Chi Alpha

Chi Alpha | ΧΑ (sometimes XA or SfC, officially known as Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship), is an international and interdenominational student Christian Fellowship on college campuses. Sponsored by Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and local churches, it is open to college students of all backgrounds. Even though the national governing organization is a ministry of the Assemblies of God USA, membership at local chapters includes many people of varying denominations.

Chi Alpha
ΧΑ
Founded	1953 Missouri State University (Springfield, MO, U.S.A.)
Type	Christian Fellowship
Scope	International
Motto	Christ’s Ambassadors:[1] "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors , as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Colors	Black   White   Gray   Red  [2]
Flag
Chapters	[3][4]
Principles	Worship, Prayer, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Mission Community, Creativity, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity, and Servant-Leadership.
Headquarters	Chi Alpha Campus Ministries 1445 N. Boonville Ave Springfield, Missouri 65802 US
Website	www.chialpha.com

Purpose

The mission of Chi Alpha is to reconcile students to Jesus Christ, thereby transforming the university, the marketplace, and the world...[5] The core values are Community, Creativity, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity, and Servant-Leadership.

History

The Assemblies of God began a ministry (Chi Alpha Campus Ministries) to collegians in 1947 at the urging of J. Robert Ashcroft (father of John Ashcroft), which consisted of a newsletter sent to college students to encourage them in their faith.

It soon became apparent that a newsletter by itself was inadequate, and so in 1953 Dr. J. Calvin Holsinger[6] chartered the first Assemblies of God student group at Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in Springfield, Missouri[7] where the Assemblies of God headquarters is located. The movement quickly spread to other campuses. For example, the first Chi Alpha to own property was the UC Berkeley chapter, which purchased a house next to campus in 1964.

The name Chi Alpha was inspired by the contemporary Assemblies of God youth movement, Christ's Ambassadors (a phrase in 2 Corinthians 5:20). The initials "CA" were changed to Greek initials "ΧΑ" in order to resemble the names of other college organizations.

Chi Alpha began its development internationally in the 1970s, establishing chapters in Europe under the name Students for Christ,[8] and also into Latin America under various names.

In 1977, the first ever Chi Alpha internship was launched at Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham, Washington by the WWU Chi Alpha campus director Brady Bobbink.

In 1978, Dennis Gaylor became national director of Chi Alpha, and served until April 2013. Chi Alpha is currently led by Scott Martin.[9]

There are Chi Alpha ministries and fellowships on over 310 campuses throughout the United States.[10][11]

Cultural mentions

• In the 2014-2015 school year, Chi Alpha at CSU Stanislaus was removed from campus because they required that their leaders be Christians. The case gained national attention and was covered on Fox News.[12] The chapter was eventually reinstated.
• The chapters at Georgetown University and the University of New Hampshire were highlighted in a 2003 article in The New York Times entitled "Of Bart and Homer, and the Many Ways of Faith" - an article about their use of the Simpsons as a Bible study tool,[13] and in 1986 The New York Times mentioned the chapter at Columbia University as representative of a trend of growing Christian fellowships on campuses in the northeastern United States.[14][15]
• Annie Dillard wrote a widely reprinted essay, "Singing with the Fundamentalists",[16] about her experiences singing with a group of students from the Chi Alpha chapter at Western Washington University (a chapter which operates under the local name of Campus Christian Fellowship).

Notable alumni

• Kris Allen, the 2009 American Idol winner, was a member of Chi Alpha when he was a student at University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.[17]

References

1. "Who We Are".
2. "Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, U.S.A. Style Guide" (PDF). Chi Alpha. Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, U.S.A. June 8, 2017.
3. "Group Locator".
4. "Studenten für Christus Deutschland e.V. – Studenten prägen. Zukunft gestalten".
5. "Grundsätze". October 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
6. Harrup, Scott (2009). "What can be learned from history?". ag.org. Assemblies of God. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
7. Bixler, Frances (2002). "Chi Alpha". In Stanley M. Burgess (ed.). The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements (Rev. and expanded ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House. p. 521. ISBN 0310224810.
8. "SfC Europe: About Us". Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
9. "National Leadership".
10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. "Our Story / About XA". Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
12. "Faith under fire at Cal State". Fox News. March 29, 2015.
13. Zezima, Katie (June 14, 2003). "Of Bart and Homer, and the Many Ways of Faith". The New York Times.
14. "Religion Plays Growing Role on Campuses". The New York Times. January 5, 1986. p. Sunday Late City Final Edition, Section 1, Page 37, Column 1.
15. "The Palm Beach Post - Google News Archive Search". July 14, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
16. The Yale Review Vol. 74, No. 2 (Winter, 1985), 312. It has been reprinted several times (see her bibliography for info on the reprints).
17. Elliot, Peter (May 5, 2009). "Arkansas Pastors Shed Light on Idol Finalist Kris Allen". Everyday Christian. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009.

External links

• Official website