I was so close to skipping out on four-year college altogether. I’d finished high school and was close to completing an associates degree at the local community college. I had a reliable, decent-paying job which could have potentially kept me going for a long time. Most importantly, I had a phenomenal support group of older Christians through my church, friends, and family.

Having a Support Group at Home

There was a group of guys who gathered weekly for an evening bible study at my uncle’s apartment. I joined them during my senior year and continued attending through the period of limbo where I was questioning exactly what my path would be. The guys were quite a bit older than my freshly adulted self; their ages ranged from mid-twenties to early thirties. My uncle would make everyone lattes and someone else would make pour over, and we would discuss the Bible or Christianity in general. Usually, we studied specific books of the Bible; I remember enjoying First and Second Samuel quite a bit; but sometimes we tackled other texts, like C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. I would drive home buzzed and jittery from all the caffeine and sleep poorly those nights, but that Bible study became the highlight of my week.

Leaving It Behind

The idea of abandoning this group seemed ludicrous at times, but obviously, after weighing the options, I did decide to pursue more education. So now, here I am, writing this as a Covenant sophomore, knowing I left behind something special in Michigan. I wouldn’t say those relationships have been replaced in college—those types of familial, almost brotherly bonds take years to form and a lot more than time and space to fracture. But Christian fellowship among my peers at Covenant has become, just like at home, something I anticipate with joy and excitement week to week.

Finding New Community at Covenant

Our third floor bible study, during which my residence hall (Lawrence in Mac/Rymer) joins forces with our brother hall (Suburbs), always reminds me of my group back at home. There’s regrettably no coffee, but we meet over dinner in the Great Hall. We grab one of the round tables in the corner, pray, and jump into the text. The format is open-ended. Our DA (discipleship assistant; an applied-for student position on each floor) asks someone to read through the passage, then we discuss. He leads us by asking questions, but once the conversation gets going (and boy, do we get going) he doesn’t restrain us unless we get wildly off-topic. Officially, we’re supposed to keep the study short, but our conversations frequently extend past the allotted time, even continuing naturally as we walk back to our building.

Diverse Perspectives

What I appreciate most about our Bible study is that I’m interacting with guys who, despite the shared aspects of living at Covenant and being Christian, come from a variety of backgrounds and denominations. Recently we finished going through the book of Jonah. It was exciting to get different perspectives on all the nuances in the story as we discussed the reasons for Jonah’s attitude toward God’s redemption of the Ninevites. During our first meeting, we read the entire book, and then we went back through chapter by chapter. We had so many insightful conversations and even some respectful disagreements, but we were all drawn closer together as a result.

Small groups where Christians gather to study the Word of God have always been foundational for me. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a way to replace the spiritual enrichment I was blessed with at home. While the Bible studies here are different, the differences are only beneficial. I am being exposed to new ideas and forming new, deep relationships. My opportunities for spiritual enrichment were not squandered by moving to college, despite my strong local support group, they simply looked a little differently than they had at home. And isn’t that how God usually works?

Read more about Covenant’s residence life here!

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