College students began to slowly gather in the basement room of the Daniel House in London, where they prepare their own evening meals. Some had “take-aways” from a nearby grocery store. Some made sandwiches. Others heated leftovers from lunch, and some stuck prepackaged meals in the microwave. Students can be creative when it comes to food.
It was a typical evening during a summer session at Samford University’s overseas study center. My wife, Pat, was teaching the first summer session, and I was there with my grandson for a 12-day stay. This particular evening was the first Sunday the students had been in London. The conversation that evening was about where the students had gone to church.
Some students had joined a faculty member who always attends the same church when he teaches in London. Others had gone with another faculty member to hear a pastor whose most recent book was considered a “must-read.” Still others had gone to smaller, nearby churches in the Kensington area — some Baptist, some not.
One student talked about the difference between her home church’s service and the more liturgical service she experienced that morning in London. Another shared disappointment that the pastor where she worshiped read Scripture but did not develop the text in the sermon. Others talked about the depth or Bible-centeredness of the sermons they heard. For some, worship had been a good experience, for others, only average.
It could have been an experience from former days in Alabama when families gathered around the dinner table after Sunday worship and all shared about what they had experienced at church that day. But this was a group of college students thousands of miles from home who, on their first Sunday in London, chose to participate in organized worship and cared enough to reflect on and share their worship experiences.
During the week, a number of students participated in Evensong services at many of the area’s famous cathedrals. Around the tables, they talked about their experiences. And as the next Sunday neared, I saw announcements from various faculty members about where they would be worshiping and invitations for students to join them. As the table conversation again demonstrated, most of the students did.
One of the questions I asked myself was whether the spiritual concerns and insights of this group of students were typical of students in overseas study programs conducted by various state universities. Somehow I doubt it.
Not all the students attended church on Sunday just as not all the young people in our churches participate in worship every week. But the vast majority did. Participation was encouraged. Students felt comfortable talking with one another and faculty about their experiences, their spiritual lives, their relationship with God.
That is one of the values of Baptist colleges. In this critical period of life, Baptist colleges provide a general atmosphere that reminds all of God’s presence in His world. Baptist colleges provide regular reminders of the need for God in every facet of one’s life. Baptist colleges provide specific encouragement for students to have a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Baptist colleges offer an array of resources for Christian living from classes about the Bible to dorm prayer groups to missions service opportunities.
At Baptist colleges, the Christian faith is a normal part of life — all of life. That is not true everywhere.
Two studies done decades apart both found that students who choose a Baptist college have higher religious values and values in keeping with traditional Christian understandings than students who opt for other kinds of colleges and universities. I imagine that is still true.
Students come to schools like Samford University, the University of Mobile (UMobile) and Judson College because they are looking for places that provide opportunity to nurture their relationships with God as well as develop them academically.
Baptist colleges began as a place to train young men and women for Baptist ministry. Both Samford and Judson continue their enviable legacies, dating back more than 150 years of preparing ministers for Baptist churches, missions service and denominational leadership. More recently, UMobile, founded in 1961, has joined that task and is doing great work.
But Baptist higher education has expanded beyond ministerial training. Now Baptists recognize the value of providing education in a Christian context for the young people who will be the lay leaders of our churches and the leaders of business and society.
Baptists want every student to have the opportunity for the best academic education and professional training available and in places where faith in God is a normal part of life. That is why Alabama Baptists invest in all three of our schools through Cooperative Program giving. In addition to these ongoing gifts, Alabama Baptists also give liberally to the schools for scholarships, buildings and other endowment needs.
Another important means of support is prayer. Every Alabama Baptist can pray for the three cooperating Baptist schools. We can pray for the students, faculties and administrations. Alabama Baptists pray because they care, and out of those prayers grow all other kinds of support.
Together Alabama Baptists can pray that God will always bless us with Baptist schools that recognize Him in all of life, remind of His lordship in every part of life, encourage a personal walk with Him through faith in Jesus Christ throughout life and provide resources for living the Christian life.
With such schools, Alabama Baptists will always have students who gather around tables like those in the Daniel House and in your house and openly share about what they experience in worship.
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