Student growth causes Salt Company to move locations
Salt Company is moving to a new building off-campus to accommodate for continued growth and to encourage students to get more involved in their community.
Veritas Church located in Tiffin, Iowa is seen on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The University of Iowa SALT Company will begin hosting their services at the new building on Thursday.
October 10, 2018
The student organization Salt Company will begin to worship in a new location, 700 Forevergreen Road in Tiffin, Iowa, starting Oct. 11 because of the organization’s exponential growth in the years since its formation.
Before the new building was constructed, Salt Company had used the Englert to hold worship services during the week.
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Salt Company is the college ministry of Veritas Church, for which the new building was constructed. Because the organization is a part of Veritas Church, it does not rent the facility it will use for worship.
Salt Company Director David Livingston said the group has seen around a 30 percent growth every year. Officials measure growth based on the number of students who attend the kickoff each fall.
Salt Company has been at capacity in the Englert, causing it to use the balcony. The new building will give the group more space and allow students to feel like part of the same community, Livingston said.
Ethan Slater, a senior student leader in Salt Company, said moving locations makes students become a bigger part of the organization. It doesn’t allow students to drop in and leave right when the service is over. Students who go to Salt Company are going to have to be part of the community through the need for transportation, he said.
In an email to the Daily Iowan, Kamaryn Atwater, a sophomore student leader, said the move will require students to be more involved in the community and meet new people. Students with cars will be giving rides to strangers, allowing them to form new relationships, she said.
This is a group of Christians who want the University of Iowa to be a part of it. We want students to know that this is a safe place to come and not be judged.
— David Livingston
“We are trusting that no matter what building we are holding worship in, near or far, God will meet the need for transportation and will continue to fill the seats of the building we occupy,” Atwater said in her email.
Salt Company has designated pickup locations at Burge, Hillcrest, and Mayflower for students in need of a ride to worship, Atwater said. Most of the student leaders in the organization have cars, which allows for carpooling, she said.
“If you feel like this transportation is a problem or hindering you from going, please reach out,” Slater said. “We don’t want it to be a hindrance. We realize that it is a move, and we realize it is not easy to get to, but that shouldn’t prevent you from coming.”
The cars being used for transportation all have Salt Company stickers on them so students will be able to identify who can give them a ride, he said.
The organization doesn’t know how the need for transportation will affect the number of students who attend worships on Thursday nights yet, Livingston said. However, when other Salt Company ministries in the Midwest have moved to locations off-campus, they have seen more growth.
“This is a group of Christians who want the University of Iowa to be a part of it,” Livingston said. “We want students to know that this is a safe place to come and not be judged.”
