Ministry Spotlight - Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)

This week's spotlight focuses on the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at UTK, a Presbyterian student ministry. According to its Web site, RUF aims to "be a ministry for UTK, not simply for ourselves. Rather than pulling students away from campus, we encourage them to involve themselves in all that campus life has to offer. We seek to train students to engage and serve the university from a distinctly Christian perspective. We also desire to provide an open door for non-Christians interested in exploring Christianity."

RUF offers a number of programs including:

• Large group meetings - This worship service meets every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Room 210 of the Alumni Memorial Building (AMB). It's a opportunity for students to engage in worship in praise and sermon.
  
  
• Sunday night fellowship - Each Sunday at 7:30 p.m., members meet at a local home for fellowship, food, and a brief devotion. For more info, click here.
  
  
• Small group Bible studies - These small groups meet every week in order to study the gospel and allow students to build relationship through scripture. A list of small groups can be found here.
  
  
• One-on-one meetings - If you're looking for a one-on-one talk, you can also have a meeting with one of the staff at RUF. For more info, click here.
  
  
• Dinner Fellowship groups - If you're looking to get even more involved, you can join the Monday night or Thursday night group and enjoy fellowship and good food.
  
  
• Conferences and retreats - RUF also has winter, spring break, and summer conferences/retreats where students can get away from Knoxville, relax, mingle, work together in service, and participate in the gospel. For more information about retreats, check here.
  

lol

Ministry spotlight - Collegiate Black Christians

This week's spotlight focuses on the Collegiate Christians at the University of Tennessee. According to their Web site:

Collegiate Black Christians (CBC) was organized in 1995 in response to the lack of ministry geared towards the unique needs of Black students at the University. At that time among the numerous campus ministries, none was doing an effective job of ministering to the needs of Black students. In response to this truth, three student leaders pioneered the group to serve as the safe place for Black students at UT to deal with spiritual issues. What began as a small informal prayer group has evolved into one of the largest student organizations at the University.

Collegiate Black Christians also offers several programs including:

• Bible study - a weekly study dedicated to reading and applying scripture to our daily lives. It meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Wesley Foundation.
  

• Missions - members can be involved in volunteer work within the local community or around the world. Past missions have included trips to Atlanta and South Africa.

According to their Web site, "CBC is above all a fellowship of students who are growing together and learning to love God and one another."

For more information about Collegiate Black Christians, please visit here.

Ministry spotlight: Volunteers for Christ

This week's ministry spotlight focuses on Volunteers for Christ (VFC). According to VFC's Web site,

VFC is an outreach of Cornerstone Church of Knoxville, and its purpose is primarily to glorify God through the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. We desire that students not only learn about Christianity, but also that they practically apply their faith in the context of the local church. Our mission is to help students experience the fullness of the New Testament by enjoying all the ministry of the church in their lives.

VFC offers a variety of programs including:

• Weekly Worship Service: VFC meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Room 210 at Alumni Memorial Building (AMB). Students can participate in songs of worship and a sermon.

• Parlor: VFC also offers a weekly discussion and Bible study for students every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. This meetings are in various dorms:
  
  1. North/South Carrick -Meet in Tennessee Room in the basement of South Carrick
     
  2. Hess - Meet in the lobby
     
  3. Clement - Meet in basement
     
  4. Humes & Reese -Meet in the West Multi-Purpose Room in Humes' basement
     
  5. Massey
     
  6. Andy Holt/Morrill
     
     
• The VFC House - Volunteers for Christ also owns a house in The Fort where students can hang out, study, or attend VFC events. For more info, check here.
  
  

• Conferences - VFC also hosts two conferences each year: Anthem in the fall and Vision Quest in the spring. Both trips allow students to spend their semester breaks in a Gospel centered environment and worship.
  
  



VFC Director and pastor Mike talks about faith and the Bible.


"In Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone.."

If you're looking for more information about this ministry, VFC also has a regularly updated calendar and blog.

Ministry Spotlight - John XXII University Parish

For this week's campus ministry spotlight, I'm highlighting the John XXII University Parish and Catholic Student Center. It is located on the corner of Melrose Avenue.

John XXIII has various programs that students can get involved with including:

• Mass - John XXIII regularly holds mass on Sundays at 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 5:30 p.m.
  
  
• Young Adults - a faith study group for Graduate Students, Post Docs and other Young Adults in their 20s and 30s. This group meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
  
  
• Catholic Student Association - According to their Web site, "CSA is a community of Catholic students dedicated to helpful each other develop spiritual, intellectual, and socially through faith, and fellowship, and service." It is comprised of undergraduate students from UTK and other neighboring colleges. They meet every Wednesday at 7 p.m. For more information, you can visit their Web site.
  
  
• Seeks of Silence Contemplative Saturdays - This is a group of parishioners and friends interested in the practice of contemporary prayer and in diverse subjects of spirituality. This group meets at 8:30 a.m. once a month.
  
  
• Bible Study Groups -

1. Upcoming Sunday Readings: Sundays at 10:10 a.m. (between morning masses) and 7:30 p.m.
   
2. Catholic Athletes Bible Study: Mondays 8:00 p.m.
   
3. Women's Bible Study: Mondays at 8:45 p.m.
   
4. Catholic & Friends: Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. at All Saint's Church on Cedar Bluff Road

Ministry Spotlight - Baptist Collegiate Ministry

This week's highlight is the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) located on Melrose Avenue or more commonly known as "Church Row."

According to its Web site,

"The Baptist Collegiate Ministry is a group of believers committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and through the ends of the earth. In order to do that, the BCM exists in order to help students grow spiritually through Bible study and worship, build lasting relationships through fellowship, and serve God through local and foreign missions."

The BCM has several programs that students can get involved with:

• Worship services - Thursday Nights Together (TNT) is held at BCM's main auditorium Thursday nights at 7 p.m. TNT serves as its main worship program. Each week, students come together and praise.
  
  
• The Connection is a weekly bible study held on Monday nights at 5:30 p.m. for new students to socialize and grow in Jesus.
  
• Soul Food Cafe is held on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the BCM lobby. Students can have the pleasure of a home cooked meal for only $3.
  

BCM is also actively involved with intramurals and campus wide events like All Sing, Carnicus and Homecoming.

BCM is located at 1811 Melrose Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For more information and updates on their events, you visit their Web site here.

Ministry Spotlight - CollegeLife at Fellowship

For this week's campus ministry spotlight, I wanted to highlight the programs at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church (FEFC) in West Knoxville.

• CollegeLife is a Bible study and service for college-aged students. This service is held every Sunday at 7 p.m. In addition, CollegeLife also provides college community groups:
1. Sunday Morning - 9:15 a.m. in room 601 at FEFC
2. Sunday Evening - 7 p.m. at Greenbrier Ridge Apartment Clubhouse
3. Tuesday Evening - 7 p.m. at Rob and Jordan Kuban's house
   
4. Thursday Evening - 7 p.m. at Steven and Mary Leggett's house
   
   
According to its Web site, these community groups work

"to see students grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. These groups are intentionally smaller so that you have an opportunity to “do life” together. This is not a place to come sit in row, but rather a place to sit in a circle and know one another."

• Crossroads is an extension of the college program at FEFC. This service involves a weekly sermon and worship music. According its Web site,

  "College-aged people from the entire Knoxville area gather for Crossroad on Monday nights at 8pm at Fellowship Church. Jesus Christ is exalted and the Bible is communicated with relevance. The music, atmosphere, and everything else at Crossroad is designed with the college-aged worshiper in mind."

  Crossroads is at 8 p.m. on Monday nights and is held in FEFC's main auditorium.
  

CollegeLife and Crossroads often follow a series. For past sermons (which includes Podcasts), you can check their Web site here.

FEFC is located on
8000 Middlebrook Pike
Knoxville, TN 37909

Regular worship services are on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Welcome to UTK Campus Ministries Blog

There are more than 26,000 students enrolled at the University of Tennessee (UTK) hailing from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Because UTK embraces diversity, there are dozens of student ministries located right on campus. This blog was created to give an insight to the many religious student groups here at UTK.

"Church Row," located on Melrose Avenue, is home to several student ministries on campus including the Presbyterian Center, the Christian Student Center, Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Pope John XXIII Catholic Student Center, and the Wesley Foundation United Methodist University Center.

Other groups on campus include the Adventist Christian Fellowship, UTK Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Church of God College Connection, UTK Muslim Student Association and the University of Tennessee Hillel.

Each of these ministries offers several programs like Bible study groups, tutoring, meals for students and other social events. Each week, this blog will highlight one student ministry on campus listing information such as programs and special events. So, please check back here each week for more information!