Baptist Student Ministry Impacts Students’ Lives

By MATTHEW WONG/Contributor

The Baptist Student Ministry is focused on impacting lives and building a faith foundation that prepares students for life after college.

These things are accomplished through fellowship and discipleship which are some of the “core values of the BSM,” Campus Missionary Emily Abbott, a UT Tyler graduate who was active in BSM for three years, said.

“Fellowship at the BSM has shown me what true friendships look like and how chasing after God will affect my life, while also being surrounded by people chasing after God,” Nathan Stansel, a junior who has been in BSM for two years, said. “This has pushed me through changes in life and other challenges to become more Christ-like.”

The BSM’s holds Renew on Thursdays at 6 p.m. Renew offers a free dinner, worship and Bible study that encourages Christian fellowship.

As participants engage in fellowship and grow closer, discipleship relationships are formed, said those who take part.

“Discipleship has profoundly impacted me at the BSM by deepening my understanding of Biblical faith and by providing me with a family-minded community that encourages and fosters both personal and spiritual growth,” Chandler Dark, a graduate who participated in BSM for four years, said.

Andrew Nash, a junior nursing major who has participated in BSM for two years, said going to BSM has connected him with some of his closest friends.

“These relationships are ones I hope to maintain even after college,” he said. “Because of this strong community, my faith has flourished even in the hectic nursing school schedule.”