NOTE: A version of this feature story first appeared in the summer edition of Concordia University's Broadcaster magazine.
For football student-athlete Charles Nshimiyimana, service in African Youth Ministry is not simply a one-time endeavor meant to look good on a résumé. It’s a lifestyle. With inspirational lifetime goals in mind,Nshimiyimana landed at Concordia in the fall of 2022 seeking to improve his Biblical knowledge necessary to sufficiently tutor the next generation of youths with similar backgrounds in Eastern Africa.
Born and raised in a refugee camp in Uganda, Nshimiyimana arrived in the United States as an adolescent while first settling in Atlanta, Ga., along with his mother and three brothers. A year later, they moved to St. Louis, Mo., where the family continues to reside. It was the opportunity to grow in his Christian faith that eventually brought Charles to Seward.
“After getting there, I talked to some of the professors and staff and told them what I am trying to accomplish,” Charles explained. “They understood where I was trying to get to. I felt like I was pushed to go there. I was drawn to the classes they offered: Old Testament and New Testament. Those classes helped me a lot. They helped me understand the Bible. The faith part was the main motivation (for choosing Concordia) – and also the staff.”
While Charles’ journey is unique when compared to those of most Concordia students, the emphasis upon service is not. During the 2022-23 academic year, Bulldog students combined for more than 2,000 service hours with more to be tallied throughout the summer months. The spectrum of these service activities ranges from visits to nearby St. John’s Lutheran School to mission trips abroad to providing Christmas gifts to underprivileged children and quality time with residents at local retirement homes. Every single athletic team at Concordia finds ways to serve communities far and wide. Sometimes it’s as simple as helping a community member move heavy furniture or lend a hand to a landscaping project.
The greatest impact seems to result when people like Charles provide a service not because they have to, but because they want to. For Charles, the mission is personal. He understands what it’s like to arrive in a foreign country and to deal with the language barrier, all while seeking to fit in and to find one’s identity. Just as God guided Charles to Concordia, He also introduced Charles to the Christian Friends of New Americans. The organization helped Charles with his English and played a role in his ability to thrive as a student at Roosevelt High School. While there, he was selected as the school’s Scholar/Athlete of the Year.
Charles is passionate about granting those same opportunities for success to youths who have relocated from Africa to the St. Louis area in particular. He took time over spring break to return to St. Louis and re-engage children in the community. As part of a program that runs during the school year, Charles has helped recruit local youths to participate in not only Bible study, but physical activities like basketball and soccer.
Says Charles, “Some of the messages about God don’t sink in right away. I get a lot of random questions, but many of the children want to talk about struggles in their lives. It makes me feel good that they are comfortable to talk to me about life experiences. A lot of children go to church because they have to, but they come to our program by their own choice.”
Life for Charles has become about his passions for faith, academics and athletic pursuits. He’s always willing to try something new as exemplified by his role as a kicker on the football team. Charles had played soccer in his home country, but the sport of football might as well have been a whole different language. When not attempting to kick footballs through the uprights, Charles is likely studying and working towards his degree in Information Technology. Even in that vocation, Charles sees opportunities to help others, as he did when he aided in producing live streams of church services at the height of COVID-19.
“I enjoy so much helping the youth find their passion and get the most out of themselves,” Charles said. “Seeing them succeed brings me a lot of joy. I want to continue the same things I’ve been doing and help out as much as I can. Knowing God brings fulfillment, and I want other people to have that.”
Charles is part of a football program that logged 447 service hours in 2022-23. The program initiated an activity called ‘Bulldog Buddies’ that involves reading to children at St. John’s. Many other Concordia sports programs joined in on Bulldog Buddies this past year. Once again, Concordia Shooting Sports raised money for Ronald McDonald House Charities in a venture that began under former coach Scott Moniot. Across the athletic department, service projects also included work with People’s City Mission, the Good Life Halfsy, the annual Seward Middle School Wellness Day and Operation Christmas Child. As part of Operation Christmas Child (organized by Concordia’s Go! Office), many Bulldog coaches and student-athletes donated money so that children around the world would receive gifts for Christmas.
Mission trips are open to all students who attend Concordia. Members of the volleyball program, Rebecca Gebhardt, Autumn Deterding and Lily Psencik each took advantage of opportunities to travel and serve in foreign countries. Autumn and Lily took part in the Concordia Belize Study Tour while Gebhardt journeyed to Guatemala. Said Gebhardt of her experiences, “We were able to help over 200 people with our clinic and give them all hygiene supplies and food. It was an amazing experience being able to meet these extremely positive and grateful people. I am so glad to have gotten to be part of this group and hope I am able to go back in future years.”
There’s reward in scoring touchdowns, hitting home runs and winning races, but Concordia student-athletes are defined by more than what takes place within competition. Charles Nshimiyimana has fun playing football, but he has bigger goals in life. The influence on community service puts Concordia in a positive light and also works to give student-athletes meaning and a larger purpose in life. Bulldog coaches see these opportunities as a means to spread God’s word and to bring their teams closer together. Said Head Football Coach Patrick Daberkow, “We put in 447 volunteer hours throughout the course of the school year. I was proud of our team for that. It’s been good to see the progress and maturity made over the last year.”
Daberkow pin-pointed Charles as someone with a unique and special story. The hopes and dreams of Nshimiyimana aligned superbly with the mission of Concordia and its athletics department. As Charles said, “I feel happy seeing others succeed.”