Why partner with IFI Cincy?
IFI Cincy exists to offer hospitality and friendship to international students and visiting scholars in the Greater Cincinnati area out of reverence for Jesus. Does this mission resonate with your church or organization? When we connect your community with international students, your lives and theirs will never be the same.
>> Cincinnati Semi-Annual Report (Oct 2022 - Mar 2023)
>> 2023 National Ministry Impact Report
Sarah felt more alive since becoming an English Conversation Partner. But Sarah’s church, which had blessed her for years, seemed to be shrinking. She longed to put her new aliveness into her church! Could partnering with IFI do that?
Love working with internationals? Wish your friends did, too? Here are some ideas from Joshua Louk (Calvary Bible Church) and Vicky Schroer (Dwell Community Church), two IFI Church Coordinators in Columbus, OH, on how to do just that!
Knowing her “home-groupies” all had full schedules, Mary Beth followed a principle she found in the book Simple Church, Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples: she suggested bringing IFI into what the group was already doing.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHURCH
Hosting
Some hosts invite students and volunteers into their homes for group meetings, while others provide a literal home for students for a few days when needed. Hosting is a great way to share life together, and helps students feel at home while they are here in Cincinnati.
Small Groups
IFI Cincy and our partners coordinate diverse groups to serve international students. Interest groups generate friendships through common interests, LIFE groups connect students to community, and Bible Discussion groups explore the role of Scriptures in the Christian world view.
Financial Partnership
The work of IFI moves forward because of regular and generous financial donations from both individuals and churches. Your church can sponsor specific events as well as contribute to essential recurring operations costs.
Church Coordination
A Church Coordinator promotes IFI within his or her own fellowship or small group in order to engage volunteers in loving and serving international students. They pray, recruit, and shepherd volunteers as they become involved.
Conversation Partners
The premier way for individuals in your church to engage with international students is to become Conversation Partners. IFI assists in the matching you with an international student and offers training and encouragement.
Behind the Scenes
IFI Cincy needs partners who have administrative skill-sets, who can plan events, or who excel at a variety of communication mediums. These partners create and strengthen the infrastructure that supports friendships that form between IFI volunteers and internationals.
