April 15 to 17, Walla Walla University will host a series of presentations and activities collectively titled The Weekend. This event is based on the spring quarter theme, “The Guts to Go.” The goal of The Weekend is to bring students and the community together in service.

Paddy McCoy, WWU chaplain explains, “The Weekend is a condensed version of Week of Worship. We are using a new format this quarter with a weekend focused on activity and service outreach.”

Every quarter at Walla Walla University, the Chaplain’s Office and the Campus Ministries team choose a theme for vespers programs to set the spiritual tone for campus. This year the Chaplain’s Office teamed up with the University Church to collaborate on a theme for the entire 2015-16 worship program. This school year has had an overall theme: “Do You Have the Guts?” Specific themes for each quarter were “The Guts to Choose” for fall quarter, “The Guts to Dig Deep” for winter quarter, and now “The Guts to Go” for spring quarter.

Jonathan Duffy, director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International, will speak on Friday, April 15, at 11 a.m. for CommUnity, and at 8 p.m. for vespers. Both events will be held in the University Church. 

ADRA International is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. Duffy has been director since 2013. He previously served as the chief executive officer of ADRA Australia. Prior to joining ADRA Australia in 2008, Duffy was director of the South Pacific Division of Adventist Health where he gained extensive experience in health promotion and community health development. He has a master of public health degree from Deakin University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

“I’m a fan of ADRA’s work and the initiatives they’re implementing around the world,” said McCoy.

On Saturday afternoon, April 16, of The Weekend students will have a variety of opportunities to serve and connect in the community. Groups of students will go out to various places in the community, such as to downtown Walla Walla, where they will give out free compliments, perform random acts of kindness and service, offer face-painting for kids, visit nursing homes, and simply pray for any passerby who wants to.

On Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tri-College Service Day will launch. WWU will work with the other two colleges in the Walla Walla Valley—Walla Walla Community College and Whitman College—to go out into the community to help neighborhoods with outdoor maintenance, cleaning, and many other projects. Those interested in participating in Tri-College Service Day can sign up for a project at ASWWU.com/serviceday.

“We will focus on getting out of our comfort zones to serve our neighbors near and far,” said McCoy.

All activities during The Weekend are free and open to the public. The University Church is located at 212 S.W. Fourth St., in College Place, Wash.

The Weekend events:
• Friday, 11 a.m.—CommUnity
• Friday, 8 p.m.—Vespers
• Friday, 9:15 p.m.—Prayer, Praise, and Popcorn
• Saturday, 9:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.—Q&A with Jonathan Duffy and other service leaders
• Saturday afternoon—A variety of opportunities to serve and connect
• Sunday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.—Tri-College Service Day

Posted April 7, 2016