What are the demographics like in college group?
Our college group is made up of students from many different backgrounds. The majority of people are Korean-Americans and Korean natives, but we also have a number of Caucasian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Philipino, Hispanic and mixed brothers and sisters from other parts of the world.
I'm hungry. Do you serve food at New Hope?
Our weekly college group fellowship gatherings (on Friday evenings) begin with dinner served at 6:00pm, and snacks served at the end of our Bible study time. On Saturdays for the church-wide early morning prayer, a light breakfast is served after the time of prayer. On Sundays, the church serves lunch after services end.
I'm not exactly a religious person. Can I check out?
We welcome all people to our doors, whether you are a believer or just being curious about Christianity. If you have questions about faith, about what it would mean to be a Christian, and if you are even searching for a place to come and worship, we are here. We have small group Bible study at our Friday night gatherings, so if you have questions and want to learn more, we can study the Bible in a Foundational study.
Who leads and oversees the college group?
The college group is guided by the church's associate Pastor Sam Hwang, and is student-led by a team of college group Officers -- consisting of its President, Vice President, Administrator, Secretary and Treasurer. Committees are formed within the college group to oversee the different aspects of our ministry. For complete details on our leadership,
please have a look at our Constitution.What are your pastors like?
Get to know the pastors personally at one of our gatherings. They each come to the University at Buffalo campus to have lunch and hang out with the students, so come find us at the Student Union. They would love to meet you!
Do I have to be Presbyterian to become a part of college group?
While New Hope is a
Presbyterian (PC USA) church, the brothers and sisters of our college group come from a wide variety of faith traditions and denominations ... so "no", you do not have to be a Presbyterian to be a part of college group, and we do not ask anyone to become one.
Does college group have activities during the week?
We're always busy with things to do, every week of the academic school year! Take a look at our
News & Events page to see what we're up to. Please note that our events are more limited during the summer months.
When do your Sunday services usually end?
Usually, our Sunday English and Sunday Korean services do not last more than an hour each. When our services combine on the last Sunday of the month, it may last about an hour and a half -- although sometimes service may end later.
So I don't live near the church, how can I get there?
Most of our college group weekly events take place directly on the grounds of the UB campus, so if you are a student there, then it shouldn't be a problem. We offer free church van pick-ups from the UB campuses directly to church for our
Friday Fellowship and
Sunday worship services.
If you own a car, then you can get a map and directions to New Hope. but we want to accomodate you in case of special circumstances (such as no car, etc), so feel free to contact us if you would like to come out.
What kinds of special events does college group partner with?
Along with our weekly events, college group hosts several retreats and outreach nights a year. We also partner with youth and campus ministries to provide you with opportunities to go to popular conferences, conventions and missions trips. (such as Intervarsity's URBANA, the Passion convention, and Campus Crusade's Big Break trips and summer missions projects.) If you are interested in joining us for these big events,
contact us.
