Have you ever been stopped on campus or in the USC village to learn about God? Many USC students share the common experience of being approached by followers of the church as Logan Drone reports.
I was skating in the village one evening with my noise cancelling headphones on when I saw a hand flash in front of my face. It felt like someone was telling me to “Talk to the Hand”. As I abruptly stopped, the person asked “Are you a follower of Christ?”
And I’m not the only one who’s been asked that. A recent Bible study group has taken campus by storm, approaching people in the village as they eat, study, or even chat with friends. For context, the group approached me three separate times in the past two weeks asking if I believe in the Bible. So, I decided to look into this.
I had the opportunity to speak with Allan Ramos, a member and promoter of the Bible Study group, who spoke about his approach in getting students to join the Bible Study:
RAMOS: I usually tell people, Hey, I know this is very random and I know I’m a complete stranger, but a couple of years ago, God really did change my life in a very realistic way. So I wanted to see if by any chance you as an individual would ever issue something like this. And if if they say no, I try to give them maybe one to three reasons why it’s worth their time and if they still aren’t interested. All right. Have a good day.
While that may sound innocent, some students have expressed concerns when Bible Study people approach them, often claiming their privacy was evaded or that they simply did not want to be bothered. In turn, the success rate of students attending Bible study is fairly low, according to Zachariah Simons, another member of the Bible Study group.
SIMONS: I’ve gotten two people who said that they want to do Bible studies today. So probably ask like 40, 50 people. So whatever that ratio is probably at least... less than 50%.
For those who agree to the Bible Study, buckle up. Prepare for plenty of texts regarding Bible study daily --- just ask me, I received six text messages asking to join for Bible Study over a two-week span. Too bad I already read the Bible on a regular basis!
The intention behind Bible Study is certainly there. Bryce Pablich spoke on what he tries to convey when approaching students about the Bible.
PABLICH: You ask ten people, Hey, what is God? What do you think God is? They’re all going to give you different answers. So we want to say, what does the Bible say about God and that’s what we like to introduce to people.
Bible Study is in session regularly in the village. If you see a group of people talking about the Bible, feel free to approach them and ask to join, even if they politely decline at first request!
For Annenberg Media, I’m Logan Drone.