Welcome to Humans of Koinonia. When people first come to our group, they always ask stuff like, "How did you come?" or "Why did you stay?"

Koinonia has grown a lot in size over the years, but our values of close fellowship and community in Christ still runs strong. So the Social/Web Koinonia Operations (code name: KoinOps) team sat down and brainstormed on how we could help newcomers get the overall vibe of our group and see that we're all pretty normal humans who came to UT, stumbled across a Christian group (whether we were looking for a church or not), and found a group of brothers and sisters in Christ to do life with during our college years - and many times, even beyond. 

We're kicking off our series with John. Check out his story. 

Tell us about yourself and what you like to do for fun. 

I'm a Senior at UT. Most Saturday mornings, I like to play basketball with my friends and go out to eat afterward.

How did you hear about Koinonia? 

I was eating dinner in Kinsolving and this guy came and sat beside me and we began talking. Eventually I found out we were from the same town and we talked about my church background. He later invited me to Koin. 

What is it about Koin that kept you coming?

Through Koin I’ve been able to reconnect with God and grow spiritually through the different leaders and peers I’ve met and I’m drawn to the genuine and loving relationships that I have.

What made you decide to become Christian?

For me coming into college, I was carrying around the weight and regret of ways I had hurt others. On the outside, I hid behind a mask in front of other people and pretended that I was fine. However, on the inside, I was constantly beating myself up for the things that I had done, and I was afraid that other people would reject me if they ever found out who I really was. I had planned to carry the weight of these regrets with me for the rest of my life because I knew that there was no way to reverse the damage that I had caused. When I learned about who Jesus is, I saw that God still loved me despite all of the sins that I had committed against Him and other people in the past. God promised me that all of my sins past, present, and future were washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. I decided to become Christian because I knew that God is faithful, and it is through Jesus that I was finally freed from the burdens of my sins and that I am able to find true peace and security.

Do you have a favorite memory in Koin?

During my Sophomore bro's retreat it was raining and muddy, we ended up pulling a truck up a hill towards the lodge. It was cool to encourage each other and struggle together to complete the hard task we had.

Do you have a favorite verse you like going back to?

Luke 9:23 because it’s a reminder for me that Christian life is a daily all-out commitment and it helps remind me to keep active in my Christian life instead of falling to the temptations of slothfulness.

Thanks for sharing John! Have questions for us or want to share your story? Leave us a comment!