Nichelle Trulove -- The South Asia ISP team designed and sold T-shirts and tank tops as part of their fundraising efforts.
California Baptist University provides students, faculty and staff with opportunities to gain hands-on ministry experience in different cultures and expand their global vision, but all of that comes at a cost. This means, many students come up with creative fund raising techniques.
This annual opportunity is known as International Service Projects, and costs around $3,400 per trip. Every student who participates in a service project must raise this money throughout the year to cover all the expenses for the trip the following summer.
An entire team of CBU affiliates, either a CBU staff member or faculty member, along with about 10 students will travel overseas for three weeks during the summer to practice ministry work. These ISP teams take part in many ministries, including: music, sports, children’s ministry and teaching English.
Sophomore Joshua Perez is raising the $3,400 for his service project trip to South Asia by creating original T-shirts and tank tops to sell around campus. The graphics on the shirts read, “Ends Of the Earth” and “Pray For South Asia.” Each shirt can be purchased for $15 or two for $25.
Perez decided on the phrase “Ends of the Earth,” because he overheard an ISP coordinator use the term a few times. For Perez, the phrase is defined as spreading the Gospel and aid to all “Ends of the Earth.”
Perez is currently in the Baccalaureate program for Applied Theology and plans on becoming a pastor and maybe even focusing on becoming a youth pastor. He hopes participating on this team to South Asia will help him learn if God’s plan for him is to practice ministry here in the United States or overseas.
“I am doing this as an individual fundraiser for my ISP trip this summer to South Asia. After I am done raising the money for ISP, I am going to continue making these shirts for the clothing line and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to any foundation of my choice that serves overseas,” Perez said.
