Testimonies – UChicago Christians on Campus

Scott Smart

I grew up in a Christian home, and though I believed there was a God, I did not know Him in a real or personal way. My concept of being a Christian was just a pursuit of moral ethics. Once I went to college I decided “it wasn’t for me” and I began to pursue my own career goals and dreams. Despite this, I was very aware the sense of emptiness and vanity I had. However, by His mercy, I lived with a group of Christian brothers who met with Christians on campus at the university, and somewhat imperceptibly I felt peace when I was with them. Through many intimate interactions and genuine fellowships with the club members and other Christians I met through the club, I came to know the Lord in a very personal way, and the Lord Jesus began to meet my every need.

Now, at the University of Chicago pursuing my PhD, my wife and I are very cognizant of the demands and trials that most students face. We are benefactors of the love and shepherding we have received meeting with Christians who love the Lord in purity, love the Truth in reality, and love meeting in simplicity and truthfulness, and we are simply here to help one another “pursue with those” (2 Tim 2:22). Today, the Lord is desiring His bride, His counterpart, and we are learning together to go on and cooperate with Him for His purpose and heart’s desire.

Undergraduate

Steven Ren

Hi! I’m Steven and I study mathematics at the College! I remember that one of my greatest fears before starting college was that I would fall away from my faith in the face of the stress and new ideas that would confront me at a school like UChicago. Instead, I’ve grown in my faith during my time here at UChicago to an extent far exceeding my wildest expectations and much of that has been through Christians on Campus.

I have benefited tremendously on an intellectual level from the weekly Bible studies organized by the club. The Bible studies take place in a casual atmosphere and encourage open discussion and enjoyment of the Bible. I’ve always felt positive about asking any questions I have and pursuing the answers together with the other participants, even if the questions were heavy and controversial. Christians on Campus also arranges weekly home meetings, where a Christian family in the Hyde Park community hosts a time of fellowship through eating, singing, and studying the Bible together. I was familiar with the principle of Christian community before coming to college. But it was the support I received from Christians on Campus, the encouragement and comfort that got me through difficult beginnings, harsh exams, and grueling all-nighters, that brought the notion of having family in Christ out of the realm of abstractions and into my experienced reality.

Graduate

Mary Smart

2 Timothy 2:22 is the verse that comes to mind when I consider my experience with Christians on campus:

“Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Being with Christians on campus at the University of Chicago and other universities, has been one of pursuing with those out of a pure heart. I met Christians who love the Lord Jesus, and their gatherings exude that in simplicity and purity.

Another distinguishing characteristic of Christians on campus is their love for the Word of God. These are people who love the Bible and pursue knowing the truth, but not merely in a mental, philosophical way, but rather in an experiential, applicable, and practical way.

Finally, my highlights include meeting with club affiliated families (with their open hearts, homes, and fridges!) and the regional and national conferences with other sister clubs.

Graduate

Christine Li

Proverbs 21:1 says,

“The king’s heart is like streams of water in the hand of Jehovah; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

This is one of many verses I really appreciate from the Bible. A picture of someone’s heart, being like streams of water that can be turned in any direction by Jehovah, is quite profound. A person whose heart is free of self-interest and personal goals allows Jehovah to lead them in ways that fulfill His purpose.

Since I made this verse into my prayer, I can testify that my life indeed has been like streams of water, turned in many directions in the most unexpected ways. Just to list a few events, I am getting a degree on an area that never entered my mind growing up, and I am working in a job at a place that I never dreamed of.

Notice, though, that I said my life, not my heart, has been like streams of water. And I think there is a big difference between life and heart. I realized that as the Lord has been turning the direction of my life in many ways for the past few years, my heart has not been so flexible. Many times, my heart is fixated on a certain direction, and it has been quite painful to accept to the fact that I will never go that direction. I am still struggling, having only a general understanding of where Jehovah wants to take me next, always musing upon why I walk the path I do today.

A heart that is like streams of water in the hand of Jehovah is a heart that is full of love for the Lord. My experience has been that, in order to love the Lord, our faith needs to increase. And in order to have our faith increased, we need to have a hearing of faith, which can be obtained through the word of God. This sequence of events is based on the second half of Gal. 2:20 which says,

“….and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

As we read the Bible, our faith increases, which gives us the courage to love the Lord to the point that we are at peace and rest when He turns our heart like streams of water.

May all of our hearts be so flexible as to experience His genuine leading, following the Lamb wherever He goes.

Undergraduate

Royce Yang

“If you believe and your heart is willing to believe, then there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Those were my friend’s exact words, back in tenth grade, when he opened my heart for the Lord. I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday. I remember the fervent vigor of my first meeting at the Church. I remember encountering problems and turning to Him for comfort. I remember, and forever will keep close to my heart, the priceless gift of the gospel that I was given and could never repay — a gift that I took to college and led me to join Christians on Campus at UChicago.

Here, with this group of people whom I call my brothers and sisters, I feel as if I’m with my own family — maybe because I am. I cannot testify that I’m always engaged during every bible study session with Brother John, nor that all my problems just melt away because I’m at peace with the Lord. But this is a testimony. And I testify for myself this: that my life in college, a life of faith and the pursuit of joy with my fellow brothers and sisters, is what I’ve always longed for.

That is what Christians on Campus has brought for me, but to each individual it brings something different. To some, maybe a simple knowledge of historical events. To others, a group of friends that they could always depend on. To still others, maybe a new life of abundant “faith, hope, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

If you’ve read this far, then there’s something you should know: This is where my testimony ends, but could be where yours begins…