CCO Campus Ministry

The CCO’s ministry in Philadelphia Part Two

Part Two of Three

This article first appeared in the summer 2009 issue of On Campus magazine.

Eight years ago, there was no CCO ministry in Philadelphia. Today there are 14 CCO staff people reaching students on 14 campuses.

There are over 300,000 students at 85 colleges and universities in the Metro Philly area. Until the CCO began partnering with churches there, most of these schools had little to no ministry happening on campus.

Temple University
With 34,000 students, Temple is the largest university in Philadelphia, yet eight years ago, there was hardly any campus ministry taking place there. Today, Tara Atchison and her co-worker, Kurt Ro, are serving on Temple’s campus full-time. Temple’s residential policy requires all juniors and seniors to find their own housing. As a result, the majority of students commute, which means many feel disconnected outside of the classroom. Turning a need into an opportunity, the CCO helped establish an off-campus discipleship and leadership development house.

“I live in the house with seven other men,” explains Kurt. “The house functions as an unofficial hang-out for many of the commuters because there is no other place for them to congregate on campus. So we invite them into our home.”

Tara Atchison advises a student-run fellowship called Crosswalk, which provides a place for students to become involved in Bible studies and service projects. Students invite their friends to join them—like Jamie (not her real name).

Jamie, formerly an agnostic, was first invited to Crosswalk when she was a freshman. She participated in a spring break service experience where she came to know Christ.

“For the first time in her life, it seemed that she began to experience the love of Christ lived out through service to the community and expressed to her by the Christians she was living and serving with that week,” says Tara.

Haverford College
At Haverford, November is called SEXtember. A group of faculty and students encourage others to experiment with different forms of sexual intercourse. The college prides itself on providing a “liberal arts education in the broadest sense.”

Traditional ministry exists on campus, but CCO staff member Elliott Simko saw a need for something different. He hosted a weekly discussion using Reason for God and The God Delusion to address arguments for and against the existence of God. Students of all faiths, including agnostics, Muslims and atheists, were invited to join the conversation—like Danielle (not her real name). Danielle grew up in the church but walked away from Christianity in college. She converted to the Baha’i faith and became the club leader at Haverford.

“Before the semester ended, Danielle shared with me that, in some way, we had renewed her faith in what Christians could look
like,” says Elliott.

Valley Forge Military College
The CCO is the only campus ministry available to the 220 students at Valley Forge, a two-year junior college. “I meet with Christian cadets who are so thirsty for the Word, and so exhausted from their lives,” comments Elliott Simko. “There is no space for God in these students’ packed schedules.” Elliott and co-worker Katie Zoet lead a Bible study every Monday night for a small group of grateful cadets.

Villanova University
Several years ago, the Roman Catholic Villanova University (undergraduate enrollment of 6,300) banned any outside ministries from setting foot on their campus. The CCO is the only ministry approved to be on Villanova’s campus because of the CCO’s partnership with local churches. Villanova students graduate in the top 30% of their high school classes and the majority come from affluent families. CCO staff members Lindsey Smyth and Katie Zoet are encouraged by how God is using them in students’ lives.

“Students are grappling with what it means to be faithful to God, how use all of the gifts and abilities they have been given, and what aspect of God’s work they will be a part of,” says Lindsey. “Students have developed as leaders and are sharing their faith with other students on campus,” adds Katie.

LaSalle University
Where can you find a 20-year-old high school dropout and an 18-year-old philosophy major together in the same space? At CCO staff member Súler Acosta’s church-based fellowship, The Trend. Súler reaches young adults in and around LaSalle, a Roman Catholic university of 4,000 students. He brings students together from all across the spectrum to help them figure out what it means to live out their faith in an urban context.

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