I have four children. The oldest is 8 and the youngest is just 19 months. The other night we decided to watch a movie. While I got the movie going my wife made popcorn. There is just enough room on our sofa for the four kids to sit in a row. It makes a pretty cute scene. Four kids of various sizes lined up on the couch each holding a bowl of popcorn. Can you guess who the happiest kid was? That’s right, the little one. There are few things in life that bring her more joy than being included with the big kids, being treated as their equal. Every day as I leave to walk the older three to school she cries because she wants to be part of the exciting thing that’s happening.

In a very short time the same thing will happen in your Ichtus group. You already have a bowl of popcorn and a place on the sofa, at least metaphorically. Will there be room for someone new? Hundreds of first years students are coming to your cities. They come with hopes. Some of them are hoping for things that they can’t quite describe. Some of them hope for friends, success, or meaning in life. I think some of them are looking for a place on your sofa and a bowl of popcorn. Will you go out of your way in the weeks ahead to make sure there’s a place for them? Sometimes they may look like they’re about as ready for higher education as my 19 month old, and sometimes they may feel that way. But I hope you will see that they have a lot to offer. They are, after all, the future of your Ichtus group.

I’d love for you to post comments about what your Ichtus group is doing to connect with first year students (and of course other students, too). Maybe other groups will be inspired to make room on their sofas.