University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Join us Tuesday Nights at 7:30pm on the UNCW Campus in Cameron Hall 105!
Contact
Welcome to RUF at UNCW! RUF exists in partnership with the local church to give students a place to grow in their faith, search for answers, and find community. We are a place for the convinced and the unconvinced, the confident and the doubting, the struggling and the seeking.
Come visit large group, explore our weekly community groups, or follow us on social media to learn about our social events. We would love for you to join us, and we look forward to getting to know you!
If you are a student or would like to connect us to a student, please reach out to us by email.
Join Us
Large Group
Connect
Join a Community Group, find out about weekly sports hangouts, or meet up with us on campus! Text Sam (910.232.5272) or Shaunna (828.272.0094) to get involved!
Meet Our Team
Sam Kennedy
Sam is a Wilmington local, a Tarheel fan, and a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. In 2009, he was married to Shaunna in a sunny cove outside Asheville NC. He and Shaunna have two children, Gus and Hattie, who love getting to know college students! Sam became the RUF Campus Minister at UNCW in the fall of 2019 after serving on staff with Young Life and Christ Community Church in Wilmington.
The Kennedys love everything about the UNCW campus-- from the skateboard racks at the dining halls, to the way that flip-flops are considered appropriate attire at the most formal campus events. Sam’s other favorite things are making noises on his guitars, surfing, skateboarding, and sampling the wares of Wilmington’s many coffeeshops.
Shaunna Kennedy
Born and raised on the West Coast, Shaunna graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Elementary Special Education, then promptly moved to North Carolina. She has proudly called the Tarheel State home ever since. Married to Sam since 2009, Shaunna finds great joy in her role as a ministry wife. The Kennedys have always viewed ministry as their family business, and Shaunna is thrilled to join in the work of helping students at UNCW discover the love of Christ, embrace the life-changing message of the Gospel, and learn how to engage in the life of His church.
Shaunna enjoys caring for people through food, and especially loves baking. She aspires to be the type of mom who is patient and gracious enough to actually enjoy working in the kitchen with her kids.
Bailey Cowen
Bailey was raised in Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where she graduated with a major in Psychology and a minor in Nutrition. During her time at Belmont RUF, she formed many life-giving and deep friendships, and found joy in the Gospel centered community that RUF offers! She is very excited to continue being involved in RUF during her time as an intern at UNCW! Bailey loves reading, being outside, walking her dog Sadie, listening to podcasts, and hosting people in her home! She is excited to get plugged into Wilmington, and make this city her home for the next few years!!
David Prather
David Grew up in Oxford, MS as the second oldest of 5 siblings, being the only boy. He attended the University of Mississippi where is he attained his Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering with an emphasis in manufacturing in may of 2023. He started going to RUF large groups towards the end of his senior year in high school, and stuck with RUF all 5 years of college, going to every conference he could. He was blessed to have 3 sets of amazing interns and wants to continue showing that blessing to the students of UNCW!