Each Tuesday night, the doors to the Ford Memorial Chapel creak open as a tight-knit group of students from all over campus slides together into the pews side-by-side. The echoey chamber serves as a place for students to explore their faith and build long-lasting relationships.
Allegheny Christian Outreach is an organization that invites those with and without a faith background to come together in worshipping Jesus Christ.
Ian Dombach, ’27, a member of the leadership team, said that ACO is a welcoming place for all those on their faith journey to enter into fellowship.
“You can just go wherever you’re at,” Dombach said. “It doesn’t matter.”
Faculty Advisor Mollie Little, ’98, agreed, encouraging all interested students to come to meetings with both their questions and their doubts. Little said there is no need to feel like you have to fix yourself to fit in, just come as you are.
Every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., ACO meets in Ford Chapel to read the Bible together and have a discussion on it after. This year, ACO Treasurer Faith Purbaugh, ’25, said that their focus is on the Gospel and how it relates to their own lives through the stories of creation, the fall of man and Jesus. At each meeting, an introductory question is asked so that everyone gets to know one another. ACO participants with the leadership team use this question to then shift their discussion into the Scripture reading.
The group has an average of 20 participants coming to the weekly meetings this year, according to Little. Purbaugh noted that they often like to break up into smaller groups to discuss more of the topic.
For Purbaugh, the club’s mission is simple.
“To invite students to grow alongside each other as we get more into our Bible,” Purbagh said. “And learn about who Jesus is and who Jesus is in our lives.”
Dombach echoed Purbaugh’s description, explaining the club’s mission as focusing on Jesus, learning about him and worshiping him.
Chloe Fry, ’28, is a member of ACO and said she enjoys the warm club community.  In this organization, Fry said, you are on a journey of worshiping and coming to know Jesus not by yourself but as a part of a group that is invested in each other.
In addition to the weekly meetings, a variety of other activities take place within ACO. Women’s Bible Study led by ACO President Meghan Boudreau, ’25, and Purbaugh functions as a sort of book club as well as a Bible study, according to Purbaugh. Currently, the group is reading a book titled “Who is Jesus?” which ties images of the Old Testament to characteristics of Jesus.
Dombach leads the Dudes Bible Study and says that while the Bible study groups are separated, the focus of both groups is not on gender. Instead, it is about meeting outside of ACO general meetings to spend more time in God’s word by praying in fellowship. This semester, the Dudes Bible Study group is reading through the Book of Philippians and discussing its impact in their own lives.
As a full group, ACO members also enjoy their annual fall retreat and the Jubilee Conference. Dombach said that some of his best memories in the organization have been at the fall retreats. He described the retreats as a moment to spend time with all of those in ACO and share in great conversations.
The Jubilee Conference is held in the spring semester. It is a three-day weekend trip to Pittsburgh with other member organizations of the Coalition for Christian Outreach, the national campus ministry organization focused on connecting Gen Z with Jesus Christ. The main objective of the conference is to see how faith can play a role in all different careers, according to Little. Speakers share their own experiences of how God has entered their professional spaces. Purbaugh said it is beautiful to see God’s impact on such a wide spectrum of possible careers.
Being a student-led organization is something that ACO prides itself on. Meetings and worship times are most often led by the students themselves. Prior to the pandemic, ACO meetings had speakers to lead the discussions on Scripture, but the leadership team has since taken over that responsibility. As a member, Fry feels that this allows her to be much more connected with the leaders, as they understand first-hand her experiences as a young person.
Little said she still plays a very active role in ACO despite its student-led aspect. As the adviser for 26 years, she is proud to model what living a life with Jesus is like and what some of the challenges that may come with it are.
Little described her role in the club simply.
“For me to follow Jesus in my own life and to help students know and follow Jesus in their lives,” she said.
In addition to leading by example, Little trains and equips participants to carry out God’s message in their own lives and share it with others. She said she helps students to grow and serve others, which creates a ripple effect.
“All of that flows out of me walking with Jesus and helping them to walk with Jesus,” Little said.
Dombach finds Little’s collaboration with students to be very effective and helpful. He often feels they learn by watching Little live and follow Jesus, as they see how she has been encouraged and what she has struggled with.
“Mollie is pouring into us and teaching us,” Dombach said.
He wanted to be a part of the team to serve God, grow closer to him and lead others in this same way. He says that it is a wonderful opportunity to witness, grow, share and learn.
The common aspect that all those in the leadership team have is their placing of Christ at the center of their lives, according to Purbaugh. That is a large reason why they are on the team.
“We’re still broken people, and we still have room to grow,” Purbaugh said of the team.
ACO has been an organization on campus since the early 1970s. Little detailed this time in history as being part of the “Jesus Movement” in the U.S. At Allegheny, students were becoming Christians, Little said, but there was no support or formal way for them to be cared for. So, ACO was founded for the many new Christians at the time.
ACO continues to be a safe haven for all those discovering their faith. It is a place that is open to all, regardless of experience or background.
“Jesus invites everyone to come to Him,” Little said, “and so do we.”