Service Above Self...

Hello, friends!

When I was in high school, I joined the Interact Service club. It's entirely possible that I joined it because my sister was the president (as was often the case) but either way, I joined. My Junior and Senior years of high school, I became President of Interact, which apparently meant that I was also invited to Rotary club meetings, since Rotary was the parent sponsor of Interact. I met a lot of really great people and my dentist was even a Rotarian, which was pretty fun. During my Senior year, when I was completing my Eagle Scout project, the Rotary club of Garden Grove sponsored the entire project.

Last year, as a way to meet more people in Columbia, I decided to join the Downtown Columbia Rotary Club. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to look for a Rotary club out here but on a whim, while I was visiting Columbia College, I saw that there was a club meeting. I walked in, a nice Rotarian bought me lunch, and I've been going ever since.

Rotary, much like Lions, Kiwanis, Elks, Optimists, etc., is a community service organization that seeks to build community through serving the community. I could go into all the details of its history and such but I'll just say that it's motto is "Service Above Self." In many ways, it lines up perfectly with the work that I'm doing with InterVarsity. While not a faith based organization, Rotary aims to build stronger communities and change the world. They do it through service. We do it through the Gospel.

I'm writing about this now because the past few weeks I've had a chance to see a really fun colliding of two worlds, InterVarsity and Rotary. A few weeks ago, one of our Rotary members passed along a signup sheet asking for volunteers to help at Mizzou's International Student Orientation. They were going to be doing a Walmart fun for new students and the next day there was going to be a picnic in the park. Well, it just so happens that volunteering at the International Student Orientation is one of ICF's main outreaches during the first part of the year! I didn't make it to the Walmart run (Meg did) but Ezra and I joined Meg at the picnic and we were able to not only meet tons of students but also a few fellow Rotarians!

Another one of the great ideas that Meg had for ICF for this year English Club. This would be a chance for international students to practice their English with native English speakers, followed by optional dinner and Bible Study. When I announced it at the Rotary meeting, I was pleasantly encouraged by the number of Rotarians who were interested in being a part of the club!

So far, it's been a fun run as a Rotarian. I've seen blessings to the ministry, developed great friendships and networks, and even had the chance to do a little good in the community. For as long as we're in Columbia, I'm excited to continue to be a part of this great organization.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam