CCO Campus Ministry

The CCO’s ministry in Philadelphia Part Three

Part Three 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.

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
What better way to get the attention of art students than to have an artist speak to them? As an artist herself, Yvonne Valenza understands that culture. Yvonne meets weekly with students to discuss Christian discipleship and their artistic development. PAFA had no ministry presence until the CCO started up a ministry there in 2004.

University of the Arts
UArts is one of the nation’s oldest universities dedicated to the arts, yet there was no formal campus ministry presence before the CCO. Yvonne leads a fellowship group at UArts called Manna. Art students tend to feel overlooked by the church, so Yvonne creates events like “Grill-a-Pastor,” which is designed as a safe place for students to ask questions about the Christian faith.

Philadelphia University
CCO staff worker Amy Nichols oversees Cornerstone, a student-driven ministry that connects students to God and to each other at Philadelphia University (enrollment 2,700). One component of Cornerstone is Revive, a worship forum which is integrated with biblical teaching. Small-group Bible studies, retreats and conferences take place throughout the year. Amy is the only campus minister regularly available to student.

Eastern in the City
Without CCO staff worker Alaina Cronkright, there would be no campus ministry at Eastern in the City. A two-year program, EIC is designed to give inner-city young people an opportunity to pursue a college education. “My role in the program is to facilitate student growth through service-learning opportunities, student organizations and activities, spiritual life formation, conferences and overseas trips,“ explains Alaina. “I strive to empower student leaders on our campus.” [Editor's note: Since this article was originally published, Eastern in the City has closed its doors. Alaina now works with students at Eastern University.]

Temple University Ambler
Free food gets students’ attention. That is why Hesed and Jerry Fourroux hand out waffles and lattes during finals week. Being primarily a commuter school for 3,500 students, there are few student activities events offered. Hesed and Jerry oversee Jubilee, a weekly Bible study where students are active participants on campus with involvement in Earthfest, Welcome Week, the Christmas Program and other events. In the fall and spring, they have an ultimate Frisbee night, and they sponsor an annual Worship Concert each year. Students have participated in alternative spring break trips to New Orleans for Katrina relief and have worked with Habitat for Humanity. Each semester, they serve the community by volunteering at local soup kitchens andÂ clothing and food drives. Prior to Jerry and Hesed’s arrival, there was no formal campus ministry presence at Temple Ambler.

Arcadia University
On Arcadia’s campus (enrollment 3,600) 12 miles outside the city of Philadelphia, CCO staff member Greg Sovereign partners with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to lead Arcadia Christian Fellowship. ACF meets weekly to worship, read Scripture and provide a community of support. In addition to fellowship meetings, ACF facilitates men’s and women’s ministry events, small-group Bible studies, prayer groups, outreach events and mentoring relationships.

Montgomery Community College
CCO associate staff member Brady Rennix serves the 13,000 commuters at Montco. Brady established MontcoTHRIVE Club, which meets weekly to provide students with a venue for friendships and in-depth discussions. Brady also oversees a nontraditional worship service specifically geared toward college students. Afterwards, the students enjoy live music, games, indoor sports, food and coffee. Small groups meet throughout the week as an extension of the Monday-night gathering.

Esperanza College
CCO associate staff worker Jay Scharfenberg teaches two classes, “Overview of the Bible” and “Justice in a Pluralistic Society,” to mostly inner-city Hispanic students at Esperanza College of Eastern University. He often stays after class to provide spiritual direction to students.

Eastern University
Managing campus ministry at a Christian institution is a big job. Lindsey Smyth, Katie Zoet and Elliott Simko combine forces to help develop Eastern students as leaders.

Lindsey supports the female student chaplains as they reach out to their peers. These women are quickly overwhelmed by the demands of being a leader on campus along with their academic commitments.

Katie leads Quest, a fellowship of students participating in difficult dialogue about their faith. Students congregate at Katie’s church to watch documentaries with hard-hitting topics that cause them to re-think how they’re living as Christians.

Elliott teaches students to engage neighboring communities by hosting meals for the homeless, visiting the elderly, partnering with the local Salvation Army and organizing events which bridge the gap between older and younger Lindsey Smyth made a special effort to personally get to generations in the church.

Newsroom