On Aug. 28, junior Pizza Ministry co-coordinators Elissa Tetrault and Tatum Watson announced the ministry would change its name to Lamp Light Ministry. The trailer park behind College Church of Christ, where the ministry takes place, changed management, which led to the renaming of the park to Lamp Light Villa.
Tetrault said they had been brainstorming ways to make the ministry more welcoming to businesses who were hesitant to make donations that were not pizza. When they learned of the name change to the trailer park, they felt this was the perfect opportunity to open the doors to possible donors.
“This is an opportunity to humble ourselves,” Tetrault said.
Freshman Ashlyn Alexander said that when she tells people that she is a part of Pizza Ministry, they are more focused on why it is called Pizza Ministry than the actual ministry itself. Junior Nancy Roach said she sees the name change as being a positive thing for the ministry.
“I think with anything, changing the name of something can be a hard transition because that is what people know it as, but now Lamp Light opens the door for other opportunities,” Roach said.
Lamp Light Ministry meets every Monday and Thursday at 4 p.m. Those who attend the ministry stay for about an hour playing and building relationships with the kids. Alexander said she tries to put everything aside for two hours a week, so she can invest in the kids and be there for them.
The name is not the only thing changing in the ministry. This semester will be the first time they will offer a homework club for the kids in the trailer park. The homework club will meet every Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the back room of the laundromat in front of Lamp Light Villa.
“Since being involved with the ministry, I have seen the love and pure joy that these children have despite their day-to-day struggles,” junior Morgan Phillips said.
Roach said her favorite thing about Lamp Light Ministry is being able to watch the kids grow these past two years.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to reach out to the community of Searcy. I believe that you don’t have to go out of the country to help people and do mission work,” Alexander said.
Tetrault said the best way to get involved with the ministry is to come out to Lamp Light Villa and see the love that the kids want to share with you.
