Office of Service and Discipleship
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Service and Discipleship
The Office of Service and Discipleship equips and empowers APU students to faithfully pursue God and participate in God’s transformative work in the world through intentional service and discipleship opportunities. OSD is a place where your being and your doing can thrive in relationship with God, your understanding of yourself, your interactions with others, and this grand world God created for us. We believe that service and discipleship are critical to our faith as we aim to embody Jesus’ commands to “Be my disciple” and “Follow me.”
Our office equips students to live as disciples of Jesus by providing them with relational discipleship opportunities through small groups (D-Groups). These on-campus opportunities encourage students to develop foundational spiritual practices that equip us for a life-long journey of growing in relationship with Jesus and becoming like him in the context of community. Through Discipleship, students grow in spiritual maturity by engaging in dialogue about faith and life while having access to consistent encouragement and support from another Christian as they grow together in relationship with Christ.
Our office also is a place where, through service, students can be active learners and active participants in the work God is doing locally, nationally, and internationally. Ultimately, we serve because we believe that the good news of Jesus’ love transforms every people group, culture, and condition. Through service, we get to engage in the great story of restoration and redemption that God is writing in our world.
In 1998, honorable Mayor Joe Rocha approached Azusa Pacific University administrators and suggested the university establish a scholarship program aimed at attracting the best graduating seniors from Azusa Unified School District. The partnership between APU and Rocha resulted in the university launching the Celebrate Azusa/Nancy Moore Scholarship, also known as Azusa Scholars.
The Azusa Scholars Program is designed to develop the recipients’ leadership skills and promote community service involvement, particularly in the city of Azusa. The program encompasses a variety of events designed to facilitate the students’ personal, professional, academic, and spiritual growth through the use of faculty and community speakers, team-building activities, off-campus service projects, and individually assigned mentoring relationships. Learn more about the Azusa Scholars Program.
Joining a D-Group
We would love to help you get connected to discipleship community on campus. Christ-centered relationships are one of the most profound ways to grow in your faith and experience God’s transformative power alongside others. Our discipleship-focused small groups on campus are known as D-Groups. These groups meet weekly for 10 weeks out of the fall and spring semesters, and you can select which D-Group is the best fit for you based upon class standings, program focus, or schedule availability.
There are two ways to get involved in a D-Group:
- Complete the online D-Group Sign-up Form in the first three weeks of the semester.
- Invite a few students to be in a group that you will lead. If you are interested in becoming a D-Group leader, and contact the office and we will provide resources that will equip you as a leader.
If you have any questions, email us at [email protected], call (626) 812-3027, or swing by the Office of Service and Discipleship on East Campus.
G.A.P. Years (Go And Prepare) is a program that each year sends out a cohort of students who are ready and willing to serve overseas with Christ-based community development and/or mission organizations that work with unreached/least-reached people groups for two years after graduation. Learn more or apply for G.A.P. Years online, or email us [email protected].
Local Engagement provides opportunities for students to serve locally over fall and spring semesters. Service opportunities vary in length, location, intensity, and the type of service (e.g., tutoring, food ministry, community development, outreach) students get to participate in with our partner communities and host organizations. Ongoing LE opportunities earn students 15-30 service credits; one-time opportunities earn students 5. Learn more and sign up for local engagement opportunities online, or email us at [email protected].