A Kansas City girl has been growing her passion for surfing and Jesus along the Malibu coast through a surfing Bible study.
Faith Unruh, a sophomore business administration major, is a team leader at Pepperdine University’s Church of Christ where she leads a surfing pod group for students. The group ran from Feb.15 through March 22. These pods are small groups of students who gather weekly to talk about Christ and build community through an activity such as hiking or surfing.
“I’ve been really missing Christian community,” Unruh said. “It’s been so hard to get that online so it’s been a way to get that in a smaller setting.”
Every Wednesday, Unruh meets with students on Broad Beach to read through a devotional. She leads the group through the reading and discussion and then they grab their surfboards and hit the waves. The intent behind the group is to give students an opportunity to build community and talk about their faith while still having fun.
“It’s a great opportunity for ministry through something I enjoy,” Unruh said.
Unruh grew up in Kansas City but has always had a love for the ocean. Her mother received her master’s degree from Pepperdine, which led to frequent family trips to Malibu when she was younger.
She picked up her first surfboard when she was 7, but it wasn’t until her first year at Pepperdine that she really dove into surfing.
“My friend and I bought a Wavestorm freshman year and then this past year I just recently bought a short board,” Unruh said. “I’m trying to get better at it but I am definitely not super great at it at all. I just think it’s really fun.”
Along with surfing, Unruh also has a strong passion for Jesus and her community. Sophomore psychology major Emma Krehbiel, Unruh’s roommate, said she admires the way that Unruh always puts others before herself.
“Faith is really selfless,” Krehbiel said. “She is always willing to do things for other people no matter who they are.”
Unruh said her favorite moment so far from the surfing pod group was when everyone shared their testimonies on how they knew they wanted to go to Pepperdine. They each told how they felt God called them to the university. She said it was encouraging to hear how everyone still felt they belonged at Pepperdine even after such strange circumstances due to COVID-19.
The pod group is a place where students can unplug from the online world and connect with their friends and Christ. Caroline Condor, sophomore art major and Unruh’s other roommate, said she finds the meetings to be refreshing.
“Pod group has given me a weekly time to meet with a Christian community and refocus on my faith,” Condor said.
Lydia DuPerier completed the reporting for this story in Jour 241 in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web version of the story.
