Our Mission
Our mission is to plant and sustain a healthy Chi Alpha group on EVERY CAMPUS in Utah.
Utah Valley University (Orem) - Chi Alpha started in 2012
University of Utah (Salt Lake City) - Chi Alpha started in 2016
Utah State University (Logan)
Weber State University (Ogden)
Southern Utah University (Cedar City)
Utah Tech aka Dixie (St George)
Our Movement
Our national movement is CHI ALPHA.
Our mission is to reconcile students to Christ, equipping them through spirit-filled communities of prayer, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission to transform the university, the marketplace and the world.
How to Support
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What about Utah?
We knew the answer was Chi Alpha but we didn’t know where. When asked the question, “Where do you want to plant Chi Alpha?” Our answer was, “Where there are none.” A bit of a vague answer.
There were a few places this applied to in March of 2010: New Mexico, almost the entire Northeast, and Utah.
We were having dinner with a family friend, Jack. He was visiting from Utah. He asked the question and we answered, “Where there are none.” His reply: “What about Utah?” You know how words can echo in your mind like they were said with more power and zest than they originally were. It’s like God added a smoke machine and music in the background of this memory. I believe Jack’s voice was deeper in the memory too. It was a simple question that repeated in our minds over and over.
After that dinner, we looked at each other and asked, “What about Utah?” Thus began the journey.
On July 25, 2012, we entered Orem through the mouth of Provo canyon. (That memory has the “Hallelujah” chorus triumphantly playing in the background.) It was a long journey from Jack’s prophetic question on March 13, 2010, but beyond worth it.
Here we are in 2024 - 12 years later. When we arrived, there were no Chi Alphas in the state of Utah. Now there are two! We started at Utah Valley University with a stellar team alongside us, and now it has grown to a full time staff team of 11 and a volunteer staff team of 6 serving on two campuses. Here’s to the next four!
(I'm sure each of those memories will have smoke machines and music too.)
daran
meaning: great
Loves: Noreen, his kids, roasting coffee, making coffee, making Noreen coffee, fly fishing, woodworking, listening to podcasts, and La Croix (that one I don’t get.)
P.S. according to his wife the meaning of his name is spot on.
noreen
meaning: honor
age: not gonna tell you - actually 48, but don’t ask her on the spot because she often doesn’t remember it and has to do the math.
Loves: Daran, coffee in bed, her kids, reading, napping, people (in small groups), deep conversations, telling stories, writing, cooking, preaching (not necessarily in that order.)
ayden
meaning: little fire
age: 22
There was a list - quite a long list, at that. I still have it sitting around somewhere. A baby boy name list. We slowly crossed out names we didn't like, and decided on Ayden. The name became quite popular after that so one of his claims to fame would be - being the oldest Ayden in the room.
Ayden is loyal, steady, and “unswayable” - some would call this stubborn - but only the ones trying to sway him would. (the author may be one of those people)
analiese
meaning: graced with God’s bounty
age: 19
I couldn't decide, so I chose both and smooshed them into one. I like Ana and I liked Elise. Whilst sitting upon a coach pondering it with my sister-in-law, she suggested both, and she became Analiese.
Analiese is not only stunning on the outside, her soul is breathtakingly beautiful. She cares, a lot, for Jesus, for others, and for our dog, Onyx.
adalynn
meaning: noble one
age: 16
I was sitting, because that is often what you do when you are very pregnant at a consignment sale when I first heard the name Adalynn. It just stuck.
Adalynn is fun, adventurous, and athletic. Her smile is a killer one.
avriel
meaning: opening buds of spring, born in April
age: 9
I was in bed, trying to fall asleep, because that is often what you do when you are very pregnant. Instead of counting sheep, I was attempting to come up with an “A” name for our baby. We had kind of limited it to an “A” name by the fourth child! The name Avriel popped into my head and the next morning I looked up the meaning. Good thing she was going to be born in April.
Avriel is loud (unlike all Lemon children preceding her) and silly. She loves our family, our dogs, her cousins, and hamburgers and Kimchi soup - a true Korean American at heart.