5 Ways to be Involved in International Ministry (Without Needing a Passport)
You have heard me say many times that my job is not to do international student ministry, my job is to raise up international student ministers. That is our pursuit at UNC, and in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. We partner with American students, churches, volunteers, and ultimately international students themselves to equip and mobilize them to be international student ministers. What a joy it would be for me to hear about how you, friends, supporters, blog readers, have begun to do international ministry in your backyard. Our vision is to serve internationals and partner with them to make Jesus known among the nations. Hebrews 13:2 commands us to, "not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (literally - to love foreigners). Here are 5 ways you can do that even if you don’t partner with us at UNC.
1. Partner with a local international student ministry
If you have a college or university near you I can guarantee it has international students, and if it is a larger university I can almost guarantee there is some international student ministry on campus there. If that ministry is doing their job well then they would love to have people who love Jesus and love internationals partner with them. The first place to look would be the ACMI database (it’s a little old but a good starting point). Some of the organizations that may be on your campus are IFI, Bridges International, ISI, Inter-Varsity, Campus Outreach (links take you to their websites). They need volunteers to open their homes, serve as conversation partners, pick up students at the airport, attend kid play groups with scholars’ wives and children.
2. If your local college doesn’t have an international student ministry on campus then use the resources your church provides and start one!
Did you know that Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave, VA) has international students? Did you know that 8% of the students at Embry-Riddle (Prescott, AZ) are internationals? Did you know Otterbein College (Westerville, OH) has students from 20 different countries? They have needs that your church can meet. Don’t go on campus handing out tracts, and don’t make your first offer to them an invitation to your church. Begin an English conversation club at your church, host them for Thanksgiving dinner, invite them to a Super Bowl party, or take them grocery shopping. If you have a truck, take them to yard sales in the fall and help them furnish their empty apartments. Build relationships through serving them.
3. Serve the university
Most universities that have international students have programs to serve them. Volunteer with the international student office at the school to host students for dinner, serve in conversation partner programs, host students for holidays. And as you serve students, take the relationship beyond just a meal.
4. Host an international prayer night
This was an assignment for my missions class when I was in college. I had to mobilize a prayer team. We met at 8:00 on Monday nights, prayed for an hour, and then watched Monday Night Football. We had to pray for a specific people group in Indonesia. Each week we would learn something about them and pray for them. How did that change the Riau people of Indonesia? Only heaven knows. But of the guys in that prayer group 40% of us went on to serve the Lord on foreign soil. As you pray regularly for internationals I promise that your eyes will be opened to the internationals living in your neighborhood, attending your kids’ schools, shopping at the grocery store, and your heart will soon follow.
5. Adopt a family
It’s easy to distinguish between ethnically diverse Americans and internationals. You can usually tell just by looking at clothes. When we are trying to racially profile students on campus to determine if they are Asian or Asian-American we look at their shoes. The shoe-rule is 90% accurate. If the shoe rule fails, language is a dead giveaway. As you notice international families living in your neighborhood befriend them. The easiest and most needed way you can serve them is to offer your skills as an English speaker. The kids probably go to school and probably don’t have any problem speaking English, but many of the adults have language deficiencies which are preventing them from getting jobs, getting into school, and unfortunately, from making American friends. You can use your native English and kindness to serve them, help them be more successful, and to make a friend.
1. Partner with a local international student ministry
If you have a college or university near you I can guarantee it has international students, and if it is a larger university I can almost guarantee there is some international student ministry on campus there. If that ministry is doing their job well then they would love to have people who love Jesus and love internationals partner with them. The first place to look would be the ACMI database (it’s a little old but a good starting point). Some of the organizations that may be on your campus are IFI, Bridges International, ISI, Inter-Varsity, Campus Outreach (links take you to their websites). They need volunteers to open their homes, serve as conversation partners, pick up students at the airport, attend kid play groups with scholars’ wives and children.
2. If your local college doesn’t have an international student ministry on campus then use the resources your church provides and start one!
Did you know that Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave, VA) has international students? Did you know that 8% of the students at Embry-Riddle (Prescott, AZ) are internationals? Did you know Otterbein College (Westerville, OH) has students from 20 different countries? They have needs that your church can meet. Don’t go on campus handing out tracts, and don’t make your first offer to them an invitation to your church. Begin an English conversation club at your church, host them for Thanksgiving dinner, invite them to a Super Bowl party, or take them grocery shopping. If you have a truck, take them to yard sales in the fall and help them furnish their empty apartments. Build relationships through serving them.
3. Serve the university
Most universities that have international students have programs to serve them. Volunteer with the international student office at the school to host students for dinner, serve in conversation partner programs, host students for holidays. And as you serve students, take the relationship beyond just a meal.
4. Host an international prayer night
This was an assignment for my missions class when I was in college. I had to mobilize a prayer team. We met at 8:00 on Monday nights, prayed for an hour, and then watched Monday Night Football. We had to pray for a specific people group in Indonesia. Each week we would learn something about them and pray for them. How did that change the Riau people of Indonesia? Only heaven knows. But of the guys in that prayer group 40% of us went on to serve the Lord on foreign soil. As you pray regularly for internationals I promise that your eyes will be opened to the internationals living in your neighborhood, attending your kids’ schools, shopping at the grocery store, and your heart will soon follow.
5. Adopt a family
It’s easy to distinguish between ethnically diverse Americans and internationals. You can usually tell just by looking at clothes. When we are trying to racially profile students on campus to determine if they are Asian or Asian-American we look at their shoes. The shoe-rule is 90% accurate. If the shoe rule fails, language is a dead giveaway. As you notice international families living in your neighborhood befriend them. The easiest and most needed way you can serve them is to offer your skills as an English speaker. The kids probably go to school and probably don’t have any problem speaking English, but many of the adults have language deficiencies which are preventing them from getting jobs, getting into school, and unfortunately, from making American friends. You can use your native English and kindness to serve them, help them be more successful, and to make a friend.
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