Chloe initially agreed to check out Arise Campus Ministry at George Mason University as a favor to her grandmother. Knowing how consuming a college schedule could be, Chloe had serious reservations about adding church obligations to her calendar. But a family friend connected with a partner church encouraged her to try Arise, and within her first two weeks on campus, she found a rhythm that turned out to be what she needed.
“I just really loved it,” Chloe said. “It was really fun, and sometimes Bible studies can like feel a little bit like work, but this one was decently relaxing.”
“I made like amazing friends there. Almost immediately they were amazing, and it was just a really good place to relax after a long week.”
The weekly life group gatherings met in a comfortable lounge area with couches, skipping the corporate feel of meeting rooms used by many student organizations. Between the home-cooked meals provided by local partner churches and the welcoming atmosphere, Chloe found an immediate sanctuary from the pressures of her cybersecurity and music double major.
“There was dinner, so I didn’t have to go to the dining hall, and everybody there was super nice,” Chloe recalled. “I made like amazing friends there. Almost immediately they were amazing, and it was just a really good place to relax after a long week.”
Three years later, those initial connections have grown into deep friendships. Whether driving together to a piercing shop in Manassas on a whim or gathering for casual dinners, the Arise community became Chloe’s core support network. For her, the true beauty of Arise lies in its radical openness as a space where people of all backgrounds feel comfortable dropping in.
“I’ve seen a lot of people that come to our meetings that are atheists or agnostic, and they’re just really interested in the religious studies aspect,” Chloe said. “That’s also really interesting to talk to them and get their perspective as well.”