Tag Archives: conference

MonoVarsity? No. IntraVarsity? Nope. InterVarsity? YES!

Posted on March 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

by Evan Smith, lead InterVarsity staff at York College

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The last Saturday of January, about 90 students from York and several other Central PA campuses met for a day of prayer, scripture study, worship, and discernment. Called Restore, this yearly gathering is a day set apart for spiritual re-calibration and inter-chapter fellowship. Just a week or two after classes resume, students gather to consider God’s call for them during the coming semester.

It was a rich, exciting time for students. Restore gave them space to listen for God, and opportunity to respond as individuals, as chapters, and as an entire area of campuses. After closing with prayer and worship, students left energized. What’s more, they left with a plan.

This is one of InterVarsity’s distinctives – we are not simply a loose movement of individuated chapters.

Our work is at its best when students from different campuses are given opportunities to hear and celebrate what God’s doing in their sister chapters. The sharing of stories, ideas, and challenges leads to prayer – hence the wonderful image of 90 students from seven different campuses joining hands in prayer for each other. Hence, InterVarsity.

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Restore Conference on January 28

Posted on February 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

On January 28, 2012, about 90 students from 7 college campuses across South Central Pennsylvania gathered at Elizabethtown College for a day considering how witnessing communities seek restoration, both in their own lives and in the world around them.

Jay and Evan lead worship at Restore 2012

We began with a wonderful breakfast catered by the nearby Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, then gathered for a lively worship set led by Jay Baer and Evan Smith.

Bret speaks at Restore 2012

Area Director Bret Staudt Willet brought the message, from Nehemiah in the morning and 2 Timothy in the afternoon.  He invited students to consider which section of their metaphorical wall on campus God might be inviting them to work on (from Nehemiah 3), and to remember where their faith has come from (2 Timothy 1) and where they might invest in other people in the future (2 Timothy 2).

Seminar at Restore 2012

We also had a couple of hours in break-out seminars, with students able to choose to learn together about resolving conflict, group prayer walking, welcoming people into our lives, or life after college.

We ended the day with students gathering in a circle and praying for each other’s campuses.

Students prayer for each other's campuses

Click here for a slideshow of photos from the Restore 2012 conference.

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Time to Make a Shift

Posted on October 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

I wanted to share a few highlights from our recent area-wide fall conference, shift.11 at Black Rock Retreat.

Here are quotes from students at York College, from a great blog post from Evan, our InterVarsity staff at York:

“I didn’t realize I could have a personal relationship with God – Growing up, it was just sort of this communal thing, something everybody did.”

“I’ve been panicking about my future a lot lately. Asking a lot of questions. God’s showing me how to ask the right ones, and he’s interrupting that feedback loop that just fuels the panic.”

“That seminar really helped me… usually when I talk to people who don’t believe in Jesus, I just debate it with them. But now I get that I can have compassion, and ask questions. I can stop trying to ‘win’ the conversation, but see them like Jesus does.”

Check out Evan’s full post, and check back here for more pictures soon!

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Two Great Video Links

Posted on February 16, 2011 | Leave a comment
  1. It’s time to start thinking about plans for the summer.  What not consider spending 6 weeks in Lancaster city with Sidewalks Urban Project?
  2. This semester is quickly passing, so start thinking about the best way to spend that first week after Finals.  Why not spend it soaking in scripture, playing with friends, and soaking in the beauty of God’s creation?  Check out Chapter Camp!

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Renewing Campuses begins with RESTORE

Posted on February 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

About a week ago, on January 29, about 70 college students from across South Central Pennsylvania gathered at Lebanon Valley College’s campus in Annville PA.  The gathering was for Restore 2011, a one-day conference focusing on restoring our own inner beings for the sake of then turning to restore the world around us, titled “Life on the Road”.

Students from Millersville University arrive at Restore 2011.

Students were led in a moving time of musical worship led by Nick Peterson, and then offered some insights into a conversational relationship with God through two short talks by Dan McWilliams.

There was time to put these new ideas into practice.  Students took an hour in silence to simply be present with God and listen, followed by many lively conversations between students from different schools.

Finally, in the afternoon, students broke into more focused practice groups to help put into practical terms this journey of following Jesus, both on the college campus and in life after college.  Seniors preparing to graduate played a Time Management game to simulate decisions they will soon face as they balance home life, work, friendships, and church.

Students pondering their next moves in a Time Management Game.

Students playing the Time Management Game.

Curious about time management and what these seniors are wrestling with?  Check out this video of Scott Belsky over at the 99 Percent.

Here’s what Kelly, InterVarsity staff at Dickinson College, had to say:

Students enjoyed the opportunity to get off campus and attend an event with other Christian students, a change from the usual campus fellowship atmosphere. At dinner together in my apartment afterwards, students shared that their favorite part of Restore was the hour of quiet time with God they had after the first speaking session. The speaker had provided a few questions to reflect on for this time.  Each of the students felt that it was an expectionally good quiet time, with no distractions and silence–something hard to come by on Dickinson’s busy campus. We brainstormed ways they could find such spaces, which led to sharing of some of the more obscure little known places on campus that we have found.

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shift.10 Opening Night

Posted on October 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Students from across South Central Pennsylvania have arrived at Black Rock Retreat, in record numbers: 92 students from 7 campuses.  Students came with excitement and anticipation and were not disappointed by this first evening.  Betsy Staudt Willet led moving worship, Neil Livingstone brought the word from Luke 5, and students dove in getting to know each other across campuses in a lively open mic coffeehouse emceed by Nick Peterson.

All to begin digging into the question: how are you pursuing the good life?

Tonight, from Luke 5, we see a guy named Simon get interrupted by Jesus jumping into his boat, challenged by Jesus to take it deeper, and then find himself standing knee deep in fish.  How might Jesus be breaking out of all the boxes we put him in?  What boxes do I even have?  Where do I find myself?

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Chapter Camp is just around the corner!

Posted on April 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Check out the promotional video for the Mid-Atlantic Region’s annual Chapter Camp!

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Finally, photos from shift.09 (Oct. 30-Nov. 1)

Posted on November 20, 2009 | 1 Comment

Students as they arrive and register at Black Rock Retreat for shift.09

Coffeehouse on opening night:

And, the worship team getting ready to go:

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shift.09 conference video

Posted on September 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

Here’s a video introducing our area’s fall conference, shift.09.  Check it out:

http://www.vimeo.com/6669249

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Intro to shift.09

Posted on September 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

I live; I have questions.
Is this ok?

(Church and school haven’t always reassured me of this.)
Could I (and would I) trust Jesus with my questions?

As we finally acknowledge that we’re grappling with questions and are willing to consider Jesus as a receptacle of those questions, we face two temptations:

  1. to BE JESUS ourselves (drowning those questions in lots of doing and programming)
  2. to USE JESUS (get what we need and leave)

The shift for us, the thread running through this conference is an invitation to cease being Jesus and to cease using Jesus and to start awaiting Jesus.

Jesus is actually interested in being fully integrated into our lives.  The freedom, wholeness, and victory we all want is something that comes as we engage, interlock, and even agree with Jesus.  This process is not a distant one, instead it’s intimate; a true reflection of Christ being “Immanuel”, the God who is with us.  So awaiting Jesus is really an invitation to experience God, to unite with God on God’s terms and not ours.  This is a good thing.

shift08 gearshiftClick here for more information on shift.09

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