Spring - it is the time of year when flowers bloom, the air gets a little warmer and students across the country look forward to a week of Spring Break.  While many of their friends spent time relaxing at the beach, some college students involved in Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) in South Carolina devoted their vacation to ministry.

Savannah, Ga.

A group of 13 Furman students worked at the Savannah Baptist Center in Savannah, Ga..  In addition to sprucing up the ministry center and working in a food pantry, the students held an after-school ministry, led two senior adult ladies’ Bible studies and Wednesday night activities for a local African-American church.  According to student Melanie King, she could have chosen to do other things during her Spring Break, but decided to go to Savannah.

“All year I had been talking about spending Spring Break with my friends and going on a cruise.  When I heard about this mission trip to Savannah, I knew that was where I was supposed to be.  Why spend money serving my own leisure when I could spend my time serving others?” King said.

Chad Stillwell, group leader and an associate with the Collegiate Ministry Group, South Carolina Baptist Convention, said the students planted countless “seeds” and were able to share Christ with many people during their week in Savannah. 

“I just stood back in awe as I watched these college students step out of their comfort zone and minister to the people of inner-city Savannah.  It was humbling to watch what God did through their service,” Stillwell said.

“I am used to seeing God work in my church, at Furman and in my comfortable life, but it is an entirely different matter to see Him work in the depths of poverty and strife.  The individuals I encountered face daily problems – shattered families, limited resources and few opportunities – yet many of them displayed a joy and love for the Lord that touched my heart,” King said.

Buffalo, N.Y.

A variety of missions opportunities awaited a group of 19 Francis Marion BCM students in Buffalo, New York.  The group worked with children at an after-school center, spent time at a home for troubled inner-city teenagers and organized materials at a refugee relocation center.  The students prayer walked the campus of Buffalo State College, where they also held discussions in the dormatories and conducted surveys by asking the question, “who do you say Jesus Christ is?”  More than 30 college students asked to know more about Jesus throughout the week.  US-2 and SBC semester missionaries and other campus ministry staff will follow up with the decisions and requests made at the college.

Francis Marion BCM Minister Kendal Danford said God used the students to inspire and encourage the small group of Christian Buffalo State students.  “It was great to see all of our students do things they had never done while being stretched by the inner-city environment and culture of the North,” he said.

Appalachian ministries

BCM students from Charleston Southern University worked with troubled boys and girls at the New Direction Ministries Farm in Mars Hill, N.C., and with a True Love Waits ministry at Fishery Community Church in Erwin, Tn. 

Student Taren Hazelrigg said she could see God at work in the ministries she worked with.  “The feeling of being a part of something so much bigger than us was overwhelming and comforting at the same time.”

Campus minister Clark Carter said the students’ ministry had a profound impact on the people they worked with during the week.  “Every one was so impressed that students would spend their Spring Breaks just to minister and work so hard for them.”

For her part, student Rachael Kenworthy said she has seen more opportunities in her day-to-day interactions to share God with others since the missions trip.

Raleigh, N.C.

Eight Winthrop University BCM students worked with Mission Raleigh, a prison ministry, and a local children’s club.  The most unique project was cleaning a large residence that had been left to the mission in the will of a man who had recently become a Christian.

“After seeing and working in the home of a former skeptic who had become a Christian, one student shared a renewed hope in winning her parents to Christ,” said Dena Lucy, campus minister. 

Student Brandon McSwain said sharing his testimony with young adults (ages 19-25) in prison was ‘remarkable.’  “I shared what God has done in my life, and felt as if I had inspired them to turn to Him and renew or start their own commitment to God.”

Student Alicia Kirby still remembers the children’s faces during a lesson at the after-school ministry on the joy of the Lord.  “The children had so many problems and reasons to be discouraged.  The joy of the Lord is something they are hungry for, and I was able to show them love and joy through my actions,” she said.

Ken Owens, director of Collegiate Ministry at the South Carolina Baptist Convention, said God is working through college students across South Carolina in different and powerful ways. 

“It is inspiring to hear about the ways in which college students are impacting the Kingdom of God during a time when many students are focused more on selfish pursuits," Owens said.