By: Chloe Smith
On Jan. 19, over 900 of Southern’s students, faculty and staff joined together for the university’s annual Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Service Day to assist local organizations.
The event started in the Iles P.E. Center, where the Student Association (SA) served attendees breakfast and a short worship service was held.
“This was my first event representing [students] as the SA president,” said Jeaneva Bautista, who stepped into the role at the beginning of the semester. “I believe it was a success… I feel blessed to be part of an amazing organization that is willing to go above and beyond to serve others and showcase God’s love through service.”
Once groups were seated together, students turned their attention to a song service led by Merge Worship and a short devotion given by Reginald Horton, collegiate pastor of Merge. His message centered around the concept of equity and how “everyone has a right to Christ.”
After receiving Service Day T-shirts, students gathered to take a group photo before departing for their assignments.
This year, more than 900 people signed up to participate in 54 projects, according to Cheryl Craven, director of Christian Service.
“I’m really proud of our students for showing up and being the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Craven.
Craven explained the process of choosing organizations to partner with each year.
“We learn of a need, and then we seek to continue that relationship,” she said.
Another aspect the university seeks when partnering with organizations is the ability to accommodate a large number of students. According to Southern’s website, four-year students are required to take part in three service events with a minimum of three hours each during their time at the university.
“We love organizations that can take a lot of people, because we have a lot of students to place,” Craven said. “So, some groups are 2 people and some are 120.”
To host the annual event, the Christian Service Department plans year-round, according to Craven.
“I’m mindful of [ Service Day] year-round, because it takes about 90 to staff the event,” she said. “I’ve got to have a coordinator for each project, which is either a student or a staff member.”
Emily Livergood, a junior art major, shared her experience serving in the Chattanooga community.
“We went to the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga and helped lead activities with kids that were about MLK [Jr.],” said Livergood. “It was really awesome getting to connect with fellow students and even Southern professors while making an impact on kids.”
Hevanna Hippler, a junior digital communication major, spent her day with an organization that supports student moms.
“We went to an organization called Momentum Network, where we helped cook food and build shelving units for their moms and childcare facility,” said Hippler. “I really like their mission because their goal is to help college students who have had unplanned pregnancies move through college with support. …They are able to grow close relationships with the other moms living by them and build a community.”
Local coverage by WDEF highlighted the university’s strong community service involvement.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a very special day at Southern Adventist University,” said Southern’s president, Ken Shaw, in the article. “We are a Christian university, and part of our fabric is service. …We have great relationships with probably 40 or 50 nonprofit organizations in the greater Chattanooga area. So, on MLK [Jr.] Day we get to go out and serve those communities.”
