By Diamond Smith
Campus News
Many community colleges have Christian Fellowship Clubs.
After meeting up with club President Ashley Drost (AD; pictured right) and Vice President Zhane Catala (ZC), who are both students at Holyoke Community College, I asked their point of view on Bring Your Bible to School Day:
AD: It’s a great idea to encourage those who have a bible, not to exclude anyone, and it reminds us of the importance that God has in society; this nation is founded upon God, and it was created by liberty and freedom. We have forgotten who our first love was, we have forgotten the one who has gifted us this land. Only God can give us something like that. I’d like to reference the scripture Deuteronomy 28:1: “We are being prepared to enter the promised land.” God gives us the insight and direction to enter the promised land. This reminds the generations to come, that God is the one who delivered them to this nation. America is a promised land from God, and the nation is not fully surrendering to Christ, and we have gotten so far.
How does the club affect the school campus climate differently than high school and middle school?
ZC: For me, in high school there were various volunteer opportunities our Christian Fellowship Club had us do. We made the shoe boxes for some children across the world, we worked with the Salvation Army, amongst other things. If anyone wanted to come to talk about God’s word, and ask questions, we were there to give them gentle encouragement and answers. For example, some people take their lives because they feel worthless; we are made in his image and he put us here to govern as a community. In college, there is a lot of potential, and there are so many people with views on different things, and that God has placed in our hearts and to express it in our group.
What does the club do on campus?
AD: We are here to serve for those who need it. This community is the mold for helping others however we can. We are looking forward to doing outreach. We would love to be more involved on campus, with fundraisers and also raising awareness that Jesus loves them. To create conversations about our walk, help charities and help whatever needs are on campus and support the school. This will create more exposure for the club and point our work to Jesus. Right now we are in the building stage; we can then continue with our visions for the club. Right now we are focusing on placing water filters in a neighborhood in the Dominican Republic, and this will help people drink water from their tap because some of the water systems in certain areas aren’t safe for families to drink from. We are gearing towards doing more, and reaching out more.
ZC: We are ourselves, as well as the club, is constantly growing in His name and helping someone grow helps us grow.
Speaking of high school and also middle school, I understand there is a lot of bullying with students who identify as Christian or other religious backgrounds. How could we combat that in a positive way?
AD: When we are fearful, we fear punishment, and God is not a punishable God. He convicts in love. There is so much division in the body of Christ, how do we combat that?
With love.
There are things we have learned from church, or from experiences in our lives. The bible says show yourself approved and love one another and have that love compel people. We all have all fallen short. In the bible it states, be of courage, bless those who persecute us. I testify to the fact that is so true. I believe that the encounter of God’s love will counter these judgments.
ZC: When I was in high school I felt the same way. I was super nervous to bring my bible, and I placed it in the pocket of my bag time and time again. I felt such a heaviness in my heart of what people would think. It was a battle, but it’s not bad because God is good and he’s in control of all of our circumstances. There was still a judgment there, since certain people don’t share the same beliefs as me. We live in a world where there is so many titles and judgments on Christians, but those who do think differently should understand not all Christians are alike, and they should take some time to understand us and get to understand our faith. We will be happy to share.
Holyoke’s Christian Fellowship Club meets in room Don 258 during Activity Period on Wednesdays.
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