Focus on missions involvement highlights student event

Posted: 9/29/06

Focus on missions involvement highlights student event

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ARLINGTON—More than 2,500 college students traveled across Texas to learn how they could make a difference on their campuses this year in the name of Christ—and many of them started by making a difference in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

More than 1,000 participants in Focus, a Baptist General Convention of Texas-sponsored event for college students, worked to repaint church walls, minister to children and meet physical needs of people in the area.

January Crumpton, who attended Focus with other students from Navarro College Baptist Student Ministries, said the missions projects are a vital part of the overall Focus learning environment, which also included seminars, messages by Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Highland Village and music by worship leader Charlie Hall.

The group from the Navarro BSM worked with a team from Monument Baptist Church in Deer Park to paint the walls of a church in an apartment complex and ministered to children who attend the congregation’s services.

Holly Clark, who just started at Navarro, said Focus helped her get to know other people involved in the school’s BSM, a sentiment echoed by other college students. Fellowship between students helped them understand there are friends who can help them through tough times, she noted. People grow together while studying the Bible and doing ministry projects together, she added.

“If you’re a new student or even if you’re not, you’re not the only one going through struggles,” Crumpton said. “God is there for you, no matter what.”

Sacha Towery of Monument Baptist Church enjoyed the opportunity to help people, especially the children.

“Being able to help makes me feel proud—makes me feel like I’m doing something, makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the kid’s lives,” she said.

Emily Wilcher, Bible study leader at the apartment church, said the college students strengthened the church’s ministry to a complex that consists of 367 units.

“It’s just like we’re multiplying ourselves—hands and feet,” she said. “We’re doing things that we couldn’t do. (The students) bring energy. It helps us grow the church.”

In addition to hands-on missions involvement, Focus participants also donated about $9,000 to support Go Now Missions, the BGCT student mission program. Focus raised an additional $2,000 for Go Now Missions through a silent auction of items collected by student missionaries this summer.