Know anyone who fits the profile below? I’ve been on a staff recruiting networking trip over to Iowa City this week. Herky the Hawk is not hard to find on campus, but GFM staff potential people ARE! Can you help us with our search?

InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries are an excellent fit for those who:

• Love God, God’s Word, God’s people of every ethnicity and culture, and God’s purposes in the world.
• Hold a positive regard for the university world.
• Demonstrate a gifting for nurturing spiritual communities.
• Guide others in spiritual formation practices.
• Equip and train others for a lifelong commitment to evangelism on campus and beyond.
• Enjoy Bible studies that enrich the spiritual and intellectual life.
• Thrive when discussing complex issues — balancing mind and heart.
• Willing to rally ministry partners to pray, give, and serve in the fellowship.
• Desire to influence the people, ideas and structures of the Academy.

So how do you find the proverbial needle in a haystack GFM staff candidate? Giant pretzels and coffee might be a good start! Our staff member Kevin Kummer (at the University of Iowa) and I are having tons of networking conversations like the one above with Dr Jon Kerstetter (a very interesting guy if you want to read a little about him). Kevin has us scheduled each day with multiple appointments – so far some very interesting referrals for us to follow-up with! I’ll keep you posted.

People we need to network with:

• InterVarsity staff from teams other than Grad Faculty Ministries.
• Christian Faculty members, university administrators and staff
• Donors, ministry partners and InterVarsity alumni
• Pastors, church leaders and staff members in other campus ministries
• Hiring managers and staff recruiters
• People who work in placement in Christian colleges and seminaries.
• HR folks in larger churches
• Is there another category that comes to mind when you see a list like this?

Would you please pray and think hard about your networks? As I’ve written about elsewhere, staff recruiting in campus ministry is challenging in any context – it seems almost impossible in GFM. Help us look. Help us network. Help us find people who can water our camels! Thanks so much!

Any Trekkies out there? I have a great book for you authored by a friend and teammate of mine on GFM InterVarsity staff. Meet Mark Hansard! Mark lives and works in Manhattan, Kansas and does faculty ministry at Kansas State University. For the past few years Mark has used Star Trek as a framework for talking about Christianity. His background in Philosophy of Religion and decades of experience teaching apologetics makes him a compelling and helpful mentor for anyone wanting to connect the dots between faith, philosophy and science.

If you’d like to meet my friend Mark, you have an opportunity this Sunday night, October 19th at 7:00pm. Mark will be hosting an Ask Me Anything zoom session. Log-in, meet Mark and ask him ANY question you might have about faith, science.. and all things Trek!

Join Mark’s AMA session at this link!

I’ve been reading Star Trek and Faith this week. I’ll post the table of contents down below so you can get a feel for how the book is put together. My recollection of watching the Star Trek Original Series dates back to my high school days when (by that time, 1978-1982) Channel 3 broadcast reruns every night after the news. I remember trying to get all my homework done in time to watch another episode. One thing I’m realizing as I read Star Trek and Faith is that the entire Trek-Universe (if you will) covers a lot of material I’ve never seen or even heard of! Let me know if you have an easy way to find and watch all those “extra series” beyond Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Bones. I suppose if you’re a through and through Trekkie you’ll even know all the abbreviations (I have to keep looking them up in the book’s intro). Mark’s book runs the entire Trek World gambit! In fact the book just released this summer is merely Volume One. Volume Two will be released in 2026!

So what spiritual questions does Star Trek deal with?

“From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to The Original Series of the 1960s, Star Trek has always explored deep religious and philosophical questions. Is there a God? If he exists, how would that change our knowledge of ourselves and our place in the universe? What is human nature, and how ought humans to flourish? What is the meaning of life?” -Star Trek and Faith, p. 16

Way to go, Mark! GFM InterVarsity whole-heartedly blesses your new calling as an author! Pray for Mark’s ministry calendar this year as he juggles events and faculty bible studies on campus with opportunities to travel, speak and promote his book!

Thanks Team!