UB offers many opportunities for Christian students who wish to worship on campus, or simply be involved in a group of people who share similar beliefs. The interests of each group vary as greatly as the members within.
One such option is the Newman Centers at UB, the Catholic Campus Ministry. This group houses two campus ministries, one in the Commons on North Campus and the other in St. Joseph's University Church, located near South Campus. The Newman Centers sponsor a broad array of activities and programs. The center offers masses every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and three different times on Sunday.
The Newman Center holds Bible study every Tuesday, and there is a discussion series about relationships, "Heart Speaks to Heart," on Thursday evenings. In addition to formal religious services, the center offers many other activities to students who need a break from the rigor of university life.
"We have ping pong, a place to hang out in between classes, places to eat - there's always food," said Father Patrick Zengierski of the Newman Center. Every Wednesday, the Newman Center hosts a free, open dinner cooked by a member of the local parish community and movie night on Fridays. Interested students can also participate in the center's volleyball team, "Newman's Special Sauce."
The director of the Newman Center, Father Pat Keheler, is impressed by UB's nurturing of the campus ministry programs.
"We at campus ministries always feel very supported by the university," said Keheler. "It is a healthy spiritual environment where ministries can feel not simply tolerated but encouraged and inspired."
Episcopal Campus Ministries (ECM), a student-run religious organization, is located in Suite 227 of the Commons. It aims to assist students not only spiritually, but also academically, providing a quiet place for counseling or studying.
"At the current time we don't have a chaplain," said Linda Wilson, administrator to the ECM and secretary of the Campus Ministries Association. "But it is neat because we are student-led and organized. A student is paid by the diocese as a program director."
ECM offers an annual student preach-off contest, where students can prepare and deliver their own sermons. This year, there will be a photo contest; students take four or five pictures with a spiritual theme and the winner will receive a new camera. ECM also arranges transportation for Episcopal Sunday services at area churches.
Campus Crusade for Christ is a non-denominational university-wide gathering of students for fellowship and to "sing, share and learn from God." While Crusade is mainly Protestant-oriented, all groups are welcome.
The group holds a weekly meeting every Thursday during the semester at 7:30 p.m. in the Woldman Theater, located in 112 Norton. Bruce West, campus minister and head of Campus Crusade for Christ, said the organization is not only a vehicle for worship, but also a way to get involved in campus activities and meet people of the same faith.
"While we're mainly Protestant, we get a lot of Christians too," said West. "They come to get involved, meet people, study together. Our primary meeting is on Thursdays, but lots of students get together in dorm rooms and such."
UB for Christ is another student-run organization located in Suite 212 in the Commons. Formal Bible study is offered on Wednesdays, but students can meet every day at noon to read the Bible together. An e-mail survey was sent out to members in the beginning of the year to choose topics of study.
Jose Alicea, president of UB for Christ, said, "We want to create a cherishing and nourishing environment on and off the campus like what a family would have. We try to make [UB for Christ] very homey; we want to foster each others' growth in the Lord."
For more information about these and the other associations not featured in this article, contact the Campus Ministries Association in 227 Student Union at 645-2998 or search "campus religious groups" on http://www.myub.buffalo.edu for a full list of associations and their Web sites.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
