A primary weapon that God seems to be using in the Southern Baptist Convention to reach students is Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM). Through BCM we are able to meet students in the campus setting, which is a place that they face distraction the most. BCM allows us to be by their side at the hours they need encouragement the most instead of requiring them to search for help.
BCM helps believing students stand firm in the faith, but the ministry also provides an opportunity to catch nonbelieving students at a time that they are stepping out of their comfort zones of unbelief and into the real world of stronger temptation or possibly an introduction to Jesus, which they may not have had. BCM can also be a training ground for young and passionate missionaries. College students are passionate about their beliefs. Through BCM we can help to encourage them and equip them intentionally to be missionaries on their college campuses.
Student missionaries have been essential in our missions effort in Gulf Shores. During the summer months we use college students as our primary staff. They lead by ministering in various ways sharing the gospel with people of all ages.
They help to facilitate missions opportunities for visiting missions teams and provide a positive example for the high school students who are serving on those teams. Without them we would be very limited in the amount of outreach we would be able to do. With them we are able to spread out over a dozen locations in a single day sharing the gospel with people from all across North America.
Recently during spring break, college students from Alabama and Arkansas BCMs helped to reach out into the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Summerdale and Foley communities in Baldwin County with an intense time of sharing the gospel. The 140-plus students who participated were broken up into teams during a two-week period. They shared the gospel and served through an amazing 109 events.
The students served passionately and with a great attitude alongside their campus ministers, who provided helpful leadership. They planted thousands of seeds and we saw at least 17 people come to accept Jesus over the course of these two weeks.
The partnership of Gulf Area Resort Ministry, Baldwin Baptist Association churches, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and Alabama and Arkansas BCMs provided for an exciting team.
We are thankful for God’s work and for this exciting team that came together during Spring Break 2013.
Editor’s Note — Nate Diehl serves as a jointly funded missionary with the North American Mission Board, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and Baldwin Baptist Association as part of the Barefoot Believers ministry in Gulf Shores. For more information about connecting with his ministry, visit http://barefootbelievers.com, email nated2676@mchsi.com or call 251-945-5112.
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