With about 1,000 new faces on campus, there are probably many newcomers wondering which local church fits best.

Because of  what seems like an endless list of Abilene churches, it can be difficult to decide without some knowledge of the various college ministries out there.

“A benefit of having a lot of churches in one place is that there are a lot of different personalities,” said Justin Hatfield, the college minister at Hillcrest Church of Christ. “There are progressive, conservative and some in between, but there is something for everyone out there.”

Some of the bigger churches in town, such as Beltway Park Baptist Church, offer Life Groups for college students to join. These Life Groups bring students together on a weekly basis and give them a time to fellowship and pray as a group.

Next Sunday at Beltway an opportunity for college students to meet their peers and get connected with a Life Group. At 10:30 a.m., Beltway will conduct a college mixer for  fellowship, food, and to help students get plugged into the college ministry.

Along with Life Groups, Hillcrest Church of Christ has its own college-geared worship service which meets Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. The worship is led members of Hillcrest and several people from ACU.

“I feel like this ministry is great because it allows college students and members of the church to fellowship and form relationships,” said Allison Gilbert, a sophomore advertising/public relationsmajor from Houston.

Southern Hills Church of Christ may have the biggest flock of college students that attends. On Wednesday nights Southern Hills offers a worship service called High Impact Praise, or HIP. It is a time for worship and teaching that takes place in their main auditorium from 7-8 p.m.

Another well-attended praise hour is just across the street from ACU at University Church of Christ. Aptly named “Nine O’Clock,” this worship time is held Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Hundreds of students gather to praise and pray with fellow peers. Communion is offered during this timeHatfield offers this piece of advice to anyone looking for a church:

“Commit to a church. There is a lot of church-hopping that happens, but when you commit to a church, you can make a family and build a community.”

A list of churches can be found at www.acu.edu/campusoffices/spirituallife/Local_Churches_.html.