On Feb. 10, the Addition Financial Arena was filled with more than 5,000 college students for a night of worship, sermons, and baptisms as part of a nationwide campus ministry movement known as UniteUS.
What is Uniteus?
UniteUS is a faith-based organization that comes to college campuses spreading Christianity and seeking to unite all Christian denominations. The movement began in 2023 at Auburn University, founded by Tonya Prewett, who wanted to spread faith through unity. UniteUS is just getting started, but has already hosted events on 25 college campuses nationwide.
“A movement of college student united to lift the name of Jesus.”
UniteUS website
Chloe Wetherington, a member of the local team that helped bring UniteUS to UCF, said the organization’s mission centers on hope.
“Everyone struggles and falls short, especially at 18, when you’re trying to find your way,” Wetherington said. “There are ups and downs, and the main message Unite shares is that there’s hope.”
Themes of awareness and hope carried throughout the event. During her message, Prewett asked attendees to raise their phone flashlights if they had experienced depression, loneliness, anxiety, or other mental health challenges. Thousands of lights illuminated the arena.
Prewett wanted to highlight what Unite stands for, which is that you are not alone, and you don’t have to fight these battles alone either.
How uniteUs got started
Prewett started Unite after mentoring college students and hearing about the struggles young women on Auburn’s campus were facing. She spent time talking with them and learning their stories before deciding she needed to do something about it. She gathered five girls from her small group in the football stadium and just started praying. The next week, it grew to roughly 100, and a week later to almost 200. She began seeing a vision, a vision that would soon turn into a movement.
“I saw a vision of thousands of students gathered in our basketball arena,” Prewett said while speaking at the UCF event. “On September 12, 2023, we walked into Auburn’s basketball arena not knowing if anybody would show up, yet over 5,000 students were in that arena. We ended up baptizing over 200 students till after midnight. This is the vision I saw in February of 2023. It’s happening. It’s still happening.”
the impact
For many attendees, the event represented more than a single night of worship.
Devin Nordin, a member of Alpha Xi Delta who served as a UniteUS representative for her sorority, said she believes events like UniteUS create space for Christian students to connect across denominational lines.
“I believe that Christian reform should be brought to college campuses, and I think Unite is an amazing night for different branches of Christianity to come together and worship the Lord,” Nordin said.
Organizers said the impact does not end when the arena lights turn off. UniteUS representatives follow up with students who choose to be baptized and connect them with local churches and campus ministries, ensuring their faith turns into a mission, not just a moment.
Since its start, Unite has reached an estimated 150,000 students, traveled to 25 campuses, and witnessed over 25,000 students give their lives to Jesus through baptism.
Throughout the Addition Arena, thousands of college students united in faith and brought their voices together for a greater purpose. When Unite allowed students to come together in worship as they did on Feb.10, students were united by faith and a shared message of hope.