Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!wuarchive!emory!gatech!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: lvron@saturn.lerc.nasa.gov (Ronald E. Graham) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Consultation sought: training & skills dedicated to God's service Message-ID: Date: 11 Dec 90 06:22:07 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center Lines: 57 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [And a cheerful g'dae, Mr. Moderator. Long time, no discuss. Looking forward to participation again.] I am helping to develop a conference session for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) in my area. I am looking for folks in this newsgroup to assist me in locating portions of Scripture relevant to the conference subject, so I can consider them during my own quiet time. Let me explain: IVCF is a fellowship of college students, with chapters on many campuses in North America (a related group, IFES - International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, can be found on campuses elsewhere), whose groups' day-to-day functions are run by student members, under the guidance of full-time staff workers. (Do I need to explain all this?) The three of us working on this conference session have determined that a difficulty with IVCF, at least in this region, has been that it has not prepared students sufficiently for contributing to the life of the Church after graduation. It's not too tough to find conferences and seminars related to the subject of being a Christian in the "marketplace" (e.g. business and industry), and IVCF has already addressed this issue for its seniors. What is not addressed is the other-way-around: professional skills and training applied to God's service. We want to address this issue for our alumni. The session's key passage is found in the last half-dozen-or-so verses of Acts 2, describing the formation and functions of the early Church. For further references, I have started with the first half-dozen-or-so verses of Acts 6, describing the selection of the seven guys full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, who were to assume the day-to-day responsibilities of the Church so the leaders were freed up to pursue the ministry of the Word and prayer. I am also looking at passages in Acts whose chief characters are the Ethiopean eunuch and Cornelius, the centurion in the Italian band; and I will be considering the advice given to Moses by Jethro, his father-in- law, regarding delegation of responsibility. I need more to consider. If anybody has a contribution, I would be beholden if you could e-mail it to me. I will review and comment, and I would gladly summarize for the group's behalf if anybody responds. RG If I do good, give the credit to God. If I screw up, I'll take the blame. [You might also consider trying to involve your members in local churches while they are in school. It's always bothered me slightly to see local churches, chaplaincy programs of various denominations, and "parachurch" groups such as Intervarsity functioning with little contact. It's hard to know exactly what to suggest, as it depends a lot upon your local situation. When I was a grad student at CMU, a lot of the Intervarsity members were active in a local Presbyterian church (one that had a rather evangelical orientation). But our Intervarsity group had a somewhat broader scope than I believe the national staff were quite comfortable with. (Technically I shouldn't have been allowed as a member, as I don't believe in inerrancy.) --clh]