We have found that college students find their time away at school exhilarating but at the same instance a bit lonely. Many yearn for the church family life and remember their good experiences and friends fondly. However, the longer they are away from home the more foreign their church experiences become. Many times a feeling of disassociation sets in, of no longer ‘belonging’. Our job is to maintain a lifeline for our college students to their parish family. This is one instance we don’t want to ‘cut the apron strings’ – we want to make that apron stretch! Below are some suggestions of care packages that can be sent to your college students. Remember the best packages are ones made with love – it doesn’t really matter what is in them. Several options are available for assembly of the packages:
- Ask parish members, through the bulletin, to contribute something to the care packages
- Have the Youth Ministry Program pay for the contents and ask different parish members each month to prepare them and send them to the students
- Have interested parish members and youth pack them as a fellowship event
Send college students care packages for feast days. Make the care package specific to the feast day. For example – on the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple place in your package an icon of the feast, candles, a recording of the Troparion, Kontakion and St. Simeon’s Prayer, a blanket (its February and babies are wrapped in blankets like Christ), a copy of vespers which contains Simeon’s Prayer, valentine’s day candies and a card, a letter or letters from parish members, and of course parish bulletins, National Church newspapers, dates for Young Adult and Parish Upcoming Events.
Send college students care packages with no particular theme – just we are thinking of you packages. Include in your packages things like school supplies, gift certificates to Wendy’s, Blockbuster, or Starbucks, candy or cookies, fun toys or articles, pictures from parish events, Orthodox literature or books, a letter or letters from parish members, and of course parish bulletins, National Church newspapers, dates for Young Adult and Parish Upcoming Events.
Send college students care packages with the seasons. Make the care package specific to the season. For example – for Fall you could place in your package information, icons, and/or things needed to celebrate feast and holy days in the fall months, mittens, fall leaves, candy corn, note books, a letter or letters from parish members, and of course parish bulletins, National Church newspapers, dates for Young Adult and Parish Upcoming Events.
Who knows? That is the fun part… the sky is the limit accept always add a letter or letters from parish members, and of course parish bulletins, National Church newspapers, dates for Young Adult and Parish Upcoming Events!