Westmont Magazine Leading by Serving

Thanks to a gift from the Barney and Moore Foun-dation in Illinois, Westmont has presented the first ever Barnabas Servanthood Lea-dership Awards.

The five juniors who received the honor have demonstrated outstanding servant leadership in ministry and community service. Nomi-nated by their peers, the winners were chosen by a com- mittee of faculty, staff and student representatives. The award is intended to promote the ideals of servant leadership.

Each student received a “Divine Student” statue depicting Christ washing the feet of a disciple, along with a $750 scholarship and an additional $250 donated to the charity of their choice.

Ryan Eisele has been involved with the Emmaus Ministry, an outreach to at-risk youth. He has also volunteered at Sarah House, a Santa Barbara residence for patients with terminal diseases. His other activities include Athletes in Action and leading a Bible study for the Warrior baseball team.

Emily Judge co-led the Westmont outreach Spring Break in the City. In March, a group of students spent their spring break ministering to students and working in the inner city in Los Angeles. She also interned at the Santa Barbara Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and has served as a junior high youth group leader.

Nathan Lafont served as  co-leader of this year’s Potter’s Clay mission trip, which took 280 students to Mexico during spring break to minister to people there. He also founded the unique Ginger Ale Club, which brings a variety of students together, always around a glass of ginger ale.

Peter Ramey worked as a resident assistant in a first-year student residence hall this year. While many R.A.s were nominated, his dedication to serving students and promoting relationships, spiritual growth and maturity clearly distinguished him in this time-consuming role.

Bretta Swanson also co-led Potter’s Clay, helping students and faculty coordinate efforts with local churches and pastors to make their time in Mexico effective. She has also been involved with Vacation Bible School, the Spring Sing Committee and Adopt-A-Grandparent.