Where I Am...

• “Two-thirds of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22” (Earls 2019).

• “The number of college students with no religious affiliation has tripled in the last 30 years” (Downey 2017).

These statistics stood out to me as I began my journey to Fort Worth to attend Texas Christain University. Coming from a strong religious background, I have always been invested and driven to grow in my faith. In high school, I attended a weekly event at Montgomery Bell Academy called Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) which allowed athletes and any students to come together and worship. The student-run organization was a safe haven away from adults telling you what they think you need to hear and believe in your faith. This group helped me become open and more transparent in my faith as I felt more comfortable talking about the difficult topics with my friends and colleagues that were my own age. Congregating every Thursday night, this group became the highlight of my week at school.

As I drove down to TCU from Nashville, I hoped that I would be able to find a similar group of people, whether on or off campus, that could be the highlight of my week in Fort Worth. Luckily, through STUMO, I was able to quickly find a similar community that made me feel so comfortable during my high school years. STUMO, student mobilization, is an interdenominational student organization committed to the growth of TCU students in their leadership, character, and spiritual development. This growth and development comes within small communities that are built by these special leaders.

My special group meets with Stephen Click, a recent TCU graduate and founder of STUMO, on Monday evenings from 5pm-6pm to discuss Bible verses, eat pizza and wings, and dive into the meaning of the Holy text. A group of ten to fifteen guys congregate to grow in their spiritual beliefs alongside some of their best friends. Similar to FCA, the entire group feels comfortable speaking up and sharing their opinions which allows for a successful learning environment. This hour full of religious enrichment has become the staple of my week and has helped keep me grounded in a college environment where many values are forgotten. When I ask myself, “Where are you?” The first thing that comes to mind is the Bible study that highlights my week.

Interviews and Observations from Within

Bo Wilbanks: STUMO Bible study helps incoming students smoothly enter and continue their faith journey as they step foot on the TCU campus. Whether you are in a fraternity, sorority, or club, they foster any kind of group that wants to have faith as a part of their weekly, monthly, or yearly routine. I am so thankful to have found STUMO early on in my college career and am looking forward to watching my community of friends grow together. With so many kids losing faith these days, STUMO helps college students stay grounded and work to achieve their particular goals along their journey with Christ.

Wes Vanderslice: My favorite part about weekly Bible study is the community that comes with it. I look forward to seeing the fifteen people come together each week to study and grow with a common hope. The conversations that we have makes the time we have together fly by which is a testament to how engrossed I become with the topics that we discuss.

Pearson Bates: I would advise any future TCU student to continue their faith journey with STUMO. The sincere and empathetic Bible study leaders work hard to understand the desires of each student. They want to help you along your journey, and it has allowed for the smoothest transition into my college faith journey. I am so thankful for this excellent group of people that surrounds me on Monday nights.

Works Cited/References

Click, Stephen. “Stumo.” TCU. 25 April 2022.

Downey, Allen. “College Freshmen Are Less Religious than Ever.” Scientific American Blog

Network, Scientific American, 25 May 2017.

Earls, Aaron. “Most Teenagers Drop out of Church When They Become Young Adults.”

Lifeway Research, 11 Aug. 2021.

**Peer and Mentor Review**