CCO staff workers Tara Atchison and Kurt Ro reach out to students at Temple University.
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, Kurt Ro helped establish an off-campus discipleship and leadership development house, where he lives with seven male students. The discipleship house provides regular space for community-building to happen outside of Monday night fellowship times and weekly Bible studies.
Tara Atchison advises a student-run fellowship called Crosswalk, which meets every Monday evening at 7:30pm and includes musical worship, a speaker, sometimes group discussion, and an opportunity to hang out with friends. The location changes depending on what space is available, so the best way to find out where it is is to email the Crosswalk listserv to find out.
Community groups are times for students to hang out, are centered around Bible study, and are led by students. There are male, female, and co-ed groups that meet throughout the week.
The Ark is an after-school program a few blocks away from campus that works with children from the neighborhood. It operates Mondays through Thursdays, from 3:30-6:30pm.
Off-campus fall and spring retreats are a great way for students to get to know each other better and get connected to our community.
Spring break service trips offer students opportunities serve as close as the city of Philadelphia and as far as Fairfield, Alabama.
Jubilee is an annual conference hosted by the CCO, and a group from Temple goes every year.
“Students are being challenged to apply the Word of God to their whole lives: their majors, relationships, work ethic and family dynamics,” says Tara. “We are a place away from home where students can continue to mature and learn what it means to practically and intentionally love one another in deeper ways.”
If you would like to connect with the CCO’s ministry at Temple, please contact Tara or Kurt, either by email or via Facebook.
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