Students Appreciate NoN

About

Network of Nations grew out of an international student ministry that started in the late 1990s. By 2000, it became clear that many more students could be helped by involving a broad group of churches. The international student outreach at Portland State University, in Portland, Oregon, provided a successful model that inspired Network of Nations to form in January 2001 in DeKalb.

The first outreach of Network of Nations was to continue the Friends Program, which had been begun by First Baptist Church of DeKalb, to coordinate friendships between international students and American friends in the community.

Intercultural Cafe, a weekly time of friendship and food, was launched with great success in August 2003. The Café continues to meet on Fridays during the academic year. Twenty years of serving and there are still volunteers who still serve since 2003.

Currently, more than 17 churches and hundreds of individuals from the local community are involved in various ways of interacting with international students and the international community. Network of Nations (NofN) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is a collective group of respect, honor, and admiration. To see the world come together under one roof is a perfect picture of joy. International students in our community have consistently experienced and appreciated the love for them as local individuals, and churches joining together to provide genuine care, friendship, and spiritual encouragement.

Many international students face the challenges of cultural adjustment, language difficulties, isolation, and loneliness.  Approximately 1000 international scholars and students along with their families are enrolled at NIU every year.  Network of Nations is committed to extending hospitality and practical assistance and offering them a caring community for friendship and cross-cultural understanding.

Network of Nations serves international students from over 120 countries, many of whom return to places of influence within their communities and countries.  Many continue the personal relationships which began here.

As world citizens, we love the diversity of cultures that international students represent and look forward to learning about each other. We want to encourage international students to work through the many challenges they face in adjusting to American culture. As Americans, we want those who come here from other countries to receive a more complete picture of what we value as a nation and as a community. And as Christians, we take seriously God’s word drawn from the Bible: We believe God wants us to show His love to people of every nation.

If you are an international in DeKalb County, we hope that we will be able to invite you and share with you an enjoyable and meaningful stay in our community and at NIU.

“You should act toward the stranger who lives among you as you would toward one born among you. Love him as you love yourself.” — Leviticus 19:34