Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.‘“ I can still remember the day the Lord told me IUPUI was the exact place He wanted me to spend the next few years of my life. In all my unnecessary restlessness about making the “right” decision on where I was going to college, I was overcome by the peace of Christ once I regularly made it a habit to sit quietly and fully take advantage of the guidance that our Heavenly Father so generously gives us. I was able to wholeheartedly commit to IUPUI and make the decision to continue God’s will for my life.

I naïvely thought that college was a big enough change for my life, but God threw a curveball. My dad got a new job and God began changing our ordinary. My family and I started understanding that God was about to change most aspects of our lives, including where we lived. I spent the summer halfway denying the fact that God would call us to move out of the house my two sisters and I had grown up in for the past 15 years and reluctantly began packing each room. I was packing boxes marked ‘storage unit’ and boxes marked ‘college’. It was not what I thought my summer before my first year at college would look like.  Our house sold very quickly which forced my parents and my younger sister to move in with my grandparents until they either found or built a house to live in. At the beginning of August, I moved out of my childhood house and moved to Indianapolis, a new city where I knew no one. People always say college is a time to completely start over, and I realized my life at that very moment was a perfect example of that.

The first week of school was a rollercoaster. I had to deal with the emotions of not being able to go back to my home and being hours from my family as I tried to process everything. I was surrounded by strangers and had to learn my way around campus. It was the middle of the week and I decided to search for some Christian organizations on campus. That is when I found Impact. Genesis 2:18 says “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” During high school, I was extremely involved in my church’s youth group and I made it a priority to attend every event I could, lead and participate in numerous bible studies, and invest in relationships with fellow believers. I knew I needed and wanted to be able to have the same community in college. I blindly joined a Life Group and began the journey of meeting people and putting in the effort that comes along with being vulnerable with a group of strangers. I also started attending different churches around the Indianapolis area every Sunday by myself in hopes of finding yet another steady community like Impact.

Things with my family got even crazier as the year went on. We initially thought we would only have to move locally, but we received the news that my dad’s new job would force us to move to Illinois. We definitely saw God working through the chaos, but it was still intensely difficult not to become anxious about how long it was taking us to clearly see God’s plan. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” I reminded myself that a lamp doesn’t illuminate miles ahead of my feet. God sometimes only allows me to see a few feet of what is in front of me. My family began our long search for a house in Illinois and my dad began traveling to California each week to complete projects there before making the final move to Illinois.

At some points throughout the year, I got so overwhelmed with all of the change that was happening back home, all of the adjustments that came with being on my own, and the fact that I needed to perform well academically, that I got very ill.  I began realizing that many times during my nightly devotions, God would point me to verses that spoke a lot about steady foundations. Throughout the whole year, God was shaking the parts of my life that weren’t necessarily that important. He was showing me that the worldly things around me, like my childhood house, had no comparison to the things He holds dear to His heart. He kept reminding me that things like building relationships that push me closer to Him, giving my time to people who really needed someone to listen to them (even if I had hours of studying ahead of me or just received a tough phone call from my parents), and striving to continue to build my relationship with Him would bring me more joy and understanding than the things of this world.

School was relentless and the changes in my life continued. My great grandmother, who I was very close to, passed away, some of the relationships in my life were ending because of disloyalty, I struggled with some health conditions, and other extremely difficult situations my family was placed in. For months, my answer to almost any question was “I don’t know.” As I was struggling with not having answers, I was listening to a sermon and the pastor said “If you have all the answers, you probably have a wisdom deficiency.” I laughed to myself and realized that God was calling me to a place of humility and wanted me to stop constantly searching for answers. In Exodus 14, Moses comforted the Israelites by saying, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” I began making it a habit of stopping throughout my crazy day and simply being still.

At the beginning of May, my family finally found a house in Illinois and we are currently in the process of moving into it in a few weeks.  God pulled me from my comfort zone back in August and I can’t say I’ve been back. I can’t help but be grateful for this year of immense growth. Being a part of Impact, gave me a way to gain wisdom and guidance from God. Whether it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me through the songs during Impact Nights of Worship or God speaking through members of my life group, I never doubted that God’s hand was guiding me through the storm.  

Even though I could have easily retreated into a place of loneliness, I told myself I had to put an effort into relationships. I had to knock down my fear of being vulnerable and admit I needed people around me. I was climbing what felt like a never-ending mountain, but I could feel myself growing closer and closer to my Heavenly Father. I challenge you to intentionally build relationships even when it’s hard. Deliberately carve out time in your day to simply sit in the presence of God. Put all your hope in God even when the road is bumpy. I would never change any part of my journey to IUPUI and I will never forget the lessons God has taught me. I am excited to see where God takes me as I continue glorying Him with everything in me.

- Sydney Stevens, Student in Impact at IUPUI

Our mission, as stated on our website, is as follows: We exist to pursue, model and teach intimacy with God at IUPUI, in Christian community. Let’s break this down.

Pursue. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Model. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Teach. Jesus said in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Impact Christian Ministries began as Harvest Campus Ministries in the 90’s, made a name change to Impact Ministries International in 1999, and in 2010, a distinct organization called Impact Christian Ministries as we know it was formed to focus exclusively on college campus ministry in the United States. The motto exists now as “Impact the U, Impact the World.”

So… Why IUPUI?

We have diversity all around us. The graduating class of 2016 represented more countries than it did states. We’re in the heart of one of the top 15 largest cities in America. We have access to so many people who we can reveal God’s love and wisdom to. Who’s to say a small group of light-bearing students can’t have a huge impact in the surrounding community, and consequently, the world?

How do we do this?

There are two phases - input and output. An effective ministry begins with well-equipped members. If we are to accomplish our mission statement, we need to start from the foundation, as all projects begin. The foundational layer of Impact includes our life groups and worship nights. These are times when we can learn more about God’s Word, and we can be with Him in the midst of each other. Our foundation becomes stronger and stronger as we gather more information, see from different perspectives, address any questions we have, worship the Lord, and participate in discussion. Just as we need food and water as physical input for our bodies, we need scripture as spiritual input to keep us active in our faith.

Then comes output. We take what we learn about God and apply it to our surroundings. Our goal is to demonstrate the essence of Christianity in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Through Impact, we accomplish this through fellowship events and service projects. We go forth and show the same love for others as God has always shown to us. We form real bonds with each other. Pursue, model, and teach.

A little bit on why I came to Impact and stayed with it -

Impact was attractive to me because of the people. Everyone showed everyone love, care, encouragement, and support. I often thought to myself, “there’s really something special here.” It was and is intimate. It was and is intentional. It was and is focused on its mission. It has changed my faith for the better, and because of this, I want it to have the same effect on other students. Impact is not perfect, but that’s not the point. God isn’t here waiting for us to correct ourselves and then come to Him, like a child in time-out; he is always waiting for each of his children to run to him as admittedly broken souls in need of a Father.

I came into college already worn out by transitioning to the next chapter of my life. I went to Involvement Expos just because my friends were going. Some of you know the story of how I met Andrew at the Impact booth simply because I recognized him from a middle school retreat. I started going to a life group after some much-needed poking and prodding, and the reawakening began as I saw what God could do on a huge college campus.

Impact exists to give students purpose and direction in such a demanding phase of their lives. Impact exists to unite the weary and heavy-laden and put all of us back on our feet. Impact is a distinct part of the body of Christ with unique messages to deliver and acts of love to bestow.

As stated in Ecclesiastes 4:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

We cannot be Christians alone, and that is why Impact exists at IUPUI. By pursuing God, modeling his teachings, and teaching others about His glory, we can further bring His kingdom to our community with the spiritual gifts He has blessed each of us with.

Haley Welch, Student President of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

“It will be great for you!” my mom said. “You’ll meet new people!”
“I like the people I already know,” I replied, with just a note of sarcasm. 

Looking back at my lack of interest in making friends when I started college, the irony is palpable. At seventeen, I could count my close friends on one hand with two fingers still folded under and, frankly, I was skeptical that IUPUI would provide anyone I cared to know.

(Let’s just establish that seventeen-year-old me was neither a very sociable nor a very wise person.)

Fortunately, that attitude changed. As I sat in classes and attended campus events because my mother wanted me to, I realized there were people I cared to know here. There were a lot with whom I didn’t share interests or values, but then there were some who loved Jesus or loved the same things I did. There were even a few that seemed like real friend material. Now the only challenge was that I didn’t live with them. Most people I met freshman year lived on campus, many of them in the same community. I lived in a house I had to go home to every night, where I shared a room with my sister and was expected to update my mom on what happened each day. I’m already an introvert, and I could easily not have built deep relationships with people on campus. 

In retrospect, this is one of many instances where I see how God is faithful to give me what I don’t even know I need. Because he did put me in contact with wonderful people who reached out to me when I wouldn’t have reached out to them. My first semester, I got involved with a Bible study that met on campus and consisted mostly of people who lived there, and who were lovely and thoughtful enough to include me. They didn’t have to do that. But they did, because they were obedient to God’s command to love, and they loved me well.

This feels oddly like product placement, and it isn’t meant that way, but people, my Bible study is awesome. It was awesome first semester when I was just meeting people, desperately trying to belong, and feeling jealous that they got to hang out after I went home. It was awesome sophomore year, when there were some new people, and I got to be part of the group that welcomed them like others had welcomed me, just because I’d kept coming. It was awesome junior year, when we decided to move it to my house, because one of the very best parts about not living with the campus crowd is that I can offer my home as a place for others to get away from campus and to remember that community is bigger and deeper than the people on your hall. Because I have a dining room table just perfect for suppers and card games, a mother with the gift of hospitality in buckets, a father who is so gracious with people singing noisy praise to Jesus at all hours of the night, and a living room that can always hold more people than I expect. 

This community is not just one of my favorite parts of college. It’s one of my favorite parts of my whole life. And it’s a part I didn’t know I needed. I didn’t ask God for kind people to welcome me and for friendships that could start on campus and overflow. I can take zero credit in making it happen. He drops grace right in front of me, and all I have to do is look up. 

Don’t get me wrong, building and maintaining school relationships as a commuter student takes work. It feels like work sometimes to go to an event at the end of the day when I’ve been carrying my backpack around for eleven hours and really only want to go home. It takes grace to know that I simply cannot be part of everything happening on campus, because when I’m there, I’m there for school. It takes patience and attention to balance school and social obligations with the fact that I still live with a family who wants to see me every once in a while. 

Sometimes all those factors are quite a load, and I’m not trying to say that community just blossoms perfectly with zero effort. What I’m trying to say is that God is faithful. God is faithful to put people in front of me who point me to him. He is faithful to give me what I need regardless of whether I know I need it. He doesn’t send people off into voids and then forget about them. Sometimes finding fellowship takes work, and sometimes it doesn’t happen the way we want. But all the “sometimes” moments put together don’t cancel out God’s always faithfulness. 

He is with us. And he gives his children good gifts. 

Krystiana Kosobucki, Student in Impact at IUPUI