NUrturing Faith

Sharing Stories from LCMNU

Sept 2025

Finding home in faith: jack sokol

Jack Sokol has engineering in his DNA. The Northwestern University senior grew up in Evanston near campus, building everything from pinewood derby cars to American Ninja Warrior obstacle courses in his backyard with his mechanical engineer father. But it wasn’t until he discovered the Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northwestern (LCMNU) that Jack found something equally important to construct: a community where faith and friendship could flourish together. Baptized at the very ministry he now helps lead, Jack’s story comes full circle as he prepares to step into the role of student minister this fall.

After confirmation at his home congregation, Jack found himself in a familiar pattern experienced by many young people. “I had it in confirmation, and then it went away,” he reflects about the sense of community he once enjoyed. “As I’ve seen with a lot of people, once they get confirmed, they stop going to church. Even going to services, you’re not seeing the same group of people.” The pandemic eliminated any remaining youth group opportunities, leaving Jack to navigate his final high school years without a faith community of peers that had been central to his life.

When Jack arrived at Northwestern as a freshman, he attended the ministry’s welcome barbecue but didn’t immediately connect. It wasn’t until May of his freshman year—prompted by encouragement from his parents to give LCMNU another try—that Jack returned. What he discovered changed everything. “I enjoyed it and kept coming back,” he says simply. But beneath that straightforward statement lies a profound transformation. Jack encountered something he didn't even realize he was missing: authentic community centered around both fellowship and deeper conversations about faith and life.

The Wednesday night supper worship experience became Jack’s anchor point at LCMNU. “I would say it’s Wednesdays, starting off with the dinner beforehand and just that community that you get,” Jack explains. “You don’t see many groups that have meals together where they’re all sitting around a common table.” These weren’t just social gatherings—they were intergenerational experiences that brought together students from different majors and backgrounds, along with community members who prepared the meals. Following dinner, the 21theo discussion offered something Jack had never experienced: student-led Bible study that connected ancient texts to contemporary life. “The application to things we’re going through, our experiences, things that we see in the media,” he describes. “I think that’s the unique part that you’re not really going to find anywhere else on campus.”

Today, Jack approaches his senior year as a transformed leader. After serving as an undergraduate outreach coordinator, he’s stepping into the student minister role while his predecessors study abroad. “Taking on that responsibility made me feel more obligated to come to more events, which wasn’t a bad thing—I really enjoyed coming to more events,” he reflects. Jack discovered joy in welcoming newcomers at organizational fairs, talking with students who often weren’t even Lutheran but were searching for community or simply curious about faith.

“Just trying to make LCMNU seem like a very welcoming place, like it’s not high stress. You don’t have to apply or have requirements to come here—you just come as much as you want.” The experience has given Jack the confidence to discuss faith openly, something that he once felt uncomfortable doing. As he puts it, learning “how to approach it with other people where it doesn’t have to be some taboo subject.”

Your generosity makes it possible for LCMNU to offer Wednesday night supper worship, 21theo studies, and fellowship events that create the kind of transformative community Jack discovered. Thank you for supporting a ministry that helps students find not just academic success, but the deep connections and leadership opportunities that shape their entire lives.