Student Life 

Called to now

by grant Nordan

We are Called to Now. In our world today, it can be so easy to get caught up in our own lives and where we are heading that we often forget the importance of where we are now. Think about yourself for a second: how often through the week do you stop to breathe, listen, look, and see what is going on around you? SAGU students often ask themselves, “What is next?” This isn’t a wrong question; in fact, we must continue to ask these kinds of questions. But we cannot continue to do so at the cost of the moment we are in currently. Some students have decided that they aren’t waiting for graduation to start the path God has called them to. I’m talking about those involved in Community Outreach. 

What is Community Outreach? 

Community Outreach is one of the three branches of the Southwestern Missions Association (SMA), a student-led organization that aims to impact the campus, the community, and the world. Community Outreach is made up of SAGU students who are passionate about giving back and helping others. This year, the Vice President of Community Outreach is Jonathan Littrell, a church leadership major who has been in Community Outreach for three years and has a heart for missional living. Jonathan’s vision for this year was to do ministry now and not wait until it’s convenient. He had this to say about his vision for Community Outreach 

“It’s not meant to be a job or a paycheck, and it’s not just meant for the student that wants to do it for the rest of their life. Ministry is an attitude, and it is something that we can and should do daily. God gave that to each person when they invited him in. This is meant for us to be in the dark places, not just the light of SAGU, but out in the darkest of places in our community.” 

And they have done just that. They have organized various events and initiatives throughout the year, such as volunteering at local charities, hosting community events, and partnering with other organizations to make a more significant impact. 

The main goal of Community Outreach is to create meaningful connections with the community and promote a missional lifestyle to and among college students. By getting involved in the community, students hope to inspire others to do the same and expose students to the needs in the community while giving them a chance to actually help those needs. This branch of SMA also provides an excellent opportunity for SAGU students to develop leadership and teamwork skills and gain valuable experience in event planning and community organizing. Community Outreach is a fantastic example of how college students can start walking in God’s calling. 

One-Timers Event 

One of Community Outreach’s events is called One-Timers, a new concept that started only two years ago. It has become a bigger-scale event that targets a need in the community and is only a one-time commitment for students who cannot commit to the weekly or daily ministries sent out. This event was designed to create a place for students to get involved, even if this is not the complete calling that God has laid on their hearts. What may have started as a small event has become a booming ministry opportunity for students to get involved. 

At the most recent One-Timers event, February 17-19, Community Outreach hosted a food and coat distribution with Convoy of Hope and distributed about 4000 bags of groceries. This was a massive undertaking that had never happened before for SMA. This was months in the making as SAGU students donated clothing throughout the campus in drop-off boxes in their dorms. The heart of this event was to meet the physical needs that would open doors for students to have spiritual conversations with those whom conventional ministries may never reach. With over seventy plus students and volunteers from a local church, all the bags of groceries and coats were distributed, but the beauty is what happened in their conversations. The Vice President of Community Outreach, Jonathan Littrell, said “I think the thing we walk away from ministry with the most is the reminder to see people. We don’t see their addiction or struggles, but we see they have a place in the kingdom of God.” 

Why start now? 

It's easy to become so focused on the future that the present is forgotten. It is crucial for SAGU students to live in the moment and not become too distracted by what may happen in the future. Community Outreach students believe it's essential to balance our focus on the future with a sense of presence and appreciation for how we can expand the kingdom now. Doing so allows us to walk in the fullness of God’s will and calling upon our lives. Lastly, this quote from Kaitlyn Scheitler, a Community Outreach committee member, 

“We adopted the goal of Missional living, and it’s not this hard code to crack; it’s just a way of life. Students are here because of the Lord. The student must understand that missional living is just walking with Christ daily. That means us going into the dark places and loving those in the darkness as Christ loved us and doing that now.”