A lot of people come to college not knowing what to expect, and it makes them kind of nervous. Me, on the other hand, I was ready. As much as I love the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, I was more than ready to jump into the college scenery of Tuscaloosa.
I knew exactly what I was going to be involved in while I was here at the University. I (thought) I knew what my major was going to be and what I wanted to do with my life, but I wasn’t 100% sure on where I wanted to go to church. I knew different people that went to a few different churches down here, but everyone kept telling me to try out Central Church of Christ, and to get involved with the student ministry here, so I did, and might I say that was the most important decision of my whole college career.
Tide 4 Christ will always fill a certain spot in my heart for many reasons. I think the first and main reason is the friends I made while in the group. Most people might not know this, but freshman year of college was one of the hardest years of my life. Within a span of about 3 months, my stepdad sadly lost his painful battle to cancer, my dad was involved in a life-threatening car accident, and then my mom was in a pretty bad car accident as well. It honestly seemed like things were getting worse and worse, but I knew there was one thing I could always count on, and that was those same people I had grown to love in T4C. I could never walk out of that church building without a smile on my face because of those wonderful people. I can honestly say those people are the only reason I was able to stay down here that first semester, and I cannot thank them enough for it.
I could list so many more reasons why I am 110% involved with Tide 4 Christ, but the most important reason it means so much to me is because of how much love for God is shown in the group. From service projects like building ramps for the elderly, or collecting Christmas money for those in need, to meeting every Monday night for devotionals and every Wednesday for bible study, it is evident that the people in Tide for Christ love the Lord with all of our hearts. We love to sing: It doesn’t matter where we go, from meeting in the student center, to climbing a 300 foot silo, there is always a guarantee that we will be singing some kind of gospel song. We love to pray: if anything is going on in anyone’s life, and they request prayers, they can count on the group to be there behind them and pray for them when they need prayers the most. We love to worship: Sitting in the first 6-7 rows in the church building, dozens and dozens of college students sit with their bibles open every Sunday and Wednesday learning more and more about God’s word and what it has to teach us.
There is no amount of gratitude I can show to Tide 4 Christ for everything I’ve gained from being a part of it. It has helped me grow more physically and spiritually mature. When most people think of a public school, especially the University of Alabama, they might ask how in the world we stay faithful with all of the temptations the school has to offer. The best answer I can think to tell them is to find a group like Tide 4 Christ, a group that will challenge you to do the best you can, and strengthen you so the temptations are a lot easier to overcome. I love Tide 4 Christ, and I am so thankful for the people that brought me into the group and the people from the group that will stay with me until the end.
Austin Kelley
Comments are closed