SEARCHING FOR SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE ON CAMPUS

Students gather each week at the Baptist Student Center for TNT, Tuesday Night Together, an informal praise and worship time. Campus Minister Mike Parry spoke to the group last week.

With its wooden pews, stained glass windows and piano the Baptist Student Center chapel looks like almost any Protestant church. But the people who gather there each week aren't typical church members -- they are college students at Southeast Missouri State University.

The group meets each weekly during the semester for TNT, Tuesday Night Together, a student-led worship service.

A committee of six to eight students plans the semester's services, which include about two appearances by Campus Minister Mike Parry.

Parry said the student leadership helps promote involvement.

"They own it," he said. "They plan the service and are leading worship or singing the praise songs."

Teaching leadership skills is one way of helping the students grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ, he said.

While many college students spend a good portion of their university life searching the right career, others spend time search for faith and answers to spiritual questions.

Senior Mark Oberhauser likes the Baptist Student Center because the group offers acceptance. He serves as the group's president.

"Everyone is accepted," he said. "We have all economic classes and there are so many people that I wouldn't know because they are different majors."

It's because of a unity in Christ that the students even have a chance to meet, Oberhauser said. And the campus ministry groups at Southeast Missouri State University help by joining together on projects like options for alternative spring breaks.

The Rev. Judith Breiner, campus minister at the Wesley House, said it's often difficult to reach college students because they are seeking something more from life but can be easily turned off by traditional worship styles or formalities.

"When they are at the university they are on a spiritual search, but that doesn't mean they plug into a campus ministry," she said.

Many times nontraditional methods of worship like contemporary praise songs help give the students a new perspective on worship and religion. "Music is the drawing card," she said.

The Wesley House, which is primarily students from United Methodist churches, also has a puppet ministry and a group that travels to area churches to lead worship services.

The Rev. J. Friedel of Catholic Campus Ministries at Southeast compares his role to that of an academic counselor.

"We are the Catholic Church in the world of higher education," he said. "We are here to represent the church's mission to higher education. We work hand in hand to promote learning, tolerance, diversity and working together on a common project."

Just as students spend time in a classroom searching for knowledge and facts, they also explore religion and faith issues, he said.

Many times students will visit the Newman Center at the beginning of their college years and not come back until they are near graduation.

"They do take a bit of a vacation, but not all of them," he said. "They come back and I issue an invitation to get involved. There's nobody here who doesn't want to be here and anybody who does show up is motivated by making the choice for themselves."