IS CAMPUS LIGHT SUS? 👀

Hey! First off, thanks for checking out Campus Light. We’ve heard about the whispers, the Reddit threads, the DMs from your roommate’s cousin’s friend—and yep, the rumors have made the rounds. So let’s talk about it!

Q: Omg I heard Campus Light is sus because because they're always on campus with their tables and giving out free snacks and stuff. And then once you join, they’re so controlling that they take up all your time!

A: Okay, guilty as charged on the snacks. We do hand out free things. And in the past, we’ve grilled up hundreds of burgers on College Ave—especially for folks in need of a post-party recovery meal. (You're welcome, Saturday night.)

But really, in terms of the basics, we’re not that different from other student orgs, clubs, campus recruiters, frats, or the university itself. We hand out freebies, meet new people, create spaces where community and good convos can happen—and yes, we do naturally end up spending a lot of time together. The hours go by fast, though: we always have a lot of fun. (Cue the boba, snacks, games, and music!)

That being said, we get where the rumors are coming from. Admittedly, we’re pretty intense. We take our Christian faith seriously, and we really don’t like hypocrisy. We don’t think Christian life is only about meeting on Sundays, sitting for just an hour to watch a program. We mean it when we say that Jesus changed our lives for the better and gave us purpose and meaning. So what does that look like?

It looks like this (for the full verses, see the bottom!):

• Loving each other concretely: dropping off soup when someone’s sick, showing up to significant life events, having each other over for dinner, helping each other move, etc.

  • 1 John 3:16-18

  • John 13:35

• Meeting up frequently to talk about life (because how can we say we love each other if we don’t know what’s going on in each other’s lives?).

  • Acts 2:46

  • Hebrews 10:24-25

• Serving God and others: volunteering at senior homes, traveling abroad for missions, driving to NYC to host youth, setting up for church service, and more.

  • Galatians 5:13

  • Philippians 2:3-4

• Sharing the good news of Jesus—of forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption—by doing outreach and having good convos with strangers. Aka, the Great Commission!

  • Matthew 28:18-20

  • Romans 10:14

  • 2 Corinthians 5:20

• Pursuing holiness and living God-honoring, blameless lives, because God calls us to be holy.

  • 1 John 1:9

  • 2 Timothy 2:22

  • Ephesians 5:3

• Taking time out to get trained on how to share the gospel and know God’s Word. We believe church isn’t like a restaurant where you go to sit back and be served. Church is more like a chef training school: we’re here to get in the “kitchen” and get equipped to obey Jesus.

  • Ephesians 4:11-14

  • 2 Timothy 2:15

  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17

  • 1 Peter 3:15

• Lovingly speaking the truth to each other; we’re the homies who will tell you if there’s spinach in your teeth, or a glaring issue in blind spots (we all have them!).

  • Ephesians 4:15

  • Hebrews 3:13

So yeah, things get pretty busy around here. But what you’ll find here isn’t control or coercion. You’ll instead find real care and commitment. We’re a group of humans genuinely trying to show up for each other, follow Jesus, and help others do the same. 

We know the internet can be full of hot takes, but if you’re ever curious about who we actually are, just come hang out. No secret handshakes, no weird robes, no Kool-Aid—just loving people, honest questions, and… yes, snacks. :)

PS: For the record, we also hold to sound biblical doctrine and are part of the SEND Network and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). We're also recognized as an official campus chaplaincy at Rutgers University. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to meet you!

PPS: We host events and hangouts throughout the week, and our Sunday church service is at Tillett 232 on Livingston at 11 AM.

---

• Loving each other concretely

  • 1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

  • John 13:35, “‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’”

• Meeting up frequently to talk about life

  • Acts 2:46, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,…”

  • Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

• Serving God and others

  • Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

  • Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

• Sharing the good news of Jesus

  • Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

  • Romans 10:13-14, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

  • 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

• Pursuing holiness and living God-honoring, blameless lives

  • 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

  • 2 Timothy 2:22, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

  • Ephesians 5:3, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.”

• Getting trained to share the gospel & know God’s Word

  • Ephesians 4:11-14, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

  • 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

  • 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

• Speaking the truth in love to each other

  • Ephesians 4:15, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

  • Hebrews 3:13, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

---

The author of this post is Dr. Aurora Sun. She is currently a researcher at Princeton University and recently graduated from Princeton with her PhD in Politics (International Relations). She loves to talk about Jesus, human rights, and how the gospel changed her life. If you have any questions about anything in this post, don’t hesitate to reach out!

You can email Campus Light at campuslightchurch@gmail.com.

You can also check out campuslight.org for more info.