Happy Thanksgiving!

‎"For each new morning with its light, 

For rest and shelter of the night, 

For health and food, 

For love and friends, 

For everything Thy goodness sends." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Save $40! GC Early Bird Rate

The early bird rate for Greek Conference: Charlotte expires on Sunday 12.05.10. If you need to hit up your parents for the cash, be sure to talk to them about it while you're home for Thanksgiving break!

EARLY BIRD RATES (Through December 5, 2010)
Quadruple Occupancy Room – $120
Double Occupancy Room – $170 

ADVANCE PURCHASE RATES (Through January 30, 2011)
Quadruple Occupancy Room – $140
Double Occupancy Room – $190

STANDARD RATES
Quadruple Occupancy Room – $160
Double Occupancy Room – $210

Powerful Story of Transformation

Allow this true story to challenge and encourage you!  

{Also, if you have a story  of God's work in your life or at Penn,  visit  Greek IV Stories to share your story.} 

John MacKorell, campus staff at NC State,  recently passed along this story:

I met Kevin [name is changed], a senior in one of largest fraternities on campus, at a football tailgate last year.  From head to toe, wearing a visor, expensive sunglasses with the strap to hang them around your neck, a button down shirt, khakis, some nice shoes, and a couple of beers in hand, Kevin looked like your typical fraternity guy.  After speaking with him for a while, I invited him out to lunch the following week where we sat down to talk about the purpose and vision for Greek IV.  Upon finishing our meal and conversation, Kevin emphatically said, “Where do I sign up?! This sounds great!”  Without much delay, Kevin and I began to meet regularly to look at Scripture and talk about what it would look like to follow Jesus in the midst of Greek Life.

Now while looking at Scripture on a regular basis may have been a new thing to Kevin, Christianity was not. You see Kevin already claimed to be a Christian. He grew up going to church, his granddad was a Methodist preacher, and he had accepted Jesus at a young age.  On paper, Kevin looked like a solid Christian, but in reality he was living in a very unchristian way succumbing to all the temptations of the college Greek system.  In many ways, Kevin represents your typical, Southern Greek student: Christian in name, but partying all the same.

However, this semester all of that began to change. One night after a small outreach event, I offered to give Kevin a ride back to his car. During our short trip around the block, he began to open up about his struggles with faith in fraternity life. In a somewhat despondent tone, he said,  “You know, I say I’m a Christian, but I’m not a good example. I still get drunk on a nightly basis. Give me a pill and I’ll take it. Crush it up and I’ll snort it.” He even confessed that he had come out to some Greek IV gatherings the previous semester extremely high. Yet right before he finished he said, “I’m done though. I’m tired of being burnt out, and I’m ready to give it up to God.”

I responded by asking him if there was ever a time he had prayed for forgiveness and assurance of grace to which he desperately responded, “I’ve probably prayed that prayer a hundred times.” I continued by explaining that forgiveness is only the starting point, but that a true follower of Jesus is marked by trusting and devoting yourself to Him above all else. “Has there ever been a time where you’ve prayed for Jesus to take all of your life NOT just the part you’re shameful of?” I asked. “No,” he responded with anticipation in his voice. “Do you want to do it right now?” I asked, and with little hesitation Kevin looked over at me and said, “Yeah, let’s do that.” While sitting in my car beside a parking deck on campus, Kevin prayed for Jesus to take not just part of his life but all of it!

Kevin may dress the same, go to the same parties, and hang out with his same fraternity brothers, but the difference is unavoidable. Everyone wants to know the reason behind the change, and Kevin is letting them know. From typical fraternity guy who claims to know Jesus to radical fraternity guy who lives like Him, Kevin is living proof of Greek InterVarsity’s vision to see Lives Transformed.

A Festive Core Group Indeed: Tonight

For all of you who are still in town, we will have Core Group tonight at 7:30 in Huntsman G-86.  We will wrap up some loose ends, have a discussion about giving thanks and will distribute Thanksgiving goodies for you to share with your friends (they smell delicious!)...Hope you can make it!

Culinary Competition at the Autumnal Feast

Come one, come all to the Autumnal Feast this Sunday, 4:00-6:00 pm at Kathryn & Sammi's house: 3932 Spruce.  Bring your favorite fall food so that we all have something yummy to feast upon. An award will be given to the dish that is most fall-ish and most delicious.   Let us know what you plan on bringing so we can scope out the competition.

Frat Guy Takes on Washington

This is an age-old story:  18 year-old with leadership potential turns frat guy.  22 year-old frat guy turns lawyer.  45 year-old frat guy-lawyer turns congressmen.  It happens time and time again...and that is exactly why we think it's important to reach Penn's Greek students with the Truth.  How many of your brothers and sisters will go on to become government officials and CEO's who make huge decisions regarding the future of our country? And what if they were able to make these decisions with wisdom bestowed from God out of a relationship with Him? Take a look at the list below: Do you see your home state represented? What about your Greek chapter? I see that Charlie Dent, a Republican Congressman from PA, was a Phi Psi.

Check out the list. Pray for your elected official. Pray for your brothers and sisters.

Governors
Sam Brownback (R-KS/Alpha Gamma Rho)
Dennis Daugaard (R-SD/Lambda Chi Alpha)
Nathan Deal (R-GA/Alpha Tau Omega)
Mary Fallin (R-OK/Kappa Alpha Theta)
Bill Haslam (R-TN/Sigma Chi)
John Kasich (R-OH/Alpha Sigma Phi)
Brian Sandoval (R-NV/Sigma Alpha Epsilon)


Senate
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH/Delta Gamma)
Michael Bennet (D-CO/Beta Theta Pi)
Roy Blunt (R-MO/Kappa Alpha Order)
Scott Brown (R-MA/Zeta Psi)
Richard Burr (R-NC/Kappa Sigma)
Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY/Kappa Kappa Gamma)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA/Alpha Gamma Rho)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA/Sigma Alpha Epsilon)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK/Pi Beta Phi)
Dick Shelby (R-AL/Delta Chi)

Congress
Robert Aderholt (R-AL/Kappa Alpha Order)
Rick Berg (R-ND/Farmhouse)
Kevin Brady (R-TX/Lambda Chi Alpha)
Bruce Braley (D-IA/Phi Kappa Psi)
Corrine Brown (D-FL/Sigma Gamma Rho)
Vern Buchanan (R-FL/Local)
Quico Canseco (R-TX/Tau Kappa Epsilon)
Eric Cantor (R-VA/Phi Sigma Kappa)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV/Kappa Kappa Gamma)
Dennis Cardozo (D-CA/Theta Chi)
Jim Clyburn (D-SC/Omega Psi Phi)
John Conyers (D-MI/Kappa Alpha Psi)
Jim Cooper (D-TN/Chi Psi)
Robert Dold (R-IL/Beta Theta Pi)
Charlie Dent (R-PA/Phi Kappa Psi)
Eliot Engel (D-NY/Pi Lambda Phi)
Sam Farr (D-CA/Sigma Chi)
Marcia Fudge (D-OH/Delta Sigma Theta)
Cory Gardner (R-CO/Farmhouse)
Phil Gingrey (R-GA/Sigma Nu)
Sam Graves (R-MO/Alpha Gamma Sigma)
Joe Heck (R-NV/Beta Theta Pi)
Steny Hoyer (D-MD/Sigma Chi)
Robert Hurt (R-VA/Kappa Sigma)
Jack Kingston (R-GA/Lambda Chi Alpha)
Tom Latham (R-IA/Alpha Gamma Rho)
Chris Lee (R-NY/Psi Upsilon)
John Lewis (D-GA/Phi Beta Sigma)
David McKinley (R-WV/Beta Theta Pi)
John Mica (R-FL/Delta Chi)
Richard Neal (D-MA/Tau Kappa Epsilon)
Alan Nunnelee (R-MS/Sigma Nu)
Steve Pearce (R-NM/Farmhouse)
Tom Reed (R-NY/Delta Sigma Phi)
Dennis Rehberg (R-MT/Delta Upsilon)
Jim Renacci (R-MS/Sigma Nu)
Todd Rokita (R-IN/Sigma Chi)
Tom Rooney (R-FL/Lambda Chi Alpha)
Paul Ryan (R-WI/Delta Tau Delta)
Steve Palazzo (R-MS/Sigma Chi)
Pete Sessions (R-TX/Pi Kappa Alpha)
Austin Scott (R-GA/Sigma Alpha Epsilon)
Terri Sewell (D-AL/Alpha Kappa Alpha)
Steve Stivers (R-OH/Delta Upsilon)
Rob Wittman (R-VA/Delta Tau Delta)
Frank Wolf (R-VA/Alpha Sigma Phi)
Steve Womack (R-AR/Kappa Alpha Order)
Daniel Webster (R-FL/Tau Kappa Epsilon)
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA/Alpha Phi)
Kevin Yoder (R-KS/Lambda Chi Alpha)