Oberlin College – A Contemporary Sodom, or Nineveh?
- David Mange, InterVarsity Christian FellowshipNo, I wasn’t swallowed by a whale, but I do find myself serving at Oberlin College and hear God saying to us about the college, “Should I not be concerned about that important campus?” What a great place to be “in the world, but not of it.”
BPC has financially supported the ministry of InterVarsity at Oberlin for 9 years through “Bay Bridge to Missions”. And, there are many members of BPC who pray and give directly to support my work with InterVarsity.
A key area of growth this year has been the prayer movement of Oberlin Christian Fellowship (OCF). Through our daily prayer meetings, a 24 hour prayer vigil (see Latarsha story), and two weeks of 8:15 am prayers (nearly miraculous for college students!), we have grown in our dependence upon God, our expectation that he will advance his work, and in our ability to see how he is at work so we can partner with him.
Oberlin College is a strategic mission field in Lorain County. Students come from the coasts and around the world to get an Oberlin education. The mayor of Washington DC, and the author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” are graduates of Oberlin College. 17% of Oberlin College graduates have become faculty or administration in Colleges and Universities.
I have been on staff with InterVarsity 21 years and my family and I moved to Avon Lake so I could begin serving at Oberlin 2.5 years ago. We are building witnessing communities on campus, led by students. (Much like the Faith Communities in Mission we have been talking about here at BPC.) One of my favorite kinds of fruit from the ministry is to see graduates become leaders in their communities and in God’s purposes in the world.
Please pray that God will raise up more laborers for his harvest field at Oberlin to reach the 2800 students, plus the faculty and staff there. Two keys ways this will happen is via students coming to faith in Jesus and students being trained to serve as leaders in God’s mission on campus.
We are seeking money to use for scholarships to Chapter FOCUS Week at Cedar Campus. This is a most strategic week for us, right after final exams. We will be hearing outstanding Bible Exposition, Praying, Seeking God’s for his plans for the work, and growing as a community of love where Christ is present.
To provide scholarship help to Oberlin student going to Chapter FOCUS Week go to intervarsity.org/donate the fastest way is to click on Credit Card, then find Northeast Ohio Scholarships and make a donation.
Contact David Mange with any questions davidmange89@gmail.com David is a new member of Bay Pres and InterVarsity staff worker at Oberlin College...
Contact Luke Depner about Cairo Global Urban Trek luke.depner@oberlin.edu Luke er is a Junior majoring in Philosophy at Oberlin College and the new chapter president for the coming school year. Luke will spend his summer in a dump in Cairo learning about gospel ministry there.
LaTarsha’s Story
David sent this E-mail to his student leadership team…
Hey Sisters and Brothers, I'm sitting here in Decafe (in the student union) celebrating God's goodness and I want to pass along the reason why. Have you met Latarsha Porcher? She was around last semester and was in a group for first year students that was studying Daniel. She walked up to me this morning with a big smile on her face, eager to talk. Both were pleasantly surprising given our interactions last semester. She gave testimony, thanking God for working in her during the 24-hour Prayer Vigil. She ended up praying two hours instead of just one. She said for the FIRST TIME, she felt God's presence as she sat before him in that space. She also said reflecting on her life, she was convicted that she hadn't been putting God first during first semester. She had been very anxious and striving, and not behaving like a Christian. She is renouncing that and repenting and seeking to put God first every day. I tell you, she looks like a different person. Her countenance is totally changed. She has pastors and evangelists in her family who seem to be faithful Christians. I'm sure they have been praying for her. And God has let us have the privilege of being the flesh and bones on his answer to their prayers for Latarsha. He is good! His love endures forever! David
Oberlin Christian Fellowship website
Additional Resources for Prayer:
Prayer Walking at PrayerClostMinistries.org
www.kingdompraying.com
