Howard Payne University recently ended the fall 2014 semester with the annual “Mustache Wheel of Doom” fundraiser sponsored by the Baptist Student Ministry. The popular event raised $2,933 for missions and left several HPU men with interesting facial hair throughout final exams week.
Teams of students, along with their faculty and staff sponsors, grew their beards throughout the month of November while collecting money for the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Go Now Missions. Go Now sends students from universities across Texas, including HPU, to mission fields around the world.The teams that raised the least amount of money spun the “Mustache Wheel of Doom” and shaved in whichever style the wheel determined. This year’s choices included stripes, half-beards, “No-Tee Goatees” and more.
“I love this time of year and all the fun that the Mustache Wheel brings,” said Keith Platte, HPU’s BSM director. “Plus, it is all for a good cause. It is great to see so many students who will do something silly or crazy for the sake of raising money to help others serve on mission trips. This is a pretty selfless act, especially when you see the kinds of beards some of the guys have to wear during finals week.”
Three HPU students will take part in Go Now experiences this year. Ruby Johnson, a senior from Alvarado, and Xavier McFalls, a junior from Amarillo, will both serve in the mission field during Christmas break. Rebekah Steadman, a December graduate from Fort Worth, will serve overseas during the spring semester.
Samuel Marich-Edwan, a senior from Arlington and Mustache Wheel of Doom participant, said he always enjoys the atmosphere the event creates.
“It is a great way to raise funds to help a wonderful cause, but it is also an incredibly fun and exciting event as well,” he said.
Platte said the BSM and the Mustache Wheel of Doom are both part of a bigger plan to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world.
“I am glad that we can do that by growing beards and raising money, but we are always looking for ways that we can share the love and joy of Jesus,” he said.
Pictured above: Emily Selman, a sophomore from Red Oak, shaves stripes into the beard of Scott Turner, a junior from Georgetown, as part of HPU’s Mustache Wheel of Doom fundraiser event. Photo by Jaclyn Bonner, HPU sophomore.
