Nick Dombrowski :: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

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Valley Christian Magazine had the privilege with sitting down with Nick Dombrowski of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship…

Tell us about InterVarsity?

We are both local and national. The way society worked, even back to Roman times, is that they all believe in meta-narratives: the stories of how the world works. Once science really kicked in and began testing everything…they realized that they couldn’t put Jesus’ resurrection in a test tube. Since they couldn’t  validate the scriptures, the University concentrated on natural sciences, as they could no longer validate the meta-narrative of God and JesusThat’s where you begin to get secularism and naturalism…we know about the world and universe based on what we can see, taste, touch, feel, prove.

Students back in the 1800’s at Oxford and Cambridge, apart from one another, said ‘No we believe in Jesus. We are going to meet, pray, and study the Scriptures’. Professors didn’t like that…they came to disrupt however during the studies and prayers, they too became believers! Oxford and Cambridge discovered that one another existed and partnered, so thats where we get our name:  InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. In England, varsity means nothing sports related but a college student is a varsity student.  “Inter” in latin means among. So you have a Christian Fellowship Amongst College (Varsity) Students….

In short of just how it came over to the U.S.:  one day they asked one of the student presidents if he would take a one-way boat trip over to the U.S. and postpone becoming a doctor.  He landed in Canada and in the 1940’s, the first chapter at the University of Michigan then slowly spread across the United States.

Where are you all Located?

University of Texas Pan American and South Texas College

D- o – m – b – r – o – w – s – k – i ? Not a common Valley Name….

Straight up Polish!    Yeah its hard….You can go with straight up NICK.  Ha!

Tell us about Nick’s role…

Lead campus staff in the RGV.  Help be the head vision keeper and head leader as well as the local supervisor that is going on in the university down here.

Two years ago the Lord brought down another staff member. [huge smile] I knew she was going to be my wife…I’m not too sure that she knew. My seven years in the Valley had been a long, lonely road. I’m very thankful for her not only as a wife but as a true partner in ministry. God has given us the same vision and passion.  She works with our ladies so well and she shows our men what a true woman of God is to be like.  I’m so thankful to Jesus for her and all she brings.

Share a little of your story with InterVarsity

A chapter existed about 20+ years ago at Pan Am (back when North 10th Street didn’t exist!) After graduating from Western Michigan University, I felt the Lord call me to a staff position with InterVarsity.  I was in India at the time with a group of people from both Michigan and Texas doing mission work for InterVarsity. Half the team said there is no one in the entire state intentionally trying to reach the Hispanic population. 8 years ago, they basically said, “We want to get to the Valley.  We don’t know how that will happen but if you join us we will figure out how God wants us down there.  Funding and training came into play and next thing we knew, I was down here at UTPA and about 2 years ago we were able to start up at STC.

Why does InterVarsity exist?

InterVarsity exists as an extension of the local church and partner along side churches to reach this specific niche.  Why the college campus? It’s important to understand…less than 1% of the world gets a college education. That puts any person who steps foot on a college campus and gets a degree in the top 1% of education throughout the entire world. This is going to make them a future leader.  But where are they going to lead them? The current academic structure is set up to lead them to their hearts desire.  We know what happens when people follow their own pursuits instead of God pursuits and their ways.  We seek to establish an advance group of not only students, but faculty as well that witness to people the gospel as they follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.  We want to see students and faculty transformed by the Gospel.  We want to see the campus as a structure renewed and seeing them change the world through their relationship with Jesus Christ. If we can impact them now…they will have a tremendous impact in our future Valley businesses, governments, medical field, and classrooms.

What does InterVarsity do?

Just as with any church or ministry, we are about 2 things:  teaching people how to be a disciple of Jesus and how to make disciples of Jesus.

What are some ways you dothis?

We try and model is after Jesus when we meet with students.  We have one-on-one discipleship…teaching students not just about the scriptures or how to study the scriptures or lead a bible study…but we are teaching them: how do you make a budget? what does that look like with Jesus in the middle? How do you get out of college debt? We have students that have said that they’ve never done laundry before-so we invite them to our house and show them how we live, cook. clean, and how we keep our lives in order. Through our worship gatherings, they can come and share together whats going on in their lives both the good and bad.

How does this benefit somebody who has not grown up in a church home and this is all new to them?

First we offer them a safe and inviting place to ask questions and to learn more about Jesus both in a quick way but also in a life journey.  Coming along side us and see what its like to follow Jesus.

How does someone find you guys at either STC or UTPA?

We have plastered each campus with posters!  I would say that 50% of people who have come to our group is because of our posters. At the beginning of school, we encourage people involved to hand out a poster to everyone in their classes.  Not only to know about InterVarsity but it labels them as Christians and they can begin to develop relationships. And that’s the second way people come to find us…through relationships.

How can someone get involved with InterVarsity?

Just Show Up!!  Our ministry is on campus…in dormitories, apartment complexes, main buildings on campus. So at STC we are in the center for learning excellence. At UTPA we are in the student union…in the engineering building, Unity Hall, Heritage Hall….you name it!  We intentionally meet at different places and different times of the days, different days in order that people can come. In order to really fit their schedule.They don’t have to sign anything. They don’t have to pay any dues.

How about people outside of college….say someone in the community, how can someone help out?

We are constantly looking for volunteers who want to work with this age group.  Maybe lead a small group,bible study or help out during one of conferences. They could call 956-566-5713 or email me anytime:  dombrowski.n@gmail.com

They could also give.  We are a non-profit.  All funds donated are tax deductible.

Can you share an experience you have had with InterVarsity that has impacted you and blew you away?!

A story that immediately come to my mind is about a girl named Angie. She’s from a Colonia…you can picture the living situation. She received a flyer.  She decided to text one of the leaders listed on the flyer and began asking questions. Our student leader, Audrey, responded with info on the Bible Study and also asked if she believed in Jesus? No I don’t was the reply. Then another text was do you know the gospel? No I don’t.  Audrey asked if she could call. Angie said yes. Audrey shares the Gospel and Angie submits her life to Christ over the phone. The next day she comes to church with Audrey and gets baptized. Two days later she winds up meeting with my wife Chelsea and brings a friend along with her.  She asked Chelsea to share the Gospel with her friend. She does. Two days later the friend shows up to one of our gatherings and submits her life to Christ. Three days later Angie brings another friend to a group and that friend accepts Christ!

A month later she brings her 13 year old sister and 14 year old brother to a 9:00 pm prayer meeting on a college campus.  They both wind up submitting their lives to Christ! We turned to Angie and told her to show her family what she has learned about Christ and begin discipling them. The story doesn’t end there…on Thanksgiving she was asked to share the blessing and pray over the family meal. They’ve seen a change in her.  They’ve seen her change from her self-proclaimed “Chola” of that’s who I’ve been and lived. They’ve seen the amazing transformation in her life in just a few months.

The transformation was so great, that when a girl went missing for 3-days in her Colonia Angie stepped up. Turns out that she was picked up by three guys who were also living in the Colonia. Bad things were happening as you can imagine. Angie goes up to the front door, knocks and asks if the girl is there. They said yes and she said give me the girl.  They gave her to Angie. She then took her to the hospital and home.

So I’m like…utterly amazed at what happened.  Despite the danger of being attacked by these men, she was like its ok, I needed to help her. So what Jesus is doing in her, through her and her family, friends, and Colonia is overwhelming.  It all started with a flyer and a text…and someone who is willing to share the Gospel. Yeah, trained through InterVarsity but it’s Jesus working in and through them. You see all the different pieces happening in the story but its the combination of everyone doing their part.  Maybe we get to be the one sharing the Gospel. Maybe you’re the one giving the flyer. Maybe you’re the one whose life is transformed by the Gospel.

A second story is about a girl who was not a Christian when she first started coming three years ago. Within a year, submits her life to Jesus. Gets discipled through groups. Becomes a leader. She is a tiny girl and very quiet and humble. She shares with her family about becoming a Christian. Turns out her parents, who are not Christians, begin to get skeptical. In the midst of their skepticism, they demand that she stop taking part of InterVarsity. No more meetings, Bible studies, etc. Her parents change their mind and then change it back and forth. Ok you can go to this but not that. One day a friend went to pick her up and as she walked up to the house, the dad met her out front and told her that she is no longer welcome at the house and not to come back. As a result, her parents took away her Bible, her books, her cell phone….they locked up her up not inside her room but outside her room…she was only allowed in a public sphere.

About two weeks ago she called me and said that her parents will still not let her out and be around anyone. She then said something that I’ll never forget. She said “I think I will just sit on the couch and be with Jesus for the afternoon”. She means it!  She really means it!!  I was like wow! That is a life that is changed.

These things are happening here in the Valley.  It’s everyday.