When asked about mission work, people often think of overseas trips to places like Africa or South America. While overseas missions are very important, people often overlook the mission opportunities in their own community.
There are many organizations at Ouachita devoted to service on and off campus. One way to reach out is to get involved with Backyard Bible Club, or BBC.
BBC is a group of students that go out into the community to spend time with the youth of Arkadelphia. The mission of BBC is to minister to kids through playing games, story time and snack time.
“We are trying to present the gospel, that’s our goal,” said Katherine Melson, a junior speech pathology major. “We want each kid to know clearly what the gospel is and hopefully be able to understand it.”
Melson and Joseph Koon, senior biology major, are in charge of BBC this year. They are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly and they are the “go to” people. Along with Melson and Koon, Ashley Bullington, Katie Theriot and Cory and Jessica Bennett make up the leadership team. This team gets the snacks together, teaches the Bible studies and is able to split up and take Ouachita students to multiple locations.
“I love to see the smile on kids’ faces,” said Beau Daggett, a junior business major. “I love to see broken hearts restored by the love of Christ.”
Daggett attends BBC weekly because it gives him a chance to reach out to the community outside Ouachita.
“It opens my eyes to the broken hearts that live in our backyard,” said Daggett. “Hearts that are crying out for a mentor, young children who need love, encouragement, and leadership in their life.”
BBC meets on Monday and Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. by the mailboxes in the student center. From there they will go to Ross Apartments, Cutler Terrace or Carpenter Hill.
Students can get involved by doing a background check in the Campus Ministries office. Once completed, students are welcome to attend as often as they would like.
For more information about Backyard Bible Club, contact James Taylor, director of campus ministries, at taylorja@obu.edu.
