Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: Meet Me @ MBU
Meet Me @ MBU
August 29, 2003
Returning students, Angela Emde and Kristina Steen grimaced as they lifted a television set out of storage and down the hallways of Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in St. Louis city. Friends and former roommates, the two Missouri Baptist University students led incoming freshman in clearing out the Home’s basement as part of the University’s Welcome Weekend service project.
“I was proud of my group for working diligently without complaining about the heat,” says Kristina, who gave up her Saturday afternoon to volunteer. “They were freshmen with servant’s hearts.”
Clad in bright orange “Meet Me @ MBU” T-shirts, the 150 freshmen and student and faculty leaders sweltered during the midday project. In the August heat, students helped with gardening, clearing debris, and moving furniture, ending the day by playing games with the 25 resident children. Three MBU athletic teams sponsored clinics to teach the children sporting skills.
“Our service project students get the opportunity to better understand what it is like to not have a family, or to have a home life not quite as blessed, or a past that’s not as sheltered. MBU is enjoying building a lasting relationship with Missouri Baptist Children’s Home,” says Ann Uschold, Director of Student Activities. This Welcome Weekend was the third year in the past four for MBU students to volunteer at the Home.
The Welcome Weekend celebration, themed “Meet Me @ MBU”, was speckled with festivities for both incoming students and their parents to launch the 2003-2004 school year.
Students and parents were introduced to the University with a street fair featuring local businesses, churches, and campus organization representatives, followed by teambuilding competitions that encourage relationships and MBU spirit. Parents attended seminars on academics, campus safety, and student finances and met with President and First Lady, Dr. and Mrs. Lacey.
Other activities included cosmic bowling and a carnival featuring sumo wrestling, inflatable games, and MBU music ministry performances by Faithful and Spirit Wing. The weekend concluded with a Sunday morning chapel service with featured speaker Vice President of Student Development and Assistant Professor of Bible, Dr. Andy Chambers.
Early enrollment figures indicate a possible 900 students on the main campus and 3,400 total MBU students—the highest ever in the University’s history—reports Rob Cornwell, Director of Admissions, Church Relations.
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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