WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., June 13, 2018 – The 2017 – 2018 academic year brought new challenges for the student group Alpha and Omega, a men’s Bible study group, as it reached out to the community and lived up to its mission of service.
Caption: From left, Zach Musilli, Collin Lewis, Matthew Valentine, Michael Dantrassy and Ryan Smurthwaite are a few of the members of Alpha and Omega that helped the community to cleanup after spring flooding.
The men’s Bible study group revived projects from previous semesters that they are known for but also got more involved in service work like campus cleanups, flood recovery and more.
Nearly 20 members met weekly in the Alumni Room to talk and study the Bible as well as plan outreach, according to Collin Lewis, the president.
“It was a successful year, we were busy,” he said.
Debra Dague is an ordained pastor who coordinates the office of Campus Ministry at WLU. She calls on the group to assist in moments of community crisis like floods.
“This is a great group of guys, they came out to help when I asked during flooding. I definitely go to them because they have servant hearts for sure,” Dague said. She has been with the university for more than a decade and also is an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Communication.
Early in the year, the men of Alpha and Omega offered their help to another organization at WLU by assisting Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) with their annual campus concert.
Later in the year it was Alpha and Omega who hosted its own event for the student body, Topper Feud. Based on the popular television series “Family Feud,” various teams compete against each other to win a cash prize.
According to Lewis, Topper Feud drew a successful turn out in which about 10 teams competed in the contest.
Another project that has become an important and evident part of Alpha and Omega’s service is campus beautification. In the past, the organization has cleaned up trash behind Beta Hall. This semester the project grew to include removal of trash behind University Place Apartments.
“The cleanup projects around campus are an annual occurrence for the group as we do our part to keep the campus clean,” said Lewis.
The spring semester brought the biggest challenge to the group as hard rains brought flooding to the surrounding creeks and roads. Homes and families were affected.
With assistance from Pastor Deb, Alpha and Omega was able to reach out to the community and help them recover from the damage brought by fast flowing water in creeks and streams. Many of the homes had small bridges that were washed out.
Day after day, the organization helped local residents remove the mud from their basements and to clear debris from their yards that was left there as the water receded.
Although this was a new task for Alpha and Omega, the tragic situation showed the community that these young men are available and willing to aid their neighbors in need.
Despite graduating two seniors in 2018, Alpha and Omega is ready to come back after the summer break and start again from where they left off, according to Lewis.
“We’re happy to help campus and our community,” he said.
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