By Olivia Ginther, Salt Company Coordinator
Living in Iowa City, like most of the world, the students of Salt Company are surrounded by darkness. The drug and alcohol culture is rampant in Iowa City, and many students come to the university in search of freedom from their families, their responsibilities, and attempts to find themselves. With this as our mission field, the Salt Company in Iowa City seeks to be a place where students can find a community of people who will build them up, encourage them, and ultimately point them to Christ and away from the world.
One specific way that Salt has done this in the past is through gathering at 8:00 pm on Thursday nights. This is intentionally placed in an attempt to keep students occupied and out of the party scene on one of the busiest nights of the week. Additionally, we have connection groups, which are small groups led by student leaders, that meet throughout the week and read the bible together. These small groups are to share life with one another, answer questions, and provide an opportunity for accountability. One new way that Salt Iowa City has attempted to fight against this dark culture is by having our first Late Night at Salt Company.
Late Nights have been happening at other Salt Companies in The Salt Network, but for our first one this semester, we chose to speak on the LGBTQ+ community and the Church. Mostly, this was more so a conversation about our nature as sinners and God’s desire for our full affection. It was a helpful time to answer questions about God’s design for marriage and intimacy, and our duty as believers to walk in love and in light. We loved getting the opportunity to hear from students as they asked questions and spoke on this topic. When we have our eyes fixed on the Gospel, our desires begin to shift to honor God.
