Tristan is a sophomore at Clarion University and is a newcomer to the ministry of Koinonia. Tristan, a friend of one of our students (Mitch), had signed up for more information about Koinonia his first week on campus his freshman year, but never was able to make it to a meeting. As his first semester of sophomore year rolled around, he began to realize he was not as connected on campus as he hoped to be. He was longing for deeper connection: "One day I was sitting down for lunch with my friend Mike and this random guy comes and sits with us and starts asking us questions about our lives. I had no idea that that man was John, my campus minister, and that God would have used what seemed to have been a random encounter for His glory and my good." Our campus staff, John, got Tristan's number and asked if they could meet up. Out of that conversation, they began to read the Bible together and in the course of reading through the book of John, Tristan realized his need for a Savior and accepted Jesus as his own. "I did not know my longing to be seen and known had its roots in a good desire God gave me to be His. When I realized God was the fulfillment I was looking for, I gave my life to him." Tristan hopes that in this time of quarantine he will have the ability to share the Gospel with his family and welcome them into the truth.
Mitch is a sophomore business major at Clarion University and has been a part of Koinonia for the past year and a half. Mitch entered college as a non-believer, with no knowledge of the Gospel of the goodness of Jesus. At the end of his first semester he was struggling with feeling depressed and alone; one of our students Trev reached out to him and invited Mitch to our Christmas party. "I had no idea what God had in store for me. I just thought it would be a normal Christmas party, but that was the place where I first met people who seemed to care about me, and I wanted more." Mitch ended up joining us at Jubilee, our annual conference, and there accepted the Lord as Savior over his life. "I just felt such overwhelming love. God delivered me from my loneliness and fear into His peace." Since that moment Mitch has not looked back. He is a weekly attendee of our Fellowship and is a lover of God's word: “It is so interconnected and beautiful. God's word is alive and active, and I can't wait to grow more and share this good news with all those who don't believe.”
Trevor is a junior Clarion University student who is a member of the National Guard. He has been a part of Koinonia since his freshman year. Trevor has had a rollercoaster-like experience in college struggling with falling into the party lifestyle, but he has continued to trust in the Lord to provide for him and guide him into the truth. "I have definitely struggled to find myself in college, and at times that leads me to making some pretty bad decisions. But, through my time meeting with my campus minister, I have realized that I don't actually want those worldly things. I want a full and rich relationship with the Lord." Trevor has spent a lot of time working on understanding repentance and the beauty of God's grace. "It feels so good to have a community to process with and to share my burdens with. Whenever I pray with my campus minister, I feel this weight lifted off my shoulder. I feel loved, known, and forgiven by God."
Thanks to your partnership, we have the gift of speaking into the lives of students who are longing to be delivered the needed truth of the Gospel.
Thanks to your partnership, we have the gift of speaking into the lives of students who are longing to be delivered the needed truth of the Gospel.
Shaun is a sophomore student at Clarion University and has been a part of Koinonia for the past two years. Shaun grew up in the church, and entering into college he was hoping to make this faith his own. "Growing up I believed but it definitely was based off my parents faith. I wanted to develop my own, personal relationship with the Lord in college." Although it was hard for him his freshman year to get involved like he hoped, he came into his second year with a determination to take his faith seriously. "I realized I did not want to play games any more. I wanted to be in. I wanted the Lord to transform my life." After that he became a regular member of Koinonia and started to have weekly discipleship meetings with our campus staff. "Pursuing my relationship with God in this new season of being at home because of the Coronavirus has been hard, but I know that my time in discipleship each week reminds me of the truth and my desire to run after Jesus."
Thanks to your support students like Shaun can find a community at college where they can make their faith their own and be pursued and encouraged in their desire to deepen their relationship with the Lord.
Thanks to your support students like Shaun can find a community at college where they can make their faith their own and be pursued and encouraged in their desire to deepen their relationship with the Lord.
Mia is a graduate student in the speech pathology department and has been a member of Koinonia for over five years. Since being in grad school Mia has noticed a shift in her course load and the fresh burdens placed upon her. Her fear entering into this season was that she would be overwhelmed by schoolwork and, with all her friends graduating, without a community. "I was nervous about coming back for grad school, more work, all my friends gone, what would I do? God has been so sweet to me in this new season. He has continued to call me to be a leader in this ministry and has provided me with more solid Biblical friendships than I had my first four years. God is so good and his presence through Koinonia is so evident."
Claire is a junior marketing major at Clarion University and has been a member of Koinonia since her freshman year. Claire grew up in the church and upon arriving at Clarion was set on getting plugged into campus ministry. Her and her friends took the first couple weeks checking out the different ministries on campus and ended up choosing Koinonia. "Koinonia was a place I immediately felt welcomed, there was love there and they spoke the truth of the Gospel. I got to sit down for coffee with John, the campus minister, the first week and from there on it was my home away from home". Since then, Claire has joined leadership team, has done the Ocean City Beach Project, and will be a marketing intern for the ministry work at The Philadelphia Project. When Claire graduates in the fall she plans to follow God's call on her life and become a campus ministry fellow with the CCO. "My time in Koinonia has changed my life and God has used it to confirm my call into full time ministry. I am excited to use the gifts He has given me to share the Gospel with college students just like myself."
Mikayla is a senior criminal justice major at Clarion University. She has been a part of Crossroads since her sophomore year and has been a student leader for over two years. Mikayla, who was not a Christian entering into college, has seen her life changed drastically by the work of Koinonia on campus. "If it were not for the ministry of Koinonia on campus I would be dead, God literally saved my life from the ashes and brought me into His glorious light!". After becoming a Christian Mikayla has been all-in for the Lord, spending her summer at the Ocean City Beach Project, which is a Christian Leadership development program, and now choosing to go into full time ministry with her church back home upon graduation this spring. Mikayla also praises God for the way He used the work of Koinonia to bring her family to Him. "After I became a Christian I started to invite my family to church, my mom was battling cancer at the time and it was a very rough season for my whole family in general, through it all though God was faithful, not only was my mom pronounced cancer free, but my mom and dad both accepted Jesus as Savior".
