The holidays are approaching and many CSU student Christian groups are responding in force.

Rams for Christ

While many of the Christian student groups at CSU are staying close to home over the holidays, Rams for Christ will be taking a yearly trip to Chihuahua, Mexico for nine days over winter break.

The group, comprised of five CSU students, will help renovate an orphanage called “Casa de Esperanza.” Justin Cardwell, College Minister for Rams for Christ, said the group will be supplying much needed help rebuilding structures at the orphanage. Students will also work with kids in the classroom, offering support and guidance.

In spite of the language barrier, Cardwell said that any time spent with the kids at the orphanage is well spent and helps fulfill the church’s mission of helping those in need and taking “care of those who can’t take care of themselves.”

“It’s important for us to not sit around and talk about these things, but to actually act on them,” Cardwell said.

He added that the group will bring food and beef that the orphanage will be able to use through the spring.

Even though the group has volunteered at the orphanage in previous years, this will be the first time junior business administration major Zinia Mendoza will be making the trip. Mendoza said she’s looking forward to being able to help those in need and share the experience of Christ with other people through service work.

“We’ll go down there to focus on them, help them build things they need and bond with them,” Mendoza said.

The Rock

Kristen Felten, a junior spanish major and administrative assistant for The Rock, a Christian organization at CSU with about 80 members, said the organization plans on spending two days in Greeley Nov. 19 and 20.

They plan to partner with a sister church and talk to students at the University of Northern Colorado to see if they have a spiritual connection with God.

Felten said face-to-face outreach is important because if Christians don’t make an effort to talk to people to let them know about Christ, then there’s a chance those people would miss out on an opportunity to learn more about Christianity.

“We really believe that there’s one God and he wants to know the people who he created,” said Felten.

Between Christmas and New Years, the group will also be making a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend the annual Faithwalkers conference. Felten described the conference as a get together involving thousands of people from the Midwest who are part of the Great Commissions Churches organization. Various speakers and pastors will talk about God and stories of faith, with this year’s theme being “Growing Up.”

“Yeah, we’re all really excited about it,” Felten said.

Citipointe

Citipointe at CSU, a Christian group with about 15 student members, will be serving meals for 300 underprivileged youth this Friday at the Matthews House, a charitable organization in Fort Collins that serves underprivileged youth and families.

“That’s where our heart is, is to evangelize as much as we serve,” said Lauren Slayman, a senior international studies major and Citipointe member. “We just want to act more than we preach.”

With a lot of students choosing to go home over the holidays, some organizations chose to do more community outreach or events over spring break, said Scott Martin, a junior history major and president of the 220 christian organization.

“Everyone is usually slammed with finals week at school then home over the holidays so we don’t do too much over break,” Martin said.