Students from Texas A&M University-San Antonio can find community in their fellowship with God by joining events hosted by the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
For English speakers, the Small Group with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship meets 1-2:30 p.m. on Mondays in the cafeteria. The next meeting is today.
For Spanish speakers, the Small Group with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship meets 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesdays in the cafeteria. The next meeting is Nov. 15.
The interdenominational group guides meetings with a structure called O.I.A., which stands for observation, interpretation and application.
Jasmine Zuniga, a campus staff minister, says this style helps break down scripture in the Bible and helps encourage conversation.
Many in the small group shared their relationship with God, and how the meetings helped them find a like-minded community to grow with.
Vania Gonzalez, a graduate student and kinesiology major, said her parents didn’t attend church and she had no way of going to church by herself, so all she had was her Bible and sermons online.
“Before InterVarsity, it was just me and God,” Gonzalez said.
The group is a chapter of a larger national ministry. The IVCF group at A&M-San Antonio is part of the Red River Region, which encompasses San Antonio to El Paso.
The leaders of the Bible study reach out to the community by also hosting game nights, trivia and worship on the East Lawn.
They also internationally reach out with mission trips; one of their members just went to Kenya, but they also have trips to countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand and Tanzania.
An upcoming mission trip, partnered with a bigger organization called the International Organization of Evangelical Students, is going to Houston March 8-13 to serve the community with prayer.
The last major event was a seasonal retreat where chapters get together and have fellowship. The conference is called “rec week” where students get to talk to leaders from Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.
Leaders of the small group said they wanted to create a group where everyone would feel welcomed, and have a space where people feel encouraged to ask the hard questions.
Jasmine Lopez, an IVCF member, said the group gives her a sense of community.
“I wanted to find a group that would accept me for my beliefs,” Lopez said. “So I searched for one, and found them.”
For more information, visit https://tamusa.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/intervaristy-christian-fellowship.
