Spotlight: The Christian Community at GCU

Grand Canyon University has been my home for the past three years. Coming from a small private high school with a graduating class of 56 students, I was unsure of what to expect moving onto campus my freshman year. It was strange that in just one month or two, my roommates and I stopped talking about going back to the “dorm” and instead started calling it “home.” My transition from a small high school in another state to living, learning and working at GCU was definitely made easier because of the strong Christian community!

Chapel

When looking at schools, I loved that GCU offered Chapel services every week during a time where no classes were scheduled and all students could attend. My roommates and I found it easy to start going because of the freed up time, and it was incredible to see so many people congregating together, almost filling the entire GCU Arena, to worship and share in learning about the Lord.

My friends and I quickly established “our spot” in the Arena and have met up in those seats ever since. This, for me, has been a constant source of community. With work, different class schedules and constant busyness, being able to attend a Chapel service and have a quick hour with friends before the week takes off has been a huge blessing!

Life Groups

My sophomore year on campus I got involved in my hall’s Life Group. Life Groups are exactly as they sound – student-led meetings where people can simply share “life” together while studying and learning about the Bible. Through attending hall events with my roommates, I got to know my Life Leader and RA, which is what led us to start attending the weekly Life Group meetings that were hosted just a couple doors down the hall.

This Life Group introduced me to other girls in my hall and was the perfect opportunity to share in fellowship, snacks and games. What I loved about attending Life Group was the authenticity of our group. My Life Leader set a standard of sincerity, which made it easy for everyone to share and discuss difficult topics. Each Life Group is different, and ours definitely became a fun, safe community for my roommates and me!

Spiritual Life

After taking part in Life Group and other Bible studies throughout the year, I really felt challenged by the Lord to become a Life Leader myself. GCU’s Spiritual Life Department reviews applications, conducts interviews and, if hired, mentors each Life Leader. After talking with several friends who had already served in leadership roles, I began the Life Leader application process and was accepted by the end of the semester!

Spiritual Life has implemented a great leadership structure that allows all Life Leaders to be mentored by Head Life Leaders, who are students that have already served as Life Leaders in previous years. My mentor helped me design my Bible studies and engage with the girls on my floor. My time as a Life Leader has been amazing, as I have been leading an incredible group of girls through the Bible and sharing about real life, with all of its struggles and victories.

Grand Canyon’s Christian community and opportunities have helped me grow and adjust to university life for the past three years. I have been challenged in my faith and supported by all the friends and mentors that I met through GCU!

Grand Canyon University is committed to its Christian identity and integrating faith across all aspects of the GCU community, including work, learning and service. To learn more about campus or spiritual life, visit our website or use the Request More Information button at the top of this page.