Finding a Place to Serve

Posted on November 7, 2014 by alicroom

By Derek Byrne

Without a doubt, Baylor holds itself to high academic standards. Courses here are challenging and offer students outstanding educational opportunities. However, some of the best chances to learn can be found outside the classroom. I’m continually learning what it means to serve people and communities during my time at Baylor.

Meeting community needs and serving effectively can be complex issues, and educating yourself on what it means to serve is an ongoing process. Even so, there are a few concepts I’ve learned during my time in college that are now foundational to my perspective on service.

Serving is a powerful learning tool. The university and its various departments offer numerous opportunities to combine your studies in the classroom and the greater needs of the community in a practical way. It could be on a discipline-specific mission trip, a class project that utilizes a partnership with a local nonprofit or a discussion on service and learning hosted on campus. During your time here, you’ll have plenty of chances to discover how your field of study can contribute to the greater good of society.

There’s a place for each of us to serve. Service can be motivated by other interests and passions. At Baylor and in Waco, there are chances to serve in nearly any field imaginable. If you love working with kids, you can tutor children after school. Have a green thumb? There’s a community garden for you. For me, working with people who have special needs is a huge source of joy. Since freshman year, I’ve had the chance to work with Baylor Urban Missions’ special needs ministry. I get to do what I love with people I love, and that’s what service can be. Finding passion in what you’re doing is so valuable, and there are plenty of chances to do that at Baylor. Below is a video of Urban Missions’ Fall Ball Masquerade from last October. This was a great way to give back to the special needs community while also having a lot of fun!

Service is bigger than me. Easily the most valuable thing I’ve learned through my time serving at Baylor is that service is not about me. In fact, it’s not about any one person. Serving is about moving communities forward and improving lives. Service organizations and events on campus offer chances for reflection and discussion. They create places where students can consider the work they are doing and how it fits into the bigger picture of benefitting communities.

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Baylor is a university that is uniquely committed to service and located in a city that offers unparalleled opportunities for service-oriented partnerships. Don’t miss the chance to study the world around you by finding a place to serve during your college years.

Let God Take the Wheel

Posted on October 14, 2014 by alicroom

By Emily Martin

Sometimes, we don’t get what we asked for in life, which can really suck. But I have learned something really important since becoming a student at this great university: God’s plan for your life is so much greater than your own. Yes, I know that this is not new to many of you. However, lately I have been seeing more and more of how true this statement really is.

I came to Baylor thinking that I was going to fit right in and automatically have a ton of friends. In high school, I was never the most popular girl, but I did have a good amount of people that I could always count on to do things with. All of my best friends decided to go to UT Austin and A&M, so coming to Baylor was a courageous move on my part. I didn’t know a soul at Baylor. Even my roommate was a girl that I had only met a few times.

Because I didn’t know anyone yet, the first few weeks of my freshman year were rough. The only friend I had was my roommate, and we felt excluded and invisible to the rest of the freshman class who seemed to have college life figured out.

Eventually things got easier, and I started making more and more friends. But then Rush week came along. I decided to go along with all of the other girls living in Collins and go through Rush week. I honestly thought that I would easily get into the sorority I wanted, and I didn’t prepare myself for if I didn’t. Because of this, Bid Day was a train wreck for me. I remember thinking to myself, “God, why in the world would you do this to a girl like me? Am I not good enough to be a part of what all my friends seem to easily fit into?”

Looking back at these thoughts now, I know that I was being completely ridiculous. Of course God didn’t think that I wasn’t good enough! He just had something better planned for me that I was too blind to see at the time. Sororities are great and that is how God chooses to use some girls, but He has a different plan for some of us.

I didn’t know it at the time, but God was calling me to be a Young Life leader. Young Life is a Christian organization that is dedicated to bringing the Good News of the Gospel to high school students. I had been involved in Young Life for all four years of high school, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I worked at a weekend YL camp right after Rush Week. It was then that I realized God was calling me to put all of my spare time and energy into ministering high school students.

Immediately, I called Sharon, a woman who helps out with Waco Young Life, and we started hanging out. Sharon is probably the coolest and most loving human being on planet earth. When I told her my story and about how I felt God calling me to come back to Young Life, she instantly invited me to go with Waco YL to Colorado that summer.

Long story short, I went to Wilderness Ranch in Colorado last summer and had the time of my life. I am currently in the process of training to become a leader here in Waco, and I am loving every minute of it. The people are so inviting and caring – I genuinely feel at home every time I am with all of them.

My point of telling everyone this story is not to turn girls away from Greek Life or to convince people to join Young Life. My hope is that students know how important it is to follow the path that God has paved for you. I tried to go off and do my own thing, and it did not turn out well for me. There are so many incredible organizations to be a part of here at Baylor, so there is bound to be one that you will fit perfectly into. Don’t limit yourself to doing what everyone else is doing. Whatever God calls you to do in college may not be the coolest or the most glamorous thing in the world, but it will definitely make you a lot happier than just following your friends. Pray about what God wants to use you for during your years here at Baylor, and then get out there and do it.

So. Much. Energy.

Posted on October 13, 2014 by alicroom

By Laura Teague

Working with middle schoolers was something I loved doing through my church back home in Oregon. I had awesome leaders in middle school, so during high school, I tried to give back by leading the middle schoolers’ worship sessions. Around the beginning of last year, I realized that I really missed being plugged into a church in that way. So I decided to start working as a middle school leader at Harris Creek Baptist Church. Every Sunday morning, I lead a table discussion for middle school girls about a passage of scripture. We work through whole books of the Bible every semester, and it’s really awesome to learn more about scripture alongside them. A few times a semester, we have what we call “Late Nights,” which are fun events on Friday or Saturday nights where the students are encouraged to invite their friends and get them connected to the ministry. Last week, we had a huge dodgeball tournament, and it was a blast to hang out with my students in a different way. We all dressed up and went crazy – I forgot how much energy 11-13 year olds have! Getting connected to a church and being able to serve has really allowed me to become a part of the community in Waco. I really feel like this place has become my home, and my experience at Harris Creek has been a huge part of that!

My co-leader and DDD sister MK!

They have so much sass!

SB2014. No Regrets.

Posted on March 25, 2014 by alicroom

By Patara Williams

YEEESSSS!! SB2014. #NOREGRETS.

Does this sound familiar? If not to you, it definitely does to me. It seems like everyone had the biggest and baddest events planned for their 2014 Spring Break.

In this facet…I’m just like everyone else.

In my mind, I had the greatest plan of all. It topped everyone else’s. While they were sailing on cruises, walking the beaches and flying from country to country, I was planning on being in Waco, Texas…in my bed.

What? Ten weeks of class is exhausting. What’s wrong with a little sleep…seven consecutive days worth of sleep?

Zzzzzz. Period.

But, at the last minute, I decided to maximize my week to its greatest capacity. I realized that I was looking out for my own interests and in the end the only person who could possibly benefit from 168 hours of sleep was Patara. So, I decided to call up my College Pastor and dedicate time to an awesome event called Catalyst.

In this facet…I was quite a bit different from everyone else.

What is Catalyst?

An annual Spring Break outreach/missions opportunity targeted at one of the oldest and most impoverished housing units in the city of Waco
An opportunity for children to experience the love of Jesus and partake in fun daily activities for an entire week
A wonderful blessing – every day kids were provided free meals (more than 60 percent of Waco children are on free/reduced lunch programs and rarely have food when they arrive home…could you imagine being out of school for an entire week?)

So…in essence, it’s very similar to what we know as VBS…on steroids.

What did this mean for me?

Surrendering myself in lieu of the interests of others
Bonding with children…not my forte…AT ALL
Giving up my 168 hours of sleep
Running around in the hot sun for 5+ hours a day
Getting injured anytime I tried to put together a gazebo

What did it mean for the Kingdom?

Sowing into the lives of children
Anointing homes with the love of the Lord
Bringing hope to the hopeless
Bringing joy to the broken
Pleasing my Father

The Lesson

Maximize the time that you’re given on this earth. Use any and every opportunity you can to love on your neighbor. In the end, your reward will be the greatest.

SB2K14. No Regrets.

Chasing Children

Chocolate Milk + Face Paint = Cuteness!

Gone Fishin’

Posted on February 12, 2014 by alicroom

By Emily Woodby

As I’ve said before, Baylor is awesome for many reasons, including its commitment to service. As students, we are told to make a difference in our new community and give back to our surroundings. This is a big factor in all clubs on campus and definitely a big part of Greek life.

This past weekend was Kappa Omega Tau’s Fishery event. They rent out the fair grounds and host a carnival of sorts for the special needs community of Waco. Members of all of the sororities and other clubs come to help with booths and hang out with all of the visitors.

My friend’s name was Laura, and she was an absolute joy to be around. It was so great to be reminded of the difference we can make in people’s lives, even if it’s just hanging out with them for a day. I especially enjoyed the day because it was a chance to get to know my new member class on a deeper level – something about community service naturally brings people together. Overall, Fishery was a great success and an amazing thing to be a part of!

My Brother’s Keeper

Posted on October 28, 2013 by alicroom

By Charlie Foster

I remember when I was deciding on where to go to college, my friends and I talked about the different cities in which our choices were located.

“Austin sounds great, but it might be too crazy. Boston would be cool, but it would also be way too cold. Waco? Isn’t that kinda sketchy?”

So, let me one of the first to tell you: yes, Waco has its ups and downs. There are some places in town where you may not find a whole lot of college kids roaming around, but some of those are great places to serve and enjoy a great community.

You may be thinking, “Wait, didn’t you just say it might be kinda sketchy?” Yes, I did. But, it’s the people here that matter the most.

I found myself in one of these places last night, as some brothers and I headed downtown to work at My Brother’s Keeper for the evening.

My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) is a temporary homeless shelter where people can stay overnight for up to three nights. Each day typically consists of a long line of people outside, anxiously awaiting to get inside, so they can sleep in a warm bed. Not everyone is admitted due to a limited amount of space, but those who do are given a nice place to sleep for the evening as they prepare for the next day.

My brothers and I went down there to help lead “church time.” Each evening, MBK provides a meal to its residents along with a worship and devotional service. Sometimes church youth or college groups will lead it, while others on the staff of MBK will help with it. This week, a friend’s church was volunteering, and they needed a few extra hands. He reached out to our fraternity, and I decided to go. It was the best and most rewarding decision I made this week.

This post-Homecoming week has been stressful with essays, tests and long nights talking with roommates about life. Serving at MBK gave me a chance to be refueled by the love of Christ through worship and community with people who just needed someone to love them. Hearing each of their stories gave me hope for life and a refocus on my calling here: to serve and love others through and for Jesus.

While I wish that I could have taken pictures at MBK last night, the residents of MBK didn’t want to be pictured, and I completely understand. Please, know that these people are joyful and caring. They thrive on the passion and love of Jesus Christ, despite their circumstances.

And, they’re still like you and me. They still struggle with something in their lives; the only difference is they don’t have a home.

So, when you get down here and travel through “sketchy” Waco, stop and see what you can do to help. Talk to the people around you. Take some time out of your schedule to love on others. It will be just as great for you as it is for the people you’re serving.

Volunteering is Fun! (by Grant Siluangkhot)

Posted on November 9, 2012 by michellerava

In concurrence with the season of Thanksgiving and service, I’d like to share my recent experience of volunteering at a local church. I joined the Baylor APPS (Association of Pre-Pharm Students) this semester and one of the things we enjoy doing is participating in service events together. APPS was able to help Hewitt FUMC with their rummage sale event by folding clothes and organizing miscellaneous items.

After hours of hauling boxes and shelving books outside in the cold, we finally were able to go inside. To our surprise, we were given free pizza and drinks. Score! The people at the church were so kind and thankful. I was just glad to help. Before we left, we helped to set up tables and chairs for an event and said our goodbyes to our new friends.

Although it was very very cold on this October evening, (as you can see by our jackets and hats) I think it was worth it. It really was a great time to give back and connect to the community and get to know my fellow APPS members.

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I’m also going to be participating in Baylor’s Steppin’ Out this weekend! I’m going with the Japanese Student Association to help serve food at an event. I heard that some groups also go out and paint and garden.

“Steppin’ Out is a program providing service to the greater-Waco community by coordinating volunteer service days once each semester. Steppin’ Out strives to enhance student involvement in community service and attain community awareness, interaction, and collaboration between Baylor University and the Waco community. Additionally, Steppin’ Out seeks to provide opportunities for experiential learning, civic leadership, and social responsiblity.”

Walk the Walk and Read the Chalk (by Lexa Johnson)

Posted on September 13, 2012 by michellerava

While walking around the Baylor campus, it is hard not to notice different organizations advertising their meetings or events through a new medium, the sidewalk. Chalking, as it is called, is extremely popular and a convenient way to keep students informed. Through chalking, different clubs and organizations can announce when their meetings and events are. The heavy amount of chalking also proves just how many organizations there are on campus.

As a freshman, at first I was worried that Baylor might not have a particular organization that I would be interested in. I quickly learned that is not the case. During the first weekend on campus there is Late Night at the SLC where almost every organization and club sets up a booth and students can go around and get information from each one and sign up to be on their email list.

It was during Late Night that I discovered that Baylor has a club for everything and anything you can possibly think of. There is even a hide go seek club! I ended up joining the Pre Physician’s Assistant Society and Freshman Leadership Organization (or FLO) and they are both absolutely amazing. For FLO we had a retreat this weekend where we went to a local gymnastics gym and just played and hung out all night. Then the next morning we went and volunteered at Caritas. It was so amazing to have fun with this new group of people because everyone is so outgoing and goofy as well as getting to serve with them. Next time you are on campus, be sure to look for the chalking and you will quickly learn just how many great organizations there are on campus.

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Tag Archives: Volunteering