By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Christian Business Leaders (CBL) seek to further their goal of gaining experience in servant leadership by hosting a canned food drive to close out the Christmas season.
The Christian Business Leaders’ drive is collecting non-perishable canned goods, which can be dropped off in donation boxes located in the Paul L. Foster Center for Business and Innovation. The drive takes place Monday through Thursday and all goods collected will benefit local food banks.
Plainfield, Ill., junior Colin Minogue serves as president of Christian Business Leaders and sees the drive as an important way for the group to support the local community.
“The mission of CBL is to serve Christ by using our platform as business students at Baylor,” Minogue said. “Our organization recognizes the need to serve in Waco and we feel that one of the best ways to do this is by giving back to our community. The purpose of the drive is to provide food for families who live in impoverished communities.”
Along with acting as a way to get Christian Business Leaders members involved in service, Minogue hopes the drive will encourage Baylor students to become interested in helping out the Waco community.
“I hope that the drive has a tremendous impact,” Minogue said. “It’s so important for the student body at Baylor to play a key role in serving Waco. Not only is it a part of Baylor’s mission to serve, but it’s our call as Christians as well. The families we will be helping are so grateful and it’s a great way to give back to them.”
Christian Business Leaders meets every Thursday and participates in service projects like Steppin’ Out, food drives and fundraisers partnering with local businesses. The group is also divided into committees of marketing, inreach (creating community within the group) and outreach (serving the local community), which all work together to promote Christian Business Leaders as a group gaining experience while also serving God.
“I think CBL is pretty involved on campus,” Minogue said. “Along with service events, we also participate in intramural sports, worship nights, social events and casual group hangouts for our members.”
Denton senior Brady Byrd has been involved in Christian Business Leaders for three years and currently serves as the group’s Waco committee chair. He appreciates CBL as a way to unite students who share similar faith and career aspirations.
“I joined for fellowship with other believers that share the same occupation goals and to learn how to integrate my faith with my occupation,” Byrd said. “The most impactful part about CBL is the relationships I’ve built and the knowledge I’ve gained from current business professionals on how to integrate my faith into the business world.”
New Braunfels junior Vanessa Turner has served as executive director of finance and administration for the group and is currently Christian Business Leaders’ “Heartbeat” leader, where she oversees prayer and worship. She also views Christian Business Leaders as a group that has helped her learn how to balance her faith and career goals.
“The opportunity to explore what it looks like to integrate faith and business has been impactful for me,” Turner said. “I’ve loved having the opportunity to hear business executives speak about how God has moved in their lives and careers. It’s led me to view my future business career as a form of ministry.”
Minogue encourages students interested in learning more about Christian Business Leaders to visit the group’s website (www.cblbaylor.com) and attend upcoming January meetings.
