NiMA Est. 2007: Row 1: J. Pleasant (sponsor), L. Weilin, A. Villafuerte, A. Walters, S. Lopez. HASA Harding African Student Association est. 2007: Row 1: S. McNeil, E. Yeboah, C. McEuen. Row 2: M. Monyamane, 0. Adeoye. Row 3: P. Aiyedun, W. Cassell, A. Plaskocinski, N. Eze. Row 4: K. Waluube, B. Marimbu, C. Eze, S. Ejakpomewhe. Est. 1988: Row 1: 0. Tankersley, C. Catteau, A. Reynolds, N. Yhap, E. Nutt, R. Rorabaugh, B. Foreman. Row 2: K. McGuire, A. Wilmsen, K. Brale, J. Markwood, C. Toillion , S. Uchida, N. Bryan. Row 3: A. Horton, G. Rowden, A. Partlow, V. Sams, S. Metzler, K. Taylor, B. Garvine, S. Surber. Row 4: C. Graves, M. Henry, C. Loy, A. Clement, E. Bassham. Row 5: T. Pinch, K. Barnett, B. Sitton, J. Paul, C. Allen, A. Hilt, J. McManus, R. Gonzales. Row 6: L. Matthews, J. Evans, J. Rucker, E. Thompson, M. Podolak, R. Griffith. Row 7: C. Lowe, W. Melon, P Habegger, M. Wood, Z. Kelley, A. Overturf, E. Bryan, A. Veloudas, R. Swift, A. Roussel. STEERING I'N A NEW DIRECTION Leadership of the All Missions Fellowship transitions from an individual to a committee All Missions Fellowship transitioned from a faculty-led organization to an organization run by a student steering committee fall2012 because of the retirement of intern director David Reese, the leader of the organization. When Reese announced that he would be moving to Tanzania for mission work during the spring semester, the students decided it was a perfect time to transition to student leadership. The students created a steering committee of eight students to better fulfill the mission of the group. Begun in 1988, All Missions Fellowship was a group of students "interested in missions that meet for prayer, worship, and learning about God's work in the whole world," according to the Harding website. The group of about 30 students often invited guest speakers to the weekly meetings to share their experiences with the group. 'We are mission junkies," Rives Rorabaugh, a senior instrumental music education major, said. "We are the people who are really crazy about getting God's Word out to the rest of the world . Although a lot of us might go to different churches and Bible studies 262 I Organizations throughout the week, it's a time for us to get together and encourage one another." Group leadership was responsible for deciding what the organization did throughout the year and which guest speakers to invite. "In the Center for World Missions, we believe that the best recruiters of students are students themselves," Dr. Shawn Daggett, director of the Center for World Missions, said. "Our preference is for students to step up and lead and for the faculty to be a kind of safety net to take up responsibility in those periods of time when student leadership is still in development." Rorabaugh, a member of the steering committee, believed the committee would help members to implement missions into their daily lives. "It is easy for faculty members and former missionaries to recall the times they were in the field, but during this awkward transition time of our college lives, we have a lot of questions about how to get started," Rorabaugh said. "The steering committee is in touch with those needs and has been able to answer them." Cody Rogers, a senior involved in All Missions Fellowship, agreed that the student leadership allowed the organization to better implement students' ideas. "Having a student steering committee gave the students more of a voice in what happened in the group," Rogers said. "We've always had the opportunity to be involved, but it was definitely more realized since becoming student-led." The transition from faculty to student leadership went smoothly. At the beginning of the semester, the steering committee met with Gary Jackson, instructor of Bible and current intern director, and Reese to talk about what the new organization would look like and what the students wanted from it. The busy students found creative ways to stay in contact and share ideas, such as making a private Facebook page and using Google Docs. "Our purpose is to be in fellowship with like-minded students concerning missions, to have a place where we can meet, share our dreams and passions, and hear from missionaries that have gone before us," Rogers said. Rachel Weiss
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