Mollie is originally from a very small town in west Tennessee. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a BS in Psychology. After being graciously pursued by the love of Christ, Mollie became a believer and true follower of Jesus soon after her freshman year of high school. Since then, she has almost always felt a call to ministry; a call to loving God, loving others, and being a servant. The Lord really stewarded that call and navigated her in what that looked like through the campus ministry of Cru during her time in college. She grew a passion and love for pursuing and pouring into others. Now, with the power of the Holy Spirit and that call to ministry on her heart, she has found herself in Chicago as a first-year fellow in the Chicago Campus Initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also enjoys good coffee, fun adventures, and is a big fan of Halloween.
The Chicago Campus Initiative (CCI) is a joint initiative of Cru and the Anglican Church of North America. Its vision is to see gospel movements raised up in partnership between Cru and local churches for all 44 college campuses in the Chicagoland area. The need for laborers is specifically great at the University of Illinois at Chicago. With over 30,000 students, less than 1% are involved in any Christian organization. Our vision is to see college students on every college campus across Chicago be transformed by the love of Christ!
I am gathering partners for this important work alongside my fellow co-laborers. You can get to know them below.
Meet Our Circle:
Emmanuel Jackson
Emmanuel comes from a very small town in Alabama called Eufaula, where he was raised in the church. Though his parents gave him a very strong foundation in the faith, he did not
develop his own relationship with Jesus until he was fifteen. The Holy Spirit clearly spoke to him for the first time during a worship session. After that happened, he knew that there was
a calling on his life but it wasn’t yet clear and specific. In college he joined a church but also wanted to be around more college-aged students as well. He was invited to a
Cru small group and large group events. After two semesters in the campus ministry, Emmanuel realized that the call was to spread the word of God and be a light for college students and others to see Jesus.
Jonah Jedick
Jonah hails from Cleveland, OH and stayed local for college, graduating from Baldwin Wallace University in 2021 with a BA in English. At age eighteen, after many years of indifference, he decided that entrusting his life to Jesus was his only hope out of despair; so far, Jesus has proven him right. The highlight of his undergraduate years was undoubtedly his involvement with the campus ministry Cru. Through Cru, he was amazed to discover that one can get a job doing all his favorite things: making new friends, talking about God, and supporting young people as they grow. He hopes to spend his life communicating the gospel in fresh, loving ways. Despite being 6’4″, Jonah is not great at basketball. However, he does enjoy silly debates, being in nature, and studying the Bible and literature – ask him about Ecclesiastes or Paradise Lost if you get the chance.
Kjetil Odden
Kjetil graduated in 2020 from Northwestern University where he studied Earth & Planetary Sciences and Russian Literature. More importantly, Jesus changed his life through the Cru community and through his local church during his time in Evanston. He spent his first year out of college serving with Cru in North Africa, and is excited to be returning to the Chicagoland area as a fellow with Chicago Campus Initiative. In his free time, Kjetil enjoys hiking, fishing, musicals, watching soccer, and spending time with his family, friends, and girlfriend.
Emily Wagoner
Emily is a recent graduate of Purdue University where she studied Animal Sciences. After growing up in a county with more pigs than people, moving to West Lafayette, IN seemed scary at first. Thankfully after getting involved in a campus ministry, Cru, those worries quickly went away. During a stateside summer mission with Cru, the Lord revealed to her how she had placed her future hope of becoming a veterinarian in the place that only God should hold. After going back and forth for a year, Emily was finally able to make the decision and find peace in not pursuing vet school. Finally, the Lord placed Chicago Campus Initiative in Emily’s sight. She is excited to work along with the team and bring the hope she has found in Jesus Christ to lost students throughout Chicago. Emily also loves her dog Peeta, going on hikes, and singing in the car.