City Heart — What Does It Mean?

Author Info: A Buffalo native, Natalie Hill is best known for her unique vocals and indie style. Yet it's her heart for seeing students lives transformed by the power and love of Jesus that makes her a quality leader. She serves on the staff team at American University Chi Alpha. 

I remember sitting in American University’s Bender Arena on graduation day, listening to my favorite anthropologist and activist speaking to a room full of graduates on the very thing I spent my whole college career studying.  I remember wondering how many students were lucky enough to get to hear directly from the people they learned about, studied, and emulated so much throughout college.  I remember seeing pictures of friends during their graduation from Georgetown University with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger photobombing in the crowd.  I remember reading books in class written by distinguished AU grads or watching them on major news networks or reading their articles in the newspaper and thinking, this city has a lot of influence.  And I got to be there.

This phrase “City Heart” has been bouncing around our Chi Alpha offices a lot this year.  Honestly it’s a term we’ve been describing for a while, but until this year hasn’t really had a name (and we all know everything sounds better when it has a name).  It’s our way of simply saying that we have a heart for this city.

Yes, I work for American University and we have staff at Georgetown and there are Chi Alphas on many different campuses all over the country, but sometimes that makes us forget why we came here in the first place.  It was to reach this city.  I remember sitting in my commencement ceremony, watching student after student cross the stage, get their diploma, and enter a world where they’d have a lasting impact, one that could affect this nation and even the whole world.  They came to Washington, DC because they knew it was a city that produces difference-makers.  It’s a city that creates people who will impact the world.  I couldn’t help but think I was looking at future CEOs, ambassadors, inventors and innovators, creators of charities that would provide resources for the underprivileged, and the next generation of leaders.

It’s easy to get caught up in the ins and outs of my campus and forget the big picture, which is to reach some of the smartest, driven students in the world and have an impact on the nations.  It’s to create an urban hub where we can train leaders and send people out to affect their families, workplaces, governments, cities, and countries.  Our dream is that DC could be a place where US missionaries come to train and are sent into other urban places that have yet to be reached.  And maybe it can be a place where we can show others that there is a need for ministries in hard places because it can have a deep impact.

I think the city, DC and others, scares people.  It’s expensive; it’s harsh; it’s exhausting.  The people are hard to reach.  They’re smart and often don’t believe in ultimate truth, especially if it’s coming from Christians.  It’s a difficult place to raise a family, and it’s a transient place, making it hard to establish community.

“City Heart” is our way of reminding ourselves that it’s worth it.  It’s our way of reminding ourselves why we’re here - why we’ve chosen to support raise for a living, why we live in studio apartments or with multiple roommates, why we live in community with other Chi Alpha staff and college students, why we spend some evenings going to Georgetown and praying for other campuses, why our lives are 24/7 surrounded by others, and why we’ve devoted our lives to colleges in Washington, DC.  It’s our reminder of why God called us here, no matter the cost, because we know the impact we can have is beyond worth it.

Reach this city.  Reach the world.  City Heart.

Published on June 29, 2016 • Short Link: http://bit.ly/292wRS0

What Chi Alpha Means To Me

Steve Prawiromaruto is a rising junior at American University. He has an infectious passion for Jesus as well as impeccable style.

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In Confucian thought, filial piety is the foundation of wisdom and proper living.

“Filial Piety” refers to the idea the youth must respect and obey the elders of society at all costs, and that any deviation of this, either through disobedience or questioning of authority would disrupt the harmony of society.

As one who was raised in an Asian country where Confucian thought and filial piety are revered and instilled in every child, I grew up in an environment that discouraged the questioning of authority and encouraged adherence to familial and religious values.

Although being raised as such helped keep me out of trouble and made me the poster boy for perfect church attendance, it came at the cost of a lack of self thought and no forum of discussion regarding questions I had about the Christian faith, why it is the truth and how I should actually apply it in my daily lives.

Thus, I was living in a perpetual state of blind faith, simply following the authority of my parents and my church without ever making the faith my own and establishing my own personal connection to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

This all changed however, when I came to the United States for college, and Chi Alpha played a huge role in my spiritual walk. It helped strengthened my faith and blessed me with a a loving but challenging faith community.

“I am amazed at the devotion every single member of Chi Alpha has for each other, as they allocate their time and resources to just sit down and talk with another in order to help each other in their spiritual walks, even when its challenging. ”

My interaction with Chi Alpha began my second semester, when a friend of mine invited me to a Chi Alpha small group. I found small group enjoyable as well as challenging, as we had deep discussions about the word of the Lord but also always took the time to see how each other is doing and get to know each other better.

I had gone to a Thursday Night Worship session previously but in the end, what drew me in was not how good the band was, how good the preacher was or the free snacks they had in the basement during Welcome Week, but instead my first small group, where I was warmly welcomed by a group of spiritual individuals who throughout the years I have grown together with, personally and spiritually.

In addition to small group meetings, one-on-one meetings between the small group leader and those in his or her small group is also an integral part of Chi Alpha as it focuses on building community and discipleship relationships.  

These one-on-one meetings were also a key part of my spiritual walk, as I was able to finally ask the questions about the Christian faith I have had my entire life, as well as strengthen my relationships with my spiritual mentor and peers.

I am amazed at the devotion every single member of Chi Alpha has for each other, as they allocate their time and resources to just sit down and talk with another in order to help each other in their spiritual walks, even when its challenging.

In my home church in Indonesia, the pastor is considered to be the authority and it is usually encouraged that the congregation merely listens to what he has to say and not question its content. Now however, who I would normally consider to be “the authority” is instead humbling his/herself to attend to the spiritual needs of his or her congregation (or in this case the small group).

In short, Chi Alpha to me is a spiritual community away from home that God has used in order to help my spiritual walk in this phase of my life.

I am continuously amazed every day as to how blessed I am and how much I grow through being a part of this community.

Our Snow Cone Machine Named Fred

Bonnie graduated from Georgetown in 2013 and is the Director for Chi Alpha. She is passionate about having fun and coming up with creative ways of doing ministry here at Georgetown. Bonnie is extremely adventurous and can often be found taking students on bike rides to other states or trying to convince them to do the Tough Mudder.

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We have this snow cone machine named Fred. Full disclosure, I just named him Fred a couple of minutes ago, but we’ve used him every year for 6 years and he definitely deserves a name. And Fred sounds like an excellent name for a snow cone machine.

Fred technically belongs to our good friends at Frager’s Hardware, but every first Wednesday of classes he becomes ours for the day (for a small cost). And we give out snow cones to the lovely Hoyas at Georgetown.

A lot of miracles can be traced back to Fred. And when I say miracles, I mean students. Because those are the miracles I see everyday. And because I’m limited in my word count here by the blog powers-at-be, I’ll just talk about one.

Six years ago this August, I was just a wee freshman coming out of my beginning Spanish class which for a brief moment was actually advanced Portuguese. Life plays cruel tricks on you sometimes.

“God has a poetic way of bringing stories full circle. And while that in itself is a manifestation of the power of God, there are so many stories in between of students who by seeming happenstance got a snow cone, and found a family to be a part of during their time in college.”

On that day, I was walking back to my freshman dorm, when the pastor from Chi Alpha asked me if I wanted a snow cone (is that really a question?).

I want to take a moment and acknowledge that by outward appearances people standing outside my dorm offering me snow cones may sound a little creepy. I assure you the first weeks of college social norms do not exist and this behavior is completely acceptable. But I digress.

I accepted that snow cone, and they happened to be having their first service of the year that night (funny how that happens) in the basement of one of the dorms. 

Fast forward six years, and this fall I’ll be the pastor giving freshmen a snow cone on their first day of classes. God has a poetic way of bringing stories full circle. And while that in itself is a manifestation of the power of God, there are so many stories in between of students who by seeming happenstance got a snow cone and found a family to be a part of during their time in college.

I tell this story, not because that snow cone was so good that I won’t stop talking about it 6 years later, but rather because God used that snow cone to further his work in the world.

And it all started with one snow cone. Talk about a pretty cheap way to change a life.

The Role Of Prayer In A Ministry Context

Blane has served on staff at Chi Alpha at American University for several years and became the Campus Director in the Fall of 2014. He and his wife Hannah currently have a six-month-old whom they affectionately call their "handful of joy". His name is Jeremiah and he's pretty much the cutest. 

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The role of prayer should be more central than it is, more dynamic that it currently feels and much more revered than I’ve let it be.

Talk about starting off heavy, right?

This has been something that God has been teaching me and I think I’ve been learning it very slowly. It’s that prayerlessness is a theological deficiency in that the power of the Gospel is lost. That’s the scary thing about being a Christian and even being a minister, once we’re in it for awhile, we can get by because we know the language and some of the answers.

But in ministry, where we are trying to connect people with Jesus so that he can do what only he can do in their lives (i.e. transformation) - where prayer is lacking, lasting change is lacking as well. That’s painful to write, but the Holy Spirit has really drawn my attention to this weakness in my life and ministry, especially by using a book about ministry by John Piper.

“But in ministry, where we are trying to connect people with Jesus so that he can do what only he can do in their lives (i.e. transformation) - where prayer is lacking, lasting change is lacking as well.”

That’s one of the reasons that our summer theme is Pray and Play this year. Two basics things, speaking with God (and listening, of course) and hanging out with other people. But sometimes, it’s the simplest of things that we leave behind in search for that elusive depth when all along, the depth was obscured in the old while we thought it was hidden in the new. I’ve been praying more. For myself, my family and our ministry. Why? Because it’s too hard and there’s too much at stake for Jesus not to show up. Yeah, I can be half-way funny and genuinely empathetic (on a good day) but people don’t need me, they need Jesus.

Whether it’s an open mic for responsive prayer at a worship night, pre-service prayer time, sharing a need with our student leadership team, leading the staff in extended prayer times - I want to be someone that is so closely relying on Christ that thinking of doing it myself feels both unrealistic and completely unnecessary.

Sadly, if you’re like me, you’ve prioritized productivity to time in the presence and you’ve been to many boring (non-strategic, stale) prayer meetings that you’ve used that as an excuse.

But in the words of Michelangelo (the artist, not the turtle hero), we critique best by creating.

Let’s create space for ourselves and invite others into it, to pray. Because we serve the God if the impossible and I’m learning that most of the time, he’s just waiting to come through in a miraculous way. Just waiting for us to ask for help.

Favorite Ministry Moments

Kevin came on staff at American University Chi Alpha in 2012 after graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Business. He is the director of Chi Alpha International  and also disciples student leaders. In his free time he likes to cheer on his Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins. He also has an impeccable bowling form.

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It’s always hard to pinpoint specific events within a terrific year of ministry! When a roller coaster is awesome, nobody says “well turn 1 was the most exhilarating part!”. NO! It was all good! 

Likewise this year has been an amazing ride! But alas, I will try my hardest to share 3 of my favorite stories from this year. 

#1. One of my favorite moments of the year was the result of a culmination of events. As a staff we had decided to do a semester long sermon series on the book of Acts. This was done because we really wanted to see the Holy Spirit work through our students, and there was no better way to do that than to preach about it.

Additionally we began Holy Spirit labs, which were lunchtime sessions open students to come study about what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. We began to see students come to a deeper understanding about the power of the Spirit and even began to see students start to pray in the Spirit.

Reach the City, Update

Online fundraising for Reach the City - 2015

This led up to one of my favorite moments of the year. On our last worship night of the year we did something called a “study break worship”. There were no sermons, no announcements, just worship for two hours in the middle of exam week. 

This event happened on a continual basis, so it wasn’t a unique one-time event nor was it anything new to the students. As the night went on we began to see numerous students either approach the altar on their own volition, or cry out their own personal songs of praise.

“Through those numerous conversations the two Japanese students received the Gospel; and on the last night of the retreat during the altar call, gave their lives to Jesus. ”

It almost seemed like every person was engaging the Holy Spirit in their own personal way. I’ll never forget the one image that capped off that incredible night: sitting in the front pew, a student with endless streams of tears for the entire night, passionately and fervently singing songs of praise. 

It was truly beautiful. 

#2. I remember several years ago I went to visit a friend in Texas. While staying with my friend’s family, they had a guest Pastor sleeping in the room next to mine. After having several conversations with him, he gave me a prophesy that I never could understand: that I would be a blessing unto the nation of Japan.

I walked away extremely skeptical because the only thing that linked me to Japan was my last name. And that was a loose connection at that, because it’s been 4 generations since my family moved from Japan. 

Anyway, I would receive my answer almost three years later at an international student retreat over Thanksgiving called Mosaic. It’s a retreat for international students all across the Atlantic coast.

Over the holiday they learn more about Christianity, and engage in numerous activities; the highlight being a day trip into New York city over Black Friday. Coming to the retreat with me from American University were two Japanese students that I had few interactions with prior to the trip.

Both came from Buddhist backgrounds, and both had modest English speaking ability. Naturally it was very difficult to engage conversation with them that wasn’t about the weather or food. 

The speaker for the retreat happened to be a Japanese American missionary stationed in Japan named Joyce. Having lived in Japan for several decades she was able to speak fluent Japanese and also understood the cultural background the two students came from.

Being the only two students at Mosaic from Japan, it was obvious that Joyce developed an affinity towards them. She sat with them for every meal, and made sure to talk with them on every bus ride. Through those numerous conversations the two Japanese students received the Gospel; and on the last night of the retreat during the altar call, gave their lives to Jesus. 

Perhaps the prophesy came true in a way I could not have expected. The stars aligned and God orchestrated everything so that these students might know Jesus! Maybe my role was simply to enable those two parties to meet.