“It’s like a family, outside of my actual family,” said Brad Cleveland, senior in elementary education.

Cleveland has been an involved member of SALT Company, which is a division of Cornerstone Church focused on students reaching the message of Christ.

With just under 1,000 student members, SALT is one of the largest student organizations on Iowa State’s campus. 

Some students started going as a way to connect with Christ but found it to be much more than just going to church.

“I like going because it focuses on relationships with others rather than just repeating a practice,” said Angela Upah, junior in global resource systems and a member of SALT.

After getting involved in SALT, Upah said Iowa State has seemed more friendly to her.

“There’s about 900 students involved, and I see them all over campus,” Upah said.

Upah had been a frequent attendee to Thursday night services, but decided to get more involved this year, after a friend in a class urged her to get more active in SALT’s mission.

“I was at a point in my life where I wanted to grow closer to God,” Upah said.

Upah said the inviting atmosphere of SALT made her stick around.

“They’re the type of strangers who will talk to you when you don’t know each other or when it’s completely silent,” Upah said.

Upah also credited SALT to adding to her group of friends.

“It’s like once I met five people in SALT, I met five, then 10, then 20,” Upah said. Every Monday and Tuesday, she meets in a connection group, made up of six to 10 people. During the group meetings they work to strengthen relationships. 

Other members of SALT have feelings similar to Upah. Benjamin Snitker, junior in construction engineering, spends time with friends he has met in SALT outside of Cornerstone Church.

“Basically all my friends are from SALT. We do a lot of stuff like fishing and camping on the weekends,” Snitker said.

Snitker also likes the service projects that being in SALT has enabled him to participate in.

“I like the retreats,” he said. “One of my favorites is actually stadium cleanup, when the weather’s nice, and small group outreaches.”

Although Stinker was not a frequent church attendee in his hometown, he said he finds SALT easy for him to relate to.

“It’s geared toward college kids: There’s not older or younger kids to make discussions awkward; its not the same context,” Snitker said. 

Although Snitker, Upah and Cleveland all enjoy attending Cornerstone, one event they said they commonly look forward to is Anthem’s performance. Anthem, the in-house band of SALT has released two Christian rock records. The band plays weekly at services and features songs of praise along with a message.

“It’s not just like church music. They’re a legit band. They make all their own original songs,” Upah said. Along with playing music the group posts lyrics so students can follow along.

Anthem, led by Jesse Antelman, formed in 2006. The first “Anthem Night” was held that same year, which brought more than 700 students. In 2009, the group released its first album.

This year, on April 27, Anthem hosted “pause” night, to celebrate the release of their second album. About 1,000 students were in attendance to celebrate the release.

“The music is so good it rattles your bones if you’re in the second row or close [to the front],”  Snitker said. “It’s awesome.”

The concerts are much like those at a rock venue but with a Christian worship twist.

“There’s people jumping; it’s a lot like an actual rock concert,” Snitker said.

During the set, the Cornerstone Church is transformed.

“They have different lights and smoke that make it look different than normal,” Upah said.

Upah said she looks forward to the concerts as a twist to Thursday night.

“I’ve been listening to them for the past three or four years; their music is as good as what’s on the radio,” Upah said.