Keeping Up Good Work on the Good Word
Written by Karl Hennen
An oft-quoted passage from the New Testament reads faith can move even mountains.
Seemingly impossible obstacles are surmountable through belief, according to Biblical scripture, no matter how extraordinary such feats appear. With campus minister Brennan Takayama’s help, students of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UH Hilo are discovering they can also shift mountains via faith-inspired learning. The organization has breathed life into messages of action, community, and hope, aiming to make a positive, transformative difference across the Big Island, if not the rest of the world. Involved pupils can, alongside Takayama, keep up good work while embodying the good word, reflecting the InterVarsity’s special brand of applied experiences.
Takayama, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s advisor, functions as campus minister at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. A 2006 graduate from Stanford University, the Waiākea-Uka-native obtained a Baccalaureate degree in Human Biology with a focus on adolescent development. He then received a Master’s of Sociology of Education from the institution a year later. After returning to Oahu and working in the InterVarsity groups at the Manoa and Hawaii Pacific University campuses, Takayama started chapters for the organization on the Big Island. The InterVarsity currently has chapters initiated by Takayama at the Hawaii Community College and University of Hawaii at Hilo. He emphasizes the group’s inclusive nature— with a presence felt over six-hundred campuses across the nation.
"The Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) and InterVarsity were primary organizers of the Anti-Human Trafficking Movement last April." (Photo credit: Brennan Takayama.)
“Our purpose statement is: ‘Transformed by God’s Aloha, together we bless the campus, the islands, and the nations,’” he explains. “So, you know, we are a faith-based organization, but we are open to anyone regardless of their faith background. Anyone is welcome to come and be a part of the group. We want to everyone know there (also) is a safe space for Christian faith on campus.”
A non-profit, registered independent student organization (RISO), the InterVarsity at UH Hilo endeavors to apply learning with spiritual foundations for members to grow, help others, and reflect on belief through camaraderie. One such opportunity is embodied by Bible study-focused circles called ‘ohana groups. Everyone in attendance is welcome to contribute to life discussions, prayer, and reflections of scripture to exemplify faith within real-life contexts. At other times, the ‘ohana groups participate in service projects— including expressing words of encouragement to fellow classmates and professors. The organization, however, is not without large-scale aspirations.
“We try to be active on campus and in the community,” opines Takayama, on the group’s values which are equally intimate and far-reaching. “One of our bigger social justice projects is our anti-human trafficking movement which started in 2011 here in Hilo. We had an ‘ohana group and we were learning about God’s heart for justice. This was an issue that I cared about, so I said I’m going to call Senator Akaka’s office about the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.”
"InterVarsity members working against human trafficking." (Photo credit: Brennan Takayama.)
The Act, a federal document addressing human trafficking, especially on the international front, required a significant show of support for reauthorization. Takayama encouraged students of the InterVarsity to consider making similar calls to Akaka’s office to influence the legislation. Following an outstanding response from InterVarsity members, Senator Akaka signed as a co-sponsor for the bill a week later. The InterVarsity’s outreach on human trafficking would only gain further momentum in subsequent years.
Last April, Takayama led InterVarsity members and the Baptist Collegiate Ministries in Takayama’s second annual Anti-Human Trafficking Movement. The campaign included global and local partnerships between UH Hilo’s Student Association, Delta Sigma Pi, Men of Strength, Women’s Center, Rotaract, and International Students Associations, as well as the International Justice Mission and Starfish Project. For three days, educational and fundraising efforts against modern-day slavery were held on the university campus and beyond. Each day featured different events involving the student body— especially InterVarsity members themselves.
“InterVarsity students sought to educate the campus, engage at deeper levels, and respond through prayer, giving, and activism,” Takayama writes from his blog. “In total, we collected over 200 signatures in support of the ‘Human Trafficking Prioritization Act’. … We also hosted a prayer night and a screening of a documentary about the global sex trafficking industry, met with a representative from Senator Hirono’s office to advocate for just change, and raised over $130 to support survivor rehabilitation. Additionally, students saw that their faith leads them to take action and to advocate for justice here on earth as it is in heaven. These students are leaders on campus and will lead their churches and communities in the future as well.”
"A student from the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship discusses human trafficking." (Photo credit: Brennan Takayama)
Specific partnered learning activities by InterVarsity pupils during the anti-trafficking campaign included participation in UH Hilo’s Men of Strength’s “Slam Against Violence” and the Women’s Center’s “Take Back the Night”. With the International Students Association, they recreated storefronts mirroring the business facades of groups complicit in human trafficking. InterVarsity pupils also applied survivor stories to scripture and joined the Student Association in creating the “Wall of Hope”, a mural of handprints. Takayama believes, through the movement, InterVarsity members gained deeper knowledge of the subject in addition to lifelong skills as well.
“Content-wise, they definitely learned about a major human rights issue, advocacy, activism, partnering with other organizations, and networking,” he says. “I feel like this is a perfect example of applied learning. We see faith and social justice as you can’t have one without the other. As we learn about things in Bible studies, we want to put what we learn into action. So if we learn that Jesus loves the poor and commands his followers to do likewise, we want to put that into action. It’s cool to see how our UH Hilo students have spread awareness through activism. Us here at little old UH Hilo are making a difference in worldwide impact.”
Exercising solid examples of applied learning and a faith-based foundation, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Hawaii at Hilo is sure to be a strong, spiritual stepping stone in the right direction for pupils’ futures.
“[InterVarsity provides] opportunities for leadership development through service, faith, advocacy, activism, and community involvement,” continues Takayama. “With InterVarsity, I see the purpose as two-fold. One, that we’ll be able to experience the love of God and, two, to show the love of others. What it really comes down to is ‘aloha’. Some of our graduates have gone off to (work in) education, social work, and non-profits. We hope that whatever they go through they will take whatever they learned in InterVarsity with them.”
Brennan Takayama is a campus staff minister and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship advisor at UH Hilo. For more information, please contact intervarsityhilo@gmail.com.
