I was one of those kids coming into college full of excitement and motivation to join every club and organization to make friends and be a part of something. Yet, I knew I did not want to be in a campus ministry. I felt it was not for me and I went to a Catholic school so I felt that I did that whole religion thing for while and I felt okay about it. Then, RUF at UNCW found me.
So during the first couple of weeks of my first semester, my roommate brought me to Large Group for a campus ministry called RUF. It was filled of singing worship songs and having our campus minister teach from the bible. Many upperclassmen students there were welcoming us, and made an effort to make myself along with other freshmen feel comfortable. They invited us to a welcome back bonfire and cookout. Okay so after my first Large Group I won’t say that I was completely changed or committed but it made me open minded and excited.
RUF stands for Reformed University Fellowship which is the campus ministry for Presbyterian Church in America. They establish themselves as a ministry that focuses on finding a college community and receiving answers about your faith so it is catered to almost everyone. Each week we have Large Group, Bible studies, and Prayer studies. There are also once a month Sunday Night Fellowship where we go to someone’s house and have a home cooked meal and just hang out for the night.
One of the main reasons I became apart of RUF because of the Campus Minister, Jay. Literally after meeting him once he remembered my name and asked to grab a coffee to get to know me better. I have never had a minister reach out to me like that and it felt good to know I was important and I was not just another face in the crowd. Also, he relates his sermons and parts of the Bible to college life so it keeps it interesting and actually causes you to use lessons from the Bible to everyday life.
I have also meet amazing people through my campus ministry and most of them have become my great friends. We go to UNCW basketball and hockey games together, always eat lunch at Hawks, and plan meet up times at the library. My college experience has been positively effected by joining RUF with my new friends.
Lastly, my relationship with my faith is being restored. After leaving my Catholic school, I literally felt lost and unsure if I even believed anymore. I thought that the whole religion thing wasn’t for me and I was fine with that but once I got involved with RUF I knew that I missing religion from my life. It has fulfilled me in ways I never thought I needed.
So if you are trying to find a community on campus be open minded and be open to meet new people and try new things. Also we would love to have you at Large Group.
Photos coutesy of RUF at UNCW.
The views of the author do not reflect on the UNCW chapter as a whole.