On a cold, foggy Thursday morning at 7 a.m., a small group of students gathered in the Point Loma Nazarene University Prescott Prayer Chapel for worship and connection. The newly formed student-led group, called Hungry House, met on Feb. 6 for the fourth time since its inception in January to continue its mission of creating a community where various students can come together and pray before their day starts.
“Hungry House is for everyone – no matter your background, no matter where you come from, no matter what you’re doing right now,” Charity Pfeiffer, a fourth-year music major and group founder, said.
Hungry House is one of the worship opportunities at PLNU; among them is Tuesday night worship in the Fermanian parking garage and Thursday night Time Out Chapel. After seeing and experiencing these events, Pfeiffer said she was inspired to create her own.
“I’d been praying and contending for this with friends for over a year and a half, and now, it’s finally starting,” she said.
A typical meeting begins with 40 minutes of worship and praise, followed by 20 minutes of “harp and bowl,” which includes intercessory prayer, scripture reading and continued worship throughout, led by Pfeiffer’s best friend, Esther Freeman, a third-year commercial music major.
“I remember Charity bringing up the idea for it last semester, and right from there, I was so on board,” Freeman said. “Charity and I started leading worship together in 2019 and ever since then have been pretty much inseparable.”
The heart behind Hungry House is to “hunger for Jesus together,” Pfeiffer said, adding that she felt it was important to create a community and a space on campus where attendees feel safe and welcome.
The name Hungry House came from Pfeiffer’s desire to make it one that would stand out.
“I wanted it to be something memorable, yet a fun and cheesy name that makes you smile when you say it,” she said. “I love the idea of home because it’s a safe space where you can take your shoes off and just be you.”
Each week, Pfeiffer invites her friends from different areas of her life, both from PLNU and Jesus Culture, a youth-oriented Christian revivalist organization, to lead worship, offering attendees a taste of what worship leaders outside of PLNU are doing.
Several students who attended the meeting enjoyed the experience.
“The acoustics are so beautiful,” Darma Mortimer, a second-year nursing major, said, who attended for the first time at the fourth meeting. “I love this space; I love the chapel; I feel like the Holy Spirit is always dwelling here. It is a space I can rest in and start my morning with the Lord.”
Michael Heninger, a first-year mechanical engineering major, said he stumbled upon the worship group and immediately felt at home.
“I walked in on it one day and joined the worship, and it was fun,” Heninger said. “It was really good. I asked if I could join, and every single person in there said ‘yes’ and was super welcoming.”
The leaders give opportunities for attendees to talk about what God has put on their hearts during the worship space and to request worship songs that they feel the Lord is calling them to sing.
“It has been so rewarding and humbling to watch people draw nearer to God as we intercede for more of that very thing on this campus,” Freeman said.
Attendance has ranged from five to 10 people each week. For Pfeiffer, Hungry House isn’t about the numbers – it’s about creating a space for authentic worship. She said she’s at peace with whatever turnout God brings.
“‘God, if it is just me and Esther and You, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the angels in the room, I will be so happy because You are encountering us,’” she said, referring to what she tells God.
Despite numbers not being a priority, Pfeiffer still aspires for the growth of the group. She dreams of needing a bigger space as the community grows and bringing in spiritual leaders who are friends of hers, to guide people in various spiritual practices.
“I have friends who are way older and who are really experienced, knowledgeable and safe when it comes to baptism with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, manifestations to the Holy Spirit, prophecy and casting out demons,” she said. “I’m going to have them at some point down the road come in and teach about it.”
For now, Pfeiffer said she is focused on creating a safe environment for worship.
Pfeiffer said that everyone is welcome, no matter their faith journey.
“Just come and be hungry,” she said.
