Growing Better Together
This is where Pioneer gets small — and where faith gets real. Grow Groups get you outside: sunsets on Lake Michigan, dune hikes, mountain biking, bonfires, morning runs. Real activities, real friends, real faith — all at once. Start a group around what you love, or find one already going. University students, meet Anchor Groups — Bible study, shared hobbies, new connections, plus co-curricular credit for attending.
Growing Better Together
This is where Pioneer gets small — and where faith gets real. Grow Groups get you outside: sunsets on Lake Michigan, dune hikes, mountain biking, bonfires, morning runs. Real activities, real friends, real faith — all at once. Start a group around what you love, or find one already going. University students, meet Anchor Groups — Bible study, shared hobbies, new connections, plus co-curricular credit for attending.
GROW GROUPS
A Circle Where You Belong
A few friends on a beach at sunset, a Bible open between them. A pickup game on a Sunday morning, more laughing than scorekeeping. Friends around a kitchen table who started as strangers and now wouldn’t miss a week together. That’s Grow Groups — and a new round is launching soon.
Join a story in motion, or start your own. Faith grows alongside real people. Take the next step — grow together.
anchor groups
Home Base for Your Faith
A dorm study session that turns into real conversation. A soccer match that somehow always ends in deeper talk. A shared hobby that turns strangers into close friends. Anchor Groups are small groups for Andrews University students, built into campus life.
Strengthen your faith, build real friendships, and earn co-curricular credit along the way. Take the next step — anchor in.
Hebrews 10:24-25, NIVAnd let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together…but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
What Grow Groups Actually Look Like
A Grow Group might be a Bible study around a kitchen table, but it can also be much more. Imagine a group meeting each week for pickleball or soccer, taking a moment to pray before they play. It could be a cooking night when friends swap recipes and share life updates. Or maybe it’s a hiking group that finds itself talking about faith as they walk the trail. However your group meets each week, there’s always a chance for it to become something more by the end of the season—maybe even planning a trip together. What matters most isn’t the format. It’s the friendships and faith that grow along the way.
Anything You Love
Singing, basketball, fishing, cycling, board games — if it’s something you already enjoy, it can be a Grow Group. The activity is the draw; the friendship is the point.
Faith Woven In
No curriculum required. A Grow Group might open with a short prayer, a quick devotional thought, or just an honest conversation — faith shows up naturally, not as a formality.
A Season at a Time
Grow Groups run by season — Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer — so there’s always a natural time to meet, lead, or try something new.
Led By Everyday People
You don’t need formal training to lead a group — just a willingness to gather people around something you love. If you can invite a few friends, you can lead a Grow Group.
Spark an Idea
Basketball
Grilling
Music Sessions
Photography
Rock Climbing
Running
Baking
Walking
Puzzles
Bird Watching
Pet Walks
Smoothie Making
Disc Golf
Study and Prayer
Soccer
Book Club
Hiking
Volleyball
Training
Cooking
Painting/Arts
Bonfire Nights
Journaling/Writing
Fishing
Swimming
Cycling
Padel
Board Games
Beach Sunsets
Pickleball
Counseling
Knitting
Badminton
Gardening
Table Tennis
Pottery
Baseball
Table Top Soccer
Tennis
Legos
Health Education
Personal Finances