Rhodes College
Join us every Wednesday night at 8:30 PM in the East Village Lodge
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RUF is a Christian ministry at Rhodes College.
All Rhodes students are welcome regardless of personal or religious background. We welcome the "convinced" and the "unconvinced" and invite all students, not matter who they are, to RUF.
We want RUF to be a place where a student can come with questions, find fellowship with others, worship God, serve others, and grow in their knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His work on their behalf.
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Large Group
Freshman Small Group
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Meet Our Team
John Craft
John Craft grew up in Memphis, TN. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, where he studied philosophy and film studies, he moved to Athens, GA to complete a two year internship with RUF at the University of Georgia. While doing intern training, he met his wife Leigh, who was an RUF intern at Winthrop University. After they got married, John and Leigh moved to St. Louis, MO to attend Covenant Theological Seminary. After graduating and doing some college ministry in St. Louis, John and Leigh moved to Chattanooga in 2007 to do RUF @ UTC. Now having moved back to Memphis, they are both excited to be serving with RUF @ Rhodes College. John and Leigh have two children, William and Lizzie.
James Rantzow
James is a native Memphian. He went to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he majored in Nonprofit Management. After graduating, James accepted a full-time job with a Summer Camp/Retreat Center in Bolivar, TN. After a year and a half at his camp, James decided to come back to RUF. He loves spending time outside doing anything active and also hanging with anyone over a meal or cup of coffee. He is thrilled to be back on a college campus where he gets to hang out and work with Rhodes students.
Summer (Huelle) Vaughn
Summer is from Tarpon Springs, Florida and graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC. There she studied Baking & Pastry, Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship and minored in Sommelier. Through her involvement with RUF during her four years of undergrad, she experienced the grace of Jesus in a new way and left with a deeper understanding and relationship with God. Summer spends her free time exploring new coffee shops, running, rock climbing, and hosting dinner parties. After three years of the RUF Internship at Rhodes College, she is excited to continue her call to ministry as Campus Staff.
Jay Bowman
Jay hails from the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama. He is the middle child and only son of the Bowman family. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2024 with majors in Music and Psychology. While at UAH he experienced the joy and comfort of a Christ centered community through his time with RUF. Jay's passions are music (making and listening), storytelling (movies, books, etc.), and community building (sharing meals and hanging out). His skills include making a killer hashbrown scramble, writing funny bios (hopefully), and being decent-ish at Tetris. Jay's favorite chunk of scripture is 1 Kings 19.
Emma Gregory
Emma grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated from Ole Miss in 2025 with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies (minors in Music, English, and Education). Since her freshman year, RUF has played an instrumental role in Emma's life, and she is thankful for the ways it brought community and Christ-centered friendships to her college experience. During her free time, Emma most enjoys baking, listening to music, and reading a good book! She also loves watching a good movie or going for long walks with friends. She is excited to move back to Memphis and to see how God is moving on Rhodes' campus!