Every year a select group of international actors presents a dress rehearsal, first performance, and final performance all at the same time, at the University of Wisconsin international fellowship Christmas dinner. The actors dress for the part, and follow the script and the directions of the stage manager. For some in the audience, and maybe even some in the cast, it’s the first time they’ve heard the story of Jesus’ birth.
Between two and three hundred international students and scholars, plus local volunteers gathered at Mount Olive Lutheran Church on Whitney Way last Saturday evening for the annual dinner. The food was mostly homemade. Music was provided by an international ensemble with members from Taiwan, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. Representatives from a variety of ministries including InterVarsity, Cru, Navigators, and YWAM work with volunteers from a number of local churches to plan and carry out the meal. Bibles in a variety of languages are offered free for those who want to read the Christmas story in the original sources.
The internationals in attendance represented about five percent of the 4,000 international students which make up about ten percent of the University of Wisconsin student body (from a total of 130 countries). The total number of international students attending U.S. colleges and universities passed the one million mark for the first time this year. More than half are from just three countries: China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
As are all college students, the international students who are here studying in the U.S. are the leaders of tomorrow. Many of the international students, though, are from countries where Christian witness can be very challenging. In terms of campus ministry, “It’s hard to point to a demographic that’s more important or more strategic,” said Marc Papai, national director of InterVarsity’s International Student Ministry.
Christian students have an opportunity to take part in this strategic outreach on many campuses, but in many college towns (including Madison), local volunteers also make a big difference. In an article on InterVarsity’s website, Papai cautions against over zealous outreach but at the same time urges conversation about religious faith. “[International students] come from different perspectives but there is a lot of curiosity about Jesus,” he said.
Some international students, sadly, will return to their home country without ever experiencing the hospitality of an American home or church. But volunteers like those who participated in last Saturday’s Christmas celebration are working to make sure as many as want to will have that opportunity. For some, it will be a life changing experience.