There are roughly 1.6 million college students in Texas, attending over 200 different institutions; it is the goal of the Texas Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) to have a gospel presence on each one of these campuses.
The BSM is the collegiate branch of the Texas Baptist denomination, the extension of the local church onto the campus; it is, they state, “a partnership between local area churches, associations, individuals, and Texas Baptists.” It began in 1919, though it was known as the Baptist Student Union at that time. It has grown steadily over the past century, and it now exists at over a hundred colleges across the state. Wayland Baptist University is one of these.
I had the opportunity to speak with Christian Ortega, an intern for the BSM here at Wayland. He has been a part of the organization since his first semester here, attending and serving, and after graduating last summer, he took on this two-year position. He loves collegiate ministry, and he knew that he would have regretted giving up this opportunity to stay on campus and help students.
His responsibilities as a part of the ministry are much like those of any BSM campus missionary in the state. He is involved in outreach of all sorts: setting up for events, assisting with services, discipling students. God is working in his heart, he believes, benefiting not only those around him, but also himself.
In time, he hopes that the BSM will become more well-known by students, that everyone will have the opportunity to attend, should they choose to do so.
“By reaching the college campus, we’re able to reach the world,” Christian says. College students often are in a stage of life where they are not yet bound by careers and families, and as such they may be more free to focus on mission work. The BSM is thus here to strengthen students’ faith and to equip them to be sent out for the greater purpose of sharing the gospel, either locally or through one of the many mission trips organized by the ministry.
In my own personal experience with the BSM, I have seen the truth of this. There is an emphasis placed on serving others, on being a light to those around you, especially with regards to campus life.
A weekly worship service, known as Focus, is held on Monday nights at 7:00. It is led by JR Dunn, the BSM director. On Thursdays, lunch is provided by a local church from 12:00 to 1:30; in the evenings, a freshman ministry is held at 8:15.
More information on Wayland’s BSM can be found at www.wbu.edu/about/spiritual-life/baptist-student-ministies. Information on the Texas BSM as a whole can be found at txbsm.org
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