Campus Connection: Snacks for Students!

Campus Connection:

Snacks for Students
The United Methodist Campus Ministry at Omak
By Jesse N. Love with Ellen Johanson and Tyrone Olds

Welcome to Omak
About 230 miles east from the Seattle Area or 140 miles west from the Spokane Area lies Omak, Wash. – a community comprised of about 4,721 people according to the 2012 census. Within the lush Okanogan Valley lies a college that houses a special campus ministry aiming to meet the needs of its students. For some students, commuting to school through one of three mountainous passes, working long academic hours, and juggling other life-responsibilities can take their toll. The United Methodist Campus Ministry at Omak serves by providing simple nutritious snacks, water, or sandwiches to help stave off the pangs of hunger during mid-week lectures. The good news for students is that this bounty…is free.

Snacks for Students
“I heard about it through the student government and fellow students who realized I had such a long way to travel to school,” shares Jarith Fry who is a running start student studying electrical and mechanical engineering. Fry praises this campus ministry’s Snacks for Students program for its support. “I live an hour away. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I pull 12-hour days. When you forget a lunch, it makes it really hard to continue studying, worrying about an empty stomach.”

Ministry of Presence
Ebony Patterson wishes to enter into the illustration and design field. She also served as a peer minister for Omak’s campus ministry. Patterson is in “The Pit” which is located underground beside the administrative offices of Wenatchee Valley College at Omak (WVC). She has set up two, very long submarine sandwiches, cartons of juice, chips, and veggie platters for anyone in need of an energy boost for the day ahead. Again, this food is free. Feeding her fellow students in this way is more than just an extracurricular activity, but a spiritual service. “I am providing a ministry of presence,” she shares. “We get to talk to the students about their day, their time in school, and add a message that is faith-based”.

Sarah Brown also serves as a peer minister. She hopes to graduate, then transfer to Eastern Washington University. As a wife and a parent, she has also experienced first-hand the convenience of Snacks for Students to curb hunger between classes. But more so, serving as a peer minister provided Brown with an opportunity to listen to other students facing personal trials. “My son had cancer at two. I couldn’t understand who God was,” shares Brown. “I thought I lived a good life…I felt rotted inside out, hating God. (But) this is where I found faith. Now I feel when I am around in that dark place, I can relate to them and know where they are at.”

“It reaches the students, but even the faculty – they really support this.” shares Nancy Knowlton, an adjunct instructor teaching English and Humanities at Wenatchee Valley College at Omak. Knowlton has been involved with Omak United Methodist Church and is supportive of the campus ministry at her school. Before serving as an instructor, Knowlton was a student at WVC in 2002 and began taking classes while recovering from an on-the-job injury. This time gave her a chance to be involved in the development of the campus ministry and to witness the growing need of this ministry. “In the last few years, we had both of our mills shut down. So we got a lot of students being retrained – and these are mostly older students trying to find another way to earn a living,” Knowlton shares. “Having the food down here, having someplace to be or maybe even a peer minister to talk to and to take you down from the ledge – ‘It’s okay if you don’t pass this class you can take it again, don’t worry about it. Have some water keep yourself hydrated, take some crackers with you don’t deprive yourself of nourishment.’ As a student I know I relied on it.”

Facing Challenges in this Ministry
Knowlton got involved in the ministry of Omak with help from Taleah Edmonds. Edmonds serves as a certified lay minister and attends Omak UMC. She notes that the United Methodist Campus Ministry at Omak is the first campus ministry in the denomination to be held in a community college. This particular ministry faced challenges in its initial phases. Problems with communications, getting people to understand their services without appearing to bait and proselytize were just some of the kinks to be ironed out. Another problem according to Taleah is the geographical span of the area: “Some travel 140 miles round trip just to go to school.” As a campus minister, Edmonds also highlighted domestic violence as one of the bigger issues affecting women in the college community. Edmonds recalls hearing students who were working hard and studying and leading up to date of finals had just been beaten the night before. “We listen a lot. Our peer ministers are dynamic people,” shares Edmonds.

Why this Ministry is Important
“Anything we can do to help the employment situation in this area is worthwhile,” says Marilyn Church of Conconully UMC. Conconully and Omak UMCs both help to support the campus ministry at WVC. She shares that this community is ripe with potential and the presence of the Church is vital, “All Methodists are in favor of education all the way. This is one of the lowest per capita income counties in the United States. In the years we have been operating, we have seen people become teachers, medical professionals, psychologists, and involved in a lot of outdoor industries. We provide some of the skills through the college…so they can fulfill these roles.”

Alexis Olmstead is a theater and English major at WVC. For Olmstead, the peer ministers through campus ministry have been a great source of support and motivation in helping her pursue her goals: “ (Ebony Patterson) has helped me with my homework a couple of times. She has been able to sit down and I can talk to her about anything. She will be able to help me understand things that are going on, or help me work out problems in my life.”

The United Methodist Campus Ministry at Omak continues to thrive as a new quarter begins at Wenatchee Valley College at Omak. New peer ministers will be chosen to help continue the tradition of providing “Food for Thought, Water for Wisdom, and Food for Finals.” The congregations of Conconully and Omak also continue to support this ministry with the hopes of establishing a Wesley Association, bringing other young adults together in sharing their personal faiths and meeting the needs of young people in the valley. The spirit and impact of this campus ministry can be felt in the words of peer minister, Ebony Patterson: “When there is a need and you have the ability to fulfill it, that is our job. Whenever you are blessed enough to do it, that is what you have to do.”

Support for The United Methodist Campus Ministry at Omak is funded by
Conconully UMC, Omak UMC, and the Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry.

Special thanks to Marsha Aufenkamp, Myrna Estrada, Russell Olmstead, Nish Edmonds, and Dayton Edmonds.
Special thanks to the staff of Wenatchee Valley College at Omak.