By Abigail Gan | Reporter
Cru Greekwide at Baylor is continuing its new member Bible study over Colossians for the next six weeks, meeting from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. All members of MC ’23 are welcome to join.
According to its Instagram, Cru Greekwide is an organization that is “seeking to build generations of disciples in Greek Life by building them up in their faith and sending them out as lifelong laborers for the kingdom.”
Hannah Wiley Okrafka, a staff member for Cru Greekwide at Baylor, said she was able to see the benefits of ministry in Greek life while she was in a sorority at Texas A&M University. Two years ago, she moved to Waco to start a chapter of Cru at Baylor to work specifically with sororities.
“I didn’t really utilize my time in college in a sorority in a way that was glorifying to the Lord,” Okrafka said. “It’s a really unique space you’re in. How could the Lord use [sororities] for more than just friends and date parties and stuff? How could you use it for more of an eternal purpose?”
Because she is the only staff member for Cru Greekwide, Okrafka said it isn’t feasible to do an individual Bible study with each chapter. This is where the idea for a joint one was born.
“Our hope is that girls wouldn’t just stay in an exclusive state of just being with their chapter, but would also get to have a broader perspective that the Lord is at work in all of Greek life,” Okrafaka said.
Okrafka said she urges new members to join, even if they don’t know anyone going or have doubts.
“I just encourage them, come try at least once,” Okrafka said. “If you don’t want to come back, that’s fine. Who knows, maybe they’ll meet someone else there that they end up becoming really good friends with that they wouldn’t have connected with otherwise.”
To cater to a wide range of believers, Okrafka said they selected Colossians as the book of discussion.
“[My hope is] someone coming in with very little background knowledge would feel just as welcome as someone who knows a ton,” Okrafka said.
Lindale junior and Cru Greekwide leader Jenna Rigney said the Bible study is a great opportunity for women to not only get plugged in, but also deepen their understanding of their faith.
“The Colossians study has both been a way for us to grow in our understanding of God, but also be equipped to understand, ‘OK, how do we break apart a passage of scripture? How do we use this in a setting with somebody that we’re meeting? And how do we encourage them with this?’” Rigney said.
Rigney said the ministry helps establish a healthy foundation members can use in their chapters.
“I think the hope with Greekwide is that we’re poured into and we learn the tools to be able to disciple people in our chapters,” Rigney said.
Okrafka said it has been encouraging to see women pour into each other as well as the fruits of their steps of faith.
“It just gets me excited,” Okrafka said. “Obviously it’s only been two years, but what could that impact look like in 10 years or 15 years? They won’t be around to see it, but the Lord could use it for a very long-term impact.”
The link to join the new member Bible study GroupMe can be found on Instagram.
