Christian Outreach strives to love God, serve others, and share Christ. Making community service a priority helps them accomplish that mission on campus, in the Syracuse community and beyond.
The student organization, part of Baptist Campus Ministry, has organized and served in a variety of settings this semester. They began during Syracuse Welcome with an afternoon weeding at Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus, which provides fresh produce for the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantries. Their students also volunteered with Goon Squad, helping new students move into their residence halls.
Other on-campus service projects have included handing out morning breakfast bars to students and an energetic evening packing backpacks, provided by partner SEND Relief, full of school supplies. The Noble Room became a swirl of activity as pencil cases, folders, and other classroom essentials made their way into the backpacks. Students prepared 100 backpacks full of school supplies for Delaware Elementary in Syracuse, which were delivered to the school’s social work office the next day. One first-year student reflected on the experience: “This was my first civic engagement activity on campus, and it was awesome being around so many other students taking time out of their days to give back! I look forward to my next chance to participate in civic engagement, and will definitely be keeping in touch with this organization for upcoming events.”
Christian Outreach also headed off campus for several projects. They stayed close to home by volunteering in the Westcott neighborhood at Petit Branch Library. Students helped librarians set up and clean up for their annual book sale during the Westcott Street Cultural Fair, the proceeds of which support the great work the library does in the neighborhood!
Then, in mid September, a group of students traveled with Chaplain Devon Bartholomew to northern New Jersey to assist with flood recovery from Hurricane Ida. Participants aided in tasks such as removing damaged property from homes and tearing out waterlogged drywall. Their work contributed toward homes being livable again for several families!
Christian Outreach is also preparing to offer alternative break service trips again this year. “We’re excited to be able to meet needs through service trips and continuing to support our partners at SEND Puerto Rico,” says campus minister Kate Bartholomew. Christian Outreach and Baptist Campus Ministry brought students to Puerto Rico multiple times after Hurricane Maria in 2017 to aid recovery efforts. Learn more about one of the first trips in SU News.
Keep up with Christian Outreach on Instagram @christianoutreachsyr or online at christianoutreachsyr.org.