University of Texas at Austin RUF International
Lunch Chat | Fridays 12-1:30 PM at Texas Union
Contact
RUF International exists at Texas because local churches want to welcome, serve, and love international students as you come to this new city and country.
No matter where you're coming from, or what you're in Austin to study, we are here for you. It is difficult to be in a new place, let alone a new country where you don't know anybody. We hope you'll find a community and friendships with other International students, as well as American students and families that will help make your time in Austin feel more like home.
RUF International exists to welcome the nations through social activities and events around Austin, and in American homes. Dinners, Movie nights, game nights, and cultural holidays are some of the main things we do. We also want to give you the opportunity to explore the Bible and good news of Jesus through our weekly Dinners & BIble discussions, but this is not required. We want to be your friend regardless of what you attend or how often you come to stuff. In our goal to explore the good news of Jesus Christ together, we have a weekly discussion where you can read passages from the Bible, and ask questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. This is a safe place and time for skeptics, doubters, non-believers, and those of other faiths to see what exactly the Bible says about who God is and what Christians believe.
If you're interested in connecting with Americans and other international students, or learning about the Bible, Jesus, or Christianity, or just looking for some community come check out one of our events or contact Molly or Noel and they will be happy to meet you!
Join Us
Lunch Chat
Dinner & Movie Discussion
Bible Study & Lunch
Connect
Meet Our Team
Ian Hammond
Ian grew up on the sunny Mississippi Gulf Coast and has been serving in campus ministry since 2017. After finishing his Master of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary, he and his wife Hanna packed their bags and headed to the North Shore of Chicago to launch RUF International at Northwestern University. They spent 8 wonderful years there before moving to Austin, Texas, where Ian now serves as the Campus Minister for RUF-I at UT.
Ian and Hanna have been married for 10 years and are proud parents to two energetic and delightful daughters—Finley (4) and Riley (2). When he’s not meeting with students or chasing toddlers, Ian enjoys playing basketball and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s always up for good conversation, a pickup game, or discovering the best tacos in town!
Noel Coppedge
As native Texans, Noel and Emily grew up in Austin. Noel attended Trinity University in San Antonio, graduating with a degree in Psychology in 2022. Noel and Emily got married in December, 2021 just before he graduated. Soon after, they moved to Columbia, South Carolina for his internship with RUF International at the University of South Carolina. Over the next two years, God grew Noel and Emily in community and faith. God drew Emily to glorify him in her work as a veterinary technician and drew Noel to glorify him in his continuing work for RUF International. Noel began his Masters in Divinity through Covenant Theological Seminary's remote program in 2023, and is excited to continue his studies alongside family and work in the years to come. They left South Carolina to go back to Texas in 2024 with a growing family. Their first child, baby boy Ezra, was born in October, 2024!
They are happy to be back in the Lone Star State, in the weird city of Austin, loving and serving their international friends at the University of Texas. In their spare time, Noel and Emily love watching movies, playing board games and card games, hosting friends, and playing with their many animals (the dogs are named Shark and Toast, the cats are named Pirate and Mimosa, and their snake is named Monty Python). Noel also loves playing sports and Emily enjoys crocheting and other arts and crafts.
Molly (Farrell) Basse
Molly grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Texas Tech with a fine arts degree in painting where her love for international ministry developed through being involved with ESL at her local church. Molly did the RUF-I Internship at UT Knoxville and loved it so much she decided to move down to Austin and continue serving the international student community at (the real UT). Molly loves learning about different cultures, meeting new people and exploring new places. In her free time, you can find Molly at Zilker obsessing over other peoples dogs, kayaking on the river or listening to live music.