Ogden church gives a fresh perspective to university students
Ogden, UT – In the foothills of Mt. Ogden lies a beautiful college campus east of downtown Ogden that is home to purple-wearing Wildcats fans and commuter students from all over the Wasatch front mountain range. This campus has been host to Saturday game-day celebrations for their winning football program that has produced NFL greats. In the winter and spring, basketball season starts a whole new wave of excitement and anticipation to another winning season hoping for another NBA star to come out of their ranks. Amid all that is Weber State University’s college ministry, Semper Veritas, that has reached Weber State students for many years with a clear gospel message and a truth-filled perspective of Christianity to the predominant faith that many of the students are held captive. This year, Semper Veritas is experiencing change, but it is a good change.
Redemption Church in Ogden has spent the past several years overseeing the ministry at Weber State under the name Semper Veritas. Now, the decision has been made to transition to the name Redemption College Ministry. Their leader, Casey Swails, explains, “We are off to an awesome start to the school year. We started off the school year with a rebrand of our ministry from Semper Veritas to Redemption College Ministry. The goal of this name change is to help with the goal of connecting students to the local church and for a clearer representation of who we are.”
Swails continues, “Our leaders are doing an awesome job connecting with students. We have been averaging 10-12 people at our weekly Bible studies. A few of these students are not believers. One non-believing student actually joined us at Redemption Church this past Sunday with her boyfriend. Our leaders are leading discussions through the book of Philippians. This has prompted much discussion, questions, and deeper relationships among students. It has been incredibly encouraging to see this kind of attendance and fruit so quickly in the semester.“
Students have also been engaged consistently in tabling on campus. Tabling is when ministry leading students stand by a table in a public setting, more often in high traffic area on campus, and post large banners or a white board with a probing spiritual conversation on the board/banner. Then, the question sparks continuing conversations that lead to gospel appointment and opportunities to share the truth of God’s word. “We are using the tabling opportunities to invite students to the Perspectives Conversations event. Our student leaders have said that lots of students are excited about the conversation coming up on October 12th. We are praying that this conversation will promote healthy relationships with non-believers so that we can get to know them and show them that Jesus has met them where they are.”, Swails added. The tabling alone has prompted several gospel conversations that has contributed to the increase in Bible study attendance.
Redemption College Ministry is asking Utah and Idaho Baptists to pray for their ministry on Weber State’s campus. Here are some prayer prompts you can use in your personal and community prayer gatherings:
- We would greatly appreciate prayers for the coming Bible studies and Perspectives Conversations on October 12.
- Pray for non-believers to be interested in having these discussions with us.
- Pray for open hearts to the gospel.
- Pray for relationships to be formed between the believers and non-believers on campus.
Redemption College Ministry leaders are doing great work engaging the campus of Weber State for the glory of God and the advancement of the Gospel. They value your continued prayerful support.
This story was adapted from one of the many stories we hear from campus ministries across Idaho and Utah. Please support the Utah-Idaho State Missions Offering because 100% of our college ministry budget comes from a portion of your SMO dollars given.