Community Service and Ministry Opportunities
Contact Julianne Meinecke at jmeinecke@mvnu.edu with any question regarding these ministries.

Children’s Connection
The Children’s Connection is where we match up college students with an at risk youth in Knox County. You meet with your match as many times a month as you want as long as you dedicate at least four hours. Or you can simply participate in the youth event gatherings once a month if you don’t feel comfortable one on one.
Want more information?
Contact Lynsey Pope at lpope@mvnu.edu

PB & J Club
PB & J Club is a ministry where we partner with Mulberry United Methodist Church and hold a Kids Bible study at a near by apartment complex. At the Bible Study the kids get a meal, they play games, sing songs, make crafts, memorize Bible verses and listen to a Bible lesson. As a part of PB & J Club you come and meet Wednesdays at 4:30 on the chapel steps to invest in the lives of boys and girls in the Vernon Ridge Apartment of Mount Vernon.
Contact Info: Megan McClure mmcclure@mvnu.edu or
Christy Gifford cgifford@mvnu.edu

The Harbor
The Harbor is a ministry where we partner with the Salvation Army Church and reach out to kids in the community. There you can relax, watch TV, play pool, board games, basketball, video games, work out, and just hang out with kids of all ages. You can serve as either a mentor or work as a waiter or waitress. Monday-Friday 5-9 PM.
Contact John Boggs at jboggs@mvnu.edu

Lunch Buddies
Do you miss those days of lunch trays, square pizzas, and recess? In Lunch Buddies we partner with local schools and match a college student with an at risk child during the 11:30-1:00 lunch period. Just hanging out with them will brighten their day and hopefully you’ll become a positive influence in their life!
Amanda Osmon at aosmon@mvnu.edu

SonShine Kids
SonShine Kids is where we partner with Mount Vernon First Church of the Nazarene and with local elementary schools and hang out with kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-5:00. There we play games, perform skits, teach a Bible lesson, and just build relationships with kids in the community. We meet in Pioneer Lobby at 3:00 and ride over to either Pleasant Street Elementary School on Tuesdays, or Twin Oak Elementary School on Thursdays.
For more information contact:
Bill Gunsalus at wgunsalu@mvnu.edu
Kala Butler at kbutler1@mvnu.edu
Kris Kelley at kkelley@mvnu.edu

Escape Zone
Want to build relationships with teens and pre-teens? Want to share the message of Jesus Christ with someone who has never heard of it before? Then come to the Escape Zone either Wednesday nights 6-9 or on Fridays 7-11. At the Escape Zone you can help with signing in teens, concerts, the snack bar, or simply just hang out and build relationships. The Escape Zone is downtown right across from Dominos!
For more information contact:
Isaac Bush at ibush@mvnu.edu or Jacob Bush at jbush2@mvnu.edu

Wagon Ministry
Want to impact the lifestyles of high risk teenagers? Then Wagon is the ministry for you. Wagon is held at Mulberry United Methodist Church on Saturday nights from 9-1. Here you can come play basketball, pool, hackey sack, and grab a bit to eat!
For more information contact:
Matt Diffenderfer at mdiffen1@mvnu.edu
Amanda Erb at aerb@mvnu.edu
Lindsay Ellyson at lellyson@mvnu.edu

Mohican
Want something to do on a Sunday afternoons? Then come and find out what Mohican Youth Outreach is all about. Here you’ll go to the Mohican Youth Correctional Facility and reach out to young men who need to know what God’s forgiveness is all about.
For more information contact:
Sarah Kline at skline@mvnu.edu
Maggie Richardson at mrichar2@mvnu.edu

Action
Don’t want to necessarily make a weekly commitment but still want to get involved and make a difference? Action connects with several social agencies around Knox County and helps bring awareness about the needs in the community as well as meeting some of their needs through clothing drives, bottle drives, etc. Action also helps bring awareness to things that are going on around the world, such as the child soilders in Africa and the sex trade in Cambodia. If you want to become more knowledgeable and get involved with things going on all around you, then make a difference and get connected with Action.
Brian Miller at bmiller6@mvnu.edu

SHAPe
Students Helping Autistic Affected Persons This is our newest ministry where students have the opportunity to help meet the needs of a family with an autistic child. This is another ministry that is flexible and you set up your own time slot to work around your schedule.
Justin Cline at jcline1@mvnu.edu

Transition Mission
Want to get to know some of the kindest people of Mount Vernon? Get involved with Transition Mission. This ministry is to the mentally handicap and developmental delayed students at Mount Vernon High School between the ages of 18 – 22. When these students come to chapel you will have the opportunity to sit with them, lean from them, and build relationships with them.
Rachael Parks at rparks1@mvnu.edu

Faithful Friends
Do you want to make an impact by simply being a friend to the friendless? In Faithful Friends there are two different ways you can do so. You make cards for Mentally Handicap individuals who never get mail and weekly go to the Mount Vernon Developmental Center and build relationships with those individuals. There you can play basketball, board games, sing, color, or just socialize with the loving people at Mount Vernon Developmental Center.
More information contact:
Amy Ruffner at aruffner@mvnu.edu
Rachael Parks at rparks1@mvnu.edu

SMILE
If you can never stop smiling then this ministry is for you! We meet Sunday nights in the lobby of the Hyson Center at 5:45. Then we ride over to Rosegarden a nursing home in town and spend an hour hanging out with some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet! We play games, make crafts, and just simply chat with some of the elderly in the community.
Want more information?
E-mail Julianne Meinecke at jmeineck@mvnu.edu
Building relationships is as simple as giving a little SMILE!

Commissioned
Do you have a heart for people from other countries? Commissioned is where you get to meet and interact with people from different countries without even leaving Ohio. In Commissioned we partner with Shepherd Church of the Nazarene in Columbus and go to a community of immigrants from Somalia. Commissioned also gives you an opportunity to serve the Lord in a unique way as you interact with people of different cultures, backgrounds, and religions.
For more information contact: Kari Darling at kdarling@mvnu.edu

Mandate
Want to get off campus for the weekend? Interested in seeing what God is doing in the city? Mandate is an organization that works alongside ministries in urban areas. We spend the weekends joining in with what God is already doing serving together & building incredible friendships. Come and See how God is working.
More information e-mail mandate@mvnu.edu
Leaders: Chirsty Gifford cgifford@mvnu.edu and Tara Bunker