We are currently hiring for a new Campus Minister/Director of UKirk Ministries.
BE OUR CAMPUS MINISTER
BE OUR CAMPUS MINISTER
We are currently hiring for a new Campus Minister/Director of UKirk Ministries.
COLLEGE MINISTRY
Join us on Tuesday nights at 6:30PM for dinner, fellowship, and study!Free dinner provided!
Follow us on social media or email bamaukirk@gmail.com for more details and to find out where we're meeting this week.
UKirk (literally meaning University Church) is the Presbyterian (USA)
college ministry in Tuscaloosa. We’re actually part of a larger network
of PC(USA) campus ministries (called UKirk Ministries) which seeks to
reach, teach, and love college students so that they may be lifelong
followers of Jesus Christ. Locally, though, we are a ministry of First
Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa.
Special Dates
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Show up! Join us for worship at FPC on Sunday mornings at 11AM in our Sanctuary or gather with us on Tuesday nights at 6:30PM at 405 20th Avenue, Suite 2, Tuscaloosa, 35401. You can contact our UKirk team at bamaukirk@gmail.com, or you can take a look at our Facebook Group or Facebook Page. You can also follow us on Twitter @BamaUKirk or Instagram @ukirkua!
When not in a global pandemic, we also get together for
We have a fantastic team in place to continue work with local college students after the recent departure of our Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry. Our Campus Ministry Coordinators are Austin & Lauren Howard and Allison Bothwell. All three are Bama UKirk alums & participated heavily in UKirk as undergrads and know what a difference it makes in the lives of college students! They've signed on to help lead our students during this time of transition. All three are grateful for their time in UKirk as students and excited to help lead the group now! You can reach them by email at bamaukirk@gmail.com.
Allison Bothwell is an Ohio native who has called Tuscaloosa
home for the past six years. She recently graduated from UA with a Master of
Arts in American Studies and will begin working as an Academic Advisor at UA
this summer. In August of 2017, she joined UKirk as a freshman at UA and
attended regularly throughout her time as an undergrad. She considers herself beyond
blessed for the countless friendships she made through UKirk and the good times
shared on Tuesday nights, at Homekirkin's, and on mission trips. UKirk provided
her with a safe space where she felt loved and accepted, and was encouraged to
grow spiritually. It made such a significant impact on her life as she navigated
the many ups and downs of college, ultimately showing her how truly
transformative campus ministry can be.
Austin Howard grew up at FPC in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended UA before getting his doctorate of physical therapy degree at the University of South Alabama. He now works as a physical therapist at DCH Regional. UKirk holds a very special place in his heart. It’s where he met several of his closest friends and his wife, Lauren!
Lauren Howard grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and came to UA to earn her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary Education. She just finished her third year teaching kindergarten at Maxwell Elementary. UKirk was and still is a large part of her faith journey. This ministry gave her some of the most meaningful relationships in her life, and she is passionate about seeing it thrive. Lauren and Austin both credit UKirk and FPC with making Tuscaloosa feel like home.
AM I WELCOME?
Because church, Christians, and God really aren't my thing...
Absolutely. We get it. The church, for all that it does well, can be a difficult place. We people are not always good at welcoming strangers or other folks who believe different things than we do. That’s what it means to be broken: sometimes, we’re just not very good at the whole ‘loving one another’ thing. That includes the church. But, at UKirk, we believe in sharing in that brokenness together— no matter what we believe, no matter our background, no matter our politics or opinions or whatever, no matter what. We believe in sharing life together, because that’s what Jesus calls us to do. And so, we, as a community, pledge to live, love, serve, and worship together, believing and hoping that God will redeem us and that we will— somehow— take part in that redemption.
UKIRK MISSIONS
At UKirk, local, domestic, and
international missions are an important part of our ministry. Each year,
we take a service trip to learn about who we are, whose we are, where
we are called, and what we are called to do. As the prophet Isaiah says,
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’"
Past Mission Trips include New Orleans, LA; Haiti; Washington, DC,; Nashville, TN; Miami, FL; and Orlando, FL. We also have served in local ministries, including our Habitat for
Humanity builds around Tuscaloosa and
our work with the University Presbyterian Church Food Pantry. We look forward to experiencing new ways to proclaim God's story to the
world, and new places where we can listen to and learn from our sisters
and brothers in Christ, wherever they may be! If you're interested in being part of our next mission trip (location & dates TBA), let us know!
SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS
We've got a wonderful group of students here at Bama UKirk, and there are ways you can support us. Whether through prayer or our Adopt-a-Student Program or through financial giving, we appreciate your generous support.
Want to offer financial support? We always need help! Visit FPC's "Giving" page and choose to give to UKirk.