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Ministry Partnership Opportunities
The work of sharing Christ's love with international students usually happens in three phases: finding them, befriending them, and then lovingly, patiently sharing the Good News of Christ with them.
Finding Them...
Campus Partners are Christian students, faculty or staff on college campuses who help by word-of-mouth to refer international students on their campus to the events and services that ISI provides for them.
For a campus partner, it starts by keeping his or her eyes open to the presence of internationals on campus. The natural human tendency is to avoid that which is different from us, so it can sometimes take an intentional effort to simply say "hello".
Referring an international can be as simple as giving them our Web address, GreensboroFriends.net, and telling them that there is an organization that exists to provide events and services just for them.
For a campus partner, it starts by keeping his or her eyes open to the presence of internationals on campus. The natural human tendency is to avoid that which is different from us, so it can sometimes take an intentional effort to simply say "hello".
Referring an international can be as simple as giving them our Web address, GreensboroFriends.net, and telling them that there is an organization that exists to provide events and services just for them.
Befriending Them...
American Adventure Groups are small groups of Americans (usually 10-15 people, or 5-6 families, etc) whom ISI matches with a similar-sized group of international students who have signed up to participate. The Americans are trained and tasked with planning and executing a series of five group activities over the course of the semester that will give students an "insider's view" of different aspects of American culture. Our goal is for long-term friendships to develop out of these groups, through which the love of Christ can be shared personally and effectively.
Conversation Partners are matched with students who need to improve their English skills simply by talking one-on-one with an English-speaking person on a regular basis (as often as weekly).
Professional Mentors are professionals who volunteer to be matched with a student who is studying in their field of work (or something closely related). The mentor offers friendship, advise, and perspective.
Help Line Operators offer students an opportunity to click a link on our student Web site to ask questions from a live person through text-based internet chat. Students are encouraged to ask practical, cultural, or spiritual questions. Operators simply log in to the chat page whenever they know they will be near their computer for a while, and when a student wants to chat, the operator's computer will automatically "ring" and open a chat window connected with that student.
Lovingly, Patiently Sharing the Good News
ISI offers group-level opportunities for students to overtly explore the teachings of the Bible, through studies, discussions, and video presentations. For students who desire to explore even deeper, we offer one-on-one opportunities with mature Christians who can share with them more personally and in greater detail.
ISI staff and volunteers are trained to never pressure students with religion or spiritual matters. We OFFER students the opportunity to explore the claims of Christ. If they choose to take advantage of such opportunities, the claims of Christ invariably confront many of the beliefs those students hold dear. Some students will keep exploring Christ, while others will walk away from Him. Either way, ISI is committed to our friendships with each international. Our friendship and care for them is NOT dependent on their response to the claims of Christ. On the other hand, as long a student desires to keep exploring the truth about Christ, ISI is committed to helping them all we can in that journey.
ISI staff and volunteers are trained to never pressure students with religion or spiritual matters. We OFFER students the opportunity to explore the claims of Christ. If they choose to take advantage of such opportunities, the claims of Christ invariably confront many of the beliefs those students hold dear. Some students will keep exploring Christ, while others will walk away from Him. Either way, ISI is committed to our friendships with each international. Our friendship and care for them is NOT dependent on their response to the claims of Christ. On the other hand, as long a student desires to keep exploring the truth about Christ, ISI is committed to helping them all we can in that journey.
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