Two events occurring simultaneously on campus tonight will provide students an opportunity to get involved with ministries and charity organizations.

The 2nd Annual Praise Fest and a volunteer fair will begin at 6 p.m. on the South Quad.

The festivities are sponsored by Chi Alpha, a Christian Recognized Student Organization. Various campus ministries also will be represented.

Claude McGee, Chi Alpha adviser and pastor of New Covenant Ministries organized Praise Fest, which he has broken down into two sessions involving four different praise teams and a gospel rapper.

The first session will feature the Praise Assembly and the Charleston Community Church team.

Gospel rapper Ira Fields, a junior computer management major, will perform prior to different pastors being introduced.

For the second session, McGee said the First Assembly of God and the New Covenant praise teams will excite the crowd.

“It’s entertainment, and it’s a great opportunity to find out about the different ministries on campus – a way for ministries to reach out to the campus,” McGee said.

Technically, Praise Fest happens only once a year, but McGee hopes the ministries will continue to communicate with students. He’s confident there will be a large turnout as well.

“In my opinion, the first Praise Fest was a success,” McGee said. “We had around 250-300 people.”

A good turnout for Praise Fest means a good turnout for the volunteer fair, which is an event run in conjunction with McGee’s.

Holly Walters, director of the Student Volunteer Center at the Newman Catholic Center, has put on the volunteer fair since 1993, but this is the second year the event has been held with Praise Fest.

“I just piggyback my event with Claude’s,” Walters said.

The volunteer fair will have about 20 tables set up for students, so they can see what’s available for them, Walters said.

Various campus groups will be represented to recruit volunteers, as well as local agencies and organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and Haiti Connection.

“The fair gives an overview of what volunteer work is available,” Walters said. “All students, faculty or anyone interested in doing volunteer work are encouraged to attend.”