Inside UF Campus Ministries
By Lincoln Bash
bashl@findlay.edu
The day that junior biochemistry major Ethan Lantz came to the University of Findlay, he found much more than just a campus. He found a Christian community that changed the course of his life.
Leaders at campus ministries want to do much more than simply ‘say’ they are reaching out. They want to nurture spiritual growth while offering a deep sense of purpose and belonging. From mental struggles to making lasting friends, some students look to campus ministries to help from a faith-based point-of-view.
“It has been everything for my college experience,” Lantz said. “Mental health and student retention are two of the biggest issues affecting colleges nowadays. Having a strong faith community on campus that brings me close to God every day… makes Findlay my home away from home.”
The impact even goes beyond academics.
“I came to college for a degree and now have peace, redemption, and a renewed mind/spirit,” Lantz said.
Ruth Swartzfager, a graduate student currently working on her master’s degree in TESOL and applied linguistics, has been involved and working within the campus ministry for all of the six years that she’s been at UF. She says that this ministry never fails to continue to shape her throughout all of her college years.
“Staying involved over the past few years has given me the space and opportunities to continue supporting younger students as they transition into and through college, navigating those same questions of community, belief, and relationship with Jesus,” said Swartzfager.
Giorgio Ferrario is the newly appointed Director of Campus Ministries, and the ministry is entering a new phase under his leadership. Ferrario’s current focus with the ministry is to break beyond the surface level, to really focus on deep spiritual development.
“Campus ministry exists to advance the Kingdom of God by training students to be Christ-like disciples who make Christ-like disciples,” Ferrario said.
He says his goal is not just participation, but transformation.
“My focus for the foreseeable future is spiritual reformation,” he said. “What does it look like for us to learn how to be with Jesus? How can we be more like Him?”
Ferrario hopes to build mentors on campus.
“In the future, I’m really hoping we can create a culture and an environment where there is multiplication of disciples,” Ferrario said.
From Thursday night Revive worship services to the numerous Bible studies and all the other events it has to offer, Campus Ministries tries to offer something for everyone. Additionally, the leaders and attendees go out of their way to make it as welcoming as possible, according to Lantz.
“Most students who are not attending these events with friends or who were not raised in the church can feel like outsiders,” Lantz said. “We strive to help every student be exposed to the Gospel and feel God’s love here at UF.”
Ferrario echoed that invitation to all students.,
“When Jesus walked on the earth and called His disciples, He said, ‘Come and follow me,’” Ferrario said. “So I would say to someone who’s unsure about coming to a campus ministry event: just come and follow me. Come with me to a Bible study, come with me to Revive, and let me show you what we’re all about.”
Lantz stresses that one of their goals is to increase outreach while still remaining faithful to the ministry’s core mission.
“Many students show up to events via word of mouth and didn’t even know they were happening,” he said. “I pray we can better advertise and invite others, while still trusting God to send students into our groups.”
All three leaders agree that success isn’t measured by the numbers, but rather by how God is moving through the ministry.
“Some may want campus ministries to be a huge presence on campus,” Lantz said. “But as long as at least one new person comes to know Jesus through campus ministry, then we have succeeded as a community.”
“Look to be with Jesus, to have relationship with Him, wherever you are,” Swartzfager said. “And He will be there.”
Latest Pulse Media
- Pulse Media report: Sustainability garden taking rootBy Richard Mast mastr@findlay.eduTucked behind the Egner Center for the Performing Arts on the corner of Frazer Street and the Corey Street Mall, is a small garden taking shape, surrounded by brick walls covered in ivy.The area once housed huge satellite dishes. Over the last year, students have worked to turn it into a sustainability garden.Justin Richardson, instructor of teaching in environmental, safety and occupational health management, says the space will highlight environmental responsibility and bring classroom learning to campus life.“Right now, we’re looking at ways that we can make this usable for students for reflection, so they can sit at a picnic table, charge their phones and listen to a waterfall,” Richardson said. “We could actually use it for environmental work and looking at soil quality and seeing how plants survive.”Richardson’s class, ESOH140 Sustainability: An Introduction, is working on the project this semester but started the project in the same course last fall. The planning has been a little tricky.“We identify native, non-native, and invasive species on campus, and we come to the realization that our diversity on, for example, bringing in raised beds to grow plants is great, but the specifics to that region, that small spot on campus, it’s very dry,” Richardson said. “So what we found over the last two years is that some of the species that we’ve tried to plant, thinking of a traditional Ohio weather, is not fitting so well.”“The biggest struggle I feel like has been trying to figure out how to get water in this area because this is a big drought area, there’s not a lot of areas we can get water in here,” junior environmental, health, safety, and sustainability major Carson Kuhlman said. “Getting plants to grow and stuff has been a big issue.”Richardson says the project is all about building something long lasting. Students are incorporating features like native plants, study areas, and even some interactive elements.This space is being transformed into something current and future Oilers can use and enjoy while giving the students a tangible way to put plan to action. Junior business administration-finance major Gavyn Smith is another student in the course working on the project.“We’ve been coming here since the very start of the semester,” Smith said. “We came out here and looked at everything and then we been planning, making blueprints, and just deciding what we want to do to make it a better place for the students.”Richardson is also in collaboration with the Mazza Museum to put some sort of artwork in the space.“We’re all kind of siloed off from time to time and we don’t recognize how things connect,” Richardson said. “And being able to connect the arts and environmental classes, I think, is a great way to bring more people in and see how everybody can benefit.”Kuhlman believes that the garden has the potential to draw more attention to the area and help students feel more connected to campus.“We have a couple things planned for this area that will definitely help maybe bring people to campus, make them more interested in this area and maybe more around campus,” Kuhlman said.
- Thoughts with Profs: Homecoming is like taking a trip down memory lane…Column by Amy Rogan Assistant Professor of Media and Communication & Adviser to The Pulse rogan@findlay.edu I have to say, as a student at the University of Findlay a few–uh-hem–decades ago, I do not remember Homecoming Weekend as quite the extravaganza it is now. There was a football game and sometimes an off-campus dance. Then [...]
- Sustainability garden still taking rootBy Richard Mast mastr@findlay.edu Tucked behind the Egner Center for the Performing Arts on the corner of Frazer Street and the Corey Street Mall, is a small garden taking shape, surrounded by brick walls covered in ivy. The area once housed huge satellite dishes. Over the last year, students have worked to turn it into [...]
- Healthy eating for UF athletesBy Omari Welch-Guytan welchguytano@findlay.edu Sometimes the food is good, sometimes it could be better. Everyone has an opinion about campus dining, on every campus in America. But for student-athletes at the University of Findlay, the dining options on campus are crucial to peak physical performance. Track and field assistant coach Justin Fisher sees Henderson through [...]
- University Advancement Ambassadors Prepare UF for HomecomingBy: Victoria Hansen hansenv@findlay.edu Every Homecoming, University of Findlay goes out of its way to make campus look as inviting as it can. Black and orange ribbons adorn the trees, a fresh coat of paint is put on the mural in front of Henderson, and the Spirit Rock is painted over to prepare for the [...]
- Oilers Climb National RankingsBy Erin Moran morane@findlay.edu The University of Findlay (UF) Oilers athletic teams are getting national recognition this fall with several teams ranked within the top 25 in NCAA Division II. The football, volleyball, and women’s golf teams started their seasons strong with quick national poll spots, and are holding steady halfway through the season. UF’s [...]