Columbia University
Join us Thursdays from 8:00-9:15pm for Worship & Teaching in Earl Hall
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Regardless of your beliefs or background, Columbia RUF is a diverse community where you can explore Christianity and the hope that is found in knowing Jesus Christ. Columbia can be a challenging place to live and study, so we gather together weekly to hangout, process life, engage with the Bible, and remind ourselves of God's love for us in Jesus.
RUF is a place where Christians will grow in their faith, and where those who are skeptical or curious are always invited to bring their questions as we serve our neighbors and experience God's grace together at Columbia.
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Meet Our Team
Eric Lipscomb
Eric originally hails from Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2009 with a B.A. in Religious Studies. Having dated his high school sweetheart their entire time at UVA, Eric and Brittany got married shortly after graduation and eventually moved to St. Louis in 2010, where Eric pursued a Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary and Brittany brought home the bread as a second grade teacher. In 2014, Eric graduated with his M.Div and was called to New York City to serve as the RUF Campus Minister at Columbia University. They have two sons, Yates (born Apr. 2019) and Hollis (born Oct. 2021), live near campus in Morningside Heights, and love hanging out with and serving Columbia students!
Ava Ligh
Ava Ligh is joining RUF as Campus Staff because she wants to help students from different backgrounds who feel “in the dark” with respect to God. As a sophomore at Columbia, she joined a Bible study originally to prove to a friend that she could dismiss Christianity’s claims. Instead, she ended up with more questions, and it was through a campus ministry that she surrendered to Christ and gained a passion for helping students confront the claims of the Gospel. Ava attended Columbia (CC'99) and her husband Peter attended Columbia Law School ('01). She worked as a consultant before obtaining a Masters in Education and teaching for two years. For ten years, she stayed home to care for her children Karis, Erenei, and Checed, before starting to explore her calling to campus ministry. The students and alums of her ministry are a vital part of her family life and she hopes to continue in campus ministry for a long time.
William Halliday
William grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in journalism. He began attending RUF freshman year and served on both ministry team and leadership team. Some of his favorite moments from RUF were engaging with people at large group and meeting with his Intern. In his free time, William loves watching/reading everything Star Wars, cheering for the Memphis Grizzlies, and playing golf. He is excited to grow his faith and spread the Gospel in the context of a big city and meet different people from different cultures.