Owen Ragland

Executive Director
The Cross – Greek Christian Ministry
P.O. Box 11092
Knoxville, TN 37939-1092
Phone: 865-556-6338
Owen Email: owen@thecross-gcm.org

To reach out to the Greek community through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to establish a community of believers, and to equip them to impact the environment to which God calls.

The Cross is a non-denominational campus ministry; it is not exclusive, but it does focus on the fraternity and sorority community at UT-Knoxville. We are an official campus organization, but we also function as an incorporated non-profit (501c3) with a functioning board and two full-time staff members. The ministry was started by a fraternity student ten years ago and still operates primarily as a student-led organization. We work with the student leadership team to provide them guidance, support, and the resources to fulfill our mission statement above.

The students on the leadership team were specifically chosen for their ability to be a positive influence on others. This past year we averaged 130 students in attendance at our Wednesday night Praise and Worship service on campus. We had two mission trips, taking 65 people to Pineville, Kentucky and 150 to Bay St. Louis, Missouri, and a day of service in Knoxville. The mission and community work will continue this next year, but our primary focus will be on establishing relationships with a positive influence. Lives changed last year as students grew to understand there is a God that loves them and they can have a full and rich college experience while making good choices. We understand the stresses involved with college and the Greek community, but also know it can be one of the most rewarding and life-shaping periods of their life.