Students recently gathered for the first annual presentation of Stories of His Glory on Nov. 8 for a night of worship and listening to student testimonies, where Taren Ikea-Mario and Brooklyn Baker shared their stories.
“They’re students who reached out to me to share a while ago,” said SOHG president and founder Stephen Anderson. “From a worldly perspective, what they’ve been through is very traumatic and devastating, but, because of the hope they have in Jesus, they’ve been redeemed.”
After hearing the testimonies, students sang, and wrote their own two-word testimonies on wooden boards placed at the front of the room. The first word described their past and the second word how God was working at that time.
“Lost. Found.”
“Guilty. Free.”
“Afraid. Fearless.”
Anderson, who started SOHG over a year ago, wants the gatherings to provide a platform for students to regularly share testimonies. The team is also beginning to host off-campus events, because they believe the Lord is directing them to possible national influence.
“We’ve seen on campus that Stories of His Glory really acts as a culture-shifter,” Anderson said. “And we believe God wants us to make Stories of His Glory off-campus, replicating what we have for schools, churches and organizations.”
The team has already led testimony-training workshops off campus at churches and overseas on mission trips, and is in the process of gaining 501(c)3 nonprofit status.
This was the first event Stories of His Glory hosted after the recent name change from Stories of Glory.
“We wanted to make it clear that it’s for the glory of God that we share our stories,” Anderson said. “God has given us the privilege of sharing our stories, and there’s a power that comes when we realize that our stories can be used for God’s purpose and his glory – not ours.”
The team is planning the next gathering for December and will announce the date on Instagram and posters around campus.
Stories of His Glory is currently seeking students to join the leadership board. Interested students can email Anderson at StephenAnderson@corban.org. Stories of His Glory’s Instagram handle is @CorbanSOHG.