God’s faithfulness through 100 years of Mississippi Baptist Student Union was recently on display during the annual collegiate ministries spring conference.
Sponsored by the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board and held at Mississippi State University’s BSU in Starkville, more than 720 students and BSU staff from 29 campuses gathered for fellowship, worship and fun during the Feb. 23–24.
“We anticipated about 630 students and staff,” noted Sam Ivy, MBCB director of collegiate ministries. “So on that first night we had put out 650 chairs, and we realized quickly during the first song that was not going to be enough chairs and were pulling out every available chair in the building.
“To stand in the front of the worship center at the Mississippi State BSU and hear the roar of students worshipping in unison — I just get chills thinking about it. We had that many students come together for one purpose of just glorifying the Lord and His presence in that place.”
After the first plenary session students had an opportunity to learn about opportunities like camps at Central Hills Baptist Retreat, “Super Summer” and the International Mission Board’s “Project 3000.”
‘Calling out the called’
The highlight of the two day conference was the commissioning of BSU summer missionaries — 121 students who had signed up prior to the conference.
“Michael Ball, our BSU director at Mississippi State, led a charge and a prayer of commissioning for those students,” Ivy reported. “And in his charge, Michael shared a timely testimony concerning BSU summer missions. He said that when he was a student in the 1980s, sitting in this BSU conference and looking at the summer missionaries, he asked himself, ‘Why not me? God, why have I not given You my yes?’ Michael ended up serving that summer.
“So I think God has used that outwardly reaching statement to move in some of our students’ lives,” Ivy continued. “They’re asking themselves the same question now.
“So it really became about both commissioning and also ‘calling out the called,’ saying, ‘There’s still a chance for you to serve.’ We’re still seeing students answer that call for this summer.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lindsey Williams and originally published by the Baptist Record.
