Christian Abercrombie did not set out to become involved in ministry in South Georgia. “I’m born and raised in South Georgia, and I wanted to leave, go somewhere far away, see more of the Country.” At the time, Abercrombie was working part-time at Café Campisino, and while he didn’t have a clear plan, he was looking at National Parks.

But before he could strike out, Abercrombie felt called to a different path. “I felt like God was telling me to stay, and to invest in where I was from.” Abercrombie pursed the calling by starting InterVarsity Bible studies on Georgia Southwestern Campus.

The group is not especially common in the area. “GSW is kind of unique. There’s not a lot of InterVarsity chapters in our state, let alone in this part of the state.” Abercrombie shared InterVarsity’s mission. “With InterVarsity, we do what we do because we see that there is a need for real hope on college campuses.” Their mission is interdenominational, with staff ranging from Catholic to Charismatic. Abercrombie stated they do have a focus. “Our rooting is primarily as an evangelical organization.”

He shared common student backgrounds. “Being that we live in South Georgia, there is this deep culture of Christianity, of cultural Christianity, and so I would say that affects most students.” He stated that probably 95% of students he interacted with self-identified as Christian. “But not a lot of them would be able to explain what that means.” He stated that a smaller number either respect Christianity while following a different path, or were uncomfortable with Christianity. “I have one student in our ministry who is, identifies as, Hindu.”

Atheism doesn’t appear to be common. “I haven’t encountered a lot of atheists or people of many other faith backgrounds, primarily. But I’m hoping to.”

Abercrombie regularly meets students facing deep questions during the transitions they experience in college. “Not just like what do I want to do career wise, or where I want to live, you know, who do I want to marry, like things like that, but they’re also asking deep questions of meaning.”

InterVarsity encourages spiritual discipline. “Bible study is big, and that’s the primary way we disciple students, is through study of Scripture and the spiritual disciplines.” He listed prayer, fasting, mediation, contemplation, service, and evangelism. The group has served at the local food pantry, Harvest of Hope, and by gathering toys for Christmas for the Salvation Army. Christian is hoping to find more ways for them to serve.

Leadership is a key aspect of InterVarsity. “We’ve got student leaders. That’s a big part of our model, is trying to raise up student leaders, to pour into students, to lead other students in their faith.”

Abercrombie doesn’t see Christian spirituality as a solo endeavor. “We’re also big on Christian community, developing Christian community to give students that space to grow in their faith and to share their faith and just be encouraged and supported while they’re in college.”