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In this previously unheard moment, Kate Harwood (JMU Alumna) shares about her love for the local church and the impact its having in her life after graduation.
Missed Kate's original episode? Check it out below!
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Missed Kate's original episode? Check it out below!
Creators & Guests
Host
Jon Steele
Jon Steele, a 2011 InterVarsity alumnus from Minnesota State Mankato, lives in Mankato, MN with his wife Kaitlynn and their two daughters. He’s been on staff with InterVarsity since 2012 and has been hosting After IV since its debut in 2020. He is also the producer and primary editor for the podcast. Jon enjoys gaming, reading, and leading worship at his church.
Guest
Kate Hardwood
Kate is a James Madison University alumna and an alumna of the Greensboro Fellows in North Carolina.
What is After IV?
Hey, InterVarsity alumni! This is After IV, your podcast for navigating life after graduation. This is both an exciting and potentially tricky transition you’re making and you might feel a little unsure about the coming weeks and months. We’re here to provide you with expert advice, practical skills, and plenty of encouragement as you learn how to keep saying "Yes!" to Jesus in your new context. This is After IV, and this podcast is for you, alumni.
After IV
Episode Title: BONUS EPISODE: Kate Harwood & Church Conga Lines
Musical Interlude
Interview
Jon Steele 0:05
Have you been able to start to connect the dots between how God was shaping you as a student with InterVarsity? And the way that he's continuing to shape us since being a part of the Greensboro fellow, like are there some common themes that you're starting to see runs through those experiences up to this point?
Kate Harwood 0:24
Oh my gosh, yes. For me, personally, Kate Harwood. I think the biggest storyline I've seen the Lord in since I was a scene editor adversity, to now it's just his desire for me to rest in Him and to know that my true identity is the beloved in college I was go go go, this opportunity, this job this internship, this club, and then going, I hit my summer was spent being a camp counselor, so it's like, the wilderness and then I was putting the Greensboro fellows and I still kind of have that, okay, I'm gonna do all this stuff. And I'm gonna and I wasn't focusing on what the heart of the matter was. And so we're more so I wasn't really letting the Lord heal what the heart of the matter was. And so being able to just stop and slow down and be like, Okay, Lord, this is who you say I am. This is how I am your beloved. Which is something 18 year old Cain could tear up about and 22 year old Kate Right now it could also tear up about I think, the biggest shift I think the one I've seen is within inner versity walking alongside people of the same, like, university age, most of the time gender like I was walking alongside my sisters in Christ in my small group. I think for me I was very internal focus when I was in college and InterVarsity. And then I think the Greensboro fellows and just the way it is a spiritual formation setup. And you have this multi generational community. It drew me out of myself to see the fuller picture of what God is doing in seeking Shalom. In the city. He's put me in and seeing my friends being young moms or wives or people who are in their 30s and single and just seeing that diversity of ages and races and ethnicities was just really beautiful to open up. So I feel like the Lord within my story, he's like, Yes, I was internally shaping you as a college student. But now as an adult, I'm seeing how you can bless your community and what it means to draw out of myself and to see the fullness of what the Lord is doing.
Jon Steele 2:37
Yeah. Well, it's interesting as you as you're talking like, what's coming to me coming up to me is just parts of like, our vision statement as InterVarsity is that you know, seeing lives transformed, campuses renewed world changers developed which I want to talk about that in just a little bit. But you know, you talk about these places where 18 year old you and 22 year old you that both of you can tear up about the ideas of you know, how is God shaping me and reminding me of my identity and who I am and him like that you're experiencing ongoing life transformation as a follower of Jesus in both of those places. And that, you know, as we are, we have this fairly. I don't want to I don't want to say narrow as a as a dig. But you know, when we're on campus, we have this fairly narrow focus of how is God transforming the campus that I'm on how is he renewing this place? And that that even is practice for this next step of okay God, how are you renewing the broader community that I'm stepping into after this? And it's just kind of cool that it seems like God has been giving you these little practice sessions with InterVarsity, like very real life practice sessions, but like first iteration of some of these kinds of things, and then you're stepping into this Greensboro fellows and now post Greensboro fellows. And it's like, and you're seeing some of those same themes happening just in a new context. And I think that that's pretty cool. To see some of those lines going from one to the next.
Kate Harwood 4:06
I love that. I love that. Yeah, to see the Lord and the way he's just so gracious and loving in tying the story but yeah, getting a little glimpse as well as an IV. But then yeah, I think one of my like, really first deep conversations with Madison within the parking lot of and Aziz, and she just told me I was like, what is the Lord inviting you into and the full days and it just kind of unlocked something in me where I was like, Oh, my gosh, this is so much bigger than just myself, which is such a gift that I received for Madison. But yeah, just getting to see what the fullness the Lord has in store and just, I think, personally, I'm I'm really pro Pro Church. I love the local body. I think being part of a multi generational church just also kind of like forces that drawling out of yourself. Also, I have one more story to the Redeemer knows how to celebrate Easter and learning how to be Easter people. Okay, something I think, as Christians really overlook, and so at church of the Redeemer we do something called the Easter Vigil. It's the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, and I took part in it being on our dance team, but also leading worship as well. And it was the coolest experience and at midnight we did confetti cannons were shaking tambourines. Amelia, my worship director and I helped me to conga line around the congregation. So yeah. I dumpster dive for doughnuts, but also that's another memory of learning how to be Easter people. It’s a really fun one as well. So there we go.
Podcast Outro – (Upbeat acoustic guitar music)
Hey, thanks so much for joining us today, Alumni. If there was anything that you learned, really enjoyed, or that encouraged you from today's episode, would you send us a DM or tag us in a story? We'd love to hear about it. You can find us @afterivpod on Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven't already, take just a second to unlock your phone and subscribe to the podcast. If your platform lets you, leave us a rating and a review. And if you like what we're doing here, share us with your InterVarsity or other post-graduation friends. Thanks again for listening. And I will see you in the after, Alumni.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai