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Bill Patterson

patterson-bill.jpg“I’m involved in my church today because I was involved in CCO ministry when I was in college,” says Bill Patterson. “My faith has supported me through some difficult times the last few years and has given me hope that the world is progressing despite some of the difficulties I’ve seen.”

Bill first connected to the CCO’s ministry when he was a student at The Ohio State University and his father connected him to CCO staff member Mike Mattes. “Mike was new to Ohio State and my parents’ church supported the church Mike was working with in Columbus,” Bill says. “I wasn’t looking for Christian fellowship when I got to college. I thought of church as more of a social club, but Mike helped show me how I could grow spiritually through college.”

Mike invited Bill to help him lead discussions about Christianity and current events, which led to co-leading various book discussions as well. In 2004, Bill attended the CCO-sponsored Jubilee conference.

“Coming from a public school, it was pretty eye-opening to see such a Christian environment,” Bill remembers. “It was my first exposure to a lot of people who had really surrounded themselves in Christianity. At the same time, I heard some of the best and healthiest critiques of the Christian culture I’ve ever heard from the people who had surrounded themselves in it. Jubilee was a very enlightening experience.”

After graduating from OSU, Bill went on to earn his law degree from Washington University Law School in St. Louis, and today he lives in Chicago, where he works as an attorney. He is actively involved in Fourth Presbyterian Church and he volunteers in the community in a variety of ways.

“I try to live my life as a follower of Christ and set an example for others to follow,” Bill says. “I am a tutor for the Chicago Lights tutoring program, and I tutor Chicago’s inner-city students. I assist with teaching high school students interviewing and other professional skills so they can find jobs. I am also active in a kickball league and volunteer for projects around Chicago.

“The idea of redemption was something I really came to believe through the CCO. As I result, I believe that with God, we can improve many people’s situations. That’s the inspiration I have for volunteering and helping others.”

Bill isn’t sure he would be doing any of these things if he hadn’t encountered the CCO’s ministry at Ohio State. “The CCO allowed me to grow spiritually as a student at a public university. If the CCO hadn’t been at OSU, I would not have progressed spiritually in college and it’s unlikely I would be attending church. It would have been easier to slide into agnosticism, and that’s where I would’ve headed.”