Big muscles, fancy cars, nice clothes and lots of money. Though the world may view these attributes as characteristics of a man, California Baptist University’s Man Week teaches that a heart of devotion to the Lord by serving others is ultimately what makes a true man.
During the week of March 26-30, Campus Life hosted a series of events for Man Week.
Jay Stovall, resident director of Smith Hall, said the purpose of this week was to, “connect guys together on campus throughout the week and provide for them ways to equip them as men, as well as enjoy fellowship and socializing with one another in unity.”
The week’s festivities began on Monday with a steak and potatoes dinner for men only. The men heard from the following speakers: Steve Smith, director of facilities and planning services, Jared Dobbins, assistant director of global mobilization, Brian Zunigha, director of campus ministries and Lennie Zalesky, the men’s wrestling coach. They spoke about service, prayer, strength and what it means to be a gentleman.
Tuesday was “Service with a Smile” day. This was an opportunity for the guys to live out what they were taught the night before, by serving the girls in the Alumni Dining Commons and by washing their cars.
“It was very surprising and refreshing to see men actually want to serve women and assure them that they were taken care of,” Marissa Carney, freshman, said.
As a way of letting the guys show-off their athletic talents and release some testosterone, on Wednesday, Campus Life hosted the “Manlympics.” The men participated in activities such as the Caber Toss, tire throw, slingshot, Water Balloon Civil War, team tug-of-war, arm wrestling, Kajabi Can-Can and a hot dog eating contest.
In honor of Mustache March, an anti-shave month, Thursday was a mustache competition known as the “Stachey’s.” The men of CBU sculpted their facial hair to a desired shape, and showed off their manly mustaches to impress not only the judges, but the ladies as well.
On Friday, there was a prayer wall outside of the gym. People were able to post personal prayer requests, letters of encouragement or prayer requests for International Service Project teams. Through the power of prayer, CBU students were able to come lift one another up before the Lord.
“[Man Week is] a great week for guys to come together and find out ways to be men after God’s own heart and to just enjoy life and have fun with other guys on campus,” Stovall said.
Through humility, selflessness and acts of service the guys at CBU found out what being a man truly means.
