Over February break, the Salvation Army Student Fellowship will head to Louisiana on a missions trip. This year the trip will focus on cleanup from the flood that happened in August of 2016.
The Salvation Army Student Fellowship, according to student member Ruthanna Wantz ‘17, has been in existence since at least 2002. The group is a SGA recognized club, and primarily uses its funding to transport interested students to church every week. The group also does a number of events during the school year. Wantz stated their most popular event is the Salvation Army thrift store that takes place in the basement of the Campus Center each semester, but the group puts on other events, including an annual missions trip.
“The missions trip is something we’ve been doing every year” Wantz said. “We’ve had a chance to go to a variety of places.” In the past few years, the missions trip has been involved in cleanup from Hurricane Sandy, helped at an Adult Rehabilitation Center in Buffalo, and assisted a community outreach center in Camden, New Jersey. According to another group member, Emily Wing ‘17, most of the trips are connected to a local chapter, or as the Salvation Army calls them, a Corps.
This year the group will be traveling to Louisiana. “This year is going to be different from previous years,” stated Wing. Not only is the group traveling a further distance than the past few years, their focus is going to have a stronger emphasis on service projects. “Most of their building are damaged, and there’s still a lot to do down there,” she said. Wantz added the area is “still dealing with damage to property from the disaster this summer.” Wantz continued, “We’re going to help repair and make building and properties more usable. They’re already told us that the roof is completely caved in on one of our projects. We’re going to be helping put a new roof on.” The group will also be assisting a women and children’s group. Wing stated, “they want to hear our testimonies…which should be cool and interesting.”
One of the main goals of the trip, according to Wantz, is to allow students an opportunity to see the work their denomination is doing in other places. “It gives people a taste of what the Salvation Army is doing around the country and by extension around the world,” she said.
This goal and the outreach the group is planning to accomplish meshes nicely with Houghton’s vision of producing servant scholars who can lead and labor in the world. “I learned [at Houghton] to listen and care,” stated Heather Phillips ‘18, another member of the group. “That is going to be helpful to me.” Wing agreed and stated, “Houghton is a good place to prep yourself spiritually and mentally… it can be hard…but I think Houghton definitely gives you the tools to minister to people.” The group is planning to leave Houghton Friday afternoon and arrive in Louisiana on Sunday, giving them the week of break in the area.