Local Faith Communities Reach Out to Northwestern Students

Only a humble, hardly noticeable sign distinguishes 2204 Orrington Ave. from the other residential homes lining the street just west of Northwestern University's campus, so passersby can be forgiven for not knowing that this particular structure houses more than a family.

It is the longtime home of University Lutheran Church (ULC), a small Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America congregation established to minister to Northwestern's student population.

"A lot of people, when I tell them I go to ULC, they don't know that that exists," said Jackie Grinvalds, a June graduate who sought the church out before she came to campus.

In that way, ULC's location serves as a symbol of the hidden-in-plain-sight stature many faith communities share in the preoccupied minds of university students, presenting college-focused ministries with unique challenges.

On the one hand, Northwestern's 20,000 students have no dearth of religious resources at their disposal. Aside from the dozens of places of worship within walking distance of the campus, the University Chaplains' Office recognizes roughly 40 different religious fellowship groups, including six campus ministries.

At the same time, college can be the time in a young adult's life when religious fervor hibernates.

"It's the first time you are free from the obligations from parents," said Jens Notstad, a 2009 Northwestern grad who now works as a lay pastor at Church of the Redeemer, an Anglican congregation that, like ULC, is comprised almost entirely of students. 

"For many, spirituality is not a priority anymore," he said.

From Notstad's perspective, traditional church models can turn off college students, who may not think they fit into their preconceived notion of what a "churchgoer" looks like.

In order to reshape that notion, Church of the Redeemer is primarily run by lay pastors and student leaders, giving the 30 or so active members some freedom to take ownership in the church.

"We want to show students what church can look like, as opposed to their experience of what it is," he said.

Of course, the trick is getting students to show up in the first place. This involves strategies from taking out ads in The Daily Northwestern to organizing community service efforts.

And food, especially that of the cheap – or free – variety.

At ULC, students take turns making brunch each Sunday. Pastor Lloyd Kittlaus, who has led the congregation for 30 years, makes sure the first couple of meals during the year are free, before charging $3 the rest of the time.

Then there are the cookouts and potlucks groups in attempts to attract newcomers.

But when it comes to reaching students, meals, activities and advertising pale in comparison to simple hospitality.

 "When you're a freshman and a senior takes interest in you and invites you to their house for a meal, that means a lot," said Danielle Johnson, an intern with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF).

RUF is affiliated with Winnetka's Grace Presbyterian Church. On Sundays, vans come to campus to take students to a service, giving them the opportunity to interact with people outside their peer groups.

Students find other ways to stay in touch with the greater religious community, be it through worship, community service or some other avenue.

Junior Benjamin Goldberg, for instance, teaches Hebrew at Evanston's Beth Emet Synagogue.

"It's a great way to stay connected to the local Jewish congregation," the Philadelphia native said. 

Regardless of method or creed, ministries to college students have an underlying theme: Religion is for them too.

"We let students run the ministry, to be the church, instead of just playing church," Kittlaus said.