The Bucks Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship’s mission is, “To be open to anyone who is questioning the credibility of Christianity, the relevance of Jesus Christ or seeking Christian fellowship.”
The club has been around for more than eight years, according to the facilitator of the group, Pastor Brian Weed from Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia. It meets on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. in the Solarium at the Newtown Campus.
Weed says, “We’ve found that God fills the void that a lot of people didn’t even know they had. The group has been a great place for people to connect for years.”
The group has a regular attendance of about 15. Naomi Thompson, 19, one of the regulars, said that the group has been growing the past few weeks.
The president, Lance Zartar, 20, said, “We would love for anybody to come out and join us. This would be a good way to ask questions and get involved. You don’t have to be a Christian.” However, he said it is generally a group of people who share the same beliefs.
The secretary of the group, Toni Valentini, 19, said, “The main purpose of it is to find Jesus’ loving community on campus” and that the group is “close knit.” Some students in the group attend Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia.
“Outside of the meetings we like to reach out. We give away water ice to kids when it is warm outside and hot chocolate when it is cold,” says Valentini.
Thompson, who started attending this semester, said she goes “to grow relationships with people that have the same beliefs” and to grow in her own faith.
She stated,“We’re still all getting to know each other but it helps that we all have a common topic to talk about and a great pastor to facilitate.”
Sam Bair, 18, said that the group is “a good place to meet new people and learn about the Bible.”
Cassaundra Flor, 19, agreed, saying she “Really likes having people that you can talk about your faith with and connect to,” and thinks that “Having that is one of the most important things in your life.”
She went on to encourage newcomers. “It’s a nice group of people if you want to check out the faith, and you don’t have to commit. There is no pressure.”
Flor added, “It is a great opportunity to make genuine friendships and to discover truth. Plus now I see familiar faces on campus and it’s really nice.”
Gabrielle Martins, 19, adds that the group is a “Good place to be able to open up about your views on Christianity.”
Thompson says the group, later on in the semester, will be collecting diapers for single moms. Pastor Brian Weed also said that they are planning to do an outreach to benefit local homeless shelters.
Valentini said she “Encourages people to come out because it is a safe place to ask honest questions about the Christian faith. It is a loving community, growing in the knowledge of Christ.”