Local churches hosted a progressive dinner for freshmen and transfer students. The first annual "Eat and Greet" progressive dinner for freshmen and transfer students took place Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. Five local churches were involved: College -Church of Christ, Cloverdale Church of Christ, Downtown Church of Christ, Highway Church of Christ and.West Side Church of Christ. Each church hosted a phase of the dinner and opened their doors to hundreds of new students. An estimated 340 students signed up, but around 400 students arrived hungry and ready to participate. Harding had a history of outreach programs for new students, but this was the first year for an event resembling a progressive dinner. When asked how this event differed from those of the past, master of divinity graduate student Philip Baird and part-time campus mi.nistry intern at Cloverdale Church of Christ, explained it was a much more intimate setting than previous events. With the students physically visiting the church, not only were they meeting others who were new to Harding, but they were able to connect with different churches and see what each had to offer. "I was able to spend some time to discuss Cloverdale and what we do, our outreach programs, ministries and things like that," Baird said. "Also, considering everyone was in the same boat, people were much more willing to listen and get to know each other. They were pretty open." He said while it may have been crowded in some of the smaller churches, he was pleased with the number of students who participated. "Considering it was raining too, I think it was a great turn out," Baird said. Heather Kemper, event and project director for alumni and parent relations, was a leader of the event and said she was inspired by a similar event at another school and believed it would be a great opportunity to find community and build relationships. "We just wanted them to know that there are so many people in Searcy that want to get to know you and who love you already," Kemper said. "That you are welcome at any of these places. That really was the goal." Kemper confirmed plans to make it an annual event. "Definitely," Kemper said. "We're already talking about what we can do to make it better next year." Freshman Paul Stone was one of the students who attended the event. "I loved how open and inviting all the churches were," Stone said. "My favorite part was everyone wanted to get to know you and your friends." story by Abigail Rezentez . leadership 207
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