Hey man, there's free stuff over here!
(He didn't actually say stuff, but I fear if I wrote what he actually said I might lose some supporters!)
Such are the things you hear when you work in campus ministry! The free stuff was nearly 300 care packages that Christian Student Fellowship was handing out. We put out a call each summer to local churches, asking them to donate bags of food and whatever else college students may find useful.
It is a fantastic way to meet new students and reconnect with old friends. Every year I smile as students walk by, intent on their destination, only to be accosted by smiling CSF students, asking if they would like a free bag of goodies. Many students are doing that walk that we all know - eyes ahead, focused, ignoring all that is around, putting off an air of "i'm seriously going somewhere important and don't have time to observe my surroundings." When they realize someone else is yelling at them it takes a few seconds to shake out of their reverie.
Their first words are often,
"What? Free bag of goodies? For me? Why?"
"Who gave all this stuff? This is so nice!"
We explain that local churches donated. Then a student or I explain to them what CSF is and invite them to it.
I like to pepper my conversations with students with a bit of sarcasm. One student asked if he could take one bag for his girlfriend. My response was, "Girlfriend! You liar, you don't have a girlfriend!" The poor kid did not get that I was giving him a hard time, he even looked a bit frightened (why is this guy nearly twice my age yelling at me!).
Speaking of my age, two days later we organized a kickball game. I don't think I've played kickball since 1991, before the students at PSU Berks were born! Apparently kickball is big on campus. We had a blast and met a few new students.
Back to the care packages...
I want to thank all the churches that donated bags this year. The students who receive them are so grateful. One student, Kelsey, is an RA who I met last year. She walked by and said, "oh, care packages? Is that today?"
I smiled and responded, "Yeah Kelsey, act surprised! Like you didn't know we were here."
"I knew. I brought my whole hall!" She smiled as twenty freshmen dove into the gift bags.
It is definitely a good ministry. Seeds are planted every year. Students see a group of Christians out there, selflessly giving away free stuff. Some students will make their way to CSF or to church because of this. Others might just have a brightened day at the beginning of the semester.
Speaking of free stuff, two days after giving out care packages we gave out PSU creamery ice cream. We ordered two tubs, enough for 100 people. If I had known how outgoing the returning CSF students were going to be, I'd have ordered twice as much! We gave it all away in about half an hour!
These events set the tone for the year, and based on how fired up and outgoing to students were, I am very excited for this year. I pray they keep this same outward focus all year long. Then whether we are handing out bags of stuff, playing kickball or sitting in a circle and praying, we can be confident we are serving God on the university campus.
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