Emily & Shaun-2 of the students who helped create the vision for "DAP"

"Dapping" it up in December

One of my favorite things about doing campus ministry with InterVarsity is still our commitment to student leadership.  Towards the middle of the semester our Vision Team realized that something just wasn't right in our chapter.  Where was the passion for self-sacrificing ministry, for pouring our lives out in this brief moment of life for the sake of the gospel?  That's when they came up with the acronym "Dap."  It stands for the 3 areas that our chapter needs to dive into.  Discipleship, Affinity-Groups, and Prayer.

Discipleship is potentially the most important thing that we do as a ministry for the long-term health of tomorrow's church. 

Olivia & her small group leader Ashley, dressed as cavewomen for the volleyball tournament

 While numerous people have offered definitions of whatdiscipleship (or more properly, disciple-making) is, it is no less than this: that older and/or more mature Christians would meet regularly with younger and/or less mature Christians in order to build them up in the faith.  Sometimes this is casual hanging out, sometimes it is studying Scripture together, and sometimes it's talking about very difficult issues.  Jesus didn't say make baby Christians and leave them there!

"Affinity-Groups" is the little phrase we came up with to help Christians see their mission field in a more manageable way.  You may not be able to share the gospel with every person on campus, but you will certainly not share it with anyone if the only thing you ever do on campus is InterVarsity events.  This is our way of encouraging our students to find some other crowd of friends, be it a team, a club, a Fraternity or Sorority, a study group, or some other "crowd," and to be a part of their crowd, seeking to love and serve, and speak the gospel to them in order that they may be blessed by Christ like we have!

Laura, Renee, Kevin and Joe- 4 core members of our chapter!

Prayer.  Feel that little lump in your throat?  Me too.  That's what happens to most of us Christians when we hear about prayer-we know we're called to do it, and we know that we just DON'T!  This last element encompasses our Vision Team's biblical understanding that we would be crazy to rush into hectic ministry without first praying.  It is a stiff encouragement to know that God is bigger than our pathetic prayer lives, that Jesus' blood covers our struggles, and then to get on our knees and pray that the Lord of the Harvest would use us as workers for his harvest, and that we might have the Spirit-given boldness to bless those who we have opportunity.

1. Please pray for continued health, strength and rest for Beth and the baby in these last few months of pregnancy.

2. Please ask the Lord to rejuvenate student leaders and strengthen new believers during the 5 weeks of winter break.

3. Praise God for 4 freshmen who surrendered their lives to Christ during the last half of fall semester!

4. Ask for God's presence and guidance for the InterVarsity staff in the Blue Ridge Region ( VA, NC & SC) as we gather for a conference on spiritual formation December 13-17.

The end of the year is a great time to make donations to

non-profit organizations like InterVarsity. 

If you are interested in extending your partnership through a one-time, year-end gift, please follow one of the links below. 

As always, you will receive a receipt for tax-exemption purposes.

• Support Eric & Beth in the InterVarsity ministry at CNU
   
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November 12-14, we took a group of about 35 students to InterVarsity's Eastern VA Area Conference in Hampton.  Students had the opportunity to learn more about God's heart and character in one of 5 tracks: Scripture, Prayer, Evangelism, Justice, or Exploring Christianity.

Although going to fall area conference has become a yearly tradition for us, God continues to use it to affect students' lives in fresh ways.

The sweetest moments of this year's conference we definitely found in chapter time-a hour for students to gather just with their school and share what God has been doing in their hearts during the weekend.

During that time, we heard from multiple upperclassmen who were refreshed by the Word and the worship, and 4 freshmen who committed their lives to Jesus either that weekend or in recent weeks before!

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