South Africa

South Africa is a complex society, which has suffered under the rule of apartheid, which caused races to live separately. Although apartheid was dismantled in 1990, the nation is still trying to figure out how to live in an ethnically mixed/racially torn atmosphere. We, here in the U.S. grapple with some of the same issues facing South Africans today.

In 1965, due in large part to apartheid, the Student Christian Association split along racial lines into four separate entities. In the '80's and '90's overtures were made to reconcile but always fell short. Finally in July 1997 the Student Christian Movement (black) and the Student Christian Association (pre-dominantly white) united as the new, Student Christian Organization. Now discussions are taking place to bring in the Afrikaans-speaking groups.

Our Twinning History

InterVarsity is part of a global network of over 140 indigenous student movements, under the umbrella of The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. We are uniquely poised for relationship because of our common mission, purpose and stage in life. We rightly call them "sister" movements.

Since 1989 our region has sponsored 4 Global Projects and 7 other trips to South Africa as well as hosting South African students for Urbana and NYCUP. In 1992, this "twinning" relationship was formalized as we agreed to make a concerted effort in supporting and learning from each other.

In December 1999, Carrie Moorhead (Russel Sage, Class of '99) followed God's call to go to South Africa and serve on a one-year internship with the Students' Christian Organization. Carrie served in the QwaZulu Natal region.

Our Twinning partnership consists of the following goals:

• To learn about God's purposes in the world from each other's contexts.
• To support and encourage our ministries by the exchange of staff and students.
• To empower the student work in South Africa through prayers and gifts.

The Current Situation

The merger has opened doors for ministry. The future of South Africa depends on the training up of leaders. InterVarsity has resources to offer our sister movement:

• YOU! Consider giving a summer and going on a Global Project.
• YOU! Consider giving a year after graduation to an internship in South Africa, where you will disciple and train student leaders.
• PRAYER! Consider making South Africa a regular prayer item in your chapter's prayer meetings.
• $$$! Consider giving. (It only takes $500/month to fully fund a staff worker for SCO.)
• E-MAIL! Consider linking with a chapter in South Africa, exchanging prayer requests and ideas.