Office of Ministry & Service

For more than 150 years, North Central College students from different faith traditions have united as a campus community where mutual respect produces vibrant discussion and collective action.

Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, North Central encourages students to ask questions and develop their personal faith during this spiritually pivotal time in their lives. The Office of Ministry and Service provides resources, guidance, and opportunities to harness their interests, skills, and passion to serve the campus, community, and world.

We offer:

  • Service trips
  • Worship services
  • Bible studies and prayer groups
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Spiritual retreats
  • Christian holiday chapel services
  • Lecture series
  • Interfaith celebrations

Worship

College is a place where your faith becomes your own. 

At North Central, you have the opportunity to grow deeper in your faith. In additional to the weekly student-led Christian interdenominational worship service (Focus), our office facilitates Bible studies, small groups, retreats, and prayer groups. Also, many students find a home in one of the many faith communities and churches in the Naperville area, often just blocks from campus.

Grow

Catholic Cardinals: Fellowship with other Catholic students during gatherings that feature weekly home-cooked meals, Bible study, special speakers, retreats and off-campus Mass.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA): Team up with this national-athletic focused ministry for fellowship, outreach and spiritual growth.

Muslim Student Association (MSA): Explore the people, cultures and beliefs of Islam through religious dialogue through cultural understanding. 

United: Join in faithful discipleship with radical inclusivity, through the teachings of the United Methodist Church. 

Serve

From the Chicago area to the Appalachian Mountains to impoverished areas overseas, students have the opportunity to travel and serve during academic breaks through BREAKAWAY. Recent BREAKAWAY trips include Nicaragua, Michigan, Peru, Virginia, El Salvador, Louisiana, Colorado, and more!

"Service, at the core of it, is about caring. Service is gratitude; appreciating everything you have been blessed with, and exhaling it back into your community. Service is learning to love. Service is sacrifice; giving up your time, your energy, your money, your perfectly clean shirt. Service is kindness, in the rawest form of the word." —Maria Requena, Junior

Partner

Cardinals in Action: Circle K International (CIA:CKI): Be part of the international organization Kiwanis, and join with other students for community service projects in our own backyard.

Feed the Need: Participate in our annual, community-wide Feed My Starving Children Mobilepack hosted at North Central.

Summer Ministry Teams: Get involved with our student teams leading Vacation Bible Schools, camping ministries, and summer church internships.

Young Life: Minister to and serve middle school, high school, and special needs students in the local community.

Engage

The Lux Veritas Speaker Series—drawing from North Central College's religious and academic heritage—engages our community in conversations with leaders whose faith motivates them to transform the world. Inspired by our college seal, a lamp representing "light" and a book representing "truth," these events connect us with leaders that explore important issues in a spirit of truth while spreading light into the world as a means to live out our purpose. 

Connect

Intersection: Be part of a community-wide day of service uniting nonprofit organization and churches to meet the needs of surrounding communities.

Local churches: We encourage students to get involved in one of the many faith communities in the Naperville area. We help students find a place to worship within a short walk or drive from campus.

Other events include:

  • Homecoming Chapel Service
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast
  • Ash Wednesday Service
  • Seder Dinner
  • Good Friday Service
  • Baccalaureate