A large crowd of students talking together before RUF Large Group

Get involved

See what RUF at UGA is actually like.

Large Group, Freshman Fellowship, Community Groups, ministry teams, and conferences each offer a different way to learn, ask questions, build Gospel-rooted relationships, and serve alongside other students.

Built for your first year

Freshmen Fellowship

RUF Freshman Fellowship is here to be a place that’s easy to slip into, whether it’s your first time or tenth.

Connect with other freshmen, build deeper friendships, hear a thought-provoking message from Scripture, and share the ups and downs of the year with people who care. It is for the convinced to grow, the curious to explore, and the skeptic to bring questions.

What
Hangs, a TED Talk-style message, and small groups with same-gender freshmen
When
Tuesdays from 8:00–9:30 p.m.
Who
Freshmen at UGA, UNG, and Athens Tech
Where
Tate Student Center, Room 473 · The glass-walled room at the top of the main staircase, directly above the Market at Tate.
Parking
Tate Deck · Tate surface lot · Hull Street Deck
Explore Freshmen Fellowship

The easiest first visit

RUF Large Group

Wednesday night Large Group is a great place both to learn more about RUF and how you can get involved and also to get a true taste of what the community of RUF is actually like.

We expect you’ll experience what all of us experienced our first time at RUF—a room full of genuine, welcoming people; worship that transforms through its honesty and depth; and teaching from the Bible that is as compelling as it is gracious.

So why not grab a friend and come see why hundreds of other students at UGA and UNG have made RUF home?

When
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Where
165 Pulaski Street, downtown Athens
Parking
RUF attendees may use all Redeemer parking around the building. ParkMobile signs can be ignored during RUF events.
Open directions

Parking and arrival

See exactly where RUF attendees can park.

Open the official parking guide at full size before your first visit. The graphic remains readable on a phone and can be opened in a separate tab for zooming.

RUF Large Group parking guide showing parking areas around Redeemer Presbyterian Church at 165 Pulaski StreetOpen full-size parking guide

RUF Community Groups

Gospel-rooted relationships that gain traction in real life.

In RUF, the core of our approach to ministry is the cultivation of Gospel-rooted relationships.

It’s not enough to simply know things about God; these realities need to be experienced and lived out in relationships to gain traction and generate change.

Our community groups are designed to be places where both believers and skeptics can feel at home and grow. Groups consist of anywhere from 10–20 students who gather together weekly in a leader’s house.

Sign Up for a Community Group

RUF Sprint Series

Five weeks. One focused topic. Right on campus.

Looking for something shorter-term and on campus? Sprints are staff-led, on-campus, five-week groups that meet to focus on a particular topic.

The first session will offer five groups—one led by each RUF staff member. Topics, dates, and times are still being determined.

Topic and times coming soon

Local church groups

Build relationships across the generations of Christ’s church.

If you’ve found a local church here in Athens—especially you seniors—we strongly encourage you to consider joining a community group at your church. Let us know if you need help connecting, and we’ll gladly assist.

And many more churches across Athens. Reach out to a staff person to learn more.

Freshmen

Freshman Community Groups

Tuesdays during Freshman Fellowship at 8:00 p.m.

UGA Tate Student Center, Room 473
Monday

Monday Community Groups

More information coming soon

Tuesday

Tuesday Community Groups

More information coming soon

Ministry Teams

Deeply nourished. Practically equipped to serve others.

Add these two things up—a ministry through students and under the oversight of trained staff—and you get a ministry that deeply nourishes you and practically equips you to go out and serve others.

The teams below are a place to make new friends as you serve alongside like-minded people at a level that fits your schedule. If you’re interested in joining a team mid-year, please reach out!

01

Spiritual Growth

01

Worship

Keeps our hearts fixed on the person and work of our triune God by leading the UGA and RUF community in engaging, honest, accessible, and formative worship.

Examples: Worship leading, song selection, soundboard operation, equipment setup and takedown, and special worship events.

02

Prayer

Regularly prays bold, perceptive, expectant prayers on RUF and UGA’s behalf and works to cultivate a culture of this kind of prayer across all of RUF.

Examples: Weekly prayer meetings, leading prayer at Large Group, and coordinating on-campus prayer walks and prayer days.

03

Discipleship

Cultivates the relational and spiritual health of RUF’s community and coordinates a network of weekly small-group Bible studies accessible to the full spectrum of UGA students.

Examples: Leading community groups and meeting one-on-one with group members.

04

Large Group

Works to ensure that what is remembered from RUF Large Group is a welcoming community, a hospitable room, and a rich experience of God’s presence instead of glitches, distractions, or hurried people.

Examples: Setting up and taking down the room, special events, the book table, and handouts.

02

Relational Growth

01

Freshman Family

Pursues, welcomes, and weaves freshmen on our campus into the fabric of RUF’s life and community through personal discipleship, connecting events, and Tuesday Freshman Fellowship.

Examples: Welcome Week outreach, mentoring, one-on-ones, and freshman social gatherings.

02

Freshman Fellowship

Cultivates the relational and spiritual health of the freshmen from UGA and UNG who gather through RUF’s Freshman Fellowship ministry.

Examples: Leading Freshman Fellowship prayer groups and meeting one-on-one with freshmen. Athens Tech freshmen are also welcome throughout the ministry.

03

Connections

Seamlessly weaves newcomers to RUF—such as UGA and UNG transfer students, sophomores, and students on the fringes—into the life and mission of RUF’s community.

Examples: Casual hangouts, cross-cultural development, transfer student dinners, and sophomore class events.

03

Outreach & Mercy

01

Campus Care

Keeps RUF’s eyes alert to the tangible needs and burdens of our fellow students, faculty, and staff and develops avenues for us to reach them and help lift their burdens.

Examples: Thank-yous to faculty and staff, UGA Food Pantry drives, and on-campus service activities.

02

Hospitality

Ensures the community, events, and avenues of RUF are always accessible and hospitable to the full spectrum of UGA students.

Examples: Name tags at Large Group, the welcome table, Welcome Week, and welcoming newcomers.

03

Outreach Events

Creates events that offer a foretaste of the new heavens and new earth by breaking down barriers, drawing outsiders in, and bringing lighthearted joy to all who come.

Examples: Night at the Pit, Fetch, tailgates, Not-a-Date, Spring Thing, watch parties, and Parents’ Lunch.

Conferences and retreats

Unparalleled spiritual, relational, and personal growth—and unforgettably fun.

A few times during the year, RUF gets out of town for conferences and retreats.

Registration usually opens around three weeks before each retreat. Any enrolled UGA, UNG, or Athens Tech student who is 18 or older is welcome. Scholarship help is always available.

See the whole year.

Browse every event, photo story, and first-timer guide.

Visit the events page