A group of Georgia Baptist college students helped set registration records at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting last week while getting a firsthand look at the scope and diversity of Southern Baptist mission work.
The nine students, accompanied by Valdosta State Baptist Collegiate Ministries Director David Williams and his family, served in Orlando as part of a Send Me Now missions trip, assisting with registration for messengers attending the annual meeting.
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According to SBC Registration Secretary Don Currence, the previous annual meeting record for the most registrations in one hour was 1,297. This year’s team surpassed that mark three times during the busiest registration periods, recording hourly totals of 1,323, 1,400, and 1,438.
Seeing the work up close
Williams said the experience gave students more than an opportunity to serve behind the scenes. It also allowed them to see the work of Southern Baptists up close.
“It cannot be overstated how impactful it is for college students to serve at the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said. “College students get to see just how far-reaching the Kingdom work of the SBC is, as well as how diverse Southern Baptists truly are.”
This was the Williams family’s second time leading the trip, and he said that both times, students came away with a deeper appreciation for the Convention and the local church.
The BCM Send Me Now team included Kai Freeman, Alessio Williams, Gabe Davis, Riley Girard, Will Hasty, Callie Whigham, Chelsea Brewester, Amelia Dobbs, and Carolyn Bearden. David and Jennifer Williams served alongside their sons, Davis and Daniel.
For many of the students, serving at registration gave them a front-row seat to the breadth of Southern Baptist life.
“I enjoyed meeting the many people across the nation, different ethnicities, cultures, and languages,” Freeman said. “Also, the fact that they all were there for one purpose, and that’s Kingdom business.”
‘Unseen service still matters’
Whigham saw the registration work as a reminder that unseen service still matters.
“It was encouraging to see thousands of people come together with a common mission of sharing the gospel,” she said. “Serving behind the scenes through registration reminded me that every role, no matter how small, contributes to God’s work.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Henry Durand and originally published by the Christian Index.
