My name is Bob Thompson. Together with my wife, Barb, I have undertaken a faith ministry beside the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, where 50,000+ students fill the classrooms. To the east of the campus sits a neighborhood of apartments where several thousand internationals live, students and their families. They come from India, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia and at least a hundred other countries. The large majority come here to earn advanced degrees.

Brilliant though many of these neighbors are in everything from physics to engineering, computers to astronomy, there is little knowledge of Jesus Christ. I am reminded at times of God's question to His reluctant prophet, Jonah, who really didn't want to preach in Nineveh because that was where Israel's enemies lived, and Jonah was a nationalist and a patriot, first and foremost. But God, who has created all human beings in His image, asked: "Should I not be concerned about that great city… (where) more than 120,000 cannot tell their right hand from their left??" That was God's way of saying that they were in the dark, spiritually. And God, for His part, was not going to stand on the sidelines, or be indifferent.

God's salvation in Christ is for the peoples of the world – all the peoples of the world – to know Him and praise Him. I used to sing a little Sunday School song: "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Now it is our privilege to serve Jesus here in a neighborhood where people from nearly every nation have come to live so nearby! With Barb supporting me, I have given myself to preaching and serving in this extraordinary neighborhood. They used to call the area " Sin City" when just the Americans lived here. Now the streets are pegged as " International City." (although the other name could still work!)

Would you join us?

Ours is a faith ministry, dependent totally on the offerings of God's people and churches who share with us an alert sense of what the Holy Spirit is up to in this era of salvation when the Good News of the Gospel is being proclaimed to the "ends of the earth" until "the end of the age."

Elijah's Cave is the non-profit Christian ministry we created in 1998 in order to encapsulate a number of elements that comprise our specific work:

Quo Vadis Christian Bookstore
This is our facility. A house of prayer, a place of refuge, a Sunday chapel, a quiet room for study, a setting for coffee-house outreach, and- during the week – a not-for-profit bookstore where the best in Christian literature is available – not to mention the Bible in 120 languages. Modeled after the ministry of L'Abri, we've created an ambiance for believers, seekers and skeptics to stop in and talk, and, we hope, meet with God.

International Bible Church
This is our neighborhood church. It's a mission church. Some might call it, a "storefront church." We began in fall '06. For 3,000+ internationals and their families, it's within walking distance. 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon. No one's in a rush. We take questions during the message. Sometimes, we pose questions. Always, the Bible is front and center, the music sweet & simple. This past year, 160 attended services, with 30-40 weeks.

East-of-Campus "English Corner"
Preaching is one way to proclaim the Good News. Serving is another. For me, that means painstaking hours devoted to helping the East Asian students to upgrade their abilities in English: speaking and writing, in particular. So the English Corner seeks to meet a practical need. I offer my tutelage free of charge. And I'm actually pretty good at it, trained in ASU's English Department in second language instruction.

Chinese Students Fellowship
I was recently asked where in all the world I would live, if not America . Without hesitation, my answer was " China ." Through the fellowship I work with here at ASU, in tandem with Greater Phoenix Chinese Christian Church, I have truly become intrigued with the great civilization on the far side of the Great Wall. But would I really want to live there? Well, yes, if they would just give me a license to preach the Gospel. Of course… that might be awhile!

The Faithful City and 24/7 Prayer
In the history of the church, small groups that meet for earnest prayer have often been associated with times of renewal in the Body of Christ. Here at ASU, I am privileged to assist and participate with two other campus ministers who are dedicated to prayer, Rev. Sanghoon Yoo and his every-morning-prayer-circle called "The Faithful City," and young Chris Ngai with Campus Renewal Ministries who has inspired many of us to form a round-the-clock prayer chain to intercede for the campus and community. I assist Pastor Yoo by bringing a weekly exhortation from the Bible.

Doing the things a campus minister does: 

I hope this gives you a picture of what our work is about. We will be so grateful for your consideration of partnership with us through giving, or prayer, or even involvement, as God so directs.

In the service of Christ and the Gospel,

Bob & Barb Thompson