BY REBEKAH REED
The community college students surround themselves with can make or break the college experience. It can truly change their time in college. If anyone is looking for a Christ-centered, Godly community, FHSU is fortunate to have many local churches with College Ministries that look forward to new faces joining them each year.
For those interested in Catholic Disciples on campus, Campus Chaplain Fr. Andy Hammeke describes Catholic Disciples as a place with many ways to get involved with Bible study, music ministry, serving at Mass, and others.
“[Catholic Disciples is an] organization that gathers to celebrate the Mass, pray, learn about our faith, receive God’s mercy, grow in relationship with Jesus Christ, develop solid relationships…and spread the good news of the Gospel,” Hammeke said.
Catholic Disciples meet at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Catholic Campus Center. There is a guest speaker and social time after. The Campus Center is open 7 a.m. -11 p.m. every day. Mass is on Sundays at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.
Campus Crusades for Christ (CRU) is through North Oak Church. Justin Greenleaf, head of CRU describes CRU as a student-led ministry that focuses on discipleship.
“We want to build intentional relationships with our members and help them grow in their relationship with Christ and each other,” Greenleaf said.
Participants in CRU can get involved with North Oak which connects students to the larger church family. CRU meets at 7:00 p.m. every Wednesday upstairs in the Union in the Sunflower Room.
Another ministry that meets on Wednesdays is Encounter through Celebration Community Church.
“Our hearts desire to see people fall in love with Jesus and follow Him for the rest of their lives,” Garret Kahrs, director of Encounter said. “We grow in our faith and create a community of people who love God and love others.”
Large group on Wednesdays includes worship, a service, and community time at 7:15 p.m. at Celebration. Various small groups meet every night of the week to provide an opportunity for personal relationships.
Christian Challenge meets at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays at Crosspoint Church. The night consists of worship, a speaker, then snacks. Madisyn Green, on staff with Christian Challenge, said that being a part of Challenge through her time in school was life-changing.
“Christian Challenge exists for the glory of God,” Green said. “We are a group who seeks and welcomes students and gives them the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as Lord so that they would love God, love others, and serve the world.”
Challenge also offers student-led Life Groups and Starting Point that meets weekly.
Other campus ministry organizations are the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Muslim Students Association, United Methodist Campus Ministry, and Us 4 U.
More information on each ministry can be found on the Religious/Spiritual Student Organizations TigerLink page.The listed ministries welcome all college-age people. You do not have to be an FHSU student to join.