6. New Students Focus Group (Part 1)

11/30, 5p
Sanctuary/Multi-purpose room
Dawn led, Randy helped, Amy took notes

M - female, freshman from Aberdeen, SD
A - male, sophomore from Oakdale, MN
Li - female, freshman Minneapolis, MN
S - female, freshman Elk River, MN
La - female, freshman Chisago Lakes, MN
J - female, attends Normandale Community College in the Twin Cities, visiting with M

FF: So you're almost all first year students, and Fred invited you here for a reason. What drew you into Crossroads?

S - I have him for a teacher, and we were looking for a place to go to church and we came here and liked it.

M - We tried the other one first and liked this one better.

S - Fred really listens to you. He wants to get to know you.

Li - Involved in an ELCA church at home and it was a necessity for me to get involved, I came here and I've stayed. I needed more than what I was getting back home - Bible studies and spiritual development. I'm getting it here.

A - Came and visited here as a prospective student and talked to Fred. I like the guy. I attend Bible study like every other week. I play drums here - but not in services, and I usually go to night church.

(Random tangent…)

A - My first year I just attended, and then Fred invited me to do stuff - to study here, then I play drums and stuff. I'm here quite a bit. It's a great place to study.

M - Bible studies are good because we talk about things that are happening in our life. You get to know people pretty well. It's fun.

FF: Worship?

Li - Really different from what I new growing up. But now I'm getting used to it.

La - I attended Methodist church, so that was different. But now I like it. I like that it's small and it's people from campus. Fred relates the message to my life.

FF: So do other people attend?

La- There are people from the community that come too.

FF: How many people?

Li - Usually about 20.

M- I'm also Methodist, but I was looking for something close and there's only Lutheran ones on campus. It took me awhile to get used to it. I've grown up with the same church.

FF: Was the worship service a main draw?

La- I wouldn't be here if I didn't like the worship.

A - I wouldn't be a Lutheran if Fred wasn't so cool to me. I do want to learn more about being a Lutheran. I don't care much for the worship. I've been a bad Lutheran

FF: What's the impact on campus?

La- People know the church because Fred is a teacher. He invites us to come and do activities that his church is doing - like the Marty Party. After the first weekend we came he invited us to invite other people from our floor to come along.

(group nods)

FF: Did anyone come from your class?

La- We've had a few more people join than just the three of us from our class.

M - Our class is service learning, and a lot of the projects are tied in with the church and vice versa.

FF: How has Fred impacted you personally?

M - He's a good listener. I like listening to him talk because he explains everything. He seems to know everything. He's helped me grow my faith, too.

S - If you have something you really really need to talk to somebody about, he would be the one. It's nice to know that there is an adult who I could talk to about things that I can't talk to my parents or other adults. I feel like he really wants to help me. He looks at me when I talk.

A - I've learned a lot from him - he's explained a lot of things that I really didn't get before. He'll tell me what he thinks and what the Bible says, and if I disagree that's ok. Like I don't attend church very regularly and we talked about it and he was so nice about it he made me want to come more.

FF: How has your faith grown through your involvement here or with Fred?

M - My church was so big I didn't have anyone to ask my questions to. Fred has time to talk to me one on one. He answers my questions.

FF: Tell me about bible studies.

Li - Now we're going through the book of Luke - backtracking now for Jesus' birth.

FF: So it's bible but open to other things.

Li - Like a couple weeks ago we ended up talking about movies and how they are so violent - like Shrek is a kids' movie and it has all this swearing in it and stuff. We had a whole discussion.

A - That was right after movie night (up in the residents' area here - Fred shows a movie first Friday of every month)

Li - It's a great place to hang out. Computers, 3 cent copies…

FF: Genius?

Continue to Part 2