Laith

While I was in school at Texas A&M I was always involved in campus ministry, but never seriously considered becoming a campus missionary until I was almost done with school. I had been on a week-long trip to Eugene to help NCM kick off the winter term and had some interest in serving the Lord in this region. I learned that many students in the Pacific Northwest have negative misconceptions about Christians which often stem from church hurt they or their friends experienced. God drew me to these stories and I knew I was interested in potentially serving longer term with NCM.

I was able to go on a mission trip to Eugene to help Warren Davie, now director of NCM Eugene, with everything that goes on in college ministry during the summer from Bible study to tabling at new student orientation. I already knew I loved the people in Oregon, but getting to be part of ministry at the leadership level (as well as a beautiful Oregon summer!) convinced me to seriously consider moving up long-term. After much prayer and consideration, I committed to serving with NCM for the 24-25 school year through GoNow Missions after I graduated from Texas A&M in May 2024.

Ministry in the PNW region is not easy. My only exposure to college ministry had been at Texas A&M, a huge campus with thousands of Christian students, dozens of healthy churches in the area, and part of the Bible Belt culture where faith is normalized and even expected of most students. In Oregon, cultural Christianity does not exist. There is no social benefit to being a Christian in the PNW like there is in the Bible Belt, meaning people are either all the way in or all the way out with Jesus. While it may seem discouraging to be around fewer Christ-followers in Oregon than I was in Texas, it is refreshing that in Oregon, nobody puts on the mask of being a Christian because it’s just the “right” thing to do culturally. I also immediately noticed that “successful” turnout at events looked a lot different than at Texas A&M. It was sometimes frustrating to put a lot of effort into preparing events that did not always draw students like I was used to seeing. Over time, I began to realize that if I truly believe God’s Word, He is present even in the small gatherings (Matthew 18:20). The blessing of a smaller ministry is the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with each student.

Despite what some of my friends and family back in Texas may believe, Oregon is not a God-hating place where it is impossible to proclaim the Gospel. In fact, many students are very open to hearing others’ beliefs, even if they may not be interested in repentance. I am very thankful God gave me the opportunity to serve him in Eugene and I would encourage anyone interested in college ministry to consider serving in the Pacific Northwest.