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Through Life Groups, employees are connecting with students on personal and spiritual levels, strengthening the university's Be Known promise

It was 2010. The university had recently put words to the authentic and personal relationships it had been cultivating in classrooms for decades – Be Known – when an idea came to the university's pastoral team.

The question they asked was, “How can we extend this promise to students’ in their spiritual walks?” The answer: Life Groups.

It started with just a handful of gatherings and quickly blossomed into more than a dozen. Today, 30 groups totaling about 200 students meet regularly for seven weeks during the fall semester for a weekly time of discussion and prayer. They are led by 30 volunteers – all of them employees – who, this semester, were given the choice to lead on one of three topics: the parables of Jesus, a devotional series on the spiritual habit of friendship, and the book Mental Health: Experiencing God’s Care for Our Mind, Body, and Spirit, by Dorcas Chen Tozun. Pastor Cyndi Murillo chooses the curriculum, trains each leader, and leads the program in its entirety.

“Life Groups are an essential piece of how we engage students in their spiritual formation, which is why we’ve been practicing them in one form or another for the past 15 years,” Johnson says. “In them students are able to deeply study various aspects of Christian discipleship, connect with one another in meaningful ways, and find another point of contact with a ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓƵ Fox employee – all things that embody the Be Known promise.”

With each group averaging eight students, there is ample opportunity for each attendee to contribute to discussion. And it isn’t just the students who are benefitting.

“This is my third year leading a Life Group, and I’ve had some of the same students every year,” says Kristy Asbell, an assistant professor of medical science in the physician assistant/associate (PA) program. “My girls are incredible. Their ability to have deep, honest conversations has helped me grow just as much as they have. I feel so blessed to be part of their journey. It’s honestly one of my favorite parts of my week.”

Asbell and her students are discussing the topic of mental health, including how it shows up in the Bible. “One of the most important things I try to share is that if you struggle with mental health, it isn’t a reflection of how deep your faith is or a punishment for anything you or your family has done,” she says.

For others, Scripture is coming alive in fresh ways. “As we read familiar parables, I had several occasions when I noticed something new in a passage,” says leader Rick Muthiah, director of Learning Support Services. “And I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to begin relationships with eight students I wouldn't have known otherwise. We have mostly first-year students, a couple of transfers, and three athletes, and several majors are represented, including theology, business and engineering. I’ve appreciated hearing their perspectives on our Life Group content and getting snapshots of their experience at ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓƵ Fox.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to lead this group and anticipate maintaining connections with some of them after the group ends.”