FOCUS Staff:
Pictured from left to right: Dave Daro, Jenny
Witt, RyAnne Folck, Craig Sanger

FOCUS Mission Statement:
To know Christ Jesus and to fulfill His Great Commission by first living and then communicating the fullness of life within the family of God, the Church.

FOCUS sponsors many activities throughout the year, including bible studies, discipleship, large group events, and more.

Campus Mission Statement:
To bring the Gospel of Christ through the Catholic Church to Loras College working hand in hand with the greater Campus Ministry and to build up student leaders in order to win the Loras College Campus for Christ.

Who we are:
Founded by Curtis Martin in 1997, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) works to reach out to college students on campus and develop friendships with them. Each campus consists of a FOCUS team of at least four staff members that lead Bible studies, large group leadership events, and work one on one with students through personal discipleship to help them grow spiritually and in virtue. FOCUS staff members, all recent college graduates, are on a campus full-time to help support students as they learn about their faith and what it means to be a Catholic.

What we do:
At Loras College, FOCUS sponsors many activities throughout the year, including the following on a regular basis:

BIBLE STUDIES
Every week people meet to learn more about the Catholic Church and their faith. The meetings are called Bible studies and are offered at various times and locations throughout the week. Men study with men and women with women. Bible studies include topics such as Virtue, Christian Leadership, Salvation History, and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to name of few.

Bible study leaders are either FOCUS staff missionaries or student leaders who show maturity and depth in their faith. The goal is two-fold: 1) to know Jesus Christ better and to understand and love the Church, and 2) to establish and deepen Christian friendships. These groups help encourage: deeper discussions about one’s personal relationship with God, the study of the word of God (scripture), and support for one another as they try to live out their faith in God. Members of our Bible Studies also participate in other FOCUS activities and leadership.

DISCIPLESHIP
“ With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

FOCUS believes that the most effective way to spread the Gospel is through personal relationships and devolvement. FOCUS staff missionaries invite students into mentorship relationships where they encourage them to grow in prayer, virtue, and in living out their faith within the campus community. We train students to be leaders in their faith so they can take the faith out to their peers. FOCUS staff missionaries are also members of discipleship/mentor chains.

LARGE GROUP EVENTS
Our large group events are a place for new students to get a non-threatening introduction to the Christian life, and a place for student leaders to be challenged. FOCUS missionaries invite those students who show leadership potential to organize large group events on campus, featuring skits, music, games, testimonies, and a short teaching by a FOCUS missionary or guest speaker. These events deepen the bonds of Christian friendship developed in Bible study and discipleship. The fellowship gives students the encouragement and strength to live out and evangelize the Catholic faith.

Take the example of charcoal: when the coals are all together, they glow with heat for hours and hours. Pull one coal away from the pile, and it quickly cools off. Intramural sports teams, ski trips, BBQs, large group events, and conferences are all opportunities to deepen bonds of friendship and help keep the fire burning.