Students from Olivet University spent their summer volunteering at Lifeway Glorieta Conference Center in New Mexico, near Santa Fe.
Throughout the summer, Olivet students joined other volunteers from across the Nation, working together to service 9,000 people participating in FUGE camps and Lifeway’s Collegiate Week. The Glorieta Conference Center has welcomed millions of guests since its founding 60 years ago to make Christ be known. Olivet was privileged to have participated in the center's rich tradition of service and stewardship.
Olivet students joined volunteer teams in the dining hall, maintenance, grounds keeping, and housekeeping in order to take care of the campers' needs. The students were enrolled into Glorieta's High Point Staff program, which included training sessions, fellowships, and worship services.
"These folks were very important to us," said Hal Hill, Director of Glorieta Conference Center. "They became part of the staff and were no different than any of the other staff that were hired to be part of Glorieta's summer staff program."
"They added much to the community of staff we have and they were very dependable, and helpful. Again it was a very successful summer made easily so because of the Olivet students. It was a joy to have them," added Hill.
The opportunity to interact with other fellow Christian volunteers was a great advantage for the international students. They shared their stories of faith and various cultural backgrounds, adding diversity to this year’s Glorieta camps.
Glorieta Conference Center’s Volunteer Chaplain and retired International Mission Board Missionary, Jim McAtee, shared his enthusiasm at seeing Olivet’s students volunteer at the campus.
"After having spent 32 years as a missionary in Asia, I have been blessed greatly by seeing the maturity and the friendliness and the hunger for more knowledge amongst our international students from Olivet University," said McAtee.
"We have been richly blessed by their presence on campus by their testimonies in our volunteer worship services, and their love for our Lord, seen not only in their adult life but now in their children's life," added the retired missionary.
McAtee led and organized much of the program’s volunteer worship services. He, and his team of senior volunteers, provided support and guidance to the new incoming students. Olivet theology student Bart Cheng expressed gratitude to the volunteer program and those he worked with.
"I truly appreciated the opportunity to be a summer staff at Glorieta Conference Center," said Cheng.
"Serving with fellow summer staff members in the Chuck Wagon Cafe, I noticed that they worked very hard and fast, while I couldn't. They noticed my unfamiliarity with the work and went out of their way to explain to me the details of the work and American culture. I felt love from this couple along with other volunteers during our time of fellowship.
I cannot forget the friendly senior volunteers picking up forks and utensils from my tray in the dining hall, the sunburned faces from diligently working the property grounds, and muddy clothes from supervising summer recreation on rainy days. Though we come from different states and countries, I felt love from them and I learned many things from them.
I am proud to have worked together with them to serve thousands of Christ-centered people around America,” added Cheng.
Olivet students returned to San Francisco, California where they will prepare for the first day of fall classes starting in September.
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