The Campus Ministries of Northeast Pennsylvania conducts various ministries at Penn State's Hazleton Campus including lectures, the Listening Post, and a Christmas cookie ministry to resident students on the campus.

Listening Post 

   The Listening Post ministry encourages volunteers to engage students in conversation.  As its name suggests, it emphasizes listening--to students' joys, concerns, complaints, etc.  Volunteers should, therefore, possess good listening skills, as well as compassion, but are NOT expected to be professional counselors.  The Listening Post is not a ministry designed to solve students' problems, especially those of a personal or psychological nature.
   A typical Listening Post volunteer sits at a table, covered with a checkered or otherwise colorful tablecloth, and provides an inexpensive snack (for example, a dish of unshelled peanuts and/or candy) as an ice-breaker.
   At Penn State Hazleton, the Listening Post ministry takes place once a week (usually Tuesday) from about 11:30 AM to about 1 PM on the main floor of the Butler Building.  Volunteers typically agree to serve about once every four weeks. 
   Anyone interested in volunteering may contact his/her pastor, or Rev. Cheryl Cavalari, Executive Director of Campus Ministries of Northeast Pennsylvania (570-696-2582).

Christmas Cookies

   Members of Valley churches traditionally participate in the distribution of Christmas cookies to resident students at Penn State Hazleton during the week of final exams just prior to their semester/Christmas break.

   Anyone interested in baking (or purchasing) cookies is welcome to become involved.  You may also, if you wish, help (with the aid of a campus resident assistant) in the distribution of the cookies to the students' rooms.  The satisfaction one gets from watching the students' faces light up is worth the trip to campus. 

   In 2011, the cookies are scheduled to be distributed during the evening of December 12 (Monday).   Persons contributing cookies should drop them off at Christ Lutheran Church, Conyngham, by 3 PM on December 11
(Sunday).

   Anyone bringing cookies is asked to package them in small bags (approxi-
mately half a dozen per bag).

   Questions may be addressed to Rev. Thomas Cvammen of West Hazleton Trinity Lutheran Church (788-4584).