Reconnecting with Faith

For many of us, faith begins as something woven into the fabric of childhood. We grow up going to church, learning the stories of Scripture, celebrating holidays and traditions, and finding a sense of belonging in a community of faith. But as we grow older, our questions grow, too. College can be a time when familiar beliefs are set aside as we explore new ideas, experiences, and ways of seeing the world. For some students, moving away from religion is an important part of growing into adulthood, a chance to ask honest questions and discover what they truly believe, apart from what they were taught as children.

I was reminded of this during orientation, when I met a graduate student who shared that she wanted to reconnect with her faith. "It's like I can see the shore but it looks differently now," she shared. She spoke of growing up and being fed by church then "being lazy" during undergrad. Her story captured something I hear again and again from students: even after years away from church or religion, there can remain a quiet longing to understand what once felt familiar and meaningful. Our campus ministry offers a welcoming place to begin that journey, not necessarily by returning to everything exactly as it was, but by becoming curious again. Students can bring their questions, doubts, memories, and hopes into a community where they are free to explore the “Faith of my childhood” with new eyes.

Through conversation, worship, service, retreats, friendships, and shared meals, campus ministry creates space to rediscover what remains meaningful and to encounter faith as something that can grow and deepen alongside us. For a student who has moved away from religion but still feels a tug of curiosity, campus ministry can be a bridge between the faith they once knew and the faith they are now beginning to make their own.