Adam and Laura Rodeheaver-Van Gelder

Vision

God is moving at LCC International University, and we get to be part of it. As the university chaplains, our mission is to provide opportunities for all students to encounter God, engage in faith conversations, and explore what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. 

This clear and simple mission is invigorating, yet extremely complex to implement. At LCC there are over 500 students from 40+ countries. The students are Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox as well as Muslim, agnostic, atheist, or holding to some other worldview or faith tradition. 

Having conversations about faith with such a diverse group of students is challenging and demands a variety of approaches. Yet our goal is the same with every student: help them move closer to Jesus than they are right now. If they don't believe God exists, how can we open them up to belief in the Creator? If a student is a devout Christian, how can we help them deepen and cultivate their love for Jesus? Each student is different, but we trust that God's Spirit is constantly moving and working in the students' hearts and that God will use the relationships we cultivate and programs we offer to help students draw nearer and nearer to God.

Mission

Beyond building personal relationships with students, we lead a breadth of programs so that we can encourage all students to draw closer to Jesus. For students who are already faithful Christians or those wanting to take a serious look at faith, we offer weekly chapel, Bible studies, prayer groups, discipleship training, and weekend retreats. For students who are open to exploring faith questions, we offer Alpha, one-time topical programs, and faith discussion groups. And for students who aren't actively seeking faith, we sponsor programs on campus like Dressember (an anti-human trafficking campaign), women's discussion groups, and community dinners that help connect faith to the students' lives. Through this variety of programming, we seek to create avenues for every student at LCC to encounter God and explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. And we invite you to join us in this important work.