Christian groups show unity

October 8, 2007 —

by Christina Dillbeck

Criminal justice student and Campus Crusade for Christ member Jason Flores and business management senior Lance Hill dish out ice cream at the Christian unity meeting held in the Multi-Purpose Room on Wednesday.

With so many Christian groups on campus, it can be hard for students to decide which one fits them best. Group leaders understand that, and have made the decision to come together to worship.

After a short discussion, leaders from a few of the major Christian groups came up with the idea of holding a service in which all Christians can attend. The idea sparked another thought, to bring a group called The Traveling Team to campus.

This team consists of three or four young adults who tour the country speaking to college students about their religious vision. The team offers Christian messages, as well as a chance to participate in a mission trip.

They was one of the reasons the Christian groups decided to conjoin for an evening, but it was not the only one. Troy Andreasen, campus minister for the group His House put a lot of effort into the service. He feels as though a meeting of Christians is needed on campus and would like to encourage them all to help one another.

The unity meeting was held as a way to close gaps between all of the groups on campus, and three main groups joined.

Unity was the main focus of the event, and Andreasen used the term not to describe a way of organizing, but rather a way to worship.

"Unity doesn't mean everyone has to meet all of the time," he said. "Everyone has their own identity."

Identity is one of the main reasons SVSU's campus has numerous Christian groups. Andreasen says there is nothing that should force a student to join one group over another; however, he notes there are differences.

"Each group is made up of people, and we're all imperfect," he said. "[His House] is unique because of its many personalities."

James Fry, a first-year member of His House, doesn't see a large difference in the groups. But, the sophomore understands why there is a need to keep the groups separate.

"His House is non-denominational, but some Christians may not agree with the teachings," Fry said. "Catholics may not agree, but it's not about a religion. It's about a relationship."

Fry sees the event as something beneficial for all of the Christian groups and feels the night may spark more meetings in the future.

His House follows the word of the Churches of Christ and has groups on many college campuses. Standing in the Gap is different, in the sense that the group is a campus outreach program from Church in Drive, a place of worship located in Saginaw. This difference in structure provides students with opportunity to choose which group fit them best. Campus Minister for Standing in the Gap Nate Polzin made its clear there is no competition between groups and deciding which group to join comes down to a few factors.

"It's all about students' schedules to see what fits their's the best. From there it depends on who knows who. Students tend to join the groups their friends are in," Polzin said.

Polzin notes there isn't a way in which all of them can permanently meet together, but finds little difference among the groups.

"[Christian groups] are different and separate," he said. "But, we're all brothers and sisters, and we're all on the same team."