Chi Alpha to rescind Troy chapter closure

Campus ministry group Chi Alpha announced its return to Troy University after closing its doors at the end of the last semester.

The group planned to come to an end as the previous directors stepped down with no one to replace them. Additionally, Justin Felch, the Troy Chi Alpha minister, was removed from his position in 2023 due to allegations from former members with no one to replace him, leaving the responsibilities to three staff members.

The new directors of Chi Alpha, Tsey and Austin Henderson, are a married couple who moved to Troy only a few weeks after the chapter announced it would be shutting down.

“We did not know at all that Chi Alpha was closing,” said Austin Henderson, new co-director of Chi Alpha Troy. “We happened to meet with the former directors of Chi Alpha, just to say, ‘Hey, we're here in the same city, and we want to partner together.’

“Then, they told us they were leaving, and we didn't know that.

We just felt that it was a shame that it was closing.

“You have all these students who have been loved to be a part of something. We inquired if we could be the new directors of Chi Alpha.”

For some students, this return offers them a place to go that feels like home.

“I don't feel like a number here,” said Chi Alpha President Daniel Mensah, a graduate student computer science major from London, England. “I'm not saying this about America in particular, but in the past, in the UK, I sometimes felt like a number, like a statistic, but that is not the case here.

“It is very transformative.”

While some might think announcing its closure and then its return would be confusing, Henderson said it was a smooth transition into this semester thanks to the help of one of the former leaders.

“The former president, Sarah Francis, sent out a group message saying we were going to have a meet and greet,” Henderson said. “The Chi Alpha director for Alabama, Craig Woodham, came down and made that introduction with Sarah Francis to the old people who were here and said, 'These are the new directors.’

“It's not just like we just popped up out of nowhere.”

For some students, while they are glad to see Chi Alpha return, they also say it is important for Troy University to have another campus ministry students can turn to.

“I think campus ministries are important on college campuses because they provide an intentional, supportive and caring community,” said Samantha Ruwuya, a member of Chi Alpha and a graduate student majoring in biomedical science from Harare, Zimbabwe. “Whether you need guidance – spiritual or general – or you’re looking for a home away from home, campus ministries do a great job of welcoming people from all walks of life and giving them the support, encouragement and resources that can help make going through college better.”

The new directors hope to partner with other campus ministry groups to help lead more students to Christianity, while also providing the support students need.

“We're going to teach the whole Bible and let people ask questions about it,” Henderson said. “If you grew up Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or Pentecostal, it doesn't matter.

“Anyone can come to Chi Alpha, and we're not going to single out anybody.

We’re excited to partner with the other campus ministries.

“We are all on the same team. We want to work, partner, maybe do outreaches or serve the community together.”

When the shutdown was first announced in February, a member reached out to express their dissatisfaction with how the ministry could feel, in their words, cult-y. However, that same member sees the benefit of the group's return to campus

“I think Chi Alpha coming back is a good thing,” said the former member of Chi Alpha. “Even though I might not be a fan of them and their style personally, I do think it's good that Christian students on campus have another option for worship again.”

The student ministry is currently looking for an on-campus spot to meet at, but this has not stopped them from meeting this semester. The group is currently meeting on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. at 75 North Court Square in downtown Troy.