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 Gather
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University Ministries: About

Mission

The Office of University Ministries and the Center for Worship (OUM/CFW) seeks to promote and encourage Christian community formation on the SPU campus and in the local church community. To achieve this goal, OUM/CFW works together with students, faculty, and staff. We develop programs that gather us together as a community, encourage deeper relationships, and empower students to invest in God’s work in the world.

Gathering Together

Our mission to engage the whole world with the love and reconciliation of Christ begins when we gather together to worship God and immerse ourselves in the Christian story. In this way, we learn who we are and how we are called to participate in the Spirit’s work on earth. OUM/CFW facilitates regular campus worship services (Chapel, group, Prayer and Communion, Night of Worship), and other large gatherings of the community (forums, workshops, and special lectures and symposia). We place special value on Tuesday morning Chapel, because it enables the entire SPU community — students, faculty, and staff — to gather together. To read more about the place of worship in the SPU community, download the document Why We Worship (PDF).

Building Relationships

Living as people who are reconciled to God and others means stepping outside of ourselves and engaging with the lives and stories of our neighbors. Individual lives are transformed when we learn how to live in relationship with one another. OUM/CFW facilitates the formation of small groups through the SMC and Sharpen programs, as well as intentional living communities, mentoring relationships, and specialized discussion groups called Cadres.

The 37five Project

Engaging the culture and changing the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ starts with a lifestyle of worship, discipleship, and service. The 37five Project gives the SPU community a chance to participate in current events and the needs of our world, rooted in the Christian story and our identity as God’s people. This year, OUM/CFW will empower students to distribute up to $37,500 to nonprofit organizations working in our own community and around the world. To participate in this grant project, students, faculty, and staff commit to regular meetings with a small group or cadre, and regular participation in SPU worship gatherings.


*Students at SPU are not expected to express a particular faith commitment, although part of a university education at SPU involves understanding the foundations and implications of the Christian faith for ourselves and for the world. While respecting the various religious traditions from which our community members come, we believe that the exploration of the meaning of the Christian faith in a free and open environment is basic to education in a Christian university.