By Griffin Powell

For centuries, Christianity has been one of the most widely followed religions in the world. There is no discrimination for who follows or chooses to hear the word.

One group that has fallen behind is the college age-gap group. Over the past few years there has been a significant decrease in attendance in church from the college community. However, this year according to Barna, there has been a 12 percent increase in college students attending church, the largest increase since 2021. The Collegian spoke with two students on what transitioning in faith has done for them and the impact it has made for them and to give their testimonies.

“Jesus died for our sins. It is crazy when you realize that he was alive more than 2,000 years ago and I am saved because of his sacrifice,” said Chase Altis. “Following Jesus has impacted my life positively by how I act towards others and moving in His word. Moving in the word then led me to get baptized, I notice my sins more. Before, sometimes I would sin without thought. I still struggle with sin, but I am more aware of it and am trying to break my bad habits and move forward through Jesus. My advice for nonbelievers – as I am very new in my journey with Christ – is to go to church just once. Just see how you like it and I promise it will be a positive impact. If there is anyone on GC’s campus that wants to learn more about it, I would be happy to help them.”

“Jesus has impacted me in a positive way. He completely restored me during one of the hardest seasons of my life, when I felt physically, emotionally and spiritually shaken,” said Kantley McKown. “What could have made me bitter deepened my faith. He gave me peace when I was anxious, strength when I felt weak and purpose in pain I did not understand at the time. My relationship with Him has made me more grounded, more hopeful and more secure in who I am. I then took the step of getting baptized. Getting baptized made my faith feel bold and public, not just something in my heart, but something I am unashamed of. It was a declaration that I am leaving my old self behind and choosing to walk differently. Since then, I have felt more intentional about my choices, more aware of how I treat people and more confident in trusting God’s plan instead of trying to control everything myself. At the end of the day, if there is one thing someone had told me back then is to not wait until life falls apart to seek Him. You do not have to have everything figured out, cleaned up or perfect to come to Jesus, just come as you are. A relationship with him is not about rules; it is about peace, purpose and knowing you are never walking alone.”

With just two examples of Christ impacting their lives, with many more opportunities for it to impact yours. There are many off campus churches in Greensboro. The more popular one for a college crowd is Mercy Hill Church in Oak Ridge. Colleges from all over Greensboro represent the crowd, such as Greensboro, UNCG, High Point, NC A&T and Guilford. They meet every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Services on Sundays start as early as 9:15 or as late as 11 p.m., with small groups mixed in. There is the Oak Ridge campus as well as the Clifton campus off Spring Garden Street. Greensboro College also offers chapel on campus every Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. in Finch Chapel.