CU in the Ville: Serving the local community

By Leah Angstadt

CU in the Ville is a yearly event that comes out of Cedarville’s Global Outreach ministry. Each year, groups of students are assigned to specific houses, assisting with tasks such as raking leaves, cleaning windows and doing whatever tasks the homeowners ask to be done. 

“We want to be reflective of Jesus, and how He was always helping people,” said Christopher Manion, a junior Early Childhood Education major.

Manion continued speaking about the love and care that Jesus showed for all people while He was on the earth, helping anyone who needed assistance, not just the people for whom it was convenient to help. Even if there is no simple, immediate Gospel opportunity, the sheer act of showing up, sacrificing a Saturday morning and serving the local community demonstrates the kind of self-sacrificial love that can only come from Christ Jesus.

“By helping out, even if it’s just the small things…the actions are speaking louder than words,” continued Manion.

Before everyone set out to their designated houses and tasks on the brisk November morning, all of the groups gathered together to grab equipment, enjoy a time of fellowship over donuts and pray together. This served as a way to spiritually prepare for the tasks that were ahead.

After the meeting, one group in particular could be seen walking to their designated house, chatting and listening to worship music over a speaker. The love of Christ is so apparent within this ministry, not only within the groups who served, but also within the Global Outreach team, who encouraged the students throughout Cedarville with  donuts and water.

In CU in the Ville, students enjoy getting to create their own service groups, but even if an individual does not have a group with whom he or she would like to participate, no worries! CU in the Ville still welcomes individuals, and will assign those individuals to a group. All that students need to bring is a willing heart, ready to serve their neighboring community in the name of Christ.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40).

Leah Angstadt is a senior Linguistics and Spanish major. She enjoys writing, knitting, and learning languages.