NINE-BEAN SOUP

When Melissa first stepped onto the campus of South Dakota State University in 2004, she was far from her home in Iowa. Like many students arriving at a sprawling university, she felt the weight of being alone. "I was looking for a place to belong," she remembers. Having spent her summers at Bible camp, Melissa arrived with a vibrant faith and a hope of finding a similar community to keep it alive during the school year. She spent her early college days "bouncing around" between different campus ministries, searching for a connection that would stick.

Everything changed when she was invited to the University Lutheran Center. It offered the Lutheran theology she had known since childhood and a pattern of worship that felt comfortable. The connection deepened during her sophomore year on a spring break service trip to New Orleans, and the next year, as she stepped into leadership as a peer minister. From the "gross" but memory-making nine-bean soup fundraisers to the friendships formed, the University Lutheran Center provided the vibrant faith community that caught Melissa during her most formative years.

Today, Melissa’s life has come full circle. You may know her as an academic advisor on campus, a busy wife and mom of three, or an active member at Ascension Lutheran Church. She also serves as a council member for our community of faith. She returned to leadership because she knows firsthand that college is a critical time for identity formation. "I appreciate the University Lutheran Center because it is a physical place where," Melissa says, "you can find community." She now works to ensure that the same sanctuary that provided a place for her is ready and waiting for the next student arriving on campus.

We are so thankful for your support of the University Lutheran Center. For the next generation of students like Melissa, you make it possible for young people to find their faith identity and a lifelong sense of belonging. Thank you for being part of this shared ministry.