Contributed by Jake Lavina & Shogo Nakaza
Fall 2023 has been jam-packed with fun and meaningful activities for our chapter in New Jersey! Here is a run down of some of the things that we did in CARP New Jersey, focusing on the campuses of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Montclair State University (MSU), Bergen Community College, and Rutgers University. We were very grateful to have the support of 4 missionary volunteers from Korea who stayed with us for 3 months and 5 missionary volunteers from Generation Peace Academy who stayed for 1 month.
CARP Kickoff Retreat (8/31-9/2)
We started off the semester with a CARP Retreat in the Poconos Mountains! Surrounded by beautiful nature, we were able to discuss the vision for each chapter, bond and re-energize right before the start of the semester.
NJIT Culture Tabling
This semester, NJIT tried something new by hosting weekly tables on campus with games and snacks from various cultures. We are all children of God and by learning about other cultures, we can experience a unique aspect of God’s love. We had crowds of people lined up and waiting to try our games on some days.
MSU Prayer Wall (10/3/23)
The CARP chapter at Montclair State University hosted a prayer wall table for the first time this semester, letting students write any prayer requests on a board to create a more wholesome environment on campus while promoting CARP. We collected over 100 prayers and put it in the interreligious prayer room on campus so students could pray for each other!
Ice Skating Outing (11/2/23)
We brought a group of CARPies to the American Dream Mall to go ice skating. We had 18 people and spent an evening having fun on the ice and wandering around the mall.
CARPx (11/17/23)
We held a CARPx workshop with talks on the Principles of Creation, God’s ideal that he originally wanted for his beloved children. We were blessed to have the talks given by our former national CARP President and current pastor of the Clifton Family Church, Naokimi Ushiroda. We had 25 participants with 6 first-timers and had an amazing night learning and discussing together.
RAKES Service Project (11/25/23)
CARP NJ went out to serve senior citizens in the Nutley area by partnering with R.A.K.E.S. (Random Acts of Kindness Extended to Seniors). We went around the whole morning and afternoon raking leaves in their yards until it was spotless, leaving them with something to be grateful for during the holidays.
Friendsgiving (11/25/23)
We held our annual CARP Friendsgiving at the Clifton Family Church potluck style with over 40 people in attendance. With all kinds of foods like ceviche, tacos dorados, Korean fried chicken, as well as the traditional thanksgiving fare, we were able to bond over sharing gratitude and eating good food.
Christmas Party (12/22/23)
To end the year, we held a Christmas party with guests and participants from all of our campuses along with their families. The evening started with ice breakers and get to know you games, followed by a dinner, and birthday celebration for several people who had birthdays within the week of Christmas. The rest of the night was filled with activities run by our NJIT board members in-training, and we had a fun time playing minute to win it games, decorating gingerbread houses, and holding a white elephant gift exchange.
