Urban Hope Campus Ministry
"These last two years have been the hardest of my life." This is a direct quote from one of our sophomore Urban Hope Campus Ministry students. Among our 18 - 24 year olds, this statement is much more the norm than the exception. I can't tell you how many of the young men and women in our church have expressed feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety or low self-esteem in the last year. Whether it is a transition to college, living in a new state, having to find employment and supporting yourself for the first time or some combination of the three, this stage of life has proven to be isolating for many. What better time to see the church, the family of God, step into the void?!
In the midst of all of the transition, Covid-19 did not make 2020 any easier on these young people. In March, the Miles College administration told their students to pack up all of their clothes, furniture and belongings, completely empty out their dorm rooms and get off of the campus in three days time. One of our students said that you could see and hear students crying all over campus with the stress of having to meet this request. Several of our UHCM students come from other states and some from as far away as California. One of our campus ministry students said she made her first call to the only people she knew could help her figure out this seemingly impossible situation; her church family at Urban Hope Community Church! Two days later, our church was able to rent a Uhaul and a storage unit, help 14 Miles students to move off campus, found housing for several during the transition and made it possible to get everyone back to their home states by the end of the week.
This is just one example of many tangible ways that our church has served our Miles students over the last two years since launching our campus ministry at Miles College here in Fairfield. Urban Hope Campus Ministry represents the only Christian campus ministry on Miles's campus. For a college of 1,500 students, that's a whole lot of opportunity for harvest for such few laborers. In the last two years, Urban Hope Campus Ministry has been faithfully engaging students on Miles's campus. We have developed a weekly meeting for college-aged students that has seen an average of about 20-25 students in attendance on Tuesday nights. Our campus ministry staff spends regular time on campus meeting with students, building relationships and inviting students to learn more about Jesus Christ. In the last year and a half, we have seen 8 Miles College students become members at our church, all 8 of whom are engaged in serving our church in various capacities. We have seen four of our Miles students publicly profess faith in Christ for the first time and many others develop a deeper relationship with Christ and with His bride, the church. We have also seen one of our former campus ministry students move into Fairfield after graduation to continue to participate in the mission and vision of our church.
Because of the mounting pressures on our young men and women today, our campus ministry staff and our campus ministry team at Urban Hope Community Church have started to hit the issues of marred identity head-on. This semester, we are doing a teaching series on the mind, body and soul and how each of these plays a huge part in our physical and spiritual development and overall psyche. In this series, we are addressing many of the issues that our students face everyday. From loneliness, to depression, to anxiety, to the constant battle for self-esteem, our campus ministry is seeking to empower our students to combat the lies of Satan with the power of the Word of God.
QUOTES FROM SOME OF OUR STUDENTS
"I have never felt more safe and understanding of the Gospel. UHCC has presented the word of God in a new way for me that has helped me to grow tremendously and UHCC has taught me how to have a relationship with Jesus and given me community to help me with all my questions and concerns." - Kiara
"UHCC has encouraged me to step out in faith in ways that I am uncomfortable with and I love being involved with the church and it's community activities." - CorDell
"UHCC has encouraged me in my faith by having people in the church willing to answer any questions that I have about the faith." - Adam
"This year I have come to have a relationship with God. I finally have what every Christian is supposed to have." - Anastasia
To donate to our Campus Ministry or Campus Ministry Staff,
please send a donation to
P.O. Box 53, Fairfield, AL 35064
with "Campus Ministry" in the memo line
or visit our website, www.urbanhopecc.churchcenter.com/giving
