Every year thousands of college students fan out across the United States and other parts of the world, hoping to experience other cultures during their time away for Spring Break. In the case of Wittenberg University, students have the opportunity to travel to Scotland, Costa Rica, Germany, and… Americus, GA., (population 15,516).
Americus isn’t Edinburgh or the Isle of Skye. It doesn’t feature long-horned sheep or bagpipes or hagis (Scottish specialty featuring the innards of a sheep). But in its own way, Americus is a jewel of a city, with quaint Victorian architecture and antebellum buildings, terrific Southern style food, and agriculture.
Wittenberg students who visited Americus in March were there for a service trip in collaboration with the Fuller Center for Housing to work at house sites. Most of these students had never heard of the city prior to going, but it left a good impression on them. Morgan Hunter, a junior, felt at ease once she arrived in Americus.
“The streets are peaceful and there’s a sense of warmth in the air that feels genuine and comforting,” Hunter said. “It’s the kind of place where everything seems to slow down just enough for you to notice the small, meaningful details.”
For Waverly McLaughlin, a freshman, she saw the city as rural and old fashioned. “(Americus) was relatively quiet and peaceful compared to more modern cities,” McLaughlin said. “The smell literally smelled like nature, wind and dew, plants and dirt. At night, you could look up and see many more stars than normal.” McLaughlin was also impressed by the handprints etched into cement from over 60 years ago in front of the Rylander Theatre downtown.
The Rylander Theatre is the epitome of the classical period, with its bright red leather seats, a grand stage with silky red curtains and gold fringes and beautiful paintings stretched across the top depicting the elegance of stage dancers. With a large sign that lights up the street, it brings you to the entrance that is littered with handprints on the cement sidewalk of influential figures that have come through the city, such as former president Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter, as well as Millard and Linda Fuller, who did so much not only for Americus but for the world through their philanthropy.
Americus also has some of the best food you can find. Alongside the Rylander Theatre sits a humble hotdog shop, Monroe’s Hotdogs & Billiards, a small but lively restaurant for the locals and tourists alike to enjoy. It provides a space for the community to enjoy, almost guaranteeing you a chance to catch up with that one friend you haven’t seen in a while each time you visit, leaving an eternal buzzing murmur by people. Hearing the conversations over the sizzle of the grills and the smell of cooked hotdog buns leaves locals thinking of this community space as a homey environment.
For some, home is just outside of city limits. Koinonia Farm, a small pecan farm, is located 10 minutes south of downtown Americus and it has an intentional community of faith-driven people that allows them to share their talents and resources with one another.
The farm gives a rustic feeling for anyone visiting for the first time, with small, older buildings, almost like a trip through time to the older days. There is virtually no internet, something that has become so common and almost a necessity in everyday life.
"I felt that Koinonia was like a break,” McLaughlin commented. “I didn’t like the bugs or the heat, but I liked their libraries and small features – the swing set, library and coffeehouse.”
Morgan Hunter’s time at Koinonia was also special to her. “It wasn’t just about being there, it was about the time I shared with everyone. What stood out the most was how simple moments ended up meaning the most.”
Trip supervisor Rachel Scherzer has been to Koinonia for the past three years – and savors the slower pace at the farm compared to the hectic university life at Wittenberg. “Staying there always reminds me to take a break, connect with nature, and take the time to reflect,” Scherzer said. “I love talking to everyone who stays there, because they are taking time out of their lives to commit to things like service and spiritual exploration.”
The people in Koinonia do a lot of things together. They practice their faith through Bible studies and services in the small chapel across the street, and they work together in the pecan fields and eat meals in the cafeteria. They like to end their meals by doing a group prayer for not only themselves but for other people in the world as well.
Koinonia is also the site of where Millard and Linda Fuller started their philanthropist work and eventually created the Fuller Center for Housing, which has its headquarters in downtown Americus. Hunter felt really impacted by the work she did with the missionary organization, showing her that what she was doing could change someone’s life and give them a stable place to call home.
“It also made me appreciate teamwork and the community more,” Hunter said. “Everyone was working together for the same goal, and that showed me how powerful it is when people come together to help others.”
As for student Waverly McLaughlin, she felt like working with the Fuller Center was "busy work" and felt her work could have been delegated to someone else with the same outcome. But sometimes, she conceded, small things can build up to make a difference. “There were a few instances where I felt my creativity had an impact, like when we spray painted shipping containers,” McLaughlin referring to an art project Wittenberg students did to express the Fuller Center’s values.
For the Wittenberg students going on a service trip, Americus provided a grounding that they didn’t know they needed and allowed them to gain a new perspective away from the hustle and bustle of Springfield, OH., and away from college life. Many of them left the city with the urge to come back and answer the call for service, much like the founders of the Fuller Center did before them.
