Alpha Gamma Omega
American Christ-centered collegiate fraternity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alpha Gamma Omega (ΑΓΩ, or AGO) is an American Christian fraternity. It was founded in 1927 at University of California, Los Angeles and now has chapters at universities in California, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.[2]
University of California, Los Angeles
| Alpha Gamma Omega | |
|---|---|
| ΑΓΩ | |
 | |
| Founded | February 25, 1927 University of California, Los Angeles |
| Type | Social |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Christian |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | "Fraternity for Eternity" |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Flower | Easter Lily |
| Mascot | Medieval knight |
| Chapters | 10 (active) |
| Members | 1,000+[1] active |
| Headquarters | 968 South Coastal Highway, #1927 Laguna Beach, California 92651 United States |
| Website | ago |
History
Alpha Gamma Omega was founded in 1927 at University of California, Los Angeles as a Christ-centered fraternity.[3]
The preamble to the fraternity's constitution is as follows:
Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we, as Christian young men of Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity, purpose that it shall be the aim of this fraternity to win others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, to promote Christian fellowship, to present Christian ideals in word and deed, to search reverently for the truth, to uphold the traditions and ideals of the university, and to deepen the spiritual lives of the members.[4]
Alpha Gamma Omega has chartered chapters across the United States.[3] It maintains a close relationship with its Christian sorority counterpart, Alpha Delta Chi, considered the fraternity's "sister sorority."[5][6] Its headquarters is located in Laguna Beach, California.[3]
Symbols
Alpha and Omega represent the sovereign majesty of God and His dominion and lordship over all things. These letters come from the book of Revelation, where Jesus Christ says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." The letter Gamma, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, represents Christ, which itself begins with "C", the third letter of the English alphabet. It is in the center to represent Christ being at the center of the fraternity and the lives of its members.[4]
In addition, the Greek letters ΑΓΩ spells the word "ago"
The fraternity's colors are blue and gold.[6] Its flower is the Easter Lily.[6] Its motto is "Fraternity for Eternity".[7][6] The fraternity's Bible verse is II Timothy 2:15: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth".[6][8]
Activities
- Founders' Day – Scheduled annually on the last Saturday of February, the active and alumni members come together to celebrate the founding of the fraternity.[9]
- All-AGO Pismo Beach Flag Football Tournament – Every October, the Kappa chapter hosts all chapters as they compete on the Pismo-Oceano Dunes against one another in a 7 on 7 flag football tournament.[10][6]
- Annual alumni camping trip to Yosemite National Park.[11]
Chapters
Following is a list of Alpha Gamma Omega chapters.[2][3] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.
Notable members
- Bill Bright (Honorary), evangelist who founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students[6]
- Percy Crawford (Alpha), founder of The King's College[12][6]
- Harold Lindsell (Beta), founding faculty member of Fuller Theological Seminary, editor of Christianity Today[13]
- Benjamin Weir (Beta), moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
- Beau Wirick (Pi), actor [6]