How many people are involved in your ministry?
Katie and I get this question often, and sometimes it can be hard to answer.
Why? We certainly could tell you how many people came to NavNight last night. But that wouldn't be a true picture of the reach of The Navigators at Illinois.
What about the non-Christian student that I read the bible with on Wednesdays who doesn't come to NavNight? What about the eight guys in an investigative study led by one of our senior guys?
I was reminded of another "What about...?" last night. When we moved to Illinois four years ago, we hosted a weekly bible study during the summer at our house. Some Nav students brought a quiet and shy high-school graduate named Keifer. He may not have been a Christian at a time and hardly said a word. But he kept coming around.
Over the next two years, Keifer began to study God's Word and fellowship with other Nav students and staff. I spent some regular time with him, and God's Word took root in his life and he began to grow. He started to come out of his shell. The Holy Spirit was transforming him before our very eyes. It was exciting to see.
Keifer was attended school at a local community college and had growing connections with another Christian ministry, that continued as he transferred in to study Philosophy at the U of I. Before his junior year, he shared that he felt his best fit and direction would be with this other organization, though he would greatly miss being involved with the Navs. We "sent him" to dive into this other ministry with our blessing. I've bumped into Keifer periodically over the years and see how he's continued to grow, and that the Holy Spirit has given him particular gifts. It's exciting to see.
Keifer, to my surprise, came to NavNight last night. He came mostly to say thanks. He's graduating in May and wanted me (and others) to know that he hasn't forgotten about the foundation laid in his life by The Navigators. And for that he's grateful. And I was grateful to the Lord for him.
So how many people are in the Navs? We don't know. But that's a good thing: it means that God is impacting people in ways beyond what we can count.
