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Ohio University’s Kappa Phi club, the all-girl, Christian organization pose for a group portrait on Sunday, May 16, 2019. Photo provided by Ohio University Kappa Phi Club Facebook. 

National religious sisterhood does good on a local level

Ohio University’s Kappa Phi Club is a small organization that tries to make a big impact.

Kappa Phi is a national Christian student organization. It is focused on service, worship and sisterhood. It has 28 active chapters and 21 alumnae chapters across the country.

OU’s Kappa Phi Club is a relatively small organization on campus. 

Amber Lee, social media chair of Kappa Phi, knew that she wanted to continue her relationship with religion when she went to college.

“I knew that I wanted to be in a Christian organization,” Lee, a sophomore studying actuarial science, said.

Lee was attracted to Kappa Phi because it was an organization that promoted building a tight-knit social network. 

“I really liked that Kappa Phi was like a sorority but not really -- it had the sisterhood aspect,” she said. 

Kappa Phi was a must for Lee. 

“I felt like that was where I needed to go spiritually and personally,” Lee said. 

Elizabeth King, sisterhood chair of Kappa Phi, joined Kappa Phi last spring. She felt very welcomed by the organization, even when she first joined. 

“It didn’t feel pressured,” King, a junior studying nursing, said. “It is a very comfortable feeling -- I could be who I was.”

King has found some of her closest friends because of Kappa Phi, she said. She found a reliable social network for the first time in her college experience.

“I have friends I know I can call in the middle of the night if I’m stressing over something,” she said. 

King stressed how important Kappa Phi is to her. She wasn’t sure if she was going to stay at OU, until she found Kappa Phi.

“It changed everything,” she added. “I probably would’ve transferred if not for this organization.”

King’s love for Kappa Phi allowed her to fit right into her leadership role as sisterhood chair.

“I have found that it’s really fun to do,” she said. “I love planning things that are creative and bring people together.”

King loves the sense of community Kappa Phi provides. 

“I enjoy getting to meet everyone and know everyone, and enjoy getting everyone excited about doing stuff,” King said.

King went to Catholic school her whole life and found herself welcomed by Kappa Phi. She wanted to maintain some religious aspect in her life.

OU’s Kappa Phi Club is interdenominational. It doesn’t require any prior religious exposure either. Sara St. Peter, secretary and service chair of Kappa Phi, knows this best.

“I had no intention of coming into college knowing I wanted to join a religious organization,” St. Peter, a sophomore studying nursing, said. 

She had only started attending church a couple years earlier. Then, one day, she found Kappa Phi.

“I stumbled upon Kappa Phi at the involvement fair and looked at their posters and knew it was perfect for me,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter appreciates everything Kappa Phi does. She sees Kappa Phi as something much more than a Christian organization. 

“We are not just Christian -- we are Christian, service and sisterhood,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter’s favorite part of Kappa Phi is the local service work they do.

“I love volunteer work,” she said. “It’s my favorite pillar that we have.”

Kappa Phi makes semester visits to the Southeast Ohio Food Bank in Logan, as well as local shelters. Kappa Phi also supports on-campus resources, such as Cats Cupboard. 

Olivia Sleek, pledge and recruitment coordinator and worship chair, is the first face hopeful Kappa Phi members meet when they want to join. Sleek likes to think of herself as the window into the organization.

Sleek, a junior studying nursing, joined because she wanted to spend more time with her best friend who was in the organization. She found home in Kappa Phi, too, she said.

“I ended up loving it,” Sleek said. 

Kappa Phi hosts its weekly meetings on Thursdays at First United Methodist Church, 2 S. College St. Keep up with Kappa Phi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @oukappaphi.

@_kerijohnson

kj153517@ohio.edu  

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