In the media, Greek organizations tend to be presented as the rich kids who buy their friends with their parents’ money or as ruthless partiers with a long history with the feds. However, many Greek
students at the University of Alabama strive to change these negative stereotypes of
negativity and alter the misconceptions of Greek life.
At UA, there are Christian student leaders sprinkled around
campus that are strong leaders of their faith. These leaders strive to be a
light for the Lord in their respective houses, in their classes, and within the
community.
There are a number of religiously affiliated programs for
spiritual growth for Greek students to become part of at UA.
Starting off, freshman year is a time of uncertainty.
Students are thrown into a new environment, with unfamiliar faces, and are left
to make their own decisions. The college experience can mislead students with
temptations that, at first glance, appear harmless.
Recognizing this, Mary Katherine
Lake, a senior Chi Omega, started an organization called Alpha Omega, for
pledges of sororities and fraternities to interact in an uplifting and
spiritual environment. “I made a ton of great friends my
freshman year because I was involved in a lot of different organizations," said Lake. "However, a lot of my friends did not. This is because the only time they met
boys was at a pledge party, swap, or fraternity house. All of those venues are
awesome, but a lot of times there was not a lot of fruitful or memorable
conversation. I wanted to give freshman a chance to meet each other in an
alcohol free environment."
This year, there are 15 sororities and 13 fraternities
involved with Alpha Omega. The fraternity pledges meet at the sorority house
they are paired with for the week. Then, older active members in the sorority
and fraternity lead a devotion. The pledges are challenged to reflect on their
spiritual life and are given the opportunity to grow with their brothers or
sisters in a different way.
“Freshman year can be such a great time
to grow in your faith, and I wanted freshman to have a chance to focus on this
aspect of their life," said Lake. "The social life aspect of Alabama is definitely
emphasized, but I wanted to create something that also emphasized growth in
their spiritual life."
Another opportunity that continues from high school into college is Young Life. Young Life College is an opportunity for university students to be in a tight-knit community of peers, and they are nurtured, guided and
encouraged to become young adults who are committed followers of Jesus. Christ.
Also, through Young Life, college students have the chance to serve as a
Volunteer Young Life Leader to train younger students and kids around
Tuscaloosa with the sole focus being relationship building through spiritual
relationship growth.
“One of my favorite parts of Young Life (as a volunteer) is
that we go where kids are," sophomore Chi Omega, Lauren Longobardo, said. "We don’t ask kids to meet us places but, instead, we
go to their sporting events, go to eat lunch in their cafeteria, and meet them
in the parking lot before school just to hang out with them. Through contact
work at the high school, I am able to build friendships and encourage positive
behavior. Being able to be a role model for these kids and share Christ with
them has been such an amazing experience. The opportunity to share my faith
with others strengthens my faith in the end. Jesus calls us to make disciples
and to tell others the good news, and I choose to intentionally do that through Young Life. The fellowship with other leaders creates an awesome Christian
community, as well.”
Open to all sorority members
on campus, is an opportunity for a weekly Thursday morning prayer service at
7:45 a.m., in the basement of the Alpha Gamma Delta house, called Magnolia Drive
Prayer. The initiative’s intent is to create a genuine unity among Greek
sorority members, no matter their affiliation. Sarah Potts (Alpha Delta Pi),
Hannah Mancer (Chi Omega), Antenetta Clark (Alpha Kappa Alpha), Madalynn Young (Alpha Gamma Delta), and
Olivia Day (Alpha Chi Omega) are the group of members that had this vision to
empower sorority members through prayer. “Sororities are a big part of our lives, but our
ultimate identity is in Christ," said Young. "We want to build a Christ-like culture in the
Greek community, and the best way to influence this is through relationships.
Also, Magnolia Drive is all about prayer. Having the opportunity to pray over
each other’s houses has been so beautiful, and we have also loved praying over
our campus as a whole.”
The idea for Magnolia Drive Prayer was recently executed, and the turnout has been consistent; members hope to
continue growth in numbers. The group hopes to encourage sorority row through
prayer, and their social media outlet of Instagram, @magnolia_mornings. The
Instagram serves as an immediate outreach tool for students to look to for
words of encouragement and a way to get connected with the fellowship.
“One reason we established Magnolia Drive was to provide a
way for freshman to meet older girls, regardless of their affiliation, who are
already plugged in at various student ministries," Young said. "We make sure to record what
ministry everyone is involved in so that if a freshman needs someone to take them
to a meeting we can find someone. Magnolia Drive has also been really great for
uniting student ministries in the Greek community, and sharing what we learn at
ONE or Cru with each other,” Young said.
Similarly, held like a Wednesday night worship service, Bama
Cru is a ministry devoted to breaking through cultural barriers and uncovering
the authenticity of Jesus. Bama Cru is made of Greeks and non-Greeks, however a
vast majority of those in attendance tend to be Greek affiliated.
“Most people know Cru because of Tuesday nights, but there
are community groups and servant teams as well," sophomore Phi Gamma Delta, Clint Smith said. "Community groups are Bible studies that go over what Jeff is going to talk about on Tuesday. The purpose
of them is to get you thinking about the message and to build relationships and
talk about the word of God.”
In addition to community groups, through Bama Cru there are
opportunities for five different servant teams: Prayer, Community, Outreach,
Pioneer and Bridges. These teams serve various areas of campus and share the overall
mission of Bama Cru. Only a few weeks ago, was the Bama Cru 2014 Fall Retreat at
Camp Hargis in Chelsea, Ala. There are also opportunities for mission trips -- local, state, national and international. Bama Cru serves as a ministry
platform to reach out to others with faith as their language.
“Being in a community group and on servant team has helped me
tremendously grow in my faith as well as build community with a lot of people," Smith said. "The most impactful aspect of Bama Cru has been the community and accountability. It is hard to try to walk with the Lord by yourself. It is
awesome to have other people guide you, mentor you and pray for you along the
way.”