Conference in Spring 2017.

Please join me in praying for this initiative and for its director Tony Gatewood.

Tony Gatewood, Empower Leadership Academy Director & Assistant Regional Director – Central U.S.

What can $5 do?

January 27, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Five dollars can go a long way to helping to establish and advance a student movement in Cambodia.

This spring we are joining our partners in Sonoko by inviting students to give $5/month to the work in Cambodia. If we reach 200 partners at this level we can support five Cambodian staff for the year.

Would you like to join us? Or start a $5 club of your own?

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Acknowledging our brokenness

January 18, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Throughout American history God has pressed the church to acknowledge and address the systemic brokenness of our society when it comes to race. We heard this call so clearly through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he called us to “Remain Awake” in the 1960’s.

Since the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, many have experienced the church being challenged to hear and respond to the story of systemic oppression of people of color that still besets our country.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Michelle Higgins brought the delegates at Urbana into this story. Her talk at Urbana15 challenges us to hear this story and invites us to say, “Tell me more” and “What shall we do?”.

Empathy

November 16, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

What does a story from thousands of years ago in the book of Nehemiah have to do with our response to the stories we see from campuses in our region, like Mizzou, or attrocities from April at Garissa University or this past week in Paris?

When Nehemiah heard the news of the suffering of his people and the destruction of his city, he wept for some days. It was not until after prayer, taking risks, and asking for resources did he actually examine the state of the walls of Jerusalem.

As a White American man there are a few typical immediate responses I have when I hear about oppression of people in my campus, city, or world – numbness, questioning, or seeking to fix.

What if like Nehemiah when we read these stories we sat and wept first before thinking what is next?

Uniqueness

November 3, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

If we were enjoying a cup of tea together could you tell me what gifts your culture brings to God’s family? Wondering why this matters?

At the Harvest Conference last weekend I sat in a break out group of White students in the Reconciling all People’s track some of whom had struggled to answer this question at a meeting of their multi-ethnic chapter a couple weeks before. I was blessed with an opportunity to help these students begin to discover the gifts they bring. Why would we do something like this with students?

We believe that like in every other area (flowers, landscape, animals, etc.) God created diversity in part to show his beauty, creativity, and fullness. One of the things that prevents us from appreciating or growing as a multi-ethnic community is when parts of our community do not understand the gifts or perspectives they bring. This can both restrict them from bringing their whole selves to the table and also shut down creating space for other gifts because the primary culture of the fellowship is seen as “normal” or “this is how everyone acts and thinks”.

It is often White students that struggle most with this question of uniqueness of their culture. One helpful resource that I have used in my journey of discovery is Being White. In it are great questions and guideposts that aid in this journey. Using it I helped these students take another step in their journey towards truly being a part of a multi-ethnic community.

Inspired

October 16, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Do you know what the fastest growing population in InterVarsity’s was last year?

As myself and other members of the Black campus ministry leadership team found out, it is Black students. Our Black student numbers grew by 17% last year.

In the midst of calls for valuing the worth of Black lives over these last 14 months, we’ve been blessed to share with an increasing community of Black students that they carry the Imago Dei (image of God).

While we see systems to be renewed and brokenness to be redeemed, as a team we praise God for the fruit we are seeing.

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How you make decisions matters

September 25, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Our work to reach and partner with people of every ethnicity and culture has impact on every layer of our culture.

One of the areas we’ve discussed as leaders is decision making styles. To do this each of us thought through the preferences we bring in and how we can become fluent in other styles (each have strengths and weaknesses). For instance, for our international student workers consensus decision making needs to be a well practiced skill.

An awareness of preferred style and an ability to work in other styles is important for our staff directors but also for our staff as they seek to empower students from every corner of the campus.

Hidden Potential

September 17, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

What do you love doing?

A place where my gifts and fulfillment (motivated abilities) meet is to uncover and develop hidden potential in people. I just finished meeting with a vital member of our regional team talking through her continued development. As I sit here, I am so encouraged.

Part of our work is to see motivated abilities in students, faculty, staff, and ministry partners, work with the Holy Spirit in the development of these abilities, and help the person discover their place in God’s story. This work brings me much joy.

How about for you? What are your motivated abilities?

Not just about arriving

September 16, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Over this last year our team has reflected on reaching goals that seemed impossible when they were set in 2008 (500 small groups, 50 chapters, 1 overseas student movement). We are now thinking not just about reaching them but how we arrive and who we are with when we get there. Our desire is to see staff that are saturated in Hebrews 12:1-2, students leaders from every corner, and connected ministry partners that are blessed.

Can you pray that God would continue his work of forming us (ministry partners, staff, and students) into the people that he desires when we reach these goals?

God is moving

September 9, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Blessed to spend the morning with Ashley Carter who is continuing InterVarsity’s work at Harris Stowe State University and to connect with ministry partners on campus. I am so encouraged as I leave the campus and excited to see what God does in the year ahead.

Please pray for Ashley as she engages on campus, particularly that she would see where God is calling her to invest and that she would find partners in ministry on and nearby campus. If you want to stay connected to Ashley’s work please fill out a contact form and let me know.