Servants’ Day Moves Students Out of the Classroom and Into the Community

A backpack filled with weekend meals. A conversation over ice cream. A food packet destined for a family thousands of miles away. During Freed-Hardeman University’s annual Servants’ Day, service took many forms, connecting students with neighbors across West Tennessee and extending their efforts beyond the region.

Roughly 1,300 undergraduate students joined their clubs, teams, classes or friends to participate in more than 60 service projects. With classes set aside for the day, students packed meals, sorted donations, visited assisted living residents and tackled tasks ranging from raking leaves to painting walls. Each project offered an opportunity to put their faith into practice while meeting needs close to home and far beyond campus.

Meeting Needs Close to Home

Eighteen members of Xi Chi Delta spent their Servants’ Day at Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA) in Jackson, Tennessee, working in various departments including Snack BackPack, Thrift Store and Community Outreach to make a difference for the individuals and families it serves.

FHU sophomore Josh Parham sought out RIFA before Servants’ Day to coordinate the social club’s service to the nonprofit.

“I met with the volunteer coordinator, brought the idea to our members, and they were all on board,” said Parham, a Bible major. RIFA’s mission is to reach out with the love of Christ to help people in need by providing physical and spiritual nourishment. The nonprofit has served Jackson and West Tennessee since 1976.

Students packed 800 Snack BackPacks, which are weekend meals distributed to students. It was Emma Guin’s fourth Servants’ Day and her third time at RIFA. “This feels so fulfilling. That’s why I like doing this,” said Guin, a senior special education major.

First-timers Anna Jewell Clayton and Sadie Childers sorted pallets and broke down boxes at RIFA. “This experience opened my eyes to how much RIFA does for the community,” said Childers, a freshman public relations and marketing major.

“I feel really grateful to be here,” added Clayton, a freshman psychology and Bible major.

FHU freshman Ethan Batton, a Bible major, vacuumed RIFA’s Thrift Store. “I love the opportunity to give back to the community and to connect with people,” Batton said.

Ellie Grace Jackson, a communication sciences and disorders major, sorted through donated clothing. Having volunteered at RIFA as a student at Jackson Christian School, she was already familiar with its work. “We came here all the time, especially in the Soup Kitchen,” Jackson said.

RIFA volunteer Renia Johnson, of Jackson, appreciated the students’ help that day. “They’ve been awesome, a great help, and we’ve made progress,” Johnson said, referring to the pile of donated clothing left for sorting and tagging.

Members of Xi Chi Delta work alongside RIFA to help serve students and families in Jackson, Tennessee.

Packing Meals With a Global Reach

At Jacks Creek Church of Christ, dozens of FHU students and community members crowded around tables in the fellowship hall, working assembly lines to package thousands of meals for families in Honduras and El Salvador. The annual project, now in its fifth year, brought together members of the FHU volleyball and soccer teams, Xi Chi Delta and the local congregation.

Ron Carter, leader of FHU’s Honduras mission trip, has spent about 45 years visiting Honduras and witnessing the needs of the children and families there. Each food packet assembled during the project will provide six meals, helping bring much-needed nutrition to families served through the mission’s resource center.

“Through our resource center down there, we do feeding programs, and we also reach out to the families of the children that are in school,” Carter said. “We can go into the homes and see the shortage of food and see the hungry kids.”

For some students, the project offered a chance to contribute to work they will see firsthand in the coming months. Birdie Greene, a senior and one of four student leaders for an upcoming mission trip, looks forward to seeing the results of their work when the group travels to Honduras during spring break.

“In a few months, we’ll get to see the results of our work and how it directly impacts the lives of children in Honduras,” Greene said.

The project also offered an opportunity for students and community members to build relationships while working toward a common goal. Dr. Kenan Casey, FHU professor and a member of Jacks Creek Church of Christ, helped unload more than a ton of rice and other supplies the night before the event.

“I think it has a cool, like, spirit-building thing for the people in the room, but it also blesses people really far away,” Casey said.

FHU volleyball players work together to assemble food packets.

Additional volunteers pack and seal food boxes to be sent to Honduras and El Salvador.

Sharing Time and Smiles

Members of FHU’s flag football team spent Servants’ Day at Southern Oaks, an assisted living facility, sharing ice cream, playing games and visiting with residents. Their arrival brought fresh energy to the facility, where residents welcomed the opportunity to spend time with the students.

Mary Addison Franks, a sophomore business management major, said the group planned to enjoy ice cream with residents before gathering for a few games.

For Kiersten Perry, a senior elementary education major, Servants’ Day offers students a dedicated opportunity to connect with people and learn the value of serving others.

“I think it’s a great idea because we come from all different places and some people don’t know about what it’s like to serve,” Perry said. “I think we should have Servants’ Days more than once a year!”

From meeting needs in West Tennessee to preparing meals for families overseas, students saw how a day of service could reach far beyond campus. The experience gave them a chance to put their values into action while learning from the people and communities they served.

Students spend time getting to know their Henderson neighbors at the Southern Oaks Assisted Living center.

Volunteers and residents share ice cream and good conversation.