A new church has been built for MSU students, called Element Church, and is located in Kellogg Center auditorium.
“I wanted to have a new life giving church in the city that can reach people,” lead and founding pastor Scott Hayes said. “We just want to see lives changed through the connection with Jesus.”
For a large percentage of the MSU student body, there is no way to get to church. Many churches in East Lansing are off-campus and not within walking distance — the location of Element Church was strategically chosen to accommodate those who do not have access to a car.
“I love that it is on campus now,” packaging sophomore Becca Uebele said. “It is so accessible to bring friends and invite people, and you get to sleep in a little bit longer.”
Hayes and the other leaders of the church said they are friends and fans of the churches in the city and admire what they are doing. However, they believe that new churches reach new people.
“Reaching new people requires new methods,” Hayes said. “We thought that we needed to be a church that was using new methods to reach new groups of people.”
Richard Shaull, the executive pastor of Element Church, said he is all about seeing people’s lives change.
“I think we live in a time and culture where there are so many things demanding our attention so much so that there are a lot of great churches in our city,” Shaull said. “But to reach the next generation we need to communicate the message in different ways and use different methods.”
Shaull said he believes the number of students within their church is growing daily. He said he has been impressed with the response Element Church has gotten from the student body.
“The main thing I love about Element Church is that they are available and want to get you involved,” Uebele said. “Their main mission is to show God’s love to people in East Lansing. They exemplify that pretty well.”
Uebele has taken advantage of the opportunity to get involved at Element Church and is now a part of the greeting team, which welcomes people as they come in for the morning.
Students who do attend say they love the atmosphere of the church.
“I love how they love God and love people,” education sophomore Caitlyn Buell said. “I love the people there and how they represent Christ.”
“I get a sense of community and I get plenty back from Christ.”
A typical service at Element Church starts at 11 a.m. The praise and worship team begins singing which leads straight into the sermon given by Hayes.
“I like the services,” chemical engineering sophomore Ben Stephens said. “The emphasis on unity between people and getting in touch with the Holy Spirit is amazing.”
“I really believe God is doing something incredible here,” Shaull said. “Something that is going to make a huge impact on campus and the city.”
