Student group fosters interdenominational community on campus

 

Students at Notre Dame have several options when it comes to Thursday night plans.  Should they dress up in their favorite “going out” outfits and grace Michiana’s hottest nightclub with their presence?  Perhaps they are too worn out from the week, and will be going to sleep early in preparation for their 8:20 a.m. lecture.  If neither of those options sounds appealing enough, heading over to 329 Coleman-Morse Center (CoMo) at 10:00 p.m. on any given Thursday evening might offer a different sort of experience.

Every week at that time, the student-led Christian fellowship group Iron Sharpens Iron (ISI) meets for a popular time of worship and faith-sharing.  On a typical night, over 100 students attend.

ISI takes its name from Proverbs 27:17, which reads: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (ESV).

Each Thursday meeting is set up essentially the same way.  At 9:30 p.m. in the third floor lounge of CoMo, a portion of the group meets to pray together.  People begin filling room 329 around 9:45 p.m. and mingle with each other until the worship portion of the evening—an array of popular Christian contemporary songs—begins.  This continues for about 20 minutes, and then a member of ISI stands to speak on a specific aspect of the Christian faith.  More worship songs come next, followed by prayer groups.

On the ISI website, a description of the club’s mission reads: “In response [to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection], we are committed to being a community of believers honest about where they are, open about where they are going, and anxiously waiting for the God of everything to move.”

ISI’s goal is to form a real, interdenominational Christian community on Notre Dame’s campus.  Jill Leon, a senior who has been involved with ISI since her sophomore year, explained to the Rover the club’s influence on her college experience: “ISI has become a very important part of my Notre Dame experience.  You know that saying that we always see, ‘God, Country, Notre Dame’?  ISI has helped me remember to keep ‘God’ first in my time here, no matter what else happens.”

Leon, explaining why students should consider joining ISI, said, “God can be found in many places and in many ways, but for me at least, it is easier to find Him in a community that is actively seeking Him.”

I love the community.  There are some absolutely incredible people in ISI whose faith inspires me to become a better Christian, and a better person,” she continued.

This community is not realized only at the Thursday evening gatherings; ISI also breaks down into smaller groups for specific Bible studies and prayer groups.  Men of God meets on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m., in the Andre Bessett room of CoMo.  Ladies of the Lord meets at the same day and time, in CoMo 316.  For the first-years on campus, the group Freshmen of God may also be a helpful resource in faith-building.  Additionally, on Sunday nights in the LaFortune Ballroom, ISI members can be found participating in a worship service.

ISI also plans events meant to be bonding moments for participants, including a retreat each semester, and various social and service events.  All of these have the common purpose of deepening the community bonds that ISI strives to create.

Matthew Nulle, a senior, is part of the leadership team that makes all of these events happen.  He described to the Rover the leadership team’s role in ISI: “As ‘leaders’ with formal positions in the community, our role is mostly to facilitate.  We provide opportunities for the students in the organization to come together, to worship God, to discuss their faiths, and to learn from each other.”

Nulle especially loves the opportunity that the leadership team offers for him to shape the newer members of ISI: “Every once in a while, in a discussion with a freshman or sophomore, I’ll hear something of my own experience in what they’re saying, and see how ISI is helping them, and it makes me so glad to be able to give back the blessings I have received.”

If you would like to learn more about the Iron Sharpens Iron community, visit http://www3.nd.edu/~isi/index.html, or email isi@nd.edu.

 

Dana Deradoorian is a sophomore in Welsh Family Hall studying English and History. Contact her at dderadoo@nd.edu.