greek iv stories » Students Transformed

Greeks Go to Camp

Ryan Mercer — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:53:04 +0000

This year we tried something new with Greek InterVarsity at Purdue. In early October, we took 27 Greeks to a nearby camp for our first ever Greek Getaway. The goal for the weekend was to connect with God and connect with friends and that is exactly what happened.

The weekend started off with a retreat of silence. We gave students a Bible, a psalm to read and 2 hours to be alone with God. Because of the fast-paced nature of Greek life, this was a first-time opportunity for most them. After that we split everyone into teams for competitions. Through competitions like relay races, popping balloons and racing to pull tissues out of a kleenex box, the students built connections with people from other houses on campus. Each team had time to study the Bible together and discuss the challenges of living out faith in a fraternity/sorority. They were so glad to talk with other Greeks struggling with the same issues. By the end of the weekend, 17 committed to meeting one-on-one with God daily and a third of them recommitted to their faith in Jesus. Check out the highlight video here.

One of Allie’s (name changed) sorority sisters dragged her along to Greek Getaway this year and even paid the registration fee for her. Though hesitant to sign up, Allie had a great experience and is excited to renew her Christian faith. She is now regularly attending Greek IV events and wants to lead the Bible study in her sorority. Greek Getaway was a defining moment in her faith journey!

The “Typical” Fraternity Guy

Tyler Riffe — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:22:50 +0000

A year ago, I met the “typical” fraternity guy.

I remember first hearing this guy’s name in a prayer request; the House Ministry Leader (HML) asked me to pray for his fraternity brother. Payton and this guy were great friends, but Payton’s buddy didn’t know his need for Jesus and was living the “typical” fraternity life.

Soon, he started coming regularly to Payton’s Bible Study in the house. Payton started meeting regularly with him outside of that study to further discuss the claims of Christ. I remember throughout this time, Payton had a mixture of frustration and joy as his friend wrestled with God. He continued to show more and more interest. Greek Conference 2009 comes around, and by this time, Payton’s fraternity brother is ready to hear what God has for him.

3 months later, after going deeper in his newly found faith in a Purdue Greek IV Inter-Fraternity Bible study… Payton’s fraternity brother is a completely new person. He attended Small Group Leader’s Training at the year end Chapter Focus Week, and is excited to help the new HML in that house and continue a tradition of reaching and transforming his brothers with the gospel of Christ.

Student Transformation

Sarah Larson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:07:44 +0000

Analeise (pictured to the right) came to Rec Week, our end-of-the-year camp, as the first representative of Greek InterVarsity. She holds the position of Chaplain in her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. She will continue to lead her sorority Bible study next fall. When I first met Analeise she had just decided to follow God again. She told me, “I am in the party sorority and I am not sure I am the type of woman you want to meet with.” I replied, “You are exactly the type of woman I want to meet with.” A few months later, Analeise wanted to leave her sorority because she didn’t feel like she fit in or could make an impact. She had been thinking about running for Chaplain but decided against it and was all set to quit in December. I was crushed. I saw great potential in Analeise for leadership and to have a positive influence in her sorority. Thankfully, God had other plans. Analeise was appointed Chaplin even though she did not apply and was now excited to be a light to her house. She shared with me that her Grandmother had been at Texas Zeta and led Bible studies in the house and she was honored to follow in her footsteps. Over the course of this year, I have seen Analeise take great steps in following God. She is serious about her faith and her position as Chaplin. She wants all the Zetas to deepen or begin their relationship with Christ. She is passionate about serving the poor and is thinking about participating in foreign missions. She is excited about leading in Zetas and helping Greek IV to get off the ground next year. Analeise is my shining star. She is the reason I do what I do — help students discover who God is calling them to be and help them to be that person. She has been with me every step of the way and I am thankful for her willingness to follow my lead and for her friendship.