60 Years. Countless Stories. One Faithful God.

In 1965, when Grand Valley State College in Allendale, Mich., was just five years old, a Calvin Seminary intern named Lou Wagenfeld stepped onto campus with a simple mission: meet students, build relationships, and explore what ministry might look like in a state school setting.

He wasn’t there by accident.

His presence was the direct result of a bold vision embraced by CRC leaders—later joined by partners in the RCA—who believed college students mattered deeply to the future of the church. Their early investment and shared commitment became the foundation of what would grow into today’s Campus Ministry at Grand Valley State University (GVSU).

That vision, sustained by faithful donors throughout the years, has now shaped six decades of kingdom impact.

And the story is still unfolding.

Front-Row Seat to Transformation

Walk into “The Well” on a Sunday evening today, and you’ll see hundreds of students gathering across two campuses. Throughout the week, nearly 500 students meet in life groups—student-led small groups digging into Scripture and deep friendships.

Campus Ministry staff meet with students all the time. Some come wrestling with questions, some are spiritually curious, and some are hungry to grow. Many aren’t even sure if they believe in Jesus.

And again and again, leaders get to sit across from students and watch God work.

Terry DeBoer, a student in the 1970s, remembers discovering Campus Ministry as a freshman and finding guidance in developing a devotional life, training in Scripture study, and leadership opportunities that opened his eyes to the wideness of God’s kingdom.

Decades later, in 2011 Matt Remy walked into a “Campus Praise Rally” with friends from his dorm. “It was like the Holy Spirit flipped a switch,” he recalls. Campus Ministry became the first place he truly met Jesus, he says. He joined the praise team, discovered gifts he didn’t know he had, and today continues leading others to Christ through worship.

Another student came to college without knowing Jesus at all. One Sunday night, with no plans and few friends, Christopher Villaire accepted an invitation to The Well. He kept coming. He joined a life group. He found joy in Christian community.

“I left a transformed follower,” he says. “Sent out on mission, surrounded by an incredible community, and [eventually] plugged into my local church. Literally every single aspect of my life has God’s fingerprints all over it.”

Three different decades. Three different stories. One faithful thread: people invested so that students could meet Jesus.

A Leadership Pipeline That Multiplies

Campus Ministry at GVSU has never been content with simply gathering students, say its organizers. It disciples them to lead.

Over the past decade, student leadership has grown dramatically. Hundreds of students now serve in roles ranging from worship and communications to Bible-study leadership and hospitality. A student-intern program raises up and trains leaders who are still making disciples today.

Campus Ministry organizers say this is leadership development by design—leaders investing in leaders who invest in leaders. Former students are now worship leaders, youth pastors, missionaries, teachers, business leaders, and parents raising their children in the faith. Many serve faithfully in local congregations wherever they land after graduation.

Years ago, Campus Ministry even made a strategic decision to discontinue its Sunday-morning service so that students could plug into local churches instead. The goal has always been larger than one campus program, they say. The goal has always been the church.

And a result is generational impact. Students shaped in the 1970s strengthened churches in the 1980s and 1990s. Students shaped in the 2000s are leading today. Students being discipled today will pastor, plant, teach, mentor, and lead tomorrow.

Campus Ministry at GVSU invites all who are interested to watch the 60-year anniversary video and celebrate what God has done through this ministry.