Catalyst Transforming Lives
Imagine a career where the hours are endless and exhausting, where customers often complain despite excellent service, and where the boss never sleeps and somehow knows everything about everybody. At this workplace, the paycheck comes on the very last day of employment. Would it be worth the sacrifice?
Now imagine being a Christian who constantly tries to live in a way that is pleasing to God and who, by doing so, witnesses to innumerable people desperately, yet often unknowingly, seeking the truth that will change their lives. The reward is found in and for eternity.
This idea of laboring without material gain or validation from others may sound alien in comparison to the typical nine-to-five job.
As students at a Christian university, we sometimes struggle with the realization that we must be examples in the workplace. Why go to a Christian institution of higher learning if not to seek something more than just a degree? How is Charleston Southern preparing us for the co-worker in the next cubicle who just lost their spouse, or the ethically challenging legislation we are being pressured to pass or enforce, or the hundreds of mourning families we will encounter as health-care professionals? Maybe we will be the teachers at the low-income school, transforming the lives of students whose only meal may be under our watch. Perhaps our employees will come to us when they cannot afford transportation or when their spouse is abusive. What about our time here at Charleston Southern prepares us for the lives we will soon face that are so much broader than the textbook?
Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president for planning and student affairs, saw a need at Charleston Southern for a program that puts students in touch with neighbors and strangers seeking servants. He founded Catalyst, not knowing exactly what to expect.
Weeks later, the program has grown from an idea from God into something that is changing ideas about God.
Serving as coordinator for Catalyst, Corey Humphries understands the incredible volume of the task at hand.
“Whether it’s putting on a roof, or hanging out with kids, that is where God is working. That is where we want to be,” said Humphries.
One individual recently in need was Anthony, a blind man whose home, practically demolished by termites, was rebuilt in part by Catalyst during February’s project entitled Rip the Roof Off. Charleston Southern students installed flooring, cleared debris and performed landscaping.
The idea is that values held by Charleston Southern University students and administrators can be brought to life by something as simple as a work project a few miles down the road.
“I am seeking to develop leadership in participants. At Rip the Roof Off, people just picked up hammers. They are already grasping the concept. Catalyst allows for opportunities in which students can accept the call, take a leadership role, and develop problem-solving skills,” said Humphries, a 2004 Charleston Southern alum, currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice at his alma matter.
In Catalyst, Humphries envisions a program that will essentially speak for itself, that is, be a catalyst by stimulating other universities to pilot similar programs. Leadership development produces exponential results.
To communicate effectively, people must gain experience by doing. Students must know how to relate to the unbelievers, the uneducated, the unloved, and undefended. Humphries believes that communication is an active part of the service ministry because “we do the work in order to open that specific venue of communication.” Effective communication is relationship building. Jesus built relationships.
Catalyst links service to helping others, developing leaders, building relationships and spreading God’s love. Humphries is certain that Catalyst is a way for Charleston Southern to “be about our Father’s work.”
Simply stated, helping others has its perks. Spending a day bestowing God’s kindness upon neighbors who, unbeknownst to themselves, are yearning for Christ, is a miracle in itself. Humphries points out, “The social skills developed when working with a team of people will benefit students throughout their life. Students feel a sense of wellbeing when serving others, especially as they learn the meaning of obedience to God’s command.”
Catalyst puts Charleston Southern students in places they wouldn’t normally be on Saturday mornings.
Helping at the Countdown to Kindergarten Kickoff sponsored by United Way, Catalyst volunteers found that the most important work that they did was actually in the relationships that they built. CSU students guided families through the event. Charleston Southern was well represented in every area, directing the flow of traffic, registering the soon-to-be Kindergartners, and encouraging them to sign up for dental and health screenings. After experiencing the entertainment room, the 5-year-olds picked up their new backpacks and t-shirts, filled them with snacks, and proceeded to the big yellow bus for a ride that would prepare them for their first day of school.
Humphries emphasized the sometimes ignored aspects of student learning. “Students are realizing there is more to education: experience.”
