by Welford Orrock

‍

Springtime on college campuses is a whirlwind of activities and transitions. There are many things demanding students’ time and attention—final projects and exams, summer jobs and internships, graduation preparations and celebrations, and packing up apartments and dorm rooms. To say their margins are thin would be an understatement. Even still, BGAV’s collegiate ministry communities (BCMs) across Virginia took on the challenge this spring to ask, “Who are our neighbors?” and “How can we love and serve them?”

With support from BGAV’s executive office, our BCM communities received micro-grants to help fund new initiatives that we simply called “Acts of Kindness.” They were invited to listen to the needs of their
communities and imagine practical ways they could meet those needs.

One of the core values of our BGAV collegiate ministry team is to be good neighbors to the campuses and surrounding communities where we minister. No ulterior motive, no bait and switch, but simply because Christ calls us to love our neighbors.

The imagination and effort of our students through Acts of Kindness was inspiring.

At Radford University, BCM students bought flowers for residents at a local senior living facility and wrote notes of encouragement.

One student shared, “On our first day, we walked through the halls and rooms, handing out flowers with words of encouragement attached. It was great to see the residents’ faces light up, not just from receiving a colorful flower, but from having visitors. Some of them really just wanted someone to talk to and didn’t care much about the flower at all.

“Later that day, a few of us were invited to their ‘senior prom’ the following Thursday. They needed young men to come and dance with some of the elderly women, so I convinced a friend of mine to go with me. When we arrived, the staff welcomed us warmly. One even said, ‘I can’t believe y’all actually came.’”

At Old Dominion University, BCM students learned that ODU had closed its on-campus student thrift store. Seeing a need in the community, they organized a thrift store at the BCM building called Chosen Thrift.

Chosen Thrift grew from listening to students and recognizing the need for affordable clothing, connection, and a welcoming campus space. After two months of student-led planning, the event felt less like a giveaway and more like a community gathering.

Students laughed, stayed, and shared the experience together. Several returned afterward, joined Bible study, and became more consistently engaged, showing the potential for a permanent student-led thrift space and resource hub. Students are now working to establish a more permanent space in the BCM building, so the thrift store can open on a semi-regular basis.

Students at Longwood University recognized another need in their community: rising grocery costs and the limited budgets of fellow students. With the idea of providing groceries to students, BCM students brainstormed meal ingredients and staple grocery items suitable for campus dorms and apartments. Together, they packed and delivered 30 bags of groceries with the hope of connecting with students, sharing the love of Christ, and lightening the burden of grocery shopping for the week.

“The service project was a great opportunity to come together and serve,” said Elijiah Tonello, president of Longwood’s BCM. “Small acts of service can have a big impact, and it was inspiring to see how we could help and support others with a real need.”

Across three campuses, the answers to “Who are our neighbors?” looked different. So did the ways students chose to serve them. But each began in the same place: paying attention to the people around them and finding a practical way to show them the love of Christ.

Rev. Welford Orrock is BGAV’s Kairos Initiative coordinator.

‍