As an international student from India, Abishek Varghese ’20 made friendships and connections and developed an appreciation for community during his time at Redeemer.
“Redeemer was my first introduction to Canada,” he says. “It helped me to settle into the culture.”
He says the opportunities for connection socially and spiritually at the university were plentiful and it’s something he’s now appreciating about his new workplace as well.
“Muskoka Bible Centre (MBC) has that same sense of community and I’m really grateful for that.”
Since September, Varghese has been working as MBC’s marketing and media coordinator. He’s been able to dive into the role developing photo, video and written content for its social media channels, and promoting camps, programs, retreats and the conference centre to churches, youth groups and other audiences. He’s also involved in taking photos for MBC’s magazine and working on its new podcast.
Joining MBC’s staff has helped him answer a question that has come up for him many times: How will he use a career in media for God?
Redeemer was my first introduction to Canada … It helped me to settle into the culture.
“This role really helped me to put that into action,” he says. One of his favourite parts of the job has been interviewing retreat guests and hearing their experiences. “It’s always good to hear what people have gained out of a retreat. Even very small actions can change people’s lives and lead them to God. I get the privilege of capturing that and showing it to people who are willing to come to a retreat and give their lives to God. That’s been very exciting.”
Working in marketing, Varghese says there can be a temptation to lose focus and get caught up in bottomline thinking. With the overall goal of increasing the number of people that come to MBC to participate in programs, retreats and camps, it can be easy to prioritize revenue over what really matters.
“How do we keep the focus on God and not just revenue? That’s been challenging and will continue to be challenging,” he says, reflecting on the need to frequently remind himself of the greater purpose of glorifying God through media and storytelling.
Through his work at MBC so far and through his courses in digital media and production at Redeemer, Varghese is keenly aware of the influence he can have through video production and other forms of storytelling.
The professors at Redeemer encouraged him and his classmates to find ways to tell stories in unique and different ways. “They encouraged us to find our style.”
But even more important has been the consideration of the power of point of view when telling someone else’s story.
They showed us how as storytellers we can tell someone else’s story when we haven’t experienced it …
“They showed us how as storytellers we can tell someone else’s story when we haven’t experienced it or when we are borrowing it and showing it to the world. The professors really encouraged us to find that balance:’ He often remembers the encouragement he received in the classroom to consider the story that he sees, and how he portrays it to others. “Where do you place your camera? What do you want others to see? Everytime I film something, those are the questions that come to mind. I can see everything, but where I put the camera is what others will see. What am I trying to showcase? What story am I trying to tell? What I am showing and how is it influencing others?”
Varghese remains grateful for the unique opportunity he had to attend a Christian university in Canada.
“Redeemer is a place with a lot of potential for your personal and spiritual growth, but it definitely comes down to how you as a student use those opportunities. Even in the classes, you’re getting a very different kind of experience from a lot of other students,” Varghese says of the integration of the Christian worldview into Redeemer’s academics. “I think that really helped me to find that path I wanted to pursue. It definitely comes down to how you respond to things and how you take in what you’re offered.”