What Chi Alpha Means To Me

Toby Amodeo is a rising senior at American University, studying film and media arts. This Connecticut native has done the infamous Tough Mudder five times. When he's not shooting film, you can find him drinking coffee at the best coffee shop you didn't know about yet.

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Chi Alpha often looks designed for freshmen and, in many ways, it is. Speaking from experience, new freshmen are in a desperate search for new friends and will sign up for anything, even a faith community they know nothing about.

But now, as a senior, I can look back and say both that I got a lot more than a friend group in Chi Alpha, and that I still have a place in this community even though I’m leaving it this year at graduation.

Chi Alpha is a place where I can comfortably say, “me, too.”

Just because I’m a senior doesn’t mean I have it all figured out. In fact, most freshmen I meet seem to have their lives together more than I do. But beneath the surface, everyone is struggling with something. I was struggling as a freshman, even though I’d never admit it at the time.

“There are so many people who think they have to prove themselves to find friends, who will never otherwise know that their identity can be placed in Christ if we don’t show them. What I’ve learned, I need to pass on.”

But because of some very brave and patient people, I became a part of a community that opens itself up, that recognizes that we’re not all okay. Chi Alpha invites me to take an honest look at myself and at faith, and it encourages me to open up to people I otherwise wouldn’t.

Because of this, I’ve grown to recognize that faith is not about feeling good or the absence of pain. In fact, the most difficult times in my college experience all happened after I became a Christian during my freshmen year. I’ve seen both amazing seasons of deep community as well as a few periods when it would have been very easy to walk away from Chi Alpha and from faith altogether. But because of the friends and mentors I’ve had, I stuck with it. They’ve encouraged me to seek Jesus more honestly and earnestly, and that’s what’s kept me grounded in college. And now it’s my turn to help someone else struggling like I was.

No, I’m not a small group leader, even though I’m a senior. But I am a part of this community. I’m not disqualified from caring about college students because I don’t go to the planning meetings. I’ve seen my major change three times (sorry, mom and dad), I’ve lost friends and made new ones, and I’ve made a series of good and bad decisions with my time at AU. But no matter my circumstances, I’ve always had someone in Chi Alpha supporting me, and I’m encouraged to develop my own role in the community.

How can I not offer that to someone else?

Reach the City, Update

Online fundraising for Reach the City - 2015

Freshman year, I thought that small group, church on Sundays and Thursday Night Worship were the goals. But as my faith develops and I grow in my relationship with God, I’m realizing that this is not the end. There are more students coming to American every year who look a lot like I did, not knowing that there is a God who loves them. There are so many people who think they have to prove themselves to find friends, who will never otherwise know that their identity can be placed in Christ if we don’t show them. What I’ve learned, I need to pass on.

Chi Alpha is a whole lot more than a friend group or a ministry that reaches out to new students. It’s the place that taught me that the mission field is sitting next to me in class, that there is always room for one more, because there was room for me.

The Joys and Challenges of Campus Ministry

Becca lives and works in our nation’s capital. She spent the past two years working with Chi Alpha, ministering to students at American University. She studied International Studies and Arabic language there, and is now stepping into her field professionally. In her free time, you can find her hanging out with friends, browsing Eastern Market and drinking lots of coffee. 

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Campus ministry has many joys - drinking coffee with students and talking about life and faith on a regular basis being one of them.

When I started doing campus ministry after college, I didn’t exactly know what I was getting myself into.

I had a picture of it from being a student leader in Chi Alpha at American University, but it’s completely different being on the staff team.

There’s much more responsibility, but also more opportunity to see God moving in people’s lives on campus.

One of the most joyous things about this job is seeing growth in students I’ve invested in. I’ve had a genuine, lasting impact not only on their lives, but on who they are as a person- their character and their faith has been defined in some way by my relationship with them.

All of the time, energy, love, prayer and carefully-thought-through questions and responses has not only paid off, but it has given me a relationship I’ll treasure for a lifetime. And even better - one they’ll treasure for a lifetime. The kind of gratitude that comes from these students is invaluable. It’s the best gift I could ever receive.

“On the most basic and profound level, sustainability in these relationships happens by being intentional. It’s a cycle of giving and rest that works by making intentional decisions. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.”

The one thing I’ve found most challenging about these relationships, however, is sustainability.

Sacrificial love is the best kind - it’s the kind that Jesus shows us day in and day out. It’s the kind we’re called to give others. It can be a bit tricky to figure out how to sustain it though, while staying healthy and whole.

During my internship year, I remember trying to calculate in my head how the relationships God had laid out before me that year would work given my space-time parameters (and my love-giving parameters). The wise words Mike Godzwa gave me as I was voicing my concern were, “Well, it’s not a science, is it? It’s more of an art. Discipleship is an art, and it will never be perfect.” This both helped and scared me, because it meant I would have to figure it out as I went along and rely on the Holy Spirit. I found what Mike told me to be very true, though.

It became a discerning process. When was I going to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to either sacrifice a little bit from my personal life in order to lean into a discipleship relationship, and when was I going to take a step back and rest? I think the most important thing is to first recognize that I need and deserve rest.

One of the biggest lessons I learned during that first year is that self-care is not selfish, and we are better able to give and love sacrificially when we are healthy and whole ourselves. Once I accept this, then I can better discern when those times are that I can give a little more.

On the most basic and profound level, sustainability in these relationships happens by being intentional. It’s a cycle of giving and rest that works by making intentional decisions. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it. And it’s knowing the challenges and working on them that makes the joys all the more joyful.

Misconceptions About Mentoring

Kevin came on staff at American University Chi Alpha in 2012 after graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Business. He is the director of Chi Alpha International  and also disciples student leaders. In his free time he likes to cheer on his Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins. He also has an impeccable bowling form. 

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We’re called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). So mentoring, in a way, represents the epitome of our call as faithful Christians.

Jesus had three years to change the world and He decided to devote a good portion of His time investing in the twelve disciples.

So there is no doubt that the Son of God Himself considered discipleship as the most effective means of ministry and thus calls us all into it as well.

But outside of discipleship being an effective form of ministry, it is also very exciting. There is also something very appealing about being able to improve someone’s life, and also something very appealing about leaving a legacy!

However, mentoring can be very frustrating, and if one isn’t aware of the misconceptions they might have about it, they set themselves up for disappointment and discouragement. So here are several misconceptions I had of mentoring that you should be aware of:

Mentoring can happen without friendship
When we think about mentoring, we often think about two people grabbing coffee, talking about life and talking accountability. Or the other way we think about mentorship is sort of the old school style of apprenticeship, which is very specific to individual professions. Yes there is an element of discipleship that involves skill transfer, and there is an element of discipleship that involves conversational accountability. However, we frequently make that the extent of our discipleship. One look at the Jesus-style of ministry and we can see that Jesus lived life with his disciples. They broke bread together, they traveled together and they ministered together. The friendship element of discipleship cannot be lost, it is essential. We need to be willing and able to have less spiritual conversations, go to movies together, go shopping together etc. Without that we make discipleship a job instead of a relationship.

“Andy Stanley says that we are not responsible for filling someone’s cup, we are only responsible for emptying our own. Mentor and teach what you know, and trust the Lord to do the rest.”

Failures in mentoring are my fault
You will experience failures. There will be people you mentor who will keep falling into the same sin repeatedly. There will be some people you mentor who, no matter how much you poke and prod, never seem to open up. There will be others who simply flake on all your meetings. And my common response in all of this is that I must have done something wrong. Perhaps I’m not a good conversationalist, or maybe I’m not saying the right things.


Relationships are a two way street. We can put our best foot forward and we can be very intentional about wanting to speak life into somebody, but it is up to them whether they want to receive it or ignore it. If we were able to reject God and the grace He offers, how much more will others be able to reject our love for them?

I can’t mentor until I am ready
Here is the biggest misconception we have- that there is a point of readiness that we must attain before we can fully mentor somebody. Like after we cross whatever imaginary threshold, we’d be inundated with wisdom and righteousness. If we wait until we are ready we will never mentor anybody. Conversely we will never know all there is to know about mentoring either. So we need to approach mentoring with a humility to make mistakes and learn. Andy Stanley says that we are not responsible for filling someone’s cup, we are only responsible for emptying our own. Mentor and teach what you know, and trust the Lord to do the rest.

The Momentum Of Giving

Erin Weiss is a Sophomore at Georgetown University. Though she is passionate about environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, she is not your typical girl from Wyoming.

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Giving is an act that has incredible importance and incalculable benefits.

There are many reasons why giving either time or money is something that everyone should do. 

One of the foremost reasons to give is that the Bible, the ultimate road map to life, tells us to. The bible says, “He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever” (2 Corinthians 9:9).

Also, Jesus gave us eternal life by sacrificing His life. Jesus, being the ultimate model of what humanity should be, gives us an example that we should follow. 

Even beyond the Biblical, giving is still imperative for many reasons. Giving either time or money starts a positive cycle leading to change that permeates a whole community.

Helping someone can lead to them serving others and this cycle creates a positive chain reaction, leading to an elevated standard of living. Giving back in ways large or small is almost as important as giving in the first place. It keeps the sequence going. 

“The people and organizations that donate time and money do not have unlimited resources. It is because of limited assets that it is the duty of the people receiving the gift to replenish what they have received. ”

The people and organizations that donate time and money do not have unlimited resources. It is because of limited assets that it is the duty of the people receiving the gift to replenish what they have received. Through returning much needed reserves it insures that others will continue to benefit. 

Giving back also shows appreciation for the actions that others have taken on your behalf. A good example of reciprocating can be seen when a student receives financial aid from a school, goes on to become successful, and then donates money back to the scholarship program. 

That previous example shows how money can be returned after an act of giving, but it is important to remember that giving time can be just as vital. Time is something hard for most people to give – time costs money.

But organizations still need people and volunteers to keep programs moving forward. So, returning to an organization to help others by volunteering is also extremely imperative. 

There is also more than one way to give back. Instead of returning the gift of time and money directly to the place from which you got it, you can move the kindness forward by giving to others. This way, the original effort that went into helping you does not end with you, but continues onward.

Even through helping just one person, whole communities can reap the benefits. Everyone has received a kindness in his or her lifetime; it could have been from either a place or a person. So it is everyone’s responsibility to consciously give back in as many ways as they can.

In...Amen

Stefa Chappell  is the Northeast Regional Director for Chi Alpha and also leads the Georgetown Med School Chi Alpha group. She recently completed her Master's degree, and when she's not taking care of her adorable dog Finn she's probably out for a run, or helping a friend shop for the perfect outfit.

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A dear friend of mine told me about a realization he had about God's presence. As he was spending time with God one day, his mind drifted to the beginning of the Bible.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1). My friend's thoughts then drifted the the very end of Holy Scripture: "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" (Rev 22:21).

My friend recognized that in the English language, the first and last words in Scripture are "in" and "amen." How appropriate, my friend thought. That's the whole point--the thread that weaves through the entirety of Scripture. God came to dwell in humankind. Amen.

“ I started to see how God remained steadfast and true, regardless of how well I felt I did in being the perfect Christian on any given day.”

This story gives insight to how my own devotional life has changed in over twenty five years of walking with Christ. My earliest years were thick with excitement as I experienced the newness of the Christian faith. God's power and reality were alive day by day, and every verse awakened me. I immersed myself in this new reality by spending countless hours reading the Word.

As I grew older in faith I embraced new ideas, some of them good. There were some things, though, that I ingested because they sounded credible coming from people I respected. One thing I picked up was the idea that God was a bit fickle in His presence.

There was a subtle belief in me that God was with me only when He was happy with me, and He was happy with me only when I was a really, really good Christian. Perhaps you are one of the really, really good Christians but I found myself to be less than really, really good.

I still got mad so easily. I was still an impatient driver. I still said things that hurt people. I was still tempted by pride, lust and greed.

And when I felt like I failed in any of those areas, there was something in me that believed I had to convince God to come back. I was not able, at that time, to see that God had not "left" me.

This errant understanding of God informed my prayer life in many ways. I spent far more time trying to pray for the things that would hopefully make God happy with me than I spent enjoying Him and then becoming like Him as I beheld Him.

Fast forward to years later in my walk with Christ. Somehow I started to see this thread in Scripture. I began to see that God promises that He will never leave us. I started to see how God remained steadfast and true, regardless of how well I felt I did in being the perfect Christian on any given day.

I became aware of the indwelling presence of God in my life--the gift that was offered through Christ.

It occurred to me one day that the sacrifice that God made for me (for us) was so massive that no small thing would cause Him to walk away. If it could, then God would be saying that even He did not think His sacrifice was that important.

God has come to dwell in His people. He lives in me--I don't have to convince Him to show up when I pray. I don't have to prove how good I have been so I can pray.

This was an earth shattering revelation for me (it actually did shake the earth at one point in Christian history). This reality changed the starting point of my prayer life.

Now, rather than trying to convince God to come be with me as I pray, I now pause and simply pay attention to His enduring presence. I "look" for God and listen to His voice, knowing that He is present.

It is in His beautiful presence where I am formed to become more like Him. In this Presence I can offer my requests to Him, and I can worship Him because I know He is there. Amen.