One of the first things Audrianne Freeman wanted to do when she came to Iowa State was to get involved with a church. She found The Salt Company.

The Salt Company is a college ministry currently celebrating its 40th year of existence. The group aims to strengthen students’ relationships with God.

Freeman, sophomore in agricultural biochemistry, grew up in a Christian home but said she had never felt as connected as she wanted to be. She came to her first Salt service as a freshman after being invited by some friends from her church back home.

“During worship there was this song that basically described the struggles I was going through in my life,” Freeman said. “It gave me hope, and that’s what Salt Company is about.”

Cody Cline started working at Cornerstone Church as the high school ministry director before taking over as The Salt Company’s director.

“The main things that drew me to Cornerstone and [Salt Company] was the Bible teaching and authenticity of the church leaders,” Cline said. “To this day I am overwhelmed by the love of Jesus, transparency and commitment to the scriptures that the people of Cornerstone have.”

Jordan Iliff, senior in mechanical engineering, heard of The Salt Company from a couple of people living down the hall from him during his freshman year.

“When I first came to college, I wasn’t a Christian,” Iliff said. “A few guys invited me to go to Salt with them, so I decided to check it out.”

Iliff attended a service and was surprised with what he found.

“It was just a shock that everyone just believed in Christ and loved each other,” Iliff said. “Like, I wasn’t a Christian, but they still cared about me.”

Students who have heard about The Salt Company but never visited a service are invited to check out what the group has to offer.

“Salt’s not something that you can guess what it is,” said Randy Groh, sophomore in computer engineering. Groh first heard about The Salt Company from his sister.

“You need to check it out before making an opinion,” Groh said.

Each Thursday, hundreds gather at Cornerstone Church for worship and a message that deals with subjects that students might deal with during college, such as fitting in and conflict resolution.

“What makes The Salt Company extraordinary is not simply the size, but it is the real work of God in a large number of people,” Cline said.

Besides weekly worship, students are able to join small group Bible studies called connection groups. Freeman decided to colead a connection group this year after being a part of one last year.

“The leaders I had last year were awesome because they made time to meet with all of us one-on-one,” Freeman said. “It was great to be able to talk to someone who went through the same things I was going through. I want to be that person to someone else.”

There are currently 90 connection groups, meeting in dorms on campus as well as in apartment complexes in Ames. Students will have a chance to find and join a connection group at the kickoff event.

Sunday nights offer an on-campus service tailored specifically to freshmen.

“A lot of students get intimidated by the size of Salt Company at first,” Freeman said. “Freshman Group is a chance for them to ease in and find some friends who share their beliefs.”

Thursday, Aug. 23, marks The Salt Company’s first event for the school year. From noon to 3 p.m., the group will be on Central Campus for “The Showcase,” where musicians and poets from The Salt Company will be performing. Students can also purchase pizza and drinks.

At 7 p.m. The Salt Company will officially kick off the year with worship on Central Campus. Cline said the time will be devoted to celebrating Jesus and hearing testimonials from students of what God has done in their life.