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By Ed Miller
Univ. of Delaware alumnus
More than one hundred InterVarsity students, alumni, staff and mentors gathered on Saturday April 2nd to address these issues in the very heart of the world financial center (downtown Manhattan). There were first year students and graduating seniors; graduate students and young professionals; as well as seasoned practitioners in nine vocational groupings. All were seeking to learn more about what it means that we are "called to work".
In the morning, InterVarsity board member and business consultant, Karen Johnson Moy, challenged us to embrace our "Call to Work". In the afternoon she helped us think about our call to "Service, Righteousness and Witness" in our work. Following both sessions, we broke into vocational groups to further process the issues and make application to each particular field.
We have begun to call this an intergenerational laboratory of learning. Young people can learn from the experience and wisdom of more mature followers of Christ. The seasoned veterans are renewed and challenged by the zeal and idealism of the young. A young IV alumnus put it this way. "I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with older people who have more experience in this environment. It was helpful to hear a more informed and mature perspective." Another wrote, "I appreciated being with other believers and discussing the 'rubber meets the road' issues of faith at work." A student shared how much she benefited from the law track. She gained a clearer picture of the realities of law school from the lawyers in the group.
Work is the activity that takes up the largest percentage of our time. There is a great need among Christians for resources and training in the application of Biblical principles to our daily work. Our work matters to God and He wants to use us and our careers to accomplish His Kingdom purposes in the world.
Thankfully, a fast growing segment of Christians has refocused its attention on cultural influence. As technological innovations have shrunk the world and blurred the lines between local and (inter)national news, the world is undoubtedly a smaller place. Everyone is now everyone else's neighbor, and the large metropolitan centers have become even more influential as hubs for the creation and dissemination of Culture. And if there is one city that physically embodies the global interconnectedness of finance, art, academics, fashion, media, and international relations of the 21st century, that city is New York. It is not a question of whether New York will change the world; it is a question of How.
We are committed to coming along side of our IV alumni as we all seek to find our place in bringing the good news into every corner of our society and our world. The next intergenerational laboratory of learning will take place on Memorial Day Weekend in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of New York. For more information go back to the events page.
This is just one of many events that the InterVarsity Alumni - New York will be launching throughout the year. If you are interested in joining a committee that will help launch future events, please contact alumni@ivcfnyc.org.
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Questions about the IVCF Alumni Network of New York City? Contact alumni@ivcfnyc.org.
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