By Ava Schwab | Reporter
This week kicked off Baylor’s annual Missions Week, and Barfield Drawing Room hummed with the chatter of community Tuesday night.
The event, which included free dinner and conversations with global organizations was more than a convenient meal — it was about connection. Staff of global and local mission organizations met face-to-face with students who are eager to learn how they could serve. The opportunities to serve could last a week or a semester, with the potential to last a lifetime.
Chad Warner, senior coordinator of marketing, communications and events for Baylor Missions, Service and Public Life and Baylor Spiritual Life, said they work with partners all over the world, and while most Baylor trips are short-term, many students “hungry for more.”
“Missions Week is a time … to connect students with organizations in a more long-term format that we can’t really provide with our approach to missions on a short-term basis,” Warner said.
Long tables lined the second floor of the Barfield Drawing Room, plates and pamphlets side by side. Students shared food with representatives from international ministries and service programs. For organizers, the meal itself held symbolic weight.
“We want to set out some time just where they can break bread together,” Warner said. “That’s what we saw Jesus do with his disciples; that’s what we saw the early church do all throughout the Bible. Sharing a meal together is just a personal way to connect.”
The act of eating and talking became the night’s point of balance. Warner said the dinner was designed as a more personal way for students to connect with these organizations than stopping by and grabbing a pamphlet between classes.
Lead Missions Coordinator Bailey Hebert echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of deep conversations throughout the week.
“This is my third year doing Missions Week,” Hebert said. “These conversations just have the opportunity to go a little bit more deep because they’re actually sitting around food, and they’re sitting together for a lot longer time too.”
Hebert said the goal is for students to see more of what the organizations are and what they stand for, especially if they’re considering internships or summer work.
“Our goal is always really for students to have kind of a deeper dive with these organizations and see if it’s a good fit for them,” Hebert said.
Missions Week takes place every October, and each year adds a new element.
For the first time, Mission Week has partnered with Vertical Ministries, resulting in a new way for people to gather where they already meet. According to their website, Vertical acts as a resource to connect students with global missions, aligning well with the theme of this week.
As plates emptied and tables cleared, conversations flickered on with the fairy lights decorating the room. The dinner may have been framed around free food, but for many, it offered something steadier — a sense of calling and community.
“We want to set aside some intentional time for students to meet organizations in a more sort of intimate setting,” Warner said.
