Nearly 200 students from The Master’s University signed up to serve schools in the Santa Clarita Valley, residents in Placerita Canyon, and ministries across the greater Los Angeles area this month as part of the school’s annual Engage Day.
On Nov. 7, students partnered with Axia, a nonprofit foster care outreach program, to serve students, staff, and families from five Santa Clarita Valley junior and senior high schools. Students packed 90 bags of food for low-income families to be given away around Thanksgiving, and another 70 bags for school resource centers. They also prayed for and served lunch to teachers and staff and made dinner for 13 foster and adoptive families.
“I’m so grateful for excellent partnerships, a generous community, and diligent effort from all involved,” said TMU Professor Jefferson Henson, who also serves as Axia’s director. “Mobilizing over 60 students into the work of caring for children and families was a blessing and a fantastic opportunity to bring about good in the SCV.”
Closer to campus, nearly 40 students volunteered to help neighbors in Placerita Canyon with home and yard maintenance, such as cleaning windows and hanging Christmas lights.
At Children’s Hunger Fund in Sylmar, TMU students packed food boxes, organized goods in the warehouse, and helped prepare shipments for families in need.
Meanwhile at Joni & Friends, a ministry focused on serving people with disabilities, students moved and loaded restored wheelchairs into vans while other teams visited local care homes to minister to residents and share encouragement.
Working with Open Arms Pregnancy Clinic, student volunteers prayed outside an abortion clinic and helped to deep-clean the Open Arms facility to support its ongoing ministry. At Santa Barbara Christian Camp, students cleaned cabins and the food court areas.
Engage Day is an annual ministry experience designed to inspire and mobilize TMU students to serve the local community and beyond. It embodies TMU’s mission to train students not only academically, but spiritually, equipping them to live lives of faithfulness to Christ.
