91³Ō¹Ļ business students were finalists in the 2025 America250PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC). The DEIC is a multi-round competition that challenges students from Pennsylvaniaā€™s postsecondary institutions ā€œto design and develop integrated marketing campaigns that explore solutions to real-life challenges and questions.ā€

The 2025 DEIC consisted of three rounds, the final round held in person at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA, in October 2025. 91³Ō¹Ļ was one of five colleges invited to the final round. Faculty member Janelle Curtis-Beaman accompanied students Philip Oo, Matthew Mika, Colin Oā€™Brien, and JiEun Oh to Harrisburg to present their campaign.

This yearā€™s theme was “Miles of Impact: America’s First Superhighway.ā€ Students were challenged to ā€œdesign and pitch original integrated marketing campaigns that bring the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s story to life.ā€ 91³Ō¹Ļ students presented their campaign, ā€œWhere did you come from, where did you go?ā€ to celebrate 85 years of the Turnpike connecting Pennsylvanians while looking forward to the future of travel. They pitched a user-generated marketing campaign that would employ a statewide scavenger hunt that would encourage users to share experiences that promote connection, heritage, and progress.

91³Ō¹Ļ is proud to offer opportunities for experiential learning like this, giving students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in tactile ways that bolster their resume and give them confidence as they enter the job market. 

There is a growing contingent of 91³Ō¹Ļ graduates for whom ā€œ91³Ō¹Ļ Special” immediately evokes involving all five senses. Itā€™s requested like a secret menu item with a flash of a 91³Ō¹Ļ student ID. Buy a large drink and a large fry, and get an original sandwich or eight-count nugget for free. Todayā€™s students know the schedule: Monday at Oxford Valley. Tuesday at Langhorne. Thursday at Neshaminy.

The 91³Ō¹Ļ Special remains the cheapest meal a college student can buy off campus. And while that is attractive, it is not what keeps students coming back. The food is good, and it serves as the foundation for something even better. A Chick-fil-A booth has served as a mainstay for many 91³Ō¹Ļ studentsā€™ community building and cheap first dates. And for a select few, it introduced them to a future career as a Chick-fil-A owner-operator.

Chick-fil-Aā€™s franchisee selection process is extremely competitive. It receives an average of 40,000 applications per year and from that accepts little more than 100, substantiating the claim that it is easier to get into Harvard than it is to be selected to be a Chick-fil-A operator. Despite these slim chances, 91³Ō¹Ļ alumni still represent among the operator ranks. 2026 includes the opening of the fifth owned and operated restaurant by a 91³Ō¹Ļ alumnus.

These four men who have been selected to lead come from various backgrounds and took vastly different career paths toward ownership. The common thread? Their 91³Ō¹Ļ experience was a pivotal moment on their trajectory to Chick-fil-A ownershipā€”from business degrees and peer relationships to introducing them to their very first chicken sandwich.

Alex Crawford ā€™17/Gā€™17
Rochester, NY

The Fall of 2013 is when Alex began to study Bible and business at 91³Ō¹Ļ. Itā€™s also when he had his first Chick-fil-A sandwich. Chick-fil-A was a staple of his 91³Ō¹Ļ experience. While he was inspired by the culture (and the food!), he did not take a direct path to franchising. Alex interned with a local Geico office in his final semester at 91³Ō¹Ļ. He was then invited to join their Emerging Leaders program after graduation. This began a career that would require his family to move several times. Alex and his wife, Lindsey (McCulloch) ā€™17, moved five times as Alex moved up the Geico ranks. Their family eventually settled in Buffalo, NY, where Alex sat at the helm of the corporationā€™s customer service.

Alex is a lifelong New Yorker hailing from Long Island, but despite being back in his home state, the freezing temperatures of Western New York were a significant adjustment. The Crawfords did, how ever, quickly warm up to and fall in love with the people and culture of the area. Instead of seeing Buffalo as a transplant location for Alexā€™s career, they saw it as a place where they wanted to plant deep roots for their family.

While Alex wanted to stay in Western New York long term, that did not mean he wanted to stay with the corporation that originally brought him there. He enjoyed his work at Geico, but he ultimately decided to pursue a dream he had considered for several years: to own and operate a Chick-fil-A. He saw this career path as ā€œthe clearest alignment of my MBA and Bible degrees.ā€

Deciding to apply was just the start. Over the course of two and half years, Alex participated in several phone interviews; flew to Chick-fil-A headquarters four times for in-person meetings; and participated in a stress test, where he was thrown into a Chick-fil-A during the lunch rush to see how he would react and adapt. Chick-fil-A has high standards for the character of their operators, so extensive interviews with applicant references are central to the selection process. Among his professional references were Dave Heffernan, the owner of two of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s local Chick-fil-As, and Dr. Tony Hurst, part-time faculty member at 91³Ō¹Ļ.

Many operator-hopefuls work full-time at a Chick-fil-A location for years before submitting a franchisee application. Alex was not in that position, but he understood the advantage of direct team member experience. In the midst of interviewing, he decided to get a part-time job at a local Chick-fil-A. He worked one, eight-hour shift before he got the call to open a store of his own.

Alex is part of the 20% of Chick-fil-A operators who were selected outside of the CFA leadership development program. This minority position has several somewhat obvious challenges: He was selected to be an operator with out an intimate knowledge of every part of the menu, without the experiences of running a shift during a peak mealtime or navigating the challenges of being short-staffed. But at the same time, his experiences at Geico translate directly to some of the most important qualities of any Chick-fil-A operator: excelling in customer service, leading by serving, and using data-driven approaches to innovate and adapt to challenges. And since he
did work one shift, he already had a name tag.

Chick-fil-A Citygate opened in Rochester, NY, on February 5, 2026. The business of selling chicken and waffle fries is still brand new, but his seasoned leadership has him well-positioned to lead his team to serve his community well.

Brad Burkholder WWCā€™06/ā€™09
Harrisburg, PA

When Brad graduated high school, he decided to leave his home in Lebanon, PA, to commit to a year at Wisconsin Wilderness Campus. This year of studying the Bible in the great outdoors was what Brad describes as ā€œthe best year of my life,ā€ and it set him on a trajectory that would give him a career and the opportunity to return to his Central PA roots.

Upon finishing his year at WWC, Brad chose to continue his studies on the main campus as a business major. It was here in Langhorne that he first became acquainted with Chick-fil-A. In his undergrad years, he attended three Chick-fil-A grand openings. These events combined two of his favorite things: camping out in a tent, and free food.

The hard-earned free meal coupons on top of the 91³Ō¹Ļ Special student discount meant that Brad had every reason to spend an above-average amount of time at Chick-fil-A Oxford Valley Road. Through these visits, he built a relationship with the storeā€™s owner, Dave Heffernan. Seeing that Brad was a business major, Dave suggested the obvious: Brad should pursue a career with Chick-fil-A. Brad was not interested in that: ā€œI said, ā€˜Iā€™m not doing fast food.ā€™ I just like eating it.ā€

This opposition did not last more than a few months after graduation. The summer after he graduated, Brad was ready to get married and needed a job. Dave connected him with a new operator at Chick-fil-A Exeter in Reading, PA. It was in this restaurant that he began to truly see Chick-fil-A as more than ā€œfast food.ā€ The turning point was a guest interaction with a grandfather and his grandson:

ā€œHe said, ā€˜Can you tell my grandson about the story of Chick-fil-A? Because itā€™s such an amazing story.ā€™ So, I shared the history and core values of all Chick-fil-A restaurants. . . . Thatā€™s when I realized this is a different company. This isnā€™t just some fast food career. Thereā€™s more to it.ā€

It was after this interaction that Brad ā€œlocked in,ā€ studying CFA training videos after late-night closing shifts and personally committing to being the best employee he could be. His operator noticed this shift andā€”like Dave did just a couple of years before himā€”he encouraged Brad to pursue a long-term career with the company. This time, Brad was ready to heed that advice. After 1.5 years at Chick-fil-A Exeter, Brad was selected to be the interim manager of the Chick-fil-A in the Berkshire Mall. A year later, he became its operator at just 25 years old.

Brad is quick to share that his time at the mall wasnā€™t glamorous. The Berkshire Mall location was one of the lowest volume restaurants in the entire chain. What this location did not offer in profits, it offered in what money canā€™t buy: a chance to be humbled at a young age, space to make mistakes, and an acute awareness that he was in the right career. It also offered the opportunity to work near his hometown, a non-negotiable for his growing family. If he were ever to leave the mall, it would be without uprooting his familyā€™s life in Central PA. Four years passed. Then God opened a new door: Brad was selected to operate a new Chick-fil-A location in Harrisburg, just 20 minutes from his childhood home.

Brad celebrated ten years at Chick-fil-A Lindle Road in March 2026. Looking back over the past decade, one of the highlights has been the freedom he has to dynamically integrate his faith into his work. He has led devotionals in board meetings, prayed with his staff, and hosted Bible studies in his restaurant. ā€œIf I were to create my own restaurant or business, I would build it on the same values as Chick-fil-A. I am passionate about Chick-fil-A because they align with my values and beliefs. Thatā€™s how I know Iā€™m in the right place.”

Josh Maxwell ā€™06/Gā€™12ā€™14 and Luke Trader ā€™10
Egg Harbor Twp, NJ and Christiana, DE

By the time Josh graduated high school, he had been living out of his car for nearly two years. He left home at 16 because of his fatherā€™s addiction to drugs and alcohol. So, when he arrived at 91³Ō¹Ļ to begin the youth and family ministries program, he found a homeā€”both physically on campus and in the relationships he built with Dr. Matt McAlack and his future wife, Corrie. It was at 91³Ō¹Ļ that he also built a friendship with classmate Luke Trader ā€™10, who would later be the one to bring him into a career at Chick-fil-A.

Josh and Luke first met on a plane to Germany. They were seated next to each other on the initial flight to the University-sponsored Martin Luther tour over spring break in 2005. Luke was a full-time youth pastor completing his degree one course at a time, so their paths did not cross much on campus before or after this trip. But the friendship built on this trip would continue to grow through the years that Josh volunteered in Lukeā€™s youth ministry.

A few years after graduation, Josh and Corrie were married and serving at a church in Nevada. It was there Josh decided that full-time vocational ministry was not where he wanted to be, but he didnā€™t know exactly what he should do instead. He moved his family to New Jersey, to be near Corrieā€™s family and figure out what to do next. Thatā€™s when Luke offered him the opportunity to work with him again, this time at Chick-fil-A.

Luke had recently left full-time ministry and was working for Chick-fil-A Corporate, serving as an interim manager at the Quaker Bridge Mall location. When Josh told him that he moved into the area and was looking for work, Luke offered him a $10/hour team member position, which Josh quickly accepted. Several months later, Luke transferred to another mall location in Wilmington, DE, and he invited Josh to come with him. That offer was much harder to say yes to, but he still accepted:

ā€œI was driving an hour and 20 minutes each way to work in my 1992 Ford Explorer,ā€ said Josh. ā€œI was working 60, 70, 80ā€“hour weeks, but I didnā€™t feel I was competitive enough to become an owner/operator.ā€

To bolster his resume, he returned to school full-time. He transferred to a restaurant in Delran, NJ, and used the time he saved on his commute to earn an MBA degree from 91³Ō¹Ļ, graduating in 2014. Degree in hand, he felt prepared to enter the candidate pool. The following year, he accepted the offer to become the owner/operator of a Chick-fil-A in Jackson, TN.

Josh operated Chick-fil-A Old Hickory Mall for three years. In his first year, he earned the regional Rookie of the Year designation, Symbol of Success, and Champions Clubā€”internal awards for Chick-fil-A Operators who hit certain sales and profit quotas year over year. In 2018, he returned to New Jersey to take over as Operator of Chick-fil-A Egg Harbor Township. As for Luke, he became the Operator of Chick-fil-A Christiana in 2016 and, as of April 2025, Chick-fil-A University Plaza in Newark, DE.

You can look at Josh and Lukeā€™s stories and see two youth pastors that left the ministry. In a sense thatā€™s true. But if you think that means they are no longer doing ministry, youā€™d be mistaken. Service is at the center of Chick-fil-Aā€™s culture; they call it ā€œsecond-mile service,ā€ echoing Jesusā€™ call from the Sermon on the Mount. This happens every day, all day between Chick-fil-A team members and guests. But it has the potential for even more impact when the operator goes the extra mile for his employees:

ā€œWe want to have a positive influence on all guests who come through the drive-thruā€”which is only two to three minutes a visit,ā€ said Josh. ā€œBut as an operator, I have six to eight hours a day, six days a week where I can make an impact on my staff.ā€

Both Josh and Luke have been very successful over the 10+ years that they have operated their restaurants. It is the result of hard work and a commitment to excellence. While this has sometimes been celebrated with accolades, it isnā€™t what is most important:

ā€œItā€™s not about who has the most sales and who can be the best. Itā€™s better to ask the questions, ā€˜How are we serving people, and how are we serving God?ā€™ Itā€™s an awesome opportunity to be a part of a business that asks those questions and to be able answer them faithfully.ā€

This year’s Golf Classic brought together 176 golfers and raised over $137,000!

As another successful Golf Classic concludes, 91³Ō¹Ļ remains grateful for the generosity of those who make this tradition possible. The University looks forward to continuing the tradition of the Golf Classic in 2027. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or participation in next yearā€™s event, please contact Graham Thorpe at gthorpe@cairn.edu.

Over the weekend of May 15ā€“17, 2026, 91³Ō¹Ļ hosted its annual JAM weekend (Junior High Adventures in Ministry), a summer evangelism event run by Dr. Matt McAlack, professor and director of the youth and family ministry program at 91³Ō¹Ļ, in conjunction with Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Since 1994, JAM has equipped teenagers to share the good news of Jesus and given them an opportunity to actually do it. This year, 310 students and leaders from 17 churches participated. When the teen groups arrived Friday evening, they were led in a time of worship and taught how to share the gospel with others. On Saturday, over 240 children flooded the campus for Kids’ Day. Each child was paired with a teen ā€œbuddy,ā€ and together they enjoyed lunch, games, a petting zoo, inflatables, crafts, music, puppets, Bingo, and more. At the end of the day, each teen personally shared the message of Jesus one-on-one with a child. Many children chose to put their faith in Christ after these conversations.

This yearā€™s theme was ā€œUnshakeable Hope.ā€ In a world full of uncertainty, todayā€™s teens are craving something real. The messages of the weekend, given by alum Eddie Jurimas ā€™14, centered on the reliable truth of the gospel and the hope we can have in Jesus Christ. The teens not only needed this message, they were eager to share it with others:

ā€œSome people sell teenagers short. They may see future potential, but donā€™t realize how powerful their influence can be right now.Ģż From the beginning moments of JAM, the teens were very engaged in the gospel training and excited to share the message with their buddy the following day. On Sunday morning, over 25 teens stood to share their testimonies and give glory to God.ā€

The space for youth groups is already full for 2027, but if you want your childrenā€™s ministry group to participate in next yearā€™s JAM weekend, you can register today at .Ģż

Following the awarding of diplomas and degrees, University President Todd J. Williams delivered the commencement address. Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:1ā€“9, he challenged graduates to view their calling through the lens of faithfulness rather than personal achievement. God grants us all unique gifts and opportunities in life. Dr. Williams reminded graduates that we all stand before God equal in our need for God and his grace. 

Reflecting on Paulā€™s descriptions of the soldier, athlete, and farmer in 2 Timothy, Dr. Williams encouraged graduates to remain focused on serving Christ above all else. He reminded students that the Christian life is not about earning redemption through hard work or performance, but about living in response to the forgiveness already given through Christ. In a culture often consumed with self-promotion and personal success, Dr. Williams encouraged graduates to shift their focus toward lives of service and devotion to the glory of God.

Provost Adam Porcella announced the undergraduate students with the highest academic achievements. He recognized Felicity Anne Crippen and Adaira Nicole Hufford for earning the second-highest GPA of 3.99 and Abigail Grace Raymond and Eli Blake Cerezo for achieving a perfect 4.00 GPA. In addition to celebrating academic achievements, the University recognized several faculty members for advancing in faculty rank this academic year. Dr. Bryan Murawski was named faculty member of the year.

The ceremony concluded with the longstanding tradition of singing the University hymn, ā€œGreat Is Thy Faithfulnessā€, a reminder that while we are called to be faithful to Christ, he has promised to be ever faithful to us. 

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

If you would like to watch the recording of this yearā€™s Commencement, it is available here.

Over spring break, the 91³Ō¹Ļ menā€™s soccer team traveled to Pucallpa, Peru, for a student-led mission trip centered on sharing the gospel through soccer. 

The trip was spearheaded by team captain, Aaron Babyak ā€˜26, whose initiative carried the effort from early planning to execution. After proposing the trip, he spent the following months coordinating with South American Mission (SAM) to finalize logistics and develop a plan for the week. He shared ā€œI had questions about whether it would really end up working out. But in the end it went better than we could have ever thought.ā€

Throughout the week, the team hosted daily soccer camps for more than 200 boys and girls in Pucallpa. Each session combined soccer skill development with devotionals, using translators to communicate the message of Jesus Christ. ā€œWe used soccer as a door to share the good news of Jesus with them every day,ā€ Aaron said.

While language barriers and the heat presented challenges, the team rose to the occasion. Soccer became a common language as the student-athletes formed trust and connection with the kids they served. Spanish-speaking students led in translating for the rest of the team, while some led devotionals, and others served in the background by handling equipment.

One of the most meaningful moments came at the end of the week. In the early days of the week, campers seldom celebrated exciting moments on the field. By the end of the week, that hesitation was gone. Aaron shared, ā€œPeople who did not know each other’s names a couple of days ago were screaming in celebration and running around. All of a sudden, no one was too cool to celebrate anymore.ā€

By the end of the trip, more than 200 children had heard the gospel, and the team was able to donate equipment and soccer gear to the community in Pucallpa. Head Coach Luke Gibson highlighted the impact of Aaronā€™s leadership: ā€œAaron took full ownership of the vision and brought it to life through intentional planning, strong communication, and meaningful relationship-building with our hosts,ā€ Gibson said. ā€œHis work was foundational to everything we experienced.ā€

This mission trip to Peru is an encouragement, seeing how 91³Ō¹Ļ students are purposefully using their unique gifts and talents to make a lasting impact through global missions. 

SHARE exists to ā€œhelp English-speaking families serving in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East meet their childrenā€™s educational needs.ā€ Through this mission, SHARE seeks to serve global workers to enable them to remain where God has called them. 91³Ō¹Ļ teams have long partnered with SHARE in this mission.

Many of the children at this conference are considered Third Culture Kids. This yearā€™s 91³Ō¹Ļ team included four TCK students, who were able to bring personal understanding and insight into the unique experiences of the children they taught and served. Throughout the week, the team demonstrated consistent Christ-centered service, humility, and energy. Evening debriefs revealed deep spiritual growth, seen by one studentā€™s reflection on the importance of missions: ā€œI just donā€™t want to waste my life.ā€

On Thursday, March 5, 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s School of Divinity hosted its annual Church Leaders Conference. Pastors, lay leaders, and ministry workers gathered for a day of biblical teaching and encouragement. 

Dr. Jared C. Wilson, assistant professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO, served as this yearā€™s keynote speaker, addressing the topic of ā€œRecognizing, Resisting, and Recovering From Gospel Drift.ā€ Wilson drew from his recent book, Lest We Drift: Five Departure Dangers from the One True Gospel, as he explored the importance of gospel centrality over three keynote sessions. 

In the first session, Dr. Wilson emphasized that the gospel is not advice or instruction but the announcement of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. In the second session, he identified three common obstacles that keep pastors from preaching Christ from every text of Scripture. Turning to Isaiah 40 in the final session, Dr. Wilson reflected on the heart of pastoral ministry, establishing the shepherdā€™s primary task is to proclaim the good news of Christā€™s finished work. Together, the sessions encouraged church leaders to remain anchored in the gospel as the central message, confidence, and hope that sustains faithful ministry. Times of worship, fellowship, and a Q&A session rounded out the dayā€™s schedule and provided refreshment for all attendees.

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean and Professor of Theology for the School of Divinity shared, “We enjoyed a day of making new friends and reconnecting with old ones, singing heartily to our Savior, and being nourished by sound biblical teaching. A major takeaway for me from what Jared shared is how easy and perilous it is to assume that we are so well-acquainted with the gospel that we no longer need to hear it. It was refreshing to be reminded that we will never outgrow the message of salvation by grace through faith.”

Dr. Wilsonā€™s conference sessions will be made available on Faith & Truth Media. You can watch the first session here: .

Be sure to mark your calendars for next yearā€™s conference on March 4, 2027!

Following the awarding of diplomas, President Dr. Todd J. Williams delivered the commencement address, drawing from Ephesians 6 and Paulā€™s teaching on the armor of God. Dr. Williams noted the personal nature of Paulā€™s letter to the church in Ephesus and how that same relational approach shapes 91³Ō¹Ļ, as faculty and staff guide students toward truth in love.

Dr. Williams emphasized that Christians live out their faith through two key postures: walking humbly and standing firmly in truth. Referencing 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s commitment to ā€œWalk a Different Pathā€, Dr. Williams charged students to continue that walk beyond graduation while remaining steadfast against spiritual opposition and cultural pressures. He reminded graduates that believers face a real spiritual battle; however, God has already provided everything necessary to stand firm. He equips believers with truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. Dr. Williams called graduates to depend on the Lord through continual prayer on bended knee as they depart from 91³Ō¹Ļ and enter the next chapter of their lives.

After Dr. Williamsā€™ remarks, Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Adam Porcella announced the graduates with the highest academic achievements. He recognized Jacob Michael Gossel for earning the second-highest GPA of 3.96 and Julia Linda Carver for achieving a perfect 4.00 GPA.

The ceremony concluded with the longstanding tradition of singing the University hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

The 91³Ō¹Ļ commencement livestream is available here.

Congratulations, class of 2025!

ā€œTo have a heart for the nations, one must first have a heart for the lost.ā€

This is what Kevin King ā€™90 shared with me, as he sat next to his wife, J*, in the office of their Brownstone apartment building in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. It is a singular sentence that serves as an effective summary of what they shared over the two interviews I had with them. Among the whos, whats, whys, wheres, and hows that the Kings shared regarding International Projectā€™s 30-year history, it is evident that ā€œa heart for the lostā€ has driven every decision.

A Campus Love Story

Kevin and J met as students at 91³Ō¹Ļ in 1989 while running on the cross country team. J, a freshman, chose to study at 91³Ō¹Ļ because she had desired to be a missionary since she was a young teen. Kevin was a more recent believer, and in his senior year, he was looking to attend seminary after graduation to become a pastor. The two began dating shortly before Kevin graduated and continued while he earned his Master of Divinity from Missio Seminary in Philadelphia. Over the course of those three years of biblical study, it became clear: Kevin and J were both called to be full-time missionaries, and they were called to do so together. The day after Jā€™s last class at the University, they were married on campus in a pond-side ceremony off of Pine streetā€”the last ceremony to be held there, as construction of the presidentā€™s residence began immediately after.

An Unmet Need and a Timely Mission

Kevin and J both had a strong desire to be missionaries among an unreached people group. They began praying and asking God where he would have them serve in the 10/40 window. It was during this same time that a friend invited them to see the ministry potential in New York City. What they found shocked them: Over 90,000 international students, 100,000 West African Muslims in one neighborhood, 80,000 Bangladeshi Muslims in another neighborhood, and 60,000 Arab Muslims in yet another neighborhood. Rather than living among one unreached people group across the ocean, the Kings realized the potential to live among the dozens of unreached people groups that were already converging in NYC. While, thankfully, many missions organizations have recognized and are participating in this diaspora ministry in the US, that was not the case in the early ā€™90s. The Kings had a vision for a new kind of missions that didnā€™t follow the typical playbook of crossing saltwater. Rather than moving halfway across the world to establish themselves in an entirely new culture, the Kings wanted to minister to the stranger next door. To be full-time financially supported missionaries who stayed stateside was nearly unheard of, which made it difficult to find an organization to support their work. They prayed and patiently waited for God to bring them to an organization that would support themā€”and thatā€™s exactly what he did. The Kings found stateside missionary support from WorldTeam, giving them the opportunity to lay the foundation for what would become International Project.

For the first 10 years, they focused their efforts on campus ministry. English conversation groups, discovery Bible studies, and invitations to leave cafeteria food behind in exchange for a home-cooked meal were the order of the day. They built relationships with international students, shared the gospel, and discipled those who could then return home to share that same message with their families and communities. They were amazed at what God was doing. Over a five-year period, they saw seven house churches start in other countries as students returned home to make disciples.

As they continued to build relationships and establish themselves in the city, they expanded their focus to more broadly cover diaspora, including international students but also immigrants, refugees, and diplomats. Their vision with immigrants and refugees was the same as that on campus: To see the gospel spread through these new diaspora believers and see the gospel carried through relational lines to start churches in closed countries. Through International Project teams, they have seen churches begin in Iran, West Africa, and Bangladesh.

A Sending Agency of Their Very Own

For years, Kevin and J were International Projectā€”two supported missionaries with a heart for internationals living in New York City. They were eager to add more missionaries to their team, but that process was slow-going. They started to host missionary trainings while they waited for full-time team members. The Equip Missionary Training Program, a one-year program focused on training cross-cultural church planters to start simple multiplying churches, is something they began in 2010 and continue to do today. Missions organizations from all over the country would send their new missionaries to the Kings for trainingā€”but then they would leave, continuing on their journey to do missions across the globe. The Kings came to the realization that as long as they were missionaries sent by a larger agency, they would never have the focused support they needed for their unique missions strategy of reaching diaspora communities in the US. They needed all of the resources ā€œin houseā€ to recruit, train, and retain a team of missionaries committed to their same mission.

In 2012, International Project officially became a sending organization. This move brought renewed focus to their diaspora ministry and streamlined their ability to serve these communities in the ways in which they felt the Lord leading.

This decision opened the door for incredible opportunity and growth, but it also came with considerable challenges. Training, mobilization, HR, finances, and pastoral care are just a few of the time-consuming and weighty responsibilities that must smoothly run behind the scenes in order for missionaries to be well-supported to do their jobs well. The Kingsā€™ schedules were already full with the ground work of missions, so in order to succeed as an independent ministry, they needed a lot more help. But where the workload increased, God provided the workers. International Project grew from just Kevin and J to about 40 missionaries in an eight-year period. In addition to these missionary workers, they have a ten-person operations and mobilization team to support this work.

Opportunities to Expand

Campus ministry is still a significant part of International Projectā€™s strategic plan to reach unreached people groups in NYC and, by extension, around the world. They have an average of 15 different discovery Bible studies every week across two college campuses. But the campus ministry team, led by J, is only one of eight teams that International Project now sends out. They have five teams in New York City: the campus team, two teams reaching Arabs, a team reaching South Asian Muslims, and a team reaching South Asian Hindus. They have also expanded their ministry footprint past NYC. They have a team reaching the Hindu population in Dallas, TX, and they have two teams in Rome and Central Asia to minister to the immigrant and refugee populations entering Europe.

In addition to the missionary teams, International Project also runs two thrift stores and community center in Brooklyn, staffed with another 35 employees. Both of these locations offer practical resources to the community while serving a greater, spiritual purpose. They provide a no-cost public space for ministry to happen. They offer specially designed groups and programs for immigrants and refugees, as well as a wider number of services to the broader community such as food distribution and various communal groups like kitting and art groups. Physical space in New York City is costly, but this ministry platform has proven to be a worthy investment in the extension of International Projectā€™s presence and impact in the city.

Serving as International Project President, Kevin works with all of these teamsā€”setting organizational vision and goals and providing training and support to the workers. For a time during their ministry expansion, Kevin was running most of the internal operations of International Project, which pulled him away from the direct ministry. But now a 10-person operations team has taken up the majority of this work, allowing Kevin to lead the organization while continuing to do the work of ministry that he desires to spend his time onā€”missionary training, dinner table conversations, and walking side by side with those who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Challenges to the Mission

International Project has had many causes for celebration in its three decades of operationā€”both in terms of organizational growth and its participation in the spread of the gospel throughout the world. They have also faced significant challenges. Attrition is one of these challenges. This challenge is not unique to International Project but one which all missions organizations face: Missionaries leave. The work is hard, expectations are not met, family dynamics change priorities, and the list goes on. What makes attrition for International Project especially difficult is their location. Choosing to minister in a city means choosing to live in a small apartment with a lot more noise, a lot more trash, and a lot more peopleā€”all at a lot higher of a cost.

ā€œReaching unreached people groups used to mean going to live in a jungle or a village,ā€ said Kevin. ā€œWhile these situations still exist, that paradigm of missions has quickly changed because the majority of peopleā€”including the unreachedā€”now live in cities. The new sacrifice of missions is being willing to be stacked on top of each other.ā€

Politics have also proven to be a continuing challenge to International Projectā€™s mission. The Kings believe that God, who sovereignly rules over all things, is ā€œdivinely orchestrating global migration.ā€ But too often, the politics of immigration cloud the conversation of gospel ministry to the foreigner among usā€”occasionally resulting in angry emails from those who conflate International Projectā€™s mission to minister to the foreigner with their endorsement of any particular border policy. International Projectā€™s focus is not on lobbying immigration policies but effectively building relationships and sharing the gospel with those God has brought to their neighborhoods, no matter what policies are in place. As Kevin said, ā€œThis is an opportunity to reach the nations, regardless of politics. Our focus is not on oneā€™s government status in the country but oneā€™s spiritual status in the Kingdom of God.ā€

A Continuing Work

It is hard to tell the story of International Project apart from the Kings. In many ways, it is their story. It has been 32 years since their pond-side wedding on 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s campus, and for 30 of those years, they have worked side-by-side in a ministry that they built from the ground up. Itā€™s a story they get to share, a legacy that deserves to be celebrated. But at the same time, we recognize that this is, ultimately, Godā€™s story. Lord willing, International Project will continue to reach unreached people groups around the world long after the Kings are gone. And even if International Project, the 503c, were to end before the Lordā€™s return, the International Projectā€”the Great Commission of bringing the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earthā€”would continue, because the Lord has said it to be so.

If you are interested in serving with International Project, visit .

*Identity hidden due to the sensitive nature of her ministry work.