Bowling Green Grace Brethren Church Hosts Annual International Student Event
Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on August 25, 2009
More than 100 international students from the campus of Bowling Green State University were hosted by the Bowling Green, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church (Curtis Miller, pastor) recently for the annual Free Food, Fun, Fellowship, and Furniture (FFFFF) event. The individuals who attended were from the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and North America.
Tom Sanders, the cook for the afternoon and one of the major organizers said, “This is an exciting time to get to know international students and develop a relationship with them.”
The day began for the students with an American-style cook-out that was considerate of both the diet and tastes of the participants. As the students, registered they were assigned numbers which later were drawn randomly to give each person the chance to choose from large furniture items or for household articles, such as dishes, pots and pans, winter clothing, televisions, computer, etc.
The annual FFFFF began more than 15 years ago at the Bowling Green church. It is now a cooperative effort with four other area congregations, who help with the year-long collection of items such as couches, tables, beds, or anything that international students would not have in their two suitcases when they arrive and need to set up their living spaces. The churches also help with the delivery of the items to the apartments and dorm rooms, and with the food on the day of the event.
The FFFFF event is limited to international students who are in their first year at the university. Most are graduate students with a just a few undergrads attending. Due to language and cultural barriers, the organized chaos is staged by at least 40 volunteers who haul the items in from storage units, arrange them for display, and walk each attending person through to help them choose their items.
The FFFFF is a time of developing relationships with those from other countries with the hope of helping them through their time at BGSU and telling them the gospel of Jesus Christ. From that they can go back to their homeland and be missionaries to their own people.
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