Missions Week Events to be Held Oct. 21-25

by Rebekah Hardage, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

Baylor University's annual Missions Week will be held Oct. 21-25 and will give students the chance to join missionaries from around the world as they celebrate mission work in different cultures.

Baylor's Baptist Student Ministries, the sponsor of Missions Week, is bringing 25 missionaries to campus to educate students through classroom lectures, seminars and a Chapel presentation.

Caroline Nelson, Global Village committee co-chairman, said, "Missions Week is important because it gives students a chance to learn about different cultures right here on campus and experience them first hand."

Missions Week began with a prayer breakfast at 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21, in the Bobo Baptist Student Center, followed by a presentation in both Chapel services.

An international coffee house was also held from 8-10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 in the Bobo Baptist Student Center. Students were given the chance to hear Matt Mancinelli, director of external relations for the Dalit Freedom Network, a missionary to India. Chai tea and coffee were served in clay cups to represent the culture in which Mancinelli serves.

Getterman Global Village was set up in Fountain Mall from noon until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22. This part of Missions Week, sponsored by Ted and Sue Getterman, allowed students to interact with missionaries, local charities and international businesses. The Latin Dance Society and the Indian Subcontinent Student Association were scheduled to perform.

Through colorful displays, food and clothing, Global Village gave students direct interaction with other cultures, explained Curt Kruschwitz, Missions Week coordinator. "It allows the Baylor community to get a glimpse of the world."

Tuesday's events also included a monolingual language demonstration at 5 p.m. where a linguist learned a language in an hour, followed by the International Table, an informal dinner with international students, from 6-7 p.m. at the Bobo Baptist Student Center.

A missions fair and picnic will be Wednesday, Oct. 24. at the Bobo Baptist Student Center. The Fair will be from 10-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. The picnic, a new addition to Missions Week, is scheduled from noon-1 p.m. and will allow students a chance to have informal conversations with missionaries over a variety of cultural food. The event is free and open to the Baylor community.

Missions Week will conclude on Thursday, Oct. 25, with a Missions in Latin America lecture from 5-6:30 p.m. in room 116 of the Draper Academic Building. This lecture, co-sponsored by the Spanish department, will examine the similarities and differences of mission work from three different Spanish speaking regions.

For more information on Missions Week, contact Kruschwitz at Curt_Kruschwitz@baylor.edu or (254) 710-3215.