257 ORGANIZATIONS Campus Ministry Connections (CMC) was a new Christ-centered organization at Harding in fall 2022. The ministry consisted of 10 students total, seven women and three men. They kicked off the school year on Aug. 15, 2022, with the start of their spiritual week training. “The weekend was like a pressure cooker that was a spirit field,” sophomore Hadassah Reese said. “It felt like two months of friendship formed only within one week.” The week-long retreat consisted of diving deep into scriptures, sharing personal testimonies, and growing closer to God and each other. “We learned what it looked like to be transparent and vulnerable,” junior Clayton Roach said. After a week of training, the CMC students immediately took action in the new school year. Sophomore CMC student McKenzie Kilmer had the idea to have coffee and fellowship with first-year students on the first Sunday morning of the school year. This gave first-year students the opportunity to experience community and attend a church in Searcy by riding with the CMC students to their local congregations. “In all honesty, I had the idea for myself, but Campus Ministry Connections helped me make it a larger scale event,” Kilmer said. “I was able to connect with people and bring them to church with me afterwards.” While bringing people to church was a focus for the Campus Ministry Connections group, they also took on leadership roles around campus. Dorm Bible studies, oneon-one spiritual check-ins and other planned events were just some of the many things these students worked on. CREATING connections Campus Ministry Connections brings people together across campus. Every Monday, all 10 members ate lunch together along with Chris Buxton, the head of their organization. This time served as a check-in to make sure the campus and the CMC members were doing what they could to help students grow to be like Christ. “Chris Buxton started Campus Ministry Connections at Arkansas Tech and has now expanded to many other campuses in the South,” Roach said. “He wants us to be a liaison between the students and the local churches here in Searcy.” Buxton was nothing short of intentional when it came to choosing the 10 students to be a part of the CMC. With an email sent out at the end of the spring 2022 semester, along with a spiritually driven interview process, 10 applicants were accepted to have paid jobs working in ministry. The students had majors including communication science and disorders, criminal justice, social work, Bible, and nursing. They also had various levels of involvement on campus, which helped get everyone connected. “As an RA, I feel as if I have a leg up because I am around freshmen all day and immersed in their culture,” Roach said. “I can make connections with them and get to know everyone on a personal level.” CMC also had a public Instagram available (@ministryconnections.hu) for all students and faculty to interact with. They were equipped and ready to help anyone around campus. Written by: Adele Duncan
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