Chi Alpha (Christian Fellowship)

Chi Alpha | ΧΑ (sometimes XA or SfC, officially known as Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship), is an international and interdenominational student Christian Fellowship on college campuses. Sponsored by Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and local churches, it is open to college students of all backgrounds. Even though the national governing organization is a ministry of the Assemblies of God, membership at local chapters includes many people of varying denominations.

Chapter names

Chi Alpha is also known by many local chapter names like, University Christian Fellowship, Chi Alpha Life, Campus Christian Fellowship, “[Insert School-name]" Christian Fellowship, "[Insert School Abbreviation or Short-name]" Chi Alpha on some campuses, or also by the organization's older name 'Christians in Action,' the current name used throughout most of Europe ‘Students for Christ,’ or several other local or regional names. Despite its name, it is not a fraternity or sorority.  

Depending on the chapter, Chi Alpha stands for either “Christians in Action”, "Christ's Ambassadors", and/or “Χριστού Απόστολοι (Christou Apostoloi | Christ's Ambassadors)”. The name "Christou Apostoloi" is said to come from 2 Corinthians 5:20 in the New Testament of the Christian Bible which states that “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” However, according to Strong's Greek Concordance, the exact Greek word in that verse corresponding to the English "ambassador" is 'πρεσβεύω (presbeuó)' in the conjugated form 'πρεσβεύομεν (presbeuomen)' which means "we are ambassadors." The English-to-Greek equivalent 'ἀπόστολος (apóstolos),' which in its plural form 'απόστολοι (apóstoloi)' can be translated back into English as 'apostles,' does not actually occur in the original Greek verse at all but could be a modern Greek translation of an English translation.

Logos 
There are many different variations of the logo, and some of them are university specific or city specific while others keep the original national affiliate's  logo.

Motto(s):

Governing Body

Purpose
The mission of Chi Alpha is to reconcile students to Jesus Christ, thereby transforming the university, the marketplace, and the world. Chi Alpha's mission motto is "Every student goes, every student gives, every student prays, and every student welcomes."
To this end, the organization is committed to a fivefold philosophy: being a community of worship, prayer, fellowship, discipleship, and mission.  The core values are Community, Creativity, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity, and Servant-Leadership.

History
The Assemblies of God began a ministry (Chi Alpha Campus Ministries) to collegians in 1947 at the urging of J. Robert Ashcroft (father of John Ashcroft), which consisted of a newsletter sent to college students to encourage them in their faith.

It soon became apparent that a newsletter by itself was inadequate, and so in 1953 Dr. J. Calvin Holsinger  chartered the first Assemblies of God student group at Missouri State University  (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in Springfield, Missouri where the Assemblies of God headquarters is located. The movement quickly spread to other campuses. For example, the first Chi Alpha to own property was the UC Berkeley chapter, which purchased a house next to campus in 1964.

The name Chi Alpha was inspired by the contemporary Assemblies of God youth movement, Christ's Ambassadors (a phrase in 2 Corinthians 5:20). The initials "CA" were changed to Greek initials "ΧΑ" in order to resemble the names of other college organizations.

Chi Alpha began its development internationally in the 1970s, establishing chapters in Europe under the name Students for Christ, and also into Latin America under various names.

In 1977, the first ever Chi Alpha internship was launched at Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham, Washington by the WWU Chi Alpha campus director Brady Bobbink. Since its inception, the internship, known as Campus Ministers in Training (CMIT), has spread to many of the college campuses that Chi Alpha is involved with. CMIT is an internship in which students, after having graduated from a University, dedicate a year of their lives as missionaries to a college campus and receive intense training on how to be an effective missionary for the rest of their lives.

In 1978, Dennis Gaylor became national director of Chi Alpha, and served until April 2013. Chi Alpha is currently led by Scott Martin.

There are now Chi Alpha ministries and fellowships on over 310 campuses throughout the United States involving roughly 28,000 students, and many more in sister organizations around the world.

Chapters

North America

United States 

A

AU Chi Alpha: American University
 Chi Alpha Angelo State: Angelo State University
 ASU Chi Alpha (Chi Alpha Arizona State University): Arizona State University
 A-State Chi Alpha: Arkansas State University
 Chi Alpha Arkansas (Chi Alpha UCA, UALR, ATU, Hendrix): Arkansas Tech University
 Chi Alpha Auburn (Auburn University Assemblies of God Ministry): Auburn University 
 Chi Alpha Augusta: Augusta University
 Chi Alpha Austin Peay (XApeay): Austin Peay State University 

B

 BSU Chi Alpha: Ball State University
Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at Baylor University: Baylor University  
Bellevue College Chi Alpha (BellevueXA): Bellevue College
Bemidji Chi Alpha: Bemidji State University
Above the Haze: A Chi Alpha Campus Ministry (Boston Chi Alpha) | Boston University 
Chi Alpha Peoria (Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship On The Campuses of Peoria, Illinois): Bradley University and other universities in Peoria, Illinois. 
BuffaloXA (Buffalo State Chi Alpha): Buffalo State College

G

 GMU Chi Alpha (GMUXA): George Mason University 

N

 NC State Chi Alpha: NC State 

P

 Purdue Chi Alpha: Purdue University

Q

 Queens College Chi Alpha: Queens College

S

 Sinclair Community College
 Stanford Chi Alpha

U

 UVA Chi Alpha (XAATUVA | The Chi Alpha Hub): University of Virginia

 University of Dayton

V

 Virginia Tech Chi Alpha (VTXA | The Chi Alpha House): Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

W

 Winona State University 
 Wright State University

Canada

Europe 

 SFC-Rotterdam (Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands)
Studenten für Christus Deutschland und Europa

Eurasia 

 SFC Russia (Russia) -- chartered at Kemerovo State University.

Countries 

 India

Latin America

Asia Pacific

Countries 

 Japan

Cultural mentions 

In the 2014-2015 school year, Chi Alpha at CSU Stanislaus was removed from campus because they required that their leaders be Christians. The case gained national attention and was covered on Fox News. The chapter was eventually reinstated.
 The chapters at Georgetown University and the University of New Hampshire were highlighted in a 2003 article in The New York Times entitled "Of Bart and Homer, and the Many Ways of Faith" - an article about their use of the Simpsons as a Bible study tool, and in 1986 The New York Times mentioned the chapter at Columbia University as representative of a trend of growing Christian fellowships on campuses in the northeastern United States.
Annie Dillard wrote a widely reprinted essay, "Singing with the Fundamentalists", about her experiences singing with a group of students from the Chi Alpha chapter at Western Washington University (a chapter which operates under the local name of Campus Christian Fellowship).

Notable alumni 

 Kris Allen, the 2009 American Idol winner, was a member of Chi Alpha when he was a student at University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.

References

External links 
 
 Chi Alpha Missions (archived copy)
 Chi Alpha Nicaragua (archived copy)

Category:Assemblies of God
Category:Christian organizations established in 1953
Category:Student religious organizations in the United States
Category:Evangelical organizations
Category:Christianity
Category:Fellowships