Students and leaders from Baptist Collegiate Ministries across Arkansas participated in multiple mission efforts over spring break, including outreach in North Carolina, Florida, New Orleans and Peru.
Beach Reach in Florida
Emily Hatley, a student at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, knows what it’s like to walk the streets of Panama City Beach at 2 a.m., sharing the gospel with spring break visitors.
“It’s a lot of rejection at first, but then you have that one conversation where you see God really working in them. Then everything is worth it,” she said.
This spring, Hatley was among 475 Arkansas Baptists participating in Beach Reach, a ministry focused on engaging spring breakers. About 400 of the participants were college students representing nine BCMs and 20 colleges and universities across the state. Volunteers provided 5,279 rides, held 5,236 gospel conversations, and prayed with 6,886 individuals. Organizers reported 457 professions of faith.
Hatley, now in her second year at Beach Reach, reflected on a previous experience that made the ministry personal. “Last year, I shared the gospel with a girl named Taylor, and she decided to give her life to Christ in that moment. It was very special because it was the first time I was able to be part of something like that,” she said.
She described how Beach Reach challenges her to step out of her comfort zone and inspired ongoing evangelism on campus. “Beach Reach helped me understand how impactful planting a seed is,” she noted, “and building relationships goes a long way.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mary Alford and originally published by the Arkansas Baptist News.
