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Sno-Cones and Jesus

Who says serving God can't be fun?

By Laura B. Raphael

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Last year, ORU students filled 1,000 plastic eggs with candy and other prizes in preparation for its annual spring outreach carnival and Easter egg hunt. It was enough, but just barely, for the children who showed up.

"We were praying for some kids to find just one egg!" junior Sarah Mackowiak, a student assistant in the Community Outreach office who is in her third year of helping with the outreach, said. "We were like, 'Lord, please help little Joey find an egg! Please lead this other child to the right spot!'"

This year, to improve the hunting odds, ORU students put together an amazing 10,000 plastic eggs--plenty for the approximately 900 guests who attended the carnival, which included the egg hunt.

Held at the Tulsa Dream Center in North Tulsa in early April, the carnival was designed to share God's love with residents of this economically challenged area through games, entertainment, and free food, including hot dogs, brownies, and Sno-Cones. Around 300 ORU students participated in setting up and organizing the games and the Easter egg hunt, passing out food, and sharing the Gospel.

In addition to the games, guests were treated to karate demonstrations from "The Power Team" (a group that ministers to children through karate) as well as a prayer and healing service. There were 52 recorded salvations at the carnival.

"God has given us a wonderful opportunity to tell people about Him in a fun way," Mackowiak said. "And the kids just loved it! They had a great time, and so did we. It's a lot of work, but once you see the children's faces light up and see people find God, it makes it so worth it."

On the morning of the carnival, ORU students also participated in Adopt-A-Block (see the spring 2003 issue of Excellence), a weekly program coordinated by the Dream Center. Through this program, ORU students involved in Community Outreach go into low-income communities to help people with yard work, cleaning, and other household chores. They also pray with people and give testimonies of their faith.

The Community Outreach department reports that more than 800 Oral Roberts University students contribute approximately 26,000 hours of volunteer service per year to the Tulsa community, and they volunteer at 40 nonprofit organizations and schools each week.