By Nate Jones, Collegiate Intern
The responsibility of the Church as helpers of the needy cannot be understated. College students always seem to have a unique vision and passion for helping those in need, but often lack the means to carry them out. This has been a focus of Light Company outreach efforts throughout this academic year. During our winter conference, we had the chance to learn more about the plight of some of the helpless in the world, and what we can do to make a difference.
We had the unique opportunity to be lead in worship by Remedy Drive, a group who exemplifies this difference-making attitude and uses their platform as a band to fight human trafficking. Their lead singer and guitarist, David Zach spoke to us on several occasions, both in teaching times and in downtimes, sharing both his passion for the Gospel and his work on the front lines with the ministry Exodus Road against human trafficking.
While David’s stories were both fascinating and compelling, it is not enough to simply hear them and do nothing. While Light Company will not be working with Exodus Road or against human trafficking explicitly, we will be continuing our partnership with Hope Ministries, a local shelter and rehabilitation center, in the coming weeks as a spring break day of service. We look forward to putting some of what we learned at the winter conference to work and learning more about helping those who are desperately in need.
It isn’t easy to boil the life of the average college student down to a single word, especially at campuses boasting the diversity of Grinnell College. However, through the vast assortment of ethnicities, religions, home countries and backgrounds, one word rings true among every student at Grinnell: busy. The challenge of such day to day business is plenty for any normal human being to endure, but it provides a unique challenge to students who follow Jesus, and especially those who hear and choose to obey the call of the Great Commission.
In my time working with the Light Company at Grinnell, I have learned much more about students than their tendency to have incredibly busy schedules. The Christians I’ve met here are no less busy, but still make sure they dedicate time to their faith, both in quiet meditation and in joyful community with one another. Our connection groups are always filled with great questions: “How should we live?” “How do we address our temptations?” And perhaps the most compelling in recent memory: “How do we share our faith with a campus full of so many other students who have neither the time nor desire to listen?”
These questions are, of course, broadened and removed from their original context, but I think the answer to each of these can be simplified to community. God did not create us to be alone, and it is important for us as Christians especially to find a supportive Biblical community. This model of community is presented with astounding clarity in Galatians 5:16-26. In this passage, Paul is contrasting the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. Our goal as a community in Christ is to embody the fruit of the Spirit, for “there is no law against such things.” Our hope in this action is to make our community a “city on a hill” of sorts. We want to be a community that others want to be a part of, especially those who do not follow Jesus, so they might hear the truth and understand the power of the Gospel.
