Psalm Chapter 5, verse 7 says “but as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You and I will worship toward Your holy temple.” UW-Platteville students have the ability to practice any religion they feel on campus with one of the many different religious affiliations offered. The InterReligious Council of UW- Platteville is a council made up of campus ministries, who work together to encourage kindness to the student body, as well as recognizing the difference that exist among us.

The ministries that make up the InterReligious Council of UW-P are: Luthearn Campus Ministry, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Catholic Newman Community, Jewish Campus Outreach, Lutheran Student Fellowship, Muslims on Campus and the United Methodist Campus Ministry.

Lutheran Campus Ministry
Lutheran Campus Ministry is a ministry connected with the Evangelical Church in America. Many events are offered through Lutheran Campus Ministry including “Table Talk,” retreats and concerts.

Every Wednesday night, the Lutheran Campus Ministry invites students to Table Talk at the First English Lutheran Church starting at 5 p.m., in which a free supper is provided, followed by fellowship and discussion.

“Sometimes we’ll have guest speakers from campus talk about a variety of topics about God,” Jason Vaaler, a Lutheran Campus Ministry member, said.

“It’s a great social outlet because we’re pretty laid back and we get to meet with other people who share the same beliefs.”

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is another option for students. InterVarsity is an evangelical ministry open to all students who want to learn about, grow in, and live out their faith with other members of their campus community.

Aaron Morrow, staff worker for UW-P’s InterVarsity, said that InterVarsity’s name dates back to Great Britain in the 1800s. In England, each University had the different colleges making up the university (like UW-P’s BILSA, EMS and LAE), and each college was called a Varsity. When the departments got together to worship, they formed InterVarsity.

InterVarsity meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Doudna Theatre. Smaller groups of InterVarsity members meet once a week all around campus.

“InterVarsity is a nationwide organization that serves college and university students and faculty by providing discipleship, witnessing opportunities and opportunities to serve God in missions,” Jack Borke, faculty adviser for InterVarsity, said.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Every Thursday at noon in the Pioneer Student Center, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meets to provide encouragement and a message. You don’t have to be an athlete to come.

“There are 12 to 14 people who come every week; most of them are athletes,” Kathy Bjork, wife to former UW-P professor, Dr. Ralph Bjork, said. Both Kathy and Ralph make the Thursday meetings.

Meetings last about 30 to 40 minutes; encouragement, a message and pizza is provided. If you have any questions, contact president Jacob Stueber at stueberj@uwplatt.edu.

Catholic Newman Community
Catholic Newman Community meets at St. Augustine Parish, located right across the street from Karrmann Library, every Wednesday at 9 p.m. Activities that CNC puts on include retreats, bowling, campfires, sledding, movies and more.

Jewish Campus Outreach
There are two synagogues for Jewish and non-Jewish students to worship: Temple Beth El, located in Dubuque, Iowa and Madison. For more details, contact Rea Kirk (for the Dubuque Temple Beth El) at kirkr@uwplatt.edu , or Vic Levy (for the Madison Temple Beth El) at levy@uwplatt.edu.

Lutheran Student Fellowship
LCMS is a ministry of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and is connected with the Apostles Lutheran Church, located at the northwest corner of town, off of 81 North.

Muslims on Campus
The Muslims on Campus meet every Friday at 2 p.m. for Congregational Prayer at the St. Augustine’s University Parish in the Augustine Room.

“We have about a half a dozen students now,” Abulkhair Masoom, a general engineer professor and advisor to Muslims on Campus, said.

While student numbers are low, Abulkhair Masoom said that there are more faculty members who are Muslim and coming to the Prayer meetings than there are students.

The Muslims on Campus have been a part of the InterReligious Council for about five years now. Both Abulkhair and Fahmida Masoom, also a general engineer professor, say that being part of the Council is beneficial.

“We [InterReligious Council] cater to all faiths,” Fahmida Masoom said.

There are prayer meetings every Sunday during Ramadan, where they meet for community Iftar. Ramadan is there month of fasting, for which Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. It’s meant to teach a person patience, sacrifice, and humility. Iftar refers to the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan. Iftar is done as a community, so that Muslims gather together to break the fast.

For more information, please contact Abulkhair Masoom (masoom@uwplatt.edu) or Fahmida Masoom (masoomf@uwplatt.edu).

United Methodist Campus Ministry
Sunday worship is every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Platteville UM Church, located at 1065 Lancaster St. The United Methodist Campus Ministry offers on-campus bible studies, and mission work trips. For more information, call John Christianson at 348-9508.

Other campus ministries that are not part of the InterReligious Council of UW-P include Campus Crusade for Christ, Glowing Ministries, Latter-Day Saint Student Association, and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Campus Ministry.

“They all have been invited to join IRC but because their staff is too small, or they have other agendas, lots of different reasons, but they choose not to be part of the IRC,” Dee Bernhardt, adviser to Catholic Newman Community.

Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is a Christian ministry that has recently expanded.

“Campus Crusade for Christ expanded it’s ministry to the UW-Platteville campus in the fall of 2007,” Debbie Kaun, adviser for Campus Crusade for Christ, said.

Campus Crusade for Christ meets Monday night at 7 p.m. in Doudna Hall room 149, for bible study.