The semester has started! We have hundreds of freshmen and a handful of upperclassmen on campus for Welcome Week. Chi Alpha has been hosting events over the past few days to connect these student to a relationships with each other and with God. So far things have been going extremely well. Here are some highlights:
Saturday & Sunday: We moved in dozens of students during the day much to their (and their parents) appreciation. On Sunday night we served ice cream to a huge crowd of freshmen. We ran out of our 5 gallons worth in 30 minutes! It was a sweet start to some significant relationships.
Monday: Chi Alpha co-hosted a movie night with the United Methodist group on campus. We had a great discussion on Superman Returns. You should check it out. Lots of Jesus imagery.
Tuesday: When our outdoor activity, the Chi Alpha Campfire, looked to be washed out by the weather, we moved it inside and did a Fondue Night instead. We were packed! The room was so crowded that I could barely hear the person sitting next to me. When things had settled down, I spoke to a freshman named Hannah about her experiences over the past few days. She told me about following the crowd to a fraternity party a few nights earlier. She said it was the worst thing she had ever been to. She went to develop relationships, but she felt judged the moment she walked in the door. I told her about small groups and her face lit up. She said it sounded like a place where she could be herself.
Wednesday: As a part of the Kay Spiritual Life Center on campus, we passed out cupcakes for students to decorate in honor of the center’s nickname “the flaming cupcake.” We were overwhelmed again by a huge turnout and got a chance to connect with many of them about Chi Alpha.
Thursday: With returning students arriving, we hosted the Chi Alpha Family Reunion. It was a chance to catch up with one another in the midst of welcoming the new students to campus. We ended the night with a time of pray and worship reminding ourselves of the connection we had to one another through Christ. We ended Thursday (and began Friday) with a game of capture the flag. It was another chance to meet new students and a reminder that I’m not 23 anymore (I’m still sore!).
Friday: We took students off campus to Chinatown for dinner out. There were almost 40 of us who ventured out to a few of the restaurants in the area. Good food and great connections.
Saturday: We ended our welcome week activities with the Riddle Quest, a scavenger hunt around the National Mall area. The hot weather (94 degrees) kept some students away, but we still had a great time and learned a lot to. A special thanks goes to Best Buy, who donated an iPod Shuffle for us to give away!
As I think back through the week, I can’t say enough about the wonderful job our student leaders did! We began every day (after some pretty late nights) with a dozen of us meeting for prayer and worship. Every student who filled out a contact card with us received a gift bag with a personal note the day after they met us and all of our leaders worked tirelessly to connect new students to our fellowship and ultimately to Jesus. It was an amazing week!
Continue to pray for us. Pray that the contacts made would turn into significant relationships and that Jesus would be glorified in everything we do.
