Campus Ministries focuses on creating an atmosphere that nurtures students from different faith backgrounds. Creating a space that doesn’t focus on one denomination has allowed students to explore and solidify their own beliefs.
Emma Eickholt courtesy photo
Senior psychology major Emma Eickholt grew up in a Catholic town, and her brother was the reason she first started exploring other denominations to learn about different faiths.
“My brother moved to Columbus and became nondenominational,” said Eickholt. “I was confused at first but then Bluffton helped open me up to other faiths.”
Before attending Bluffton University, Eickholt had only really attended Catholic churches. Through her newfound exploration and friends she met at Bluffton, she has attended churches from other denominations, including Mennonite services. She also now really enjoys listening to nondenominational podcasts.
“[Bluffton’s Christian ties] have really opened up the doors for other people to share their faith with me and for me to share my faith with others,” said Eickholt.
Lindsay Horn, a junior dietetics major, comes from a similar background. Horn attended a Catholic school from preschool to high school graduation. She said that after graduation she began having questions about the Catholic faith.
“Campus Ministries here helped me discover what I believed in,” Horn said. “But it also helped me explore different faiths coming here. Chapel is more of a contemporary worship service, which is something I had never experienced before attending Bluffton.”
Lindsay Horn courtesy photo
The relationships Horn has developed on campus have pushed her to further explore her own faith, she said.
“Because most of my friends at Bluffton come from different faith backgrounds, it has allowed me to seek and discover new questions about my own faith,” Horn said. “They ask me questions, and I am able to ask them questions, which helps me discover my own beliefs.”
The community that Campus Ministries nurtures allows every one from different backgrounds to come together to learn, grow and worship.
“Getting to know people of other faiths helps me to learn about the universal idea of God, that God is something bigger than I can even comprehend,” said Horn. “Attending Campus Ministries events, interacting with my friends and others has helped me see that.”
