Find Where God is Moving

Marian Jordan had spoken at many schools, but never at Clemson University. Marian is an author, speaker and founder of Redeemed Girls Ministries. Through events, resources and internet teachings, RGM desires to equip girls of all ages to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and to experience life transformation as they learn to apply God’s truth to their individual circumstances.

Marian had approached staff member Jan Sherard at Clemson University quite a few times. “She really wanted to come to Clemson,” Jan says. Marian likes to travel to college campuses that have an active Greek system in place. Women in the Greek system fall into a category similar to Marian’s story of how she went from finding worth in parties and boys to finding her worth in Jesus Christ.

But the Clemson Cru ministry did not have Greek women involved. “I didn’t think it was wise to bring Marian to Clemson,” Jan recalls. “I told her we didn't have a system that could effectively publicize.”

That was 2 years ago. A few months ago, Jan received an email from RGM asking her to connect with a student named Charlotte Morrow.

Charlotte is the vice president of the Tri-Delta sorority. “She told me about how God had laid it on her heart to bring Marian Jordan to Clemson,” says Jan. Charlotte had heard Marian speak before, and contacted her.

Jan was thrilled. Not only had Charlotte initiated with Marian’s ministry but then she went to 2 other sororities, ADPi and Chi O to ask for educational money to fund Marian visiting Clemson. They all said yes. Charlotte had also visited the Panhellenic Council to ask if the event could be considered an educational one, where sororities could earn points for attending. Panhellenic agreed.

RGM told Charlotte Cru could get involved and the group would get a discount. That’s when the partnership between Charlotte and Jan began.

“Henry Blackaby said, ‘Find out where God is working and join him,’” Jan says. She knew after meeting with Charlotte that God wanted this event to happen. “It was completely a matter of finding out where God was working,” Jan says, “and joining Him there.”

The women joined forces and had 6 Greek women focused on the sororities, organizing those specific needs, and the Cru girls ordering marketing materials, canvasing the campus, and creating a buzz about the event. “It was such a sweet thing to watch our hearts all join together in prayer and effort to make this happen,” Jan reflects. “Everything just fell into place.”

The women contacted the other 8 sororities on campus to announce the meeting, sent out Facebook invitations and spread the word by mouth: friends inviting friends. There were more than 1,000 students invited. “We handed out 500 lollipops attached to cards advertising the event, printed out buttons for girls to wear on their backpacks, stuck balloons up all over campus and laminated posters,” Jan says. “I would hear girls saying, ‘Oh, I’ve heard about this.’ There was a buzz on campus.”

Charlotte and her roommates had already put together a small Bible study so Jan started meeting with them immediately. “And we prayed and prayed,” Jan said. “We had a 12-hour prayer chain before it happened,” Jan recalls. “Charlotte and I prayed with Marian and her team on the phone.”

When the evening of the event finally arrived, the women were hoping for 300 in attendance. More than 700 showed up. Each heard the gospel clearly explained—78 indicated decisions for Christ and 189 recommitted their lives to Christ.

“We are still very much in the process of following up,” Jan says. “But seeing obedient young women doing what God is calling them to do, and impacting the campus to the tune of 700 girls hearing the gospel in one night? That’s encouraging.” God is at work.