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Anderson University Tri-S and Global Strategy Partner for Global Service

Anderson University students use their skills to serve communities and build relationships around the world

Music educators participating in Anderson University Graduate Summer Studies in Music Education

ANDERSON, Ind. — Anderson University’s Tri-S program and Global Strategy, the Church of God’s global mission-sending agency, are partnering to send AU students to serve, study, and share in cross-cultural settings.

The two organizations have a long history of partnership. However, that relationship has strengthened in recent months as Tri-S teams have connected with Global Strategy ministries around the world.

AU has sent six Tri-S trips in the past year with Global Strategy. Some student teams represented specific majors and sports, while others brought students from across campus.

Students used their skills to serve others. The volleyball team hosted volleyball camps in Belize, while the swim team served as lifeguards for children.

“Students brought skills, hands to work, and hearts to love, while the Church of God facilitated the most strategic of connections,” wrote Carl Stagner.

Deborah Hunnicut serves with Global Strategy as the school administrator and a teacher at Samuel Raymond Christian School in Roatan, Honduras.

“It was a pleasure to have our first Tri-S group here in Roatan. It was definitely a full-circle moment for me, as I remember having students stay with our family in Australia when I was in high school in the late 1970s. I also participated in Tri-S every summer I was a student at AU.”

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Deborah Hunnicut

Global Strategy school administrator and teacher

“It was a pleasure to have our first Tri-S group here in Roatan,” Hunnicut said. “It was definitely a full-circle moment for me. I remember having (Tri-S) students stay with our family in Australia when I was in high school in the late 1970s. I also participated in Tri-S every summer I was a student at AU.”

AU students spent their days tutoring at the school and their evenings playing board games and watching basketball. They also participated in a cultural night.

Hunnicut said the team was enthusiastic, flexible, helpful, and a joy to host.

“I look forward to many more students coming through my doors,” she said.

Jason and Abby Torgeson serve as regional connectors for Global Strategy in Latin America and hosted a team of engineering students in Costa Rica.

The students were divided into groups that responded to different needs.

A “site design” team looked at drainage and parking issues at the central church. The “passive cooling” team explored creative solutions to reduce heat and improve sound quality at the largest church building. A “solar feasibility” team designed a tool that evaluated the benefits of implementing solar power. The students also helped develop a solar power inverter for Jason to take to Cuba, where power outages are common.

“As the trip wound down, we were pleased to see how much they learned. Both in terms of practical experience and personal and spiritual growth,” Abby said. “Several expressed interest in returning to Costa Rica or other overseas contexts, whether for Tri-S or even for longer.”

In June, Jason reconnected with a few students while attending Camp Meeting in Anderson. He said it was a joy to see them and hear them process what they learned.

“We know that God is raising up a generation of leaders with practical skills and willing hearts, and we are so excited about all He did in them and will continue to do through them and other Tri-S participants.”

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Abby Torgeson

“We know that God is raising up a generation of leaders with practical skills and willing hearts. We are so excited about all He did in them and will continue to do through them and other Tri-S participants,” Abby said.

Ali Kardkatzke, director of first-year engagement at Anderson University, led a Tri-S trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. In collaboration with the Jamaican Church of God, AU students worked with the Jamaica Rebuild and Restore project. This project helps rebuild church communities struck by Hurricane Melissa.

Students cleared debris and painted the Hill Top Basic School and Pitfour Church of God. Along the way, they connected with students and staff and experienced incredible hospitality and generosity.

“For all of the AU students, getting to know and spend time with the kids at the school was a major highlight,” Kardkatzke said. “To see God’s kingdom continue to thrive, serve the needs of the community, and educate the next generation in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster was a powerful reminder that the church is infinitely more than a building.”

Stefanie Leiter, coordinator for Tri-S and Study Away director for AU, said, “Global Strategy has helped fulfill the mission behind Tri-S to serve the global church. By pairing Tri-S [and] Global Strategy, students are impacted more directly through the relationships they create serving in these communities. Logistically, it has also helped streamline my work as coordinator to find strong options for students to encounter Christ abroad in a safe and meaningful way.”

Learn more about AU’s upcoming Tri-S trips here.

Information courtesy of Carl Stagner and the Church of God Ministries