The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Works to Foster Community
Look for InterVarsity’s poster around campus to learn more about the club (Submitted Anna Paine).
May 2, 2025
Jadyn Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief
The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is a community dedicated to exploring Christianity and making connections. Abby Washburn is the president of the club, Anna Paine is the interim president/vice president and Devyn De Leonarids is an eboard member for the UMF InterVarsity club.
Paine expressed that the club could use a treasurer, but any help is appreciated.
The InterVarsity club meetings are a time to talk and connect as well as a space to study The Bible.
De Leonarids said, “What we do when we get there is color, listen to music, just talk, hang out, and then after everyone is able to choose a song, we start a chapter[from The Bible], and we read together. Then we talk about anything that we found, and we do that for a while. After we pray, clean up, and head out.”
Usually for meetings, there’s a focus on a specific theme or book, and this year it’s Esther.
“We usually pick a different book or different theme each semester, so this semester we picked Esther. We’ve been going through it every week since it’s about 10 chapters. It's been fitting pretty well, and then for Easter we’re going to be taking two weeks to study different passages about the resurrection in The Bible in each gospel,” Paine said.
InterVarsity also holds fun events for anyone on campus, not necessarily just club members.
Paine said, “We usually do a game night to start at the beginning of the semester and that’s just open to anyone who wants to come. It's not like a specific Christian/faith-based activity, it's just a time to hang out and have fun, and then we normally try to end the semester with another activity, which might be a game night. If it's the fall semester we usually have a Christmas party, and we’ll do Christmas-themed Kahoots or a Yankee swap.”
There are also many fun opportunities outside of club meetings to be involved.
“There’s also InterVarsity retreats for New England. There’s usually one in the fall that’s in New Hampshire, and it's open to all the chapters in Northern New England. Occasionally, there’s also one in the spring. There's been one in the past that’s just for the chapters in Maine that was run by Colby college, and then this semester there’s going to be another one. Usually they’re weekend retreats, this time [however] it's just going to be a day, and it’s going to be at a church in Waterville. It’s [also] open to anyone who wants to come…” Paine said.
InterVarsity has a few goals going into next semester related to sharing the club’s message as well as trying to acquire more members.
De Leonardis wants to continue to “Share God’s message, share the gospel [and] provide a place for people who believe and want to grow.”
Washburn said, “For next semester, growing the club is something we want to focus on, so we can have [more] events/outreach. It’s not about the numbers, but numbers help. We want to let people know IV exists.”
Washburn also wants to bring in some of her experiences from the University of Minnesota Morris.
“Not necessarily a goal, but some events that Morris runs I would like to bring to Farmington, it's more of a quasi-goal,” Washburn said.
All of the eboard members are excited about the club’s future. De Leonardis is looking forward to continuing to learn and connect with others.
De Leonardis said he was excited to “...continue to learn and share with others, practice being a leader and talking in front of a group, [and to] share my beliefs.”
Paine has also enjoyed learning from and talking to club members specifically about Esther.
Paine said, “I’ve been having so much fun with Esther and the conversations we’ve been able to have. It’s one of my favorite books in The Bible. I think especially because a lot of times in Christian circles women can kind of feel pushed out. I think it's really important to highlight that God did use women in The Bible, and they’re still a plan in his message. They're not just under leadership, they're still people in God’s eyes, so I’ve just been having fun having conversations about that and just studying the book. I’m also just looking forward to game night and things like that too. It’s always really fun, and we usually get on very nerdy rabbit trails. A lot of us love movies or books, so we end up talking about that. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Washburn is looking forward to returning home and continuing to spread InterVarsity’s message.
Washburn said, “I’m excited to share what God says to people and come back home.”
InterVarsity is dedicated to promoting inclusion and making sure everyone feels welcome.
Paine said, “I know sometimes people have had bad experiences with Christianity or are apprehensive about entering a Christian space, [but] the point of InterVarsity is to create a safe space on campus for anybody to walk through the door. Anyone is welcome, and if you just want to sit, listen, watch and observe, that is fine too. You don’t have to participate in conversations. If you just want to see what things are happening at the club or just listen to The Bible, that’s totally fine. There’s no pressure to participate.”
Washburn added, “IV is for everyone. The name is a Christian club, but if you're questioning or haven’t been to church in a while, you [can] still come…not sure we can answer questions, but you can still come”.
If you are interested in learning more about InterVarsity, the club meets in the education center in room 110 on Wednesdays between 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM. You can also contact InterVarsity through their email, UMFIVCF@gmail.com, or follow them on Instagram at UMFintervarsity. You may also contact the eboard members at abigail.j.washburn@maine.edu, anna.paine@maine.edu, or devyn.de@maine.edu.
Want to promote your UMF club? Email campus.newspaper@gmail.com to set up an interview.
