2023 Young Adult and Campus Ministry Grant Recipient - The Belfry

The Belfry                                                                                                                  $2000
Diocese of Northern California
Permanent Community Whiteboard

The Belfry at U.C. Davis has a great location–a house across the street from campus right near downtown. We get a lot of foot traffic from students and community members walking from campus to downtown to eat or shop. In fall 2021 when the campus re-opened after COVID, we wanted to find a fun and non-threatening way to interact with those who pass by outside, especially those who would never come to a campus ministry event. We found an old white board in the basement and hung it on a tree right near the sidewalk, with dry erase markers hung on front with Velcro. Every week we put a prompt of some sort and invite those who walk by to add their comments or finish a sentence. The board immediately proved popular. It generally fills up completely after a week or so, at which point we erase and add another prompt. It has become a place for everyone to be heard and share their ideas, whether simple, silly, and fun, or profound, emotional, and impactful. The board works well when the weather is perfect, but as soon as it is windy, it blows around; as soon as it is wet, the uncovered markers run and become unreadable. Since it is just a cheap indoor board, even regular exposure to good weather is beginning to warp it. We would love to be able to offer a place for everyone to share their notes and ideas and questions and hopes and joys and sorrows in a permanent way by installing an outdoor white board that can be used year-round. Such things are not cheap, however, so we are applying for a $2000 Campus Ministry Project Grant to purchase the board.