Renewal College Fellowship (RCF)

This semester has been a revelation for me in my spiritual walk and building relationships with others. I have taken what I have learned in this class to bless others and encourage them that they can make it because God loves them. During the times of witnessing and servant hood, I have found so, many people that just want someone to listen and love them. My perception of people has changed because now I feel that I am more compassionate now, sensitive to the needs of others, humble, loving, and willing to be servant.

Like most college students, I often find myself feeling uncertain of the future and fearful of what is to come. However, with each new day, I have been learning to depend on the Lord and trust that He has it all figured out. Through the support of Christian communities on my college campus like Black Women’s Ministry and Cru Wellesley Christian Fellowship, I have gained a network of friends, mentors, and spiritual leaders that have encouraged

At Baylor, students coming from a religious non Baptist home with a close network of individual who share their beliefs, may find themselves longing for their religious community once at Baylor. In Derrick Ho’s, a writer for CNN, article, he says, “Homesickness isn't necessarily about home…. It stems from our instinctive need for love, protection and security -- feelings and qualities usually associated with home.” Here Ho is expressing his belief that the lack of familiarity and community in a new place can make someone feel homesick. Ho, in his article also quotes Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Alabama's School of Public Health, who said “You're missing what's normal, what is routine, the larger sense of social space, because those are the things that help us survive” (Ho). Religion is a source of identity and a way of life for many students. Without a place to express their faith, it can be difficult. Not having individuals with similar view around, can lead students feeling alone. For non-Baptist students it is not easily assessable to find religious groups because many are not recognized due to refusal to sign the Affirmation Statement. Without recognizing these different religious organization, finding people who have similar ideals may be hard because of Baylor’s large campus.

The church that we used to attend -Wooddale Baptist- was a mega church just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. Every Sunday, I had the same schedule consisting of Sunday School, snack time, and then “Big Church,” which was with the adults. Due to the unthinkable amount of kids, I was never given the opportunity to make anything more than acquaintances. Every Sunday it felt like I met someone new, plus I only got to know their surface layer identity. Once we started at my new church, Aldersgate Church, my social and religious outlook improved. Starting on the first Sunday, my family and I had made plenty of good friends. We even had dinner plans with two strange families after church that night! Little did we know that these two families became the most supportive and trusted people we would ever meet. Also, the small community within the church and the pastor inspired me to grow in my faith than ever before. I began to enjoy Sunday school, and understand the lessons. Exchanging churches changed the way I worshipped God, and gave me the chance to meet new

Even though I studied harder than I ever had before, I still did not reach the grade I thought I deserved. He told me it was because the student who shared a desk with me earned a C and it was partially my fault. This lesson taught me that life is not just about reaching personal success but helping others reach theirs too. My schools CFX’s (Companion’s of Francis Xavier) were another way I have lived out service, spirit, and intellect. During summer vacations after my sophomore and junior year, I would spend hours in the sun hammering nails or digging the foundation where a new home would be built. At the end of every grueling day, we would discuss the reasons why this certain group of people were impoverished and the systematic ways that we could fix it. These trips helped me grow as a person and realize my place in today’s society. It also made me look at larger issues in our world such as homelessness and the border issues - I worked in solidarity building homes with people that were impacted by these matters. One of my greatest moments of service and spirit came on my senior year trip. It was Easter Mass and my group was in the

Born and raised in Marion, Iowa and into an evangelical church, my parents “Baby Dedicated” my life to christ. At age 5 my family moved to New Covenant Bible Church. When I was young I didn't think much of church, it was just something you did and was merely going through the motions. But when I hit middle school my parents made me go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. Key phrase, made me. At this point in my life I didn't like church, at all. As I grew older, I wanted to be at church less and less. And I dreaded going every time Sunday morning rolled around. I had the mindset that the world had more to offer me than Christ did. And so I made excuses and put up fights and soon I rarely went to church. My family went but I stayed

In recent days I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina for a few short days. There, with a heavy heart from a loss in the family, I had nothing else to look towards. I’ve always heard of individuals finding peace, faith, blessings, and love of Christ from attending church. I’ve never been a person who put their faith into a higher power. As I was growing up my parents never wanted to force me into any religion without me knowing everything about it and choosing which route to take on my own. As the years treaded on, I never bothered myself to learn about the many different religions and what each stands for. So I used this opportunity as mine to attend church for the very first time. I attended the Roman Catholic services held

As I grew up I attended a church daycare which taught us about the bible, Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA), and other various church activities. I had always been around the Christian beliefs. However, my personal walk didn’t start until the summer after my freshmen year after attending a summer camp called Momentum; now, I am unashamed to claim that I am a Christian and I love to share my faith with other people.

It all started with one sentence. "Take a look at this pamphlet" my friend told me 5 years ago. That's just what I did, not knowing that the pamphlet would change my life for the better. My life at that particular moment was spiraling out of control. Four years in an abusive relationship took a toll on me. Four years of mental anguish drained my confidence and threw me into extreme depression which resulted in me failing numerous classes and then academic dismissal. At that moment I was at my lowest and my friend saw that. She handed me a pamphlet for Kingsborough Community College continuing education courses hoping to jog my interest and to get me away from my abuser.

As most of you may know, I am a freshman at Pierpont Community & Technical College and majoring in Baking and Pastry Arts. At the beginning of the semester I was invited to Chi Alpha, an on campus ministry, and immediately I could tell that it was where I wanted, and needed, to be. I was already familiar with what Chi Alpha was but I had no idea how much fun and life changing that it actually could be. My first semester of college would have been completely different if I had not gotten involved with my Lifegroup and growing my relationship with God and my Chi Alpha family.

I wouldn’t have met some of the most important people in my life and learned some of the greatest lessons that parents, teachers, or anybody else can’t teach, the values of hard work, friendships, and volunteerism. Even the small lessons mattered to me. I learned how to setup a tent, cook shrimp, and how to create choreography, When I moved to Georgia I didn’t put these lessons in action, there wasn’t a youth center I could visit to meet friends, I was on my own. It took me some time to get back in the groove of things, I didn’t volunteer at all, I didn’t join any clubs, and I barley left my house. I was miserable. But I thought about everything I’ve been through the past 4 years and didn’t want to lose all the life lessons I had accumulated. I started to join clubs and looking for volunteer opportunities. I joined the Chick-Fil-A leadership academy because of their strong focus on servant leadership and found it to be the right club for me. I plan on continuing to use my experiences from Texas while in college to get involved in multiple clubs and volunteer more than I ever have. Nothing will ever replace the memories I’ve created, but I’m ready to start

I did not come to know Christ until December of 2003 at the age of 25 at First Baptist Church of Gordonsville Tennessee. As a young boy, I had a desire to know GOD, and had even made a profession of faith, but never had anyone

Szymanski. Session1. JournalThe event or experience that has influenced and will continue to influence my work and goals here at CCU is Celebrate Recovery. I have finished the first year in the program and have learned so much about myself, God, and relationships with others. The reason that this program is such an influence is because it has opened my eyes to my weaknesses andthefaults that I have. It has helped me to learn new skillssuch as how to truly listen to others without prejudice, how to not see rejection in criticism, and why I see things the way that I do. CR has also been a tool to deepen my relationship with the Lord. I have also learned how to turn my life and will into Christ’s control. It has really been an amazing tool for

My father was a good man, but there many things that took him from the house, from work to provide for us and the fire department, which seemed to be the focus of his passion. My last refuge, the church seemed to be a place that was all obligations. They were always talking about it being a place for God to embrace us. However, at the end of the day, it was just talk with people, who said that God would embrace me, yet were not embracing. I felt as if they were holding acceptance like a cat’s toy being held just beyond reach. I did not need more people telling me about it, I needed someone to show

How often had we heard about individuals who have chosen to leave a church community because they did not feel like they were a part of the community? I am guilty of making this decision myself. I have felt left out, ostracized and not loved by my church community, therefore I left because I was not unified with the church community. I felt lesser and forgotten about. There are many obstacles that can prevent or extinguish the reciprocating community God has intended for Christians.