About Us
Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship is an inter-denominational, multi-ethnic community of students based on radical faith in Jesus Christ that will lead us to serve and bear witness to Him in the Harvard community as Savior and Lord of all facets of life.
Our mission statement:
"To bring the whole gospel to the whole campus to transform the whole world."
Our five core values:
Worship
Justice
Evangelism
Racial Reconciliation
Discipleship
What does this mean?
First, it means that we are a community on a mission. We are emphatically not a Christian social club. We strongly reject the idea that Christians are meant to form 'holy huddles' disconnected from the people and communities all around them. Instead, we seek to build a community that is open, hospitable, friendly, and service-oriented.
We have found that the more fully we embrace God's mission, taking risks to include more people in a community that loves and welcomes them, that our own friendships with one another are immeasurably strengthened. We strive for deep friendships that will last longer than any extracurricular activity, organizational post, or four years of college.
Second, it means that we understand that the gospel has implication for all of our lives. The message of Jesus not only reconnects us to God, in a living and intimate relationship, but also changes everything else about us. The gospel does address the troubling and persistent issue of human sin and rebellion against God - a decisively controversial, yet liberating, message. But the gospel has also given us strong concern to tackle the great structural problems of racism, sexism, materialism, war, and so on. We highly value cross-cultural friendships, the pursuit of justice for those oppressed, and offering kindness to strangers.
We have found that when we believe and act upon God's good news, he forms us into whole people. The message of Jesus has restored our lives (though we are not yet complete), restored our relationships (though we are not yet without conflict), restored our work (though we are not yet finished with procrastination and perfectionism), and restored our sense of purpose (though we continue to be more selfish than we would like to admit). Still, Jesus and his gospel message is the most solid hope we know.
Third, we exist to serve others. We intend, audacious as it is, to not only transform the whole Harvard campus, but also the whole world. The immensity of this task has humbled us to confess our need of God's mercy and pressed us to fresh creativity as we seek to contribute to the needs of this world.
We are a diverse group of undergraduates that comprises the body of HRCF. We represent unique cultures, Christian traditions, and worship styles. But we are united by a desire to know Jesus Christ in a personal and compelling way.
HRCF Constitution
That's right, HRCF has a constitution. It tells you a lot about the structure and beliefs of the fellowship. Check it out! (Online version coming.)
HRCF's Covenants with HRAACF and HRBCF ("SoulFood")
Why different fellowships? After all, don't we claim to value racial reconciliation?
At first glance, the separation of HRCF from HRAACF (Harvard-Radcliffe Asian-American Christian Fellowship) and HRBCF (Harvard-Radcliffe Black Christian Fellowship, or "SoulFood") would appear to suggest a divisiveness amongst the Christian body that we cannot reconcile organizationally. This cursory observation expresses the exact opposite sentiment of why HRCF has encouraged its sister fellowships HRAACF and HRBCF to come into fruition. In fact, HRCF, HRAACF, and HRBCF are united by covenants that express our solidarity with one another in our common mission to provide every Harvard student with an opportunity to know the love of God. Here is a copy of the covenant that has been signed between HRCF and both AACF and BCF:
[This sentence only in the HRBCF covenant: “This covenant is deliberately structured to be parallel to the HRCF-HRAACF covenant.”]
HRBCF/HRAACF recognizes that its own vision must always be carried out in partnership with its sister chapter, while HRCF also recognizes that its own growth as a multi-ethnic fellowship is linked to an ongoing
relationship with HRBCF/HRAACF. In order to carry out this vision, both chapters are dedicated to mutually serve and lovingly challenge each
other in the mission of engaging the campus in all its ethnic diversity. The chapters commit to both God and each other in the following ways:
1.
Both chapters retain some sort of common root name.
2. Both chapters jointly draw upon the resources of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and be staffed by InterVarsity. It would be
understood that InterVarsity would commit to a real working partnership between staff of the two chapters.
3. A minimum of [six: AACF four: HRBCF] joint events per year (i.e. large groups, concerts of prayer, retreats).
4. Joint Summit attendance with some sort of covenant renewal process each year.
5. Conduct a joint exec review once per semester in order to assess
faithfulness to the covenant relationship and self assess-with the other's accountability-each chapter's own faithfulness to its vision.
This includes the yearly writing of the specific plans for that respective year, to be used as a reference in future years as well as a plan for the present year.
6. Full partnership and coordination in new student outreach and campus wide evangelism events.
7. Participate in joint InterVarsity missions, especially with a focus on missions that involve racial reconciliation.
The HRCF-HRBCF covenant was originally signed on 4/20/2008.
The HRCF-HRAACF covenant was signed fourteen years ago and has been reaffirmed every year since.