Christian group convenes on campus

Local Christian group Aletheia Richmond
has attracted VCU students looking
to find religion in the River City.

Staff worker Joshua Soto, 29, said the
purpose of Aletheia, which holds services
in the University Student Commons Theater,
isn’t to learn about Christianity but
to participate in the religion. He said the
organization is non-denominational and
welcomes anyone.

“We are a community of people that
have the desire not to just talk about the
message of Jesus but to see Jesus portrayed
in the city,” Soto said. “I would love to see
hundreds of students becoming passionate
about Jesus.”

Aletheia staff worker Jordan Minnick
agrees. After graduating from James Madison
University, Minnick decided to move
to Richmond to help start Aletheia.

Minnick said Aletheia, which means
“truth” in Greek, has a four-fold mission:
mobilizing a generation, building a
community, serving the city and reaching
the world.

“We are telling people about having a
true connection with God and growing in
this community,” Minnick said.

For freshman Ashton Gilpin, the fact
that Aletheia meetings are held at night
is convenient. She said even if she were to
go home for the weekend, she still could
make it back for the meeting. Besides the
meeting time, there are other elements that
attracted Gilpin to Aletheia.

“It’s very young, and it focuses on young
individuals,” Gilpin said. “It’s very upbeat.
Speakers and music are contemporary.”

Aletheia came to VCU this past year
through Harrisonburg’s Aletheia, which
meets on the campus of James Madison
University and has about 500 active
members. When Aletheia Richmond began,
there were only a handful of members.
Now, less than a year after its creation,
Aletheia Richmond hosts meetings attended
by more than 100 attendees.

But for Minnick, numbers are not his
main concern.

“I would love to see Aletheia as a truthful
gospel preaching and to see it serve the
city-not necessarily with bigger size but
enough members to help the community
and to serve the city,” Minnick said.

In his time working with Aletheia,
Minnick said he had many memorable
experiences. However, his most impacting
experiences have been while helping
people.

When Aletheia’s founder Dave Proffitt
and his wife approached Jason Zin on
the street, they invited him to come to
Aletheia. Zin and his brother – who had
been baptized by Proffitt in Harrisonburg
a few years ago – remembered meeting
him.

Zin was involved heavily in drugs and
alcohol at the time, but that didn’t stop
him from developing a friendship with
the Proffitts.

“I don’t know what it was exactly-maybe
just their boldness and the way they
really cared about people,” Zin said.

Zin quickly connected with the Aletheia
community, eventually deciding to become
a Christian, Minnick said.

Zin thinks it was no coincidence
the Aletheia founder, who baptized his
brother, bumped into him on the streets
of Richmond. Following God was the best
decision he made, he said.

“I remember the night it happened. It
was incredible, just life changing,” Zin said.
“I was pretty popular at parties. I wasn’t
depressed, but I also wasn’t fulfilled. I
wanted to know why I was here and what
my purpose is.”

Soto said Aletheia exists to bring
hope.

“We all make mistakes, and we are broken,”
Soto said. “We are in a bad situation
before God. We deserve hell, so we need
Jesus to rescue us from our sins so that we
can have a relationship with God.”

Aletheia meets Sundays at 7 p.m. in the
Commons Theater.