Sorority Houses and Campus Christian Centers

 I recently posted this message on my Facebook account and was surprised at the number of comments I got regarding it.

"I drove thru a large southern university down Sorority Row.  Mixed in were a few Christian ministry Centers.  The sorority houses were large, gorgeous, well landscaped, and very new looking.  The religious centers were much older and smaller.  One needed some TLC.

Maybe we Christians ought to take a lesson or two from the sororities about how to be on a college campus."

My thought is that we ought to be challenged by what we see Fraternity and Sororities doing on campus in their buildings.  Some would argue that they can do that because of their alums.  Ok and sure.  College Ministries have alums and I would even argue in many situations there would be more campus ministry alums than Greek alums.  This is not an anti-Greek post.  I am complimenting them in what and how they are doing.  In my drive down Sorority Row, I was struck by how the ministry centers did not compare very well.

FIRST, Why is it ok and NORMAL for Sorority houses to be bigger and nicer than Christian Centers?  We should be challenged by what our Greek friends are doing on campus.

I believe that the outside of a building sends a big message about the inside!  What message does the outside of your campus center send to students, alumni, supporters and even the campus administration???

Things to Look at and Consider:

1.  How does the grass and bushes look?  Is it mowed?  Is it edged?  Are the bushes neatly trimmed?  I would go as far as to say that in super dry weather, if possible, water and get it looking respectable.  Any ministry regardless of resources can keep the yard looking good.

2.  Is there junk piled around the edges or at the back?  When I drive around campus religious centers, I am often struck by how junk is piled around the side or back.  

3.  Are there church work groups that would come paint or do other outside work, if they were aware of your need or were challenged to do it? Virginia Tech BCM is well known for their Alumni Work Weekends (its all those crazy engineer alums!)

4.  What about listing the cost of different fix-up projects in your alumni news  I think people respond to specific needs that somehow clicks with them.  We might be surprised who would send $500 for that landscaping project.

5.  Would a professionally done landscaping project make a significant difference in how the building presents itself?  That is a whole lot cheaper than a building re-do.

6..  We often get "blind" to how our own facility looks.  Ask a couple of people who have GOOD and EXCELLENT or even EXPENSIVE TASTE to look at your Center and tell you what they think and what suggestions they would make.  Realtors often say one tip to selling a house is to paint the front door an attractive and fresh new coat of paint.  How does your front door and entry area look?

3 Conclusions:

1.  The outside appearance is MOST important in summer and first 3 weeks of the fall term.  In the summer, alums on vacation drive through the campus.  Parents and students come to campus for Freshmen Orientations.

2.  You cannot immediately have a new and bigger Center, but you can make sure it presents itself as best as possible.  Make sure it looks like somebody cares!

3.  Let's not just accept the fact that it is ok for our Christian Centers to look outdated and uncared about.  Let's be proud when we drive by a campus Christian Center.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.