A group of Baptist Collegiate Ministry Anderson University students have made it their mission to minister to the children at nearby Fairview Gardens Apartments on a regular basis for the past two years.
Liz Walker and other Anderson University students have developed a strong relationship with children at the Fairview Gardens Apartments in Anderson.Every Tuesday afternoon, about 25 students go to the apartment complex for a backyard Bible club, where they play games, have Bible study, and spend quality time with the children and their parents. On Sundays, the students return to the apartments to transport the children to church services.
AU students have been doing a backyard Bible club at Fairview for years, but it wasn’t until BCM’s community team leader Liz Walker stepped in a couple of years ago that the visits became a weekly event.
“We were able to go out only once a month and, often, because of schedules, it was twice a semester,” said Walker. “The children at the apartment complex would always ask ‘Why did it take you so long to come back’ or ‘I thought you had forgotten about me.’ I suggested we commit to going out every week and investing time in these kids’ lives.”
Walker said the weekly visits to the apartments are something the students look forward to, and the impact on the lives of the children they touch there is evident. “The children are constantly sharing their lives with us. They run and surround our cars as soon as they see us pull in. The smiles and laughter on their faces remind us each week why we couldn’t wait to come back the following week. The children’s lives have been impacted, not by us, but the love of Christ alone.”
Walker, a psychology major with a minor in religion, surrendered to a call to ministry at the state Converge event this year at Myrtle Beach. She will be traveling to Africa for summer mission work in an orphanage through the ACTS Ministry, which stands for Action Chretienne, Tous pour la Solidarite. This organization ministers to widows and orphans in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world. – Anderson University