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International Student Ministry

International students gather in an American home for Christmas.

Being Family for International Students During the Holidays

When you think of holidays, one of the words that may come to mind is family. Holidays tend to give us more time to connect with family for food, recreation, and celebration. International students also think of family during the holidays. Yet many cannot be with family during the holiday time. Most schools shut down …

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2 male international students pose for picture with arms around each other's shoulder

“Gray Hair or No Hair”: Everyone Can Reach International Students

“Tell me, where do you find your joy?” smiled the graduate student from China. At first, my wife Mary and I were caught off guard with her question. But why? We ask the Lord to open doors for gospel conversations when we are with international students, especially when they come to our house for dinner. …

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A small group of people stand behind table offering free chai to students on a college campus

Taking the First Step: Meeting International Students this Fall

If you spend time on a college campus of any size for more than a day, you will see that the world has come to U.S. schools through international students. These are not just any international students – they are the best and brightest from their countries and they will someday return to take influential …

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One Million International Students Again. 1

One Million International Students Again.

  The 2016/2017 stats are out from IEE for international students studying in the United States.  A total of 1,078,822 students are studying here.  This number represents a 3.4 percent increase over the previous academic year, and is the eleventh consecutive year of expansion.  The top five sending countries are China, India, South Korea, Saudi …

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How to Get International Students Connected With the Local Church 3

How to Get International Students Connected With the Local Church

One of the bedrock principles God has used to guide my heart in evangelism came from a statement in Oscar Thompson, Jr.’s book on relationship evangelism, Concentric Circles of Concern. It is found in the first few sentences in Chapter 1. He said, “The most important word in the English language apart from proper nouns, …

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FIVE EFFECTIVE WAYS ARKANSAS CHURCHES ARE REACHING INTERNATIONALS

There are 4,964 international students in Arkansas. The majority of these come from the 10/40 window. Many of these have no idea of what Jesus Christ has done for them. What can we do to help them really see and experience the love of Christ? The greatest thing we can do is bombard heaven with …

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Reaching International Students on Campus 4

Reaching International Students on Campus

According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), over one million students from countries around the world are currently studying in colleges and universities in the United States. When we think of taking the gospel of Jesus “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), we can begin by reaching out to the international students …

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The Right Mix for International Student Ministry 5

The Right Mix for International Student Ministry

With international student ministries (ISMs) across the country…it seems that the leadership pool is often entirely student leaders or entirely community leaders (i.e. non-student, adult volunteers). Or when both are in leadership, they still function separately from one another in the ministry. But leaders in their 20s…and leaders in their 70s…and everything in between all …

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Five Reasons Why We Should Minister to International Students 6

Five Reasons Why We Should Minister to International Students

I was in college before I remember ever seeing my “first international student.” I grew up in a small town in southwest Arkansas. I hardly remember seeing people of color or culture driving through our town. I do remember one Hispanic family that lived in our town. Things sure have changed in the past 30+ …

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