Testimony: Sherami Hinders from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
Two months ago, Nathan White began planting an IV chapter at East Carolina U. Last week, 19 students attended a Core Retreat — an incredible event captured on video (click here). These are the kinds of stories we’re also seeing in the Central Region, with 6 new “chapter plants” that have just begun in the last 2 months! Pray for our planters and plants at Creighton U, U of Missouri-St. Louis, U of Iowa, Forest Park Community College (St. Louis), Harris Stowe State U (St. Louis), and Maplewood Community College (Kansas City).
A live interview and Aug. 27th radio segment promoting IVCF and URBANA 2009 that I did on Bott Radio Network-St. Louis. Click on this MP3 link to enjoy the audio (and begin at the 1:45-minute mark to skip introductory commercials).
Less than 18 months ago, I moved to InterVarsity’s Central Region because of the compelling story – historically one of IV’s strongest regions in the country and with over 1 million students in the 4-state region, but a region in constant decline and without a Regional Director since 2000. With only 15 IV chapters and significant growth opportunities across the region, the 30-person staff team was eager for change and welcomed me quickly. My leadership role at this time and place has become primarily about leading change, and leading my Regional Leadership Team in leading change. Together, as Harvard B-School Professor John Kotter suggests, we’ve been creating a sense of urgency, creating a guiding coalition around planting, celebrating short-term wins, and communicating again and again our vision.
OUR NEW VISION AND EARLY WINS:
Our planting vision (PDF version) has quickly become a compelling story in itself, as 17 new campus missionaries have joined our team in the past 6 months! This past September, we began the process of planting 6 new IV chapters across the region – Lindenwood U, U of Missouri-Columbia, U of Missouri-St. Louis, U of Missouri-Kansas City, Johnson County CC, and Drake University (International Student-specific). Last month, a 5th-year staff in Western Iowa committed to moving to Eastern Iowa later this year to plant an IV chapter at the U of Iowa. And there are countless stories of students who are committing themselves to becoming “sent” to their own campuses!
There is so much momentum and alignment that we are already experiencing, all of which is happening before our official “launch” of our 2020 Vision, taking place at our Dec. 15-18 Regional Staff Conference. I’m so thankful for your investment in this Central U.S. Region, and ask that you continue praying for me as I lead the Central Region toward our 2020 Vision!
YEAR-END GIVING TOWARD THE VISION:
One of my goals is to raise an additional $3,000 this year, to be invested fully in my regional leadership team (training, supplies, team mtgs), which will increase our capacity toward accomplishing our Vision. Over the next month, would you prayerfully consider giving a special gift of $250, $500, or $1000? To give your tax-deductible gift by credit card or check, click on this link and type in “Tom Lin” when it asks for the staff member’s name.
Thanks again for praying for our team of IV students and staff from Iowa sent to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Here’s video highlights from the 6-week project. Enjoy!
