A group of friends who share a common faith hope to reach out to other young men through a new chapter of the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity at The University of Alabama.

Beta Upsilon Chi is a national Christian fraternity that “exists for the purpose of establishing brotherhood and unity among college men based on the common bond of Jesus Christ,” according to its website.

Brandon Delavar, a sophomore in business management and president-elect of the UA BYX chapter, said advisors from the national BYX headquarters recently visited campus after the group sent in a video. Delavar said they are currently going through the application process for becoming an official student organization and hope to complete it in time to have a fall rush period.

“Right now we’re trying to find interested people to get started,” Delavar said. “We have a bunch of people that are staying over the summer to talk to people at Bama Bound.”

Delavar said the founding members are reaching out to guys from their hometowns that are coming to The University of Alabama to help get the word out about BYX. He said they are receiving a lot of support from other BYX chapters.

“We have received calls from other schools like Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia and Clemson saying they are praying for us,” Delavar said.

Delavar said BYX will operate much like any other social fraternity, participating in date parties and formals, as well as rush and weekly chapter meetings. The meetings will include normal business matters, but also worship, prayer and personal testimonies, Delavar said. BYX also features weekly cell groups, which are a combination of Bible study and accountability.

“It’s a way for guys to keep each other accountable with walking in their faith and encouraging each other,” Delavar said.

Ryan Gregory, a sophomore majoring in exercise and sports science, said he thinks BYX will meet a specific need at the University, combining the fraternity and church experience.

“It will be a place where Christian guys can be involved in greek life and still be able to grow in their faith and have support from others,” Gregory said.

Gregory said they hope to have around 30 total members after the fall rush, including the founding 15 members. He said they will rely on word of mouth for now to reach out to prospective pledges.

Jason Johnston, a sophomore majoring in physics, said he learned about BYX while working at a camp with BYX members from other campuses. He said his church friends had already talked about starting a chapter when the national advisor called.

“It’s been really cool to see it come together,” Johnston said. “We’ve become good friends over the last year.”

Johnston said he hopes BYX provides a place for young men to learn to live out their faith, even away from their homes and parents.

“They haven’t lived on their own, and don’t know what it’s like to stand for their beliefs,” Johnston said. “We want to make that impact on men coming in, and help them create good relationships with everyone else.”