的 蓝色的论坛 is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
作为圣约学生寻找教会
在大学期间找到一个好的教堂可能是一个困难的过程。 Although many students enjoy exploring and experiencing different worship styles, some students want to find a church that is as similar to the congregation they grew up in–or left behind–when they moved to college. 不要害怕! Many students have gone before you and have successfully navigated these waters, finding welcoming church families in the process. I, just like many other locals, was a member of a church in the area before coming to Covenant. However, I recently started attending Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Flintstone, GA, and have found a flourishing church body where I’ve been blessed with mentorship.
教会资源和有益的高年级学生
威尼斯人平台 provides several resources for incoming students, such as lists of biblically grounded churches in the area as part of their welcome packet. Orientation Week leaders, who are all upperclassmen students, make it their personal goal to ensure new students have a church they plan to attend their first Sunday. After O-Week, upperclassmen continue to help new students find a church home, maintaining a culture of invitation and carpooling that makes sure their freshmen counterparts are in a pew on Sundays.
教堂公平
Apart from info and upperclassmen accountability, at the beginning of the school year Covenant hosts a church fair on the chapel lawn. Doctrinally sound churches of various denominations, approved by the student development office, come up the mountain so students can meet staff members and pastors from their congregations on the chapel lawn. This is a great resource for freshmen to mingle with the churches nearby before deciding if they want to attend. 的y can get basic information, like what time service is and what kinds of studies are offered throughout the week, but they can also make sure to have a familiar face that will welcome them when they visit.
全校强调安息日休息
“By God's grace, the students at Covenant have fostered that culture, so it's normal for anyone you meet to be involved with their church,” Ainsley Casey ‘26 says regarding the culture of not only church attending but serving the church for Covenant students. “If this culture did not exist,” she continues, “it would be all too easy to become disengaged with church life during my college years.” 威尼斯人平台 shuts down both the chapel and the library on Sunday. 为什么? Because they want students to pursue the community found in a local church and to find rest on the Sabbath. Faculty members also encourage students to finish their homework or projects in six days rather than seven. 所以，作业可能在周六交，但绝不会在周日交。
教员是教会的仆人
Faculty don’t just encourage rest, but they live it out and will invite students to Sabbath with them. Many students are invited to professors' churches for a Sunday school class or a meal after church, and they open their homes for good conversations and rest—setting Covenant faculty apart from other school’s professors. Faculty and staff also talk about their churches with students, making it a regular topic of conversation and are examples to students by serving their churches. “Our professors are elders, deacons, and active members of their own churches,” said Lydia Moore ’25, “so hearing tidbits about their Bible study the night before or an upcoming session meeting is a constant reminder that participating in the local church is the best way to live out our faith.”
Even though college is considered a temporary place of residence, and “home church” might not be a priority since the student won’t be there long term, Covenant encourages finding, engaging with, and investing in the body of Christ for the building up of the church and the students. This is our calling as Christians–it is necessary for us to take part in the body of Christ and learn to serve in his church, wherever you might be.