Keeping the Faith at Furman

Hey, Furman family!

Before I committed to Furman, I wanted to ensure I would be able to surround myself with communities of faith on campus. My faith is very important to me, so I did not want to attend a college that would not foster my spiritual growth. Luckily, Furman has a plethora of student organizations for you to plug into if you are interested in growing and learning in a religious organization. If you’re curious to look at the whole list, you can do so on Furman’s website. I am going to highlight three religious organizations that I have been involved with so far during my time at Furman.

Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM)

Every Monday night in the Chapel Garden Room (my favorite room on campus!), a group of 20-25 students gather for Bible study. Before we begin our study, we eat a meal together (think CFA, Pub Subs, Sidewall Pizza, Olive Garden, Zaxby’s, or Papa John’s) and play a game. I visited BCM the first Monday night of my freshman year and have been attending weekly ever since. I met all of my closest friends in BCM so this organization in particular holds a special place in my heart! It is also a tradition in BCM to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child during the holiday season. This past fall we all drove to the store together to buy various school supplies, toys, and toiletries to pack in the shoe boxes. While BCM is technically a baptist organization, any and all are welcome!

Delight Ministries

Delight is a nondenominational female group that gathers on Wednesday evenings in Furman Hall for a time of fellowship and Bible study. Delight Ministries is actually a national organization that has hundreds of chapters in college campuses across the country. It was founded at Belmont University in Nashville in 2012 but has spread all over! Each semester we complete a different 10-week study. My spring semester of my freshman year we studied the entire book of Acts together. Delight also hosts numerous socials throughout the year. Last semester, we enjoyed Sidewall Pizza while sitting by the Furman Lake and watching the sunset on campus. What could be better than yummy pizza and a gorgeous sunset?! This week, Delight is going to Swamp Rabbit Café to enjoy dinner together. I cherish Delight a lot because it a smaller and more intimate group. The girls I have met through Delight are my role models and biggest cheerleaders. I am very thankful to have made some incredible friendships through Delight.

Mere Christianity Forum (MCF)

MCF is a nondenominational co-ed group that meets together on Wednesdays during lunch for fellowship. The organization is named after C.S. Lewis’ famous book Mere Christianity. MCF seeks to promote thoughtful exploration of the Christian faith through powerful conversation and authentic faith. MCF is probably one the most unique religious organizations on campus because it owns and operates a building off campus called the Vista House. A small handful of Furman students live at the Vista House during the academic year and the summer. Even if you are not a resident of the Vista House, the House is open to anybody who wishes to visit for game nights or other fun socials. I love going to the Vista House because it gives me a chance to get off campus for a few hours, relax, and enjoy time with my friends. A few weeks ago I went to the Vista House to watch the Super Bowl!

These three organizations have had a profound positive impact on my Furman experience. If you wish to connect with them, follow them on Instagram: @furmanbcm, @delightatfurman, and @merechristianityforum. If you wish to get involved with religious organizations on campus, there are dozens of opportunities. Other groups include Buddhist Student Association, Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM), Canterbury, Furman Interfaith, Association of Hindu Students, Jewish Student Association, Latter-Day Saints Association, Lutheran Student Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Wesley, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Muslim Student Association, UKIRK, Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), and others.

Cheers,

Ashlynne Culpepper