Campus ministries

Chaz Hart
I moved to Bozeman in the summer of 06 and I love living and working in this valley. I grew up in the mountains of Virginia but I have always loved the west. While attending Appalachian State in North Carolina, I led Bible studies and ministered as part of the Reformed University Fellowship leadership team. My college years were very developmental in my spiritual growth; although I unfortunately tend to learn lessons the hard way, I am blessed to have a God that loves me too much to desert me.

After my first year in college I moved to Vail, Colorado for the summer. God placed me in a house with Christian guys where I was challenged to serve him instead of myself and to really learn what it means to love others. Romans 12 became my approach towards others and life. The following summer I went on a 75 day National Outdoor Leadership School trip in the Yukon. Surrounded by hardships and people of many different faiths and beliefs, I grew by spending time alone in God's Word and His Creation.

My approach to ministry has always been relational. Through strong relationships we can challenge one another in Christ and avoid the artificial relationships that seem all too prevalent in the modern church. I also desire to equip MSU Christians to effectively share their faith in Christ to a university community hungry for truth.

Emily Whipple
During my fifth year of teaching fifth and sixth grade, I realized that although I enjoyed being a teacher, I was more passionate about mentoring and sharing the gospel with college women. In 2002, I left my teaching job and began working with sorority women at the University of Oregon through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Entering the lives of numerous college women has been exciting and sobering. Every day I see firsthand how college students often find themselves in an environment that is tearing away at their moral and spiritual stability. My desire and committment is to introduce students to Christ, help them grow in their faith, and then send them out equipped to live biblically, sharing Christ wherever God takes them.

Recently I moved from Eugene, Oregon to continue ministering to college women at Montana State University. Moving far from home and being new to the Bozeman community, Gallatin Valley Presbyterian Church has been an answer to prayer. The first Sundays I attended, I was overwhelmed with all those who initiated and warmly welcomed me. I am thankful for how GVPC has come alongside me, supported me, and embraced me into their church family.

Our college ministry is characterized by a number of commitments:

First, we are committed to the visible church. We live in an age that trivializes the church. Some treat her like a shopping mall, where customers bounce from store to store chasing the latest fad and craving a sweet bargain. Others approach the church like a community bulletin board-a little info, a little amusement, a little opportunity. Still others view the church like leather auto interior: a nice bonus, but certainly not essential to the Christian walk. In contrast, the Bible unveils a view of the church that is breathtaking in its immensity. Our growth in Christ is a group project. Consequently, we believe that spiritual growth is often directly proportional to the degree to which students integrate into the body life of the whole church. If they are segregated into various programs aimed at different "ages and stages," they fail to interact with believers from different generations, spiritual backgrounds, and seasons of life, and so miss out on the richness of the covenant community.

Second, we are committed to biblical world and life view. We believe in absolute truth, and we also believe the most helpful thing we can do for people is to help them learn to recognize and discover that truth themselves. We avoid giving a set of pat, canned answers. We encourage thoughtful questions and place a strong emphasis on critical thinking, learning how to interpret and understand the Bible properly, and then applying it to all of life today.

Third, we are committed to the student's vocation. The vocation of university student is just that - a university student. We take that seriously and strive to equip students to be faithful and growing Christians who are conscientious in their preparation for their calling. The campus is not reduced to a convenient pretext to do evangelism, but rather the place where God has providentially placed students to prepare for legitimate, God-given vocations after graduation. These vocations will prepare them to engage the culture and transform the world.