“I first experienced the joy of student ministry in high school. When I started university, I knew I couldn’t leave that behind!”
But it wasn’t that simple: she had no campus group to connect with. Despite JS groups thriving in almost 30 schools, the group at the University of Suriname had ceased some years ago.
A Tenacious Vision
This was a challenge that troubled Lorain, a JS staff worker. When she’d been a student at the university two decades earlier, she’d been involved in leading JS’s “Groups investigating God”. So, when she returned as staff in 2017, she was deeply disappointed to hear of the group’s demise.
In 2020, she hoped to start a group with high school students who graduated that year. But some started work, others went abroad for study, and others weren’t interested. “The journey wasn’t easy!”, Lorain recalls.
But she wasn’t ready to give up. In 2023-2024, under the leadership of a young new JS General Secretary, Lorain met a handful of promising high school students – including Kayley.
A Willing Heart
And Kayley was ready to give it a try:
“I started as a small group leader at the campus not knowing what would come of it but trusting that God wanted his light to shine here, too. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve seen him work, drawing together students across faculties and deepening our faith.”
Kayley heads up the group in the Law Faculty, while two of her peers started groups in the Social Sciences and Technical Faculties.
Since then, those two groups have merged due to one leader stepping down – an indication of how challenging the role is. Lorain comments: “I have to say, the work on campus is not for the weak! But Kayley is indeed brave. She is really holding on.”
Hearty Resilience and Visionary Results
In addition to the general pressures of student life – like stress, the negative impact of social media, poor self-esteem, and poverty – the student leaders are also pressed for time. It’s been hard for them to find opportunities to physically meet together, so next year many meetings will take place online.
Nevertheless, the coming together of heart and vision is enabling ministry to flourish – students are now leading groups weekly, offering prayer for students before exams, handing out Bible verses with candy, and even participating in a new podcast.
Pray
Give thanks for JS ministry in schools, for the way God brought together Kayley and Lorain, and for their faithfulness in the face of many challenges.
They ask for courage and strength to continue the mission and would like us to “pray for the university students – that God will open and soften their hearts for his Word so that they will have the opportunity to personally encounter Christ as Saviour.”
Pray that the Lord will provide more leaders who are willing and able to be trained to continue these groups and start others – especially for the new academic year at the beginning of October.
To learn more about high school ministry across IFES movements, keep an eye out for the next Conexión blog, due 3 July.
They are today’s and tomorrow’s university students: Generation Z (Gen Z). Born in the period 1997-2012, they form the world’s largest single generation – around one third of its population.
In western societies, this distinctive demographic has been thoroughly analysed. And Christian ministries – including IFES movements like InterVarsity USA – have tailored their outreach and discipleship accordingly. Later this year, UCCF Great Britain will launch a new version of Uncover Luke that’s aimed at appealing to this generation’s longing for beauty and transcendence.
However, the vast majority of Gen Z students do not live in the west. In her talk “Equipping Gen Z for Missional Living”, Denise Margaret Thompson notes that a quarter of Gen Zers live in South Asia, with India’s cohort nearly three times that of all of Europe’s.
GLOBAL TRENDS?
In response to this, IFES has been eagerly exploring whether trends associated with Gen Z are apparent across our global fellowship. If they are, huge potential exists for collaborative ministry and mission among Gen Z students.
So, last year, Peter Dray (formerly Director of Creative Evangelism at UCCF Great Britain) was commissioned to investigate. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups he’s spoken to Gen Z students and staff in national movements from four IFES world regions.
In this blog, he reflects on his field notes and identifies four global Gen Z characteristics that are significant for life and faith.
1: Gen Z Students – A Digital Generation
On my travels, it felt like smartphones were everywhere, and especially on university campuses!
Gen Z spends a huge amount of time online – communicating, watching videos, and handling everyday tasks on their phones – perhaps all at the same time. Some Singaporean students proudly told me how they were now experts in multi-tasking!
Digital immersion means that Gen Z has vast amounts of information at its fingertips – far more than previous generations did.
This is especially noticeable in lower-income countries, where mobile internet coverage has boomed. I was moved by interviewees who shared about their easy access to theological resources that their parents never had.
Practically, Gen Zers can learn skills, make friends, and earn money in ways previous generations couldn’t – with many having a new sense of drive and entrepreneurialism. One student in rural Kenya shared how he’s paying for his education by selling photos (taken on his phone) to clients around the world.
Digital technologies seem to be encouraging greater individuality, immediacy, and spontaneity.
Many people I talked to hate phone calls or long texts, preferring to communicate using short messages, GIFs, and stickers. This leads Gen Zers to communicate informally, even with older people or those in authority – a sign of their preference for flatter organisational structures that can hold leaders to account.
Socialising habits are changing too. Gen Zers prioritise time by themselves, even in countries with a historically communitarian mindset. They find waiting difficult, leading them to spur-of-the-moment decisions with a short-term focus. One student told me he’d rather buy single sachets of hot chocolate than a whole jar. He knew it cost more overall but preferred that it was less upfront!
Many interviewees also talked about the dark side of constant connection and easy internet access. Online gambling is attractive to students desperate for quick cash, the use of porn is common, and plagiarism is tempting. Several interviewees shared struggles with gaming addiction. Students in lower-income countries seem especially vulnerable and in need of guidance – the sudden tech explosion has clearly caught parents and churches off guard.
Many also felt overwhelmed by the complexity of digital life. Being ‘always on’ takes a toll. One student, who generally appreciates digital tech, said that, for Gen Z, life requires constant effort, with little mental downtime. He said that Christians could never afford to reduce their level of vigilance – meaning not only the temptations above but also the tug towards hours of endless scrolling.
He summed up what many felt: that constant connection is bringing Gen Z students a unique psychological burden, leaving them feeling mentally and emotionally drained.
2: Gen Z Students – A More Aware Generation
This rise in easy access to internet technologies has been accompanied by increased personal mobility and swift urbanisation, especially in Africa and Asia. Gen Z students are widely exposed to people and ideas from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
This can create a ‘shared vernacular’ – one American staff member in the Middle East said a local student “talks just like my 18-year-old sister”. It’s also causing Gen Z to dress more alike, no matter where they’re from.
In some places, exposure to people from other cultures is prompting Gen Zers to question deep-rooted assumptions. In Kenya, for example, those who have built relationships with those beyond their tribes find that tribal identity is less important to them than it is to their parents. Many have never learned their tribal language; some only use their English names. This sense of having ‘more in common’ is driving young Kenyans to unite in political activism, most notably in the so-called ‘Gen Z protests’ against the government in July 2024.
In some lower-income countries, the greater awareness brought about by digital technologies has exaggerated the generational gap. “Our parents knew a lot about a little,” one Gen Z student told me, “but we know a little about a lot.” Some expressed frustration that their parents (and churches) couldn’t handle questions they had from content they’d seen online. The danger of blindly accepting answers offered by search engines, AI, or influencers was apparent.
In Ireland, I met a Gen Z volunteer whose experience illustrates how his cultural awareness has grown due to global mobility. He grew up in a homogeneous area and had no cross-cultural training. Yet at university, he met people from a range of nations and backgrounds. On one occasion, he met waiters from Sudan, greeting them with some Arabic phrases he’d picked up. He then impressed them with facts he’d learned about Sudan (including that it has more pyramids than Egypt!). This cultural awareness created an instant connection, opening doors for meaningful conversation.
Despite greater general awareness, it would be misleading to suggest that cross-cultural engagement is common. In many countries, students still mostly hang out with others from their own ethnic background. Students who’ve made friends beyond their ethnic group have often been challenged to do so or seen it modelled by others – very often by staff from local IFES movements.
But the opportunity for cross-cultural friendship, personal growth, and gospel ministry – both as students and later as graduates – is bigger than ever.
3: Gen Z Students – The Post-Pandemic Generation
For Generation Z, the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic was particularly significant. As lockdowns swept the globe, most Gen Zers were in their teens – a vital stage in their development.
People I interviewed had mixed feelings about the pandemic. Some – often feeling quite guilty about it – admitted they actually enjoyed lockdown, especially if their families weren’t financially struggling.
Many felt relieved about school being cancelled or not having to take exams! Quite a few talked about times of deep sadness, particularly if they lost loved ones or if their family faced money problems. Others were frustrated that they were still students, especially if they had to put their education on hold during the pandemic.
Lockdowns magnified and sped up the cultural trends described above. Families or individuals who didn’t have smartphones obtained them for the first time, while those who already had them spent much more time online. Around the world, many Gen Zers clearly felt incredibly lonely and without purpose, with only the internet for company. Once again, this appears to have been most acutely experienced in lower-income countries, especially among those who had recently moved to the city and felt uprooted from their traditional support networks.
The pandemic has made Gen Z students much more aware of mental health issues. Even in countries where mental illness is still somewhat taboo, students openly discussed struggles they’d seen in themselves and others.
In Timor-Leste, the local staff who translated my interviews were shocked to discover how central this topic was in their students’ thinking. In some cases, Gen Zers’ familiarity with mental struggles and their experience of human vulnerability seems to have weakened their resilience.
In Singapore, local staff noted that lockdowns had impaired students’ social skills, with fewer students feeling comfortable to meet or talk with an outside speaker before a meeting. Staff also noticed that students seem less confident in their own opinions – for example group leaders might send out online surveys to members to get reassurance on even small decisions.
Although many Christian students I talked to are actively sharing their faith, they often lack confidence. That can be related to the gospel itself (especially when faced with the new questions asked by friends) or their ability to explain it well.
4: Gen Z Students – A Spiritually Open Generation
In every country, Gen Zers told me that their generation is more willing to change their beliefs than their parents were. In places where Christians have been the majority, Gen Z is now exposed to a range of new beliefs and voices. Questions about the compatibility of science and Christianity, for example, are being more widely expressed among Gen Zers in Kenya than ever before. They consider their parents’ ignorance to this issue both frustrating and naïve.
People I interviewed in every country also talked about the challenges Christians face around gender and sexuality. In many countries – including lower-income countries – new age spiritualities (like ‘manifesting’) are becoming popular. Christian Gen Zers are particularly vulnerable to new intellectual and personal doubts.
This openness to reconsider beliefs is also noticeable among those outside the church.
In Timor-Leste, Gen Z students are more likely to seek modern medical care than visit a traditional healer.
They’re more generally willing to question the animistic and nominal Roman Catholic beliefs that have historically dominated their nation. Some Timorese Gen Zers have been drawn to evangelical churches and student groups because they had first watched evangelical worship online.
In the Middle East, staff described how internet use has made Muslim students more aware and curious about Christianity than they were even just a few years ago. Some are now more open to studying the Bible or experiencing Christian friendship.
In my own country, the United Kingdom – and in other countries across Europe and North America – surveys indicate that Gen Z is interested in spirituality and religion. The challenge is that Gen Zers are not just open to Christianity or to Jesus – they’re open to almost everything, often exploring multiple paths at the same time.
To stay faithful in a world with so many competing beliefs, Gen Z needs to know that Jesus is unique and that faith in him makes real sense.
REACHING GEN Z STUDENTS TOGETHER
These four recurrent themes have shown me that similar approaches can be taken to the reaching and discipling of Gen Z students worldwide, while also allowing for local variations.
My investigations have also caused me to reflect on how IFES movements throughout their histories have, at their best, shown an amazing ability to help students understand how the gospel connects to their cultural moment – and that this is just as needed today.
So, let’s explore how we can work together, seeking God’s wisdom, as we reimagine this task for a generation that’s digitally immersed, globally connected, pandemic-affected, and spiritually open.
These field notes will be followed by a full report later in the year – stay tuned to our Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp channels for more information.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW?
Do these four features resonate with your experience and context?
We’d love to hear your observations on Gen Z from where you are.
“Our country is knowing a deeply difficult period in its history. It’s amid dire challenges that we’re providing ministry. But we continue our work, training students to lead small groups and share the good news of Christ in our universities.”
Descheny Laurent, staff in the IFES movement in Haiti (GBEUH), is determined to serve despite the devastating violence of recent months.
Ruined
Last year, Haiti’s political instability and humanitarian challenges gravely worsened. Armed groups stormed prisons, set free thousands of gang members, and took control of large parts of the capital (Port-au-Prince) and the surrounding areas.
Since then, over 5,000 people have been killed and around one million displaced. Nearly half the population face acute food insecurity, and hospitals and schools are severely incapacitated.
Descheny shares how this has impacted them:
“We are deeply affected by the ongoing security crisis, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where many of our groups gathered. It’sbecome very difficult to have a normal academic year. Exam periods are often rescheduled multiple times. All this has prevented students from holding weekly meetings in person.”
Rising Above
But they haven’t given up. The team now facilitates online Bible studies and leads discussions on how faith relates to the immediate and wider challenges they face.
Marc Pulvar, IFES Regional Secretary for the Caribbean, says:
“Doing student ministry in Haiti means building and rebuilding in relentless adversity. Faced with severe economic hardship, pervasive social challenges, and a dangerous security situation, student leaders are persevering despite the odds.Even in these harsh conditions, there is a deep commitment to serve the campuses in their country.”
Ony Pierre-Louis, studying social work, shares how GBEUH has helped him:
“I’vegained a better understanding of God’s character and his plan for us as his creatures. And I love using the Bible study methodI’ve learned with the young people in my group at church.”
As an expression of solidarity with what is now the poorest nation in the Americas, the IFES Caribbean team dedicated last November’s Gift Week to raising funds for GBEUH Haiti – for outreach activities, office equipment, and staff salary. One of the regional team said:
“The ‘Let us Rise up and Rebuild’ Gift Week highlighted that support for student ministry in Haiti needs to be more than just facilitating ‘spiritual growth’. It’salso about rebuilding lives, supportingcommunities, and holding out the hope of Christ.”
Pray
Will you pray in faith for a breakthrough in 2025? Ask – that the Father will bring an end to the fear and violence. Seek – that Christ’s peace and justice will prevail. Knock – that the doors of heaven will be opened with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Pray for Descheny and the students in GBEUH – that the Lord will protect, strengthen, and guide them so that their dedicated, hopeful witness will touch lives and communities.
Give thanks for those who generously supported the IFES Caribbean Gift Week. Ask the Lord to provide all the resources staff and students need – for living and ministry. And pray for wisdom for the IFES Caribbean team as it seeks to encourage and support them.
It must have felt ironic for Yahel, a young student in French Guiana.
He’d been looking forward to joining the IFES Caribbean camp in Martinique, with its theme “Resist or succumb? The choice is yours”. But his flight was cancelled. Twice. With the camp now already underway, he was facing a difficult decision: was there any point still going?
The Immediate Choice
As he stood at the airport desk, he was offered two options. He could wait two days for the next direct flight, leaving him with just two days at the five-day camp. Or he could fly that day via Paris, with an eight-hour layover, giving him three days at camp. He resisted the temptation to despair and give up; he chose to leave immediately, even though it meant travelling thousands of miles:
“It was very hard – physically and mentally. My patience was stretched to its limit. But I held out. I was convinced that it would be worth it.”
One of the main attractions for Yahel was to meet other students from the French-speaking Caribbean. Due to the region’s geography and limited transport links, they have few opportunities to connect with each other. The camp brought together 57 high school and university students from IFES movements in Martinique, French Guiana, and Guadeloupe. Yahel wasn’t disappointed:
“Arriving two days late, I was quite apprehensive. But as soon as I met the guys in my room, we bonded.”
Ongoing Choices
Another reason Yahel wanted to take part in the camp was its theme: “it speaks to our generation!”
Jean-Davy Frair, IFES Coordinator for the French-Speaking Caribbean, was one of the main organisers of the camp. He says they picked the theme of resisting or succumbing to temptation because it was so relevant to the needs of their young people, many of whom face pressures related to drugs, sex, alcohol, and social trends.
By engaging with Scripture, the students considered the origins of temptation (James 1), examples of succumbing to it (Genesis 3) and resisting it (Matthew 4), as well as the choice involved (Genesis 4). They heard talks, inductively studied the texts, and explored the Word through acting and drawing.
The Greatest Choice
“Even though I arrived late, the camp gave me so much – meeting other young Christians, studying the Word. And I also chose to accept Christ into my life! This is the start of something big.”
Yahel’s brave choice at the airport desk changed his life.
Pray
Give thanks for the French-speaking camp in Martinique – for the friendships forged among the three movements and for the deeper understanding of Scripture. Pray that God will strengthen Yahel and his peers, helping them to choose to resist the temptations they face.
Pray for those at the camp who learned how to run Bible studies – that they will know the Holy Spirit’s guidance as they lead groups in their schools and universities in September.
Give thanks that despite the destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl in June, the in-person element of this year’s inaugural IFES Caribbean Academy could go ahead (10-16 August in Trinidad). Pray that this leadership training program will prove instrumental in equipping godly students and staff across the region’s 20 movements.
“It seemed like we were grasping at straws. We were praying and pursuing all our leads, but without any progress. I felt a real burden for the place, but I realised that we couldn’t force it. We needed to take a step back and ask God to show us the way forward.”
And God did.
With the IFES Caribbean (CARIFES) team, Kerwin Stuart, Associate Regional Secretary, was attempting to re-start student ministry on the island of Antigua. Many years ago, ministry was planted there as the Inter-School and Colleges Christian Fellowship (ISCCF). But when several key people, including some good board members, stepped away from their roles about five years ago, ISCCF activities died out.
Over the last few years, Kerwin connected with some graduates and pastors who seemed to share his heart for campus ministry. But these promising developments all abruptly ended. Kerwin was “perplexed but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8): “we continued seeking God’s direction, asking him to lead us to the right people and show us where he’s at work”.
And that’s when Darlene made contact.
She is the youth director at a local church and a lecturer at Antigua State College – and she’d experienced IFES ministry as a student. Darlene wanted to let Kerwin know that she’d started meeting with a few students from the college to read the Bible and pray together. The “small group” is now consistently attracting 20-30 students each week.
Prayers answered.
Kerwin will soon lead an orientation on IFES and student-led ministry. The CARIFES team also hope that one or two of the Antiguan students may be able to attend this year’s inaugural CARIFES Academy. This will not only give the students skills in leadership but also expose them to the region’s rich network of national movements.
For Kerwin, the frustrated efforts and persistent prayers highlight “the gift of getting aligned with God’s plans”. But the story also points to the vulnerability of ministry on the Caribbean islands – due partly to geographical distances and transient student populations. In recent years, several movements have needed “re-pioneering” or revitalizing, including St Martin and Martinique. Watch out for more details about pioneering in the Caribbean as we approach this year’s Global Giving Day: Into All the World.
For today, let’s pray for staff and students in Antigua and the Caribbean:
Give thanks for the tenacious faith of the CARIFES team and God’s work through Darlene; pray for good relations and a common vision as they help this fledgling group become established.
Pray for the Antigua State College students attending – that they will flourish together in their faith and be strengthened in their witness.
Ask the Lord to lead the CARIFES team towards the right student(s) to participate in the CARIFES Academy – and pray that these potential leaders will have a formative experience with lasting impact.
This week’s Prayerline is a modified version of an update originally shared in the 8 June edition of the CARIFES Prayer Bulletin. To receive the CARIFES Prayer Bulletin, sign up here.
On 21 May, the Caribbean region was shaken by the devastating news of a fire that broke out in the girls’ dormitory at the Mahdia Secondary School in Guyana. The fire claimed the lives of at least 19 children and injured several others.
This extraordinary tragedy has deeply saddened IS/IVCF Guyana, the Guyanese people, and the IFES fellowship in the region. Since the fire, the national movement has been working with staff and contacts from the Mahdia area, including a pastor from the area who has offered a home and given initial guidance regarding immediate needs. The CARIFES regional team has been active in reaching out and offering all possible support to the national movement.
IS/IVCF Guyana has sent a team to Mahdia for a five-day trip, during which they supported and served the residents in several ways. While in Mahdia, the IS/IVCF team hoped to make new connections and have a lasting impact. They have shared a full report in their own prayer newsletter here.
Pray for IS/IVCF Guyana & the town of Mahdia:
Pray for the bereaved relatives of the 20 children who perished in the fire. Pray for all who are grieving, that they may find comfort and peace, and that they may also find God in the process.
Pray for IS/IVCF Guyana as they continue to grieve and offer practical aid after the fire, and pray for the CARIFES regional team as they stand with the national movement at this time.
Thank God for opening doors during the IS/IVCF visit to Mahdia. Pray that God will continue to grow relationships that were strengthened or started in the recent visit team visit.
“Pray for the Cayman Islands – please send workers”.
Latavia, an experienced staff worker with ISCF, the student movement in Jamaica, had been praying for a new opportunity to serve overseas. When she saw this message posted during an online ISCF event, she wondered if she had found her answer.
After a few months, Latavia’s calling to the Cayman Islands was confirmed when God gave her a dream about the landscape and geography of the island of Grand Cayman – even though she had never been there. This was also confirmed through a prophetic word from her Pastor. In June, she moved to the island as the first IS/IVCF Cayman Islands staff worker to be fully employed directly by the ministry.
A new place always brings new challenges. “Cayman is a Christian nation like Jamaica, and because I was only going to be supervising seven schools, to be honest, I expected it to be easier”. In Jamaica, Latavia had personally overseen ministry in close to 100 schools and, in this new situation, she was looking forward to developing closer relationships with fewer students. But Latavia found the Caymanian culture far more indifferent to Christianity than she was expecting.
In the Cayman Islands, over 130 nationalities are represented in a population of just 70,000, and there are many students who identify as atheists or follow different religions. By contrast, Latavia explains that in Jamaica “everybody might not personally trust in Jesus, but there is a reverence for God, and a general support for the ministry.” Student ministry in Jamaica is well established – over 70 years old. Groups are student-led, although supervised by a sponsor (Christian teacher). Christian students are less forthcoming in Cayman. “Lots of them seem to be in hiding”, observes Latavia.
Nonetheless, she also went expecting to feel like a total stranger and foreigner in a new country. “The Lord has given me a lot of friends and a real community of Christians”, she says. Moreover, “the IS/IVCF board members are also really supportive.”
As a financial centre, the Cayman Islands is an interesting and unique place for student ministry. “Here”, says Latavia, “we have the potential to impact the world. With so many students from other countries, we can impact the families they go home to worldwide.” Latavia wants to make the most of this with the 2023 theme Igniting our Schools with the Gospel of Jesus. “I’ve been surprised to meet students who have never heard the gospel”, she says. “A student asked me ‘What is Christ?’ It’s difficult to invest in students who are here for such a short time and can’t make a great impact on the island, but I want the students to become bold witnesses in their words and conduct.”
Let’s pray for Latavia and students in the Cayman Islands:
Pray for the discipleship retreat on 18 February, that students might become strengthened in their faith and equipped to live it out among their friends.
Pray for Latavia’s efforts to bring more churches on board with the mission, that many churches will see and understand the strategic value of the ministry to students, and that they will support Latavia with finances, resources, mentoring, and pastoral care.
Pray that as Latavia works to establish student ministry, build relationships, and make disciples, God will bless the work of her hands (Deuteronomy 28:12). Pray that he will raise up student leaders in the Cayman Islands.
‘So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.’ (Ezra 8:23)
This was the verse with which Sister Anne, board member and prayer coordinator of IS/IVCF Belize, began the meeting. We’ve just reached the final week of the CARIFES 40 Days of Prayer, with one more meeting planned for 7 July. Students, staff, graduates, supporters, and board members of the Caribbean movements have been praying individually and corporately online. For this Prayerline, let’s join them, to pray for the points raised at their latest meeting, on the theme of ‘Thriving on New Ground’. Here are a handful of prayer requests from the meeting, for the whole global fellowship to lift before God.
Movements are being pioneered on the island of Saint Martin, on the French (Saint-Martin) and Dutch (Sint Maarten) sides of the island. Let’s pray that God would give new contacts and provide new opportunities to begin ministry in Sint Maarten, and that in Saint-Martin God would renew the strength of existing leaders.
GBEUH Haiti needs prayer for greater structure, and for the ministry to be expanded throughout the country. Pray also for political, economic, and social stability. Thank God that he will make the GBEUH the light that shines in Haiti.
ISCF/UCCF Jamaica asks for prayer for a specific situation – for ‘teachers who feel overwhelmed, and students who need comfort after the deaths of relatives’. Pray for stability, wholeness, and healing, and that God would use this situation as an opportunity to draw them close to him. Pray for boldness of students to live out the gospel in a youth culture that looks down upon them.
Ministry is continuing in ISCCF St Lucia, but there is a specific need for more Christian teachers to serve in their schools. Pray also for the possibility of a student leadership training retreat in August. Pray for ISCCF to recommence face-to-face in schools in the next academic year.
‘Prayer is always our only viable option’, says Brother Lawrence, ISCF/UCCF Jamaica board member, during the meeting. ‘And student and schools ministry is so important. Our schools are the bottleneck of society. While many young people bypass the church, everyone passes through school.’
Pray with us for the CARIFES region:
Thank God for this spirit of prayer; pray that CARIFES and the whole global fellowship might ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Pray for the strengthening and flourishing of all 15 affiliated student movements in the Caribbean, plus those being pioneered. Pray that more students would hear the gospel and commit their lives to Christ.
Many places need more workers; pray that God would raise people to serve students in many ways.
Most IFES ministry takes place in universities. But in some parts of the world, a high school ministry is the best way to reach young people for Christ.
In the St Vincent Grammar School in the Caribbean country of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mrs Nakita Boucher is a ‘sponsor’ —a teacher who runs a Christian group at school—for the national student movement ISCCF SVG. This year, the group faced a dilemma. The pandemic made the prospect of running a student group in the single-sex school more difficult than usual.
Nonetheless, Mrs Boucher felt that it was right to meet. As she explains, ‘I was led by the Holy Spirit to focus on evangelism. We couldn’t have allowed this time to pass us by, seeing what has happened around us in the last year, including the pandemic and the La Soufrière eruption. I decided we should focus on making the students aware of what it means to be saved and how to live a Christian life.’
Mrs Boucher read the moment well. The students were keen, and this term, the group multiplied from the usual 25-30 students to over 40 attending for half an hour every Thursday. They did Bible quizzes and discussed the students’ perception of who God is. Two young pastors were invited to come and explain salvation and repentance. Students and teachers shared their personal testimonies.
One student shares the impact that the group has had on his faith: ‘I do not get a lot of time to read the Word as much as I should, and ISCCF has been a devoted part of my week where I can read the Word and gain more knowledge about the gospel and about God’s divine purpose for my life. At my church, I enjoy the beginner to youth class, filled with lots of activities, stories, and opportunities to connect with others of similar age about the same thing. Having something similar at my school feels so wonderful. I believe that ISCCF has made me gain confidence to spread the gospel and made me a more rounded student. I hope that more students can benefit as I have.’
Six students gave their hearts to Christ this term, and ISCCF are hoping to follow up with those who won’t be able to receive discipleship at church. Mrs Boucher says that ‘overall, the group has been very vibrant, very interested, and our students are developing a love and appreciation for God. We hope that we can continue to share the gospel, and that these students will grow into the young men that God wants them to be.’
Pray with us for this ISCCF group and other students in St Vincent and the Grenadines:
Pray for the six who received Christ for the first time this term. Pray that it would be the beginning of a lifelong, faithful and joyful devotion to Jesus and that God uses their lives powerfully.
Pray that Christian students would be bold in proclaiming the gospel to their classmates, and that they would have a continual hunger and thirst for God.
Pray that the ISCCF group at the St Vincent school would grow numerically and spiritually. Pray that students would get support in their Christian faith from peers and parents where possible.
Pray that IFES high school ministry in different countries around the world would be more and more fruitful as students return to normal life after the pandemic. Pray that they would spend their lives living for Jesus.
As the world was shutting down, in the Caribbean new things were beginning.
Bruce Fletcher and Francis Warner, two former leaders of IVCF in Trinidad and Tobago, were hatching a plan. Although the pandemic was just beginning and the Caribbean islands were closing their borders, Bruce and Francis saw a chance to remake some connections, reassembling those who were in IVCF alongside them.
If there’s one thing that should never be underestimated, it’s a WhatsApp group. Bruce and Francis quickly gathered 80 people, all IVCF students from the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies between 1977 and 1981. Many were not from Trinidad and Tobago—Bruce himself is from Jamaica—and many now live elsewhere. Now mostly-retired professionals, most had not been in touch for over forty years. Bruce and Francis were hoping that these alumni would use what God had given them over the years to benefit the current cohort of IVCF students. The results that came were unexpected and wonderful.
They began hosting events that would create conversation about the impact of the pandemic in the region, and some began to meet every Saturday night to support one another in prayer and intercede for current IVCF students. The impact of this has reached across the world already. Cherelle Thompson is a second-year Medical Sciences student, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She praises God that the group ‘undergirded my Olympic journey to Japan with their weekly prayers to heaven … Their petitions on my behalf were answered through relationships, resources and faith posture that I needed for every step of the journey’.
Group members have also supported IVCF practically. As many participants have felt called to give financially, the movements across the Caribbean have been sustained through the hardships of the pandemic. Group members have also offered to mentor young graduates. Bruce emphasises that as needs are identified across countries in the region, someone from the group is usually able to step in and help. There is an appetite to bring projects that are working in one place to the rest of the movements.
‘Gladness and gratitude’ are the words that Joel Chryskarsten, General Secretary of IS/IVCF Trinidad and Tobago, uses to describe ‘Our Legends’, which is how the group is fondly referred to. He says that the financial support of individuals in the group ‘was vital in helping ensure our financial stability throughout the fallout period of the pandemic.’
Where could this go in the future? There are almost 15,000 alumni of IVCF, which was founded in 1956. The ‘Legends’ have also been discussing with Regional Secretary Marc Pulvar how other Caribbean alumni could be better connected, even those now living around the world. They are excited about what this could lead to, in the Caribbean and beyond.
Please pray with us for IVCF Trinidad and Tobago, the Legends group, and the CARIFES region:
Thank God that he provided for the Caribbean movements in the pandemic in this way. Thank God for the initiative and willing steps of faith of Bruce and Frank, and the servant-hearted spirit of all the alumni involved.
Pray that the current IVCF students would continue to be blessed and helped by the care of alumni, and that this would have an eternal impact as they continue to study and move into their adult lives.
Pray for the future development of alumni networks in the Caribbean and beyond, that God would use alumni to encourage, strengthen and bless student movements all over the world.
