Alabama Baptists attending the Nov. 12–13 Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting spent about 20 minutes in a class setting on Tuesday — and returned home with homework.
Those attending the “class” learned about Alabama’s vast missions field spread out across the state’s college campuses and how Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) is working to reach the roughly 300,000 students.
During the last academic year, more than 34,000 students were touched by some area of BCM ministry and about 2,500 were involved in a collegiate missions experience.
And each year, hundreds of Alabama college students make a profession of faith through the efforts of BCM.
Sixteen Alabama Baptist campus ministers participated in the BCM report.
Gary Brittain, Baptist campus minister for Jacksonville State University, shared how BCM has impacted students and how Baptists’ Cooperative Program dollars fuel everything they do.
BCM students and alumni also shared how the ministry has impacted their lives.
One college student said, “BCM [has shown] me that serving the Lord and walking with Him is a daily thing.”
Cade Farris, pastor of First Baptist Church, Wedowee, and graduate of the University of North Alabama, described how BCM “completely changed his life.”
Farris was involved in everything from Bible studies to missions trips to leadership opportunities. He learned how BCM supports the local church and watched his campus minister pour his life into the students.
“I shared about my dreams, life, ministry … and had the opportunity to share with other students,” Farris said, noting he developed a heart and desire to share his faith with those in his community as well as be focused on those in other countries.
Alabama Baptists also learned about BCM’s outreach to Alabama’s 8,000 international college students and the growing ministry and impact BCM is having on community colleges, which make up more than one-third of Alabama’s colleges.
“Your campus ministers are God-called men and women serving on one of Alabama’s most important, critical and difficult missions fields,” said Mike Nuss, director of the office of collegiate and student ministries for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “They help students transition from high school and living at home to college and the independence that it brings.”
And for their homework, ministers were asked to:
1. Encourage high school seniors in their churches to get involved in BCM when they go to college. Also submit the students’ names to the campus ministers, so the campus ministers can be intentional about connecting with the students.
2. Examine how they can intentionally partner with their local BCM group.
3. Pray intently for campus ministers and the ministries that take place at college and university campuses in the state.
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