“Want to join a Bible study?”
“Would you fill out a spiritual survey?”
“Come eat ice cream and meet people who love Jesus!”
Phrases like these bounce around campuses all over the nation at the beginning of fall semester and many students have heard them as a result of popular recruiting methods. Despite these methods’ general success, however, a few intrepid Navigator staff people have decided to branch out to meet their campus’ needs more specifically. They’re flexing their creative muscles in an attempt to meet and get to know students, introduce those students to Jesus, and engage people in praying for all of those efforts.
Here are a few of their fresh ideas:
Win a Goat!
Staff at the University of Vermont have struggled to capture the attention of students on a campus where very few individuals are seeking to know God. At their table this fall (pictured above), UVM’s Navigators decided to shock passersby with the opportunity to win a goat (of all things!) by filling out a spiritual survey. Each student that filled out a survey was given a sugar cookie shaped like a goat and entered to win a goat donated in their name to a needy family in a developing country. They ended up with a “farm animal frenzy” in which hundreds of students filled out spiritual interest surveys, many of whom expressed interest in learning more about Jesus!
Hold Hands While You Hunt!
At the University of Wyoming’s first freshmen event, the staff members organized a scavenger hunt in which newly-formed Bible study groups were sent to look in a park for the exact locations of a number of photographs. The goal was that students would laugh a lot and form the beginnings of friendships while running around the park. The catch was that each Bible study was required to hold hands while racing around! Needless to say, the goal was more than accomplished.
TheWord121 Challenge
Buck Wilson, a staff person at Kent State, says, “This year we are trying a new and free resource called “theword121,” a downloadable booklet created to help someone guide an interested person through the Gospel of John in order to examine the claims of Christ. Our hope is to encourage each of our staff and student leaders to pray for one person to meet and read through the Bible with the help of this resource.”
31 Days of Prayer for UC Davis
Hoping to engage their friends, family, and former students in prayer for their campus, staff at the University of California sent out a calendar to everyone on their contact list. They included a verse to pray for each day of the beginning of fall semester, creating a simple and doable prayer schedule anyone could join! Take a gander at the calendar if you’d like.
Praise the Lord for the creativity He’s given His people! And praise Him for goats!
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