Jenny McJunkin (nee Egge) graduated from Colorado State University in 1997 with a Bachelor’s in Equine Science and then followed God’s call to become a Chi Alpha missionary. She served on staff from 1998 to 2001 at Montana State University, then went on to be the Chi Alpha director for four years at the University of Wyoming, followed by leading the ministry at Texas Tech, where she married her husband Tory in 2006.
In 2008, Jenny stepped down from her position to become a stay-at-home mom to her children. She and Tory, a pain-management physician, served as co-chairmen of the first National Chi Alpha Advancement Advisory Group, which started both the National Chi Alpha Alumni Association and the Chi Alpha Foundation. Jenny currently lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona and is a full-time mom for five very active children, but she still makes time to speak at women’s ministry events, fundraisers, and Chi Alpha retreats. She also took time to share with us why her heart for Chi Alpha remains so strong to this day.
Describe the impact Chi Alpha had on you as a student.
Life changing! I really took ownership of my faith and for the first time I found a community of like-minded people who were loving and pursuing Jesus the same way I was. Chi Alpha really strengthened my faith. I started reading the Bible on my own, memorizing Scripture, and became more empowered to serve Jesus and live for Him fully.
What has excited you about being a part of the emerging Chi Alpha alumni movement?
The alumni association gives me an easy avenue to stay involved and give back. My passion for Chi Alpha has never waned, even though my role has changed. My love for Chi Alpha and students didn’t end when I stepped off campus to be a full-time mom. My heart is for every local campus and for supporting the national Chi Alpha movement. I see alumni as the key. If Chi Alpha were a company, we would be the stockholders. Alumni can come together as a community and encourage each other in the marketplace as well as pray for our local campus and give back financially.
How can alumnae who are stay-at-home moms still make an impact for Chi Alpha?
I think there are countless ways, beginning with loving and teaching your own children about Jesus. As a stay-at-home mom, you are still a missionary to the world around you and everyone you meet and interact with. Chi Alpha teaches that we are all ambassadors for Christ and to build relationships first. We share our life with people, we get to know them, and we share Christ as the natural out-flowing of our lives. As moms, we are constantly building relationships with people in the community; teachers, parents and kids from school, parents and kids at sports practice and games, our neighbors, and even the clerks at the grocery store. We are always building relationships and taking opportunities to share Christ.
Finally, can you share the vision of the Chi Alpha Foundation?
The vision and purpose is to fund and support the National Chi Alpha Ministry Center, which exists to shepherd and lead the Chi Alpha movement. It takes finances to support any large organization and especially now as there has been a dramatic expansion of Chi Alpha in the last five years. A great awakening has begun on campuses across the U.S. and the Chi Alpha Foundation exists to cover, resource, and train missionaries to reach students at this monumental time in history.
For more about Jenny and her adventures in motherhood, check out her blog.