Campus Ministries: Heart & Hands
Nearly every night of the week, there are various activities for students to get involved in! From Life Groups and Unchapel to SAB Fall Festivals, Regent University has so much to offer. One unique opportunity Campus Ministries offers is the Heart and Hands ministry. If you have not heard of Heart and Hands before, look no further. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the team of students that truly put the heart in Heart and Hands, and through that conversation, I learned so much about their “why.”
For those of you who don’t know, Heart and Hands can be explained as an evangelism outreach group. Their main goal is to be the hands that carry out the heart of the Father. Much of their structure and focus can be broken into three parts: a study of what evangelism is, a conversation on how to “do” evangelism, and a practical application of what the discussion focused on during their meeting, which occurs twice a month. Gabriel Thomas, the leader of Heart and Hands, explained that the “heart of Christ is to have people in His kingdom,” and the goal of Heart and Hands is to display God’s heart for reaching others and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Heart and Hands leadership team is made up of four people: Gabriel Thomas, who explains his role as a “guide” to the apprentices serving with him, and the three Heart and Hands apprentices, Hope Morgan, Moriah Scott, and Alexander McCollum. They plan, pray over, and facilitate the meetings held every other Monday. Although they head the meetings, when I spoke with Hope, Moriah, Gabe, and Alex, they greatly emphasized the fact that they are “freely learning with everybody else.”
The meetings open with a time of worship, then transition into a time of teaching, where Gabe shares about the different components and tools of evangelism. From there, students in attendance go out into the community to share the Word of God and pray over people in pairs. To close the night, the group comes back to campus and debriefs together. The entire “event” lasts about two hours. On average, about 16-18 students from different backgrounds and different walks of life come together every other week.
When discussing the greatest takeaways from being involved with Heart and Hands, Hope shared that she loved being a part of the greater story, saying, “We’re just the hands that God is guiding to do His work.” Moriah added that “It’s not in my strength or in my power… God is truly who sustains us and keeps us going.”
It is clear after speaking with the ministry’s leadership that their heart is to unceasingly spread the truth and good news that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ locally. A verse that many Christ-followers are familiar with, if not have memorized, is in Matthew 28:19, which is commonly known as the Great Commission. It is in this verse that Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The goal of Heart and Hands is to do just that, to carry out the Great Commission as God leads, enables, and equips them.
Whether you are a novice or a veteran in the “field” of evangelism, the Heart and Hands team welcomes you to join them every other Monday! Gabe put it this way: “You don’t have to have any experience. We’re all on the same walk. [And] even if you think you have nothing, you have something [to share and to give].” If you are interested or want more information, you can ask any of the apprentices about the ministry, or you can email Campus Ministries at ministry@regent.edu.
