The Rock House College and Outreach Ministry has an annual day of service called Bisons for Christ. Every year, hundreds of students, faculty and staff disperse throughout Searcy and White County and help hundreds of widows, elderly couples and families in need of yard work, prepared meals and quality time.
This year, the Bisons for Christ theme is “Beyond,” which comes from Ephesians 3:20, “Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.”
The Bisons for Christ committee has begun promoting the event through chapel announcements, social media and signs around campus. With the recent publicity, the committee has received mixed feedback from students and faculty. While the intention of Bisons for Christ is one of purity, some people think it was created for the wrong reasons like checking service projects off our Christian to-do list and social media attention to promote our good deeds of the day. The biggest argument is that service should be executed throughout our entire lives, not just one afternoon a year.
To the students and faculty who think negatively of Bisons for Christ and its mission, I implore you to reconsider your thoughts.
I agree that service should be a more than once a year activity. As Christians, service should be a lifestyle and a mentality. When we serve others, we serve Christ. I do believe that Bisons for Christ is a fantastic way to serve the community of Searcy and the kingdom of God. Bisons for Christ may only be one afternoon, but it can be used to create a catalyst for service for the rest of your Harding career and the rest of your lives. Bisons for Christ is a starting point that can strengthen your service for a lifetime if you allow it.
I encourage those who are involved in a service project to remain involved. Don’t let service end the same day it begins. Stay connected with the people you meet and visit them often. They will only see the love of God even greater.
I think that some people might participate in Bisons for Christ to make themselves look “more Christian.” In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul says, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambitions, not sincerely, supposing they stir up trouble for me in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” Despite the involvement of people with this mentality, Christ is still being preached in our community. That is the goal of Bisons for Christ.
When you see your classmate’s Instagram photo of a group raking leaves, the goodness of Christ is seen. When you scroll through Twitter and find a tweet about an elderly couple in town, they experienced the love of Jesus. Remember the intention of Bisons for Christ: to share the gospel.
