A campus of service

By Zekariah McNeal

Our campus has seen a lot of change in the past year. We have experienced things we have never expected and found ourselves in new situations we may not have been completely prepared for. Change can come quickly, but we are a resilient and strong student body. In times of change, we can learn to rely on each other and that is what we should do.

All around us are individuals with empathetic hearts and servant-hearted souls. These are people who are both capable and willing to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “mourn with those who mourn.” Let’s take advantage of that as a student body.

Let’s serve and love each other, and let’s be willing to be served and to be loved. If we can create this cycle of giving, we can generate a system of growth that is spiritual, mental, physical and academic. When this system is at work at full capacity — it can weather any change the world can throw at it.

As president of the Student Government Association, service is something that I want to an integral part of the student body in all of its activities. I hope individuals in this community can learn to serve each other in ways that could range from the smallest of courtesies to the greatest acts of kindness. If we can fashion this skill to achieving its full potential in our interactions with each other, then it will be something that overflows into the greater Oklahoma Christian community, then to the city of Edmond, then Oklahoma City and beyond.

Our community has the potential to be a light in our city and our state, and that light can easily be seen when college students, with little money and even less time, happen to be the most servant-hearted people around.

This community is ripe to achieve that. There is certainly an energy on campus, and that energy is the servant hearts of students. This is why SGA is built on serving the students. As an organization it is the goal of SGA to engage with students of all kinds and empower and enable them in any way we can. Maybe that’s going to be a fun event — a picnic at the park. Maybe it will be some fitness event sponsored by SGA Senators. Maybe it will be a worship night in the forum among friends. Whatever it is, SGA is all-in for serving the students of Oklahoma Christian, and SGA is all-in for developing this community to be one built around service.

We have great tools at our disposal – mentors, friends and resources that can be used to make a difference. We have an education that is extremely unique in its form. The opportunities that education makes in our ability to serve others are massive. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” And we’ve got it. We have the potential to make a difference in the lives of those within this community and without, and that is something to be excited for.

Welcome back to school. It’s going to be a great year!

Zekariah McNeal is a senior at Oklahoma Christian University and SGA president.

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