Spirit of service surpasses Harding boundaries to reach into many other parts of the world •Hundreds o f st udent s get involved i n Campus Ministry p r ograms For 20 years, Campus Ministry has provided Harding students and faculty with many opportunities to use their God-given talents to meet the spiritual needs of others. According to Barby Smith, the women's counselor who has co-directed Campus Ministry for 15 years with her husband, Dwight, there are several areas of Campus Ministry in which students can get involved. "We usually have between 500 and 600 students participate in the Home Bible Study program, in which various members of the College Church of Christ open up their homes to conduct Bible studies with Harding students each Wednesday night." A related program, Adopt-A-Student, provides students who are members of the College church with a 'home away from home' by connecting them with families from the College church. "Letters for the Lord is a program in which 400 to 500 students write notes of encouragement and sympathy to students on campus who have experienced great joys or sorrows," Mrs. Smith said. "In the Big Brother/Big Sister program, we connect students with children we find through social services, the housing authority and various churches in town. " Students Worship Away allows groups of students to go out every Sunday night to small congregations in the area to direct their worship. Campus Ministry also has a program designed primarily for international students. Activities include regular trips to Wal-Mart and Little Rock, as well as special trips which vary each semester. Jennifer Latham, a junior from Thorsby, Ala., was one of 20 who volunteered to serve on the International Student Committee. "Not only have I really enjoyed learning about the cultures of the international students, but I have also gained appreciation and respect for them," Latham said. His House, another ministry of the College church, provides food, clothing and other donated items to needy individuals in the community, and students in Campus Ministry assist by helping to stock shelves. Each summer, the Smiths direct 12 international campaigns. "Of all the areas of service, this may be the one that best fulfills our main goal for Campus Ministry, which is to help every student grow as a Christian and to ultimately reach heaven," Mrs. Smith said. On their own, the Smiths do pre-marital counseling, conduct an engaged/newlywed seminar every spring, and teach a Bible class with Larry and Donna Long for married and engaged couples. Other services of Campus Ministry include sending birthday cards to all the students and providing a shuttle service to and from the Little Rock airport for the students around the major school breaks. With all the good that has been accomplished through it, Campus Ministry continues to be a necessary and powerful influence at Harding and throughout the world. - Michael Carter Campus Ministry. First Row: Heather Troutwine, Barby Smith, Jana Hendrix, Anabella Ruiz, Vanessa Bearden. Second Row: Lavonne Pearson, Lori Kelsey, Dwight Smith, Christine McWhorter, Betty Davis, Oscar Garcia. Third Row: Heath Evans, Erica Tyler, Lisa Thomas, Tia White, Lisa Massey, Anna Jones, Lance Aljian. Photo by Christie Mangrum. Thanks to her knowledge of sign language, Becky Leavell visits with Jamie McCracken at a dactylology club mixer. The club trains its members to preach the Gospel and be ofservice to the deaf. Photo by Aaron Gillihan. 182 • Campus Ministry & JOY Organizations
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