When Brittni Geibel went off to college, she was armed with more than school supplies. Geibel's priest, the Rev. David DeWitt of Mater Dolorosa Roman Catholic Church, presented her with a crucifix — the type of parting gift he typically gives to the Chicora church's college-bound teens.

But according to Geibel, the gift didn't signify parting.

"It kind of serves as a reminder of what Christ did for me and also it makes me think of my church," she said. "To know that I have that support group."

Although the crucifix was stored in her room at home, Geibel carried the support through her freshman year at Slippery Rock University, where joining the school's Campus Crusade for Christ group helped her retain a spiritual focus.

Students at SRU also hailed from New Life Christian Ministries, a nondenominational church that meets at South Butler Primary School.

Some of those students retained their connection by inviting their pastor, Chris Marshall, to campus.

"I went to Slippery Rock a couple times last spring and met with a couple of our students who are in a Christian group," Marshall said.

"They asked me to come talk to them about how they can keep their faith."

With an average Sunday attendance of 200, Marshall said the eight-year-old church includes a sizable community of youths, and he realizes the importance of being "intentional" in his relationships with them.

"I know in the past, what happened basically is students went off to college. They tend to drop out of church and they tend to resurface when they get married and have their own children," Marshall said.

"If you don't stay connected, there's even less of an opportunity for them to come back later."

Marshall said he maintains the connection throughout the college years, when he corresponds by e-mail and letter in addition to personal visits.

New Life also does an outreach twice a year during college finals, when church members assemble care packages for students as well as military personnel.

The packages include baked goods, snacks, school supplies and fun gifts meant to offset the stress that accompanies finals.

"We want the students to realize we still care about them," said Diane Beck, who participates in the mailings for 20-plus students. "We want them to know God's still very much a part of their lives and we're still a part of their lives."

At Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church on East Diamond Street, most of the students attend college within commuting distance of home. Due to that proximity, youth director Chris Wagner extended what he calls a "relational ministry" to accommodate the youths as they matured.

"We just started the college group last year, because I felt the need to maintain the connection between those who were moving on to college," Wagner said.

"It's sort of a more laid back environment. We get together. We eat and we fellowship," Wagner added.

Glenn Clune, entering his junior year at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, is one of the group's regular members.

Clune said attending the group fulfills many of his social as well as spiritual needs.

"It's basically a time where we talk," he said. "(But also) we'll watch movies or we'll go out to lunch — whatever we're feeling up to that day."

"A lot of my friends outside the church don't really base their life on faith at all, so for me personally it helps me stay grounded. It helps me to see other people living out their faith and in turn it helps me live out mine."

Joanne Sheehan, director of religious education at Mater Dolorosa and its sister parish, St. Joseph in North Oakland, said she, too, has begun to see a need for expanding programs to the college age group — especially since her oldest child is now among those students.

"I started out as a teacher here for my son's confirmation class. I'm very aware that the kids that I started with are leaving the nest. I'm excited for them, but I'm sad to see them go," she said.

For students like Geibel, returning also is part of the process. Geibel spent part of the summer volunteering at Mater Dolorsa, where she helped Sheehan organize a library.

"I haven't forgotten my church," Geibel said

Like many youth directors, Sheehan hopes that memory extends to Geibel's peers.

"It's an exciting time for them. I just love to see them going into the world and just hope they can remember their faith," she said.

"It's hard to live a faith in the material world, and they're going to have to make decisions without anybody hovering over them. We really hope that we've given them wings, and we hope that they use them appropria1`tely."