First Love Church · Columbia University

You're
welcome here.

R20 Nights is a Friday gathering for Columbia students who are curious, searching, or simply done going through the motions. No pressure. Real community. Genuine faith.

Plan Your First Visit Learn more →
Every Friday
7:30 PM
Lerner Hall, Columbia
Every Friday Night 7:30 PM at Lerner Hall Columbia University No Experience Required Bring a Friend Every Friday Night 7:30 PM at Lerner Hall Columbia University No Experience Required Bring a Friend
What Is R20

A space for the questions everyone's afraid to ask.

College is a season of enormous pressure and enormous possibility. R20 Nights exists for students navigating all of it — the academic weight, the social searching, the quiet questions about purpose and meaning that don't fit neatly into a syllabus.

R20 is part of First Love Church New York — a church with deep roots in both Africa and Manhattan. On Friday nights at Columbia, we bring that community to your campus.

01
Live Worship

A genuine musical experience — not background noise. Songs that give language to what you're feeling, whether or not you've ever sung in a church before.

02
Honest Preaching

Real messages for real life. We tackle the questions people actually have — doubt, suffering, identity, the future — without pretending the answers are easy.

03
Community After

Coffee, desserts, and actual conversation. The hour after the service is where most people decide to come back — because they met someone worth knowing.

Real faith   ·    Real community   ·    Real answers   ·    Friday nights   ·    Columbia University   ·    No judgment   ·    Real faith   ·    Real community   ·    Real answers   ·    Friday nights   ·    Columbia University   ·    No judgment   ·
Service Times

Come as you are. Seriously.

Friday Nights
7:30
Location
Lerner Hall
2920 Broadway, Columbia University
What to expect
Worship · The Word · Community time after. Doors open at 7:00 PM. Come as you are — no dress code, no membership required.
Plan My Visit

What to expect on your first visit

  • Worship
    A live band leads 20–25 minutes of music. Sing along, stand, sit — whatever works for you. No pressure, no performance.
  • The Message
    A 25-minute talk grounded in scripture — practical, honest, and built around questions real people actually carry.
  • Community Time
    Coffee, desserts, and real conversation. A prayer station is available if you want one-on-one prayer before you leave.
  • No Awkward Moments
    We won't ask first-time visitors to stand, speak, or do anything uncomfortable. You're here to explore — that's enough.
Our Campuses

Bible Hangouts across your campus.

R20 Nights anchors at Columbia, but our Bible Hangout community stretches across four New York campuses. Find yours.

NYU
New York University
Weekly Bible Hangout
Greenwich Village
Thursdays
CC
City College of NY
Weekly Bible Hangout
Harlem Campus
Wednesdays
PU
Pace University
Weekly Bible Hangout
Lower Manhattan
Tuesdays

Plan your first visit

Let us know you're coming. We'll have someone look out for you when you arrive — no awkward wandering.

Connect

Everyone starts somewhere.

Walking into a new church community is a real thing to do. We know that. R20 exists to make the first step as easy as possible — and the second step worth taking.

No follow-up spam. We'll reach out once to say hi. That's it — unless you want more.

No pressure to join anything. Come to the service. Enjoy the coffee. See how you feel.

Questions welcome. Doubt doesn't disqualify you here. It's actually why we exist.