Maddie McCormic grew up going to church. She was even baptized as a child. However, during her college years at Murray State University, she realized that her childhood experience wasn’t a true and lasting commitment to Jesus Christ.
McCormic, a senior at MSU, told Kentucky Today, “I tried my best to live out this Christian lifestyle. I tried to pray, to love others, but had no real relationship or understanding of Jesus Christ.”
Turns out, God was waiting for her in Murray.
Getting involved in the Baptist Campus Ministry and a Bible study at her sorority quickly shed new light on her spiritual life.
“I quickly learned the weight of my sin and became convicted,” she said. “I tried to ignore these feelings and did not want to surrender control of my life to the Lord.”
But during her sophomore year, she attended the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s college conference Converge.
‘Clear’ message
She said it was there that she “heard the gospel preached so clearly to me.”
“I felt like that was the first time I understood who Jesus was, what he did for me at the cross and why he died for me,” she said.
She vividly remembers a message from Mark 8 where Jesus speaks about “having to lose your earthly life to gain an eternity with Christ.”
She said it was that very day she “decided to surrender control of my life, accept the gift of salvation and allow the Holy Spirit to change my heart to fulfill the Lord’s desires.”
Since then, God has been working at a rapid pace in her life.
She quickly joined Hardin Baptist Church, near Murray, and got involved in the church’s college ministry.
“Hardin is a church that walks through a book of the Bible verse by verse,” she said. “This was exactly what I needed as a new believer to understand the Word of God and biblical truths.”
‘Life-change’ happens
Murray State Baptist Campus Mission Director Jonathan Clark says what McCormic has experienced is exactly what he wishes every student could experience.
“I tell students all the time that life-change happens best in the context of relationships,” he told Kentucky Today.
“The fact that Maddie quickly got plugged into the BCM, a Freshman Family Group, Converge, Crossings, Spring Break Mission Trips, and her sorority, has been huge when it comes to her growth in the Lord,” he said.
Clark says seeing McCormic grow spiritually has been a blessing and encouragement.
“I have really seen Maddie grow when it comes to spiritual disciplines and biblical community,” he said. “She is very adamant about spending time daily with the Lord in the Word and prayer. She is proactive when it comes to Christ-centered relationships with godly girls with whom she can share life, struggles, encouragement, and what He is doing in her life.”
Not only has she experience growth on the campus and in her local church, she has also served at Crossings Camp.
“I worked as a summer staffer the summer following when I was saved,” she said.
“My growth felt so vertical as I was learning what a biblical community looked like, how to evangelize, and how to serve the Lord and people whole heartedly,” said McCormic.
While student pastors bring their students to the summer camp in hopes God will impact them, McCormic says the summer was a life-changing experience her as a camp staffer.
“Crossings truly is the hardest job you’ll ever love, but it taught me every day to seek the Lord for strength and His wisdom,” she said.
To top off her college career in Murray, McCormic was recently named 2026 Homecoming Queen.
“All through that, she has remained so humble and still so down-to-earth,” Clark said. “It has not gone to her head and her identity and worth is still found solely in Jesus, not these accolades.”
When a disciple leans in
In fact, McCormic says being on the homecoming court has given her “the perfect chance to reach, love and serve the campus.”
Clark says McCormic is a reminder of what God can do when a disciple leans in.
“Sanctification is often quite a slow process, so seeing the degree and rate at which Maddie has grown since coming to college is exponential!”, he said.
“I am so encouraged by the good work the Lord has done in her and how she has made herself available to be used by Him in so many capacities.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Brandon Porter and originally published by Kentucky Today.
