On Friday, pizza and a prayer started the second of five Life in the Spirit meetings sponsored by the University Christian Outreach student organization at Grand Valley State University.

Life in the Spirit Fridays is a five-week seminar that began Jan. 28. Future meetings will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 25 and March 18 and 25 in Room 1142 of Kirkhof Center. The program teaches students about the Holy Spirit and how to incorporate lessons on a day to day basis.

“The main way I think it benefits students is realizing and learning how to find God in our everyday lives,” Kilpatrick said.

UCO, which meets at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, began the Friday seminars to reach out to more students and offer new lessons outside of the main meetings.

“We are a very social group. We build fellowship,” said sophomore Cindy Lykins, member of UCO. “We start with pizza, then a talk. After that, we break into small discussion groups. It’s a lot of fun.”

After the talk, the group then proceeded into small groups where discussion was lead by small group leaders who asked discussion questions.

The laid back and causal nature makes Life in the Spirit Fridays approachable, and it attracts students to the program, said Sarah Hughes, a UCO staff member.

“One of the goals of UCO is to give students a place to become and learn how to live an integrated Christian lifestyle,” Hughes said. “Wednesday nights, we do more of a charismatic prayer. It’s prayer and worship led by the Holy Spirit. We pray in a way that the Bible describes as expressive.”

Charismatic prayer involves raising hands, speaking in tongues, and offering prophecies and words of knowledge—all of which are considered gifts of the Holy Spirit.

“The charismatic prayer that we do definitely sets us apart from other groups,” Hughes said. “Students usually are like, ‘Whoa, this is different.’ But we strive for real and vibrant worship.”

Kyle Kilpatrick, staff and mission leader of UCO said he found the style of prayer to be refreshing.

“It was very genuine and comfortable for me,” he said. “But most people can find it a bit weird.”

The group has been growing since the beginning of the year. It started with about 25 members and has grown to about 40 regular members at each meeting.

In addition to their prayer style, UCO also attracts students because they are Ecumenical — having Christians of all denominations working toward Christian Unity.

“I definitely recommend (UCO) because this group is serious about seeking God, making life real and count for something,” Hughes said. “For me personally, I think we all need a purpose outside of ourselves. This is a great way to satisfy that.”

UCO participates in various service projects around the community. For spring break, the group plans to shuttle a crew to Detroit volunteer to help with inner city children and work in soup kitchens, among other activities.

“The group promotes unity within Christians,” Lykins said. “It creates community and unity between us and our relationships with God.”

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