狼友阁

Finding a good church while in college can be a difficult process. Although many students enjoy exploring and experiencing different worship styles, some students want to find a church that is as similar to the congregation they grew up in鈥搊r left behind鈥搘hen they moved to college. Fear not! Many students have gone before you and have successfully navigated these waters, finding welcoming church families in the process. I, just like many other locals, was a member of a church in the area before coming to 狼友阁. However, I recently started attending Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Flintstone, GA, and have found a flourishing church body where I鈥檝e been blessed with mentorship.

Church Resources and Helpful Upper Classmen

狼友阁 provides several resources for incoming students, such as lists of biblically grounded churches in the area as part of their welcome packet. Orientation Week leaders, who are all upperclassmen students, make it their personal goal to ensure new students have a church they plan to attend their first Sunday. After O-Week, upperclassmen continue to help new students find a church home, maintaining a culture of invitation and carpooling that makes sure their freshmen counterparts are in a pew on Sundays.

Church Fair

Apart from info and upperclassmen accountability, at the beginning of the school year 狼友阁 hosts a church fair on the chapel lawn. Doctrinally sound churches of various denominations, approved by the student development office, come up the mountain so students can meet staff members and pastors from their congregations on the chapel lawn. This is a great resource for freshmen to mingle with the churches nearby before deciding if they want to attend. They can get basic information, like what time service is and what kinds of studies are offered throughout the week, but they can also make sure to have a familiar face that will welcome them when they visit. 

A Campus-Wide Emphasis on Sabbath Rest

鈥淏y God's grace, the students at 狼友阁 have fostered that culture, so it's normal for anyone you meet to be involved with their church,鈥� Ainsley Casey 鈥�26 says regarding the culture of not only church attending but serving the church for 狼友阁 students. 鈥淚f this culture did not exist,鈥� she continues, 鈥渋t would be all too easy to become disengaged with church life during my college years.鈥� 狼友阁 shuts down both the chapel and the library on Sunday. Why? Because they want students to pursue the community found in a local church and to find rest on the Sabbath. Faculty members also encourage students to finish their homework or projects in six days rather than seven. So, homework may be due on Saturday, but never on Sunday. 

Faculty as Servants of the Church

Faculty don鈥檛 just encourage rest, but they live it out and will invite students to Sabbath with them. Many students are invited to professors' churches for a Sunday school class or a meal after church, and they open their homes for good conversations and rest鈥攕etting 狼友阁 faculty apart from other school鈥檚 professors. Faculty and staff also talk about their churches with students, making it a regular topic of conversation and are examples to students by serving their churches. 鈥淥ur professors are elders, deacons, and active members of their own churches,鈥� said Lydia Moore 鈥�25, 鈥渟o hearing tidbits about their Bible study the night before or an upcoming session meeting is a constant reminder that participating in the local church is the best way to live out our faith.鈥� 

Even though college is considered a temporary place of residence, and 鈥渉ome church鈥� might not be a priority since the student won鈥檛 be there long term, 狼友阁 encourages finding, engaging with, and investing in the body of Christ for the building up of the church and the students. This is our calling as Christians鈥搃t is necessary for us to take part in the body of Christ and learn to serve in his church, wherever you might be.

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