Hi! I am Lindsey Wood, an upcoming junior at Alabama. Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) has played a great part in my college experience so far. The BCM exists to be a community for Christian college students and a safe place for non-believers can explore who God is. I came into freshman year excited to meet others who shared my faith and to make friends. The BCM has many events during the first week of school in the fall, which is where I first got plugged in. I went to the events like the back-to-school retreat, Discovery, game night, survival, Wednesday Lunch, and freshmen journey groups. These events are where I met some of my closest friends.
After the first week, I kept going to the BCM because of freshman journey groups. Each Monday freshmen gather at the BCM for dinner and a bible study that is led by upperclassmen. I loved journey groups because they helped me get to know other freshmen on a deeper level and introduced me to upperclassmen. Last year I was a leader of a freshmen group, and it has been my favorite part of college so far! I love getting to meet incoming students and help them find their place at UA. As freshmen leaders we also help new students find their classes, study spots, tailgates, places to eat, and help them learn to love campus and Tuscaloosa.
One of my favorite parts about the BCM is that it has a physical building. There are many campus ministries at UA but not all of them have buildings that are open all day. The BCM is a great study spot and place for community. It is rare to find the building empty or without a game of ping-pong. I love to hang out there in between classes and to see so many people come by throughout the day.
The BCM has a great opportunity for reaching students with the Gospel. I became very aware of this last year. For a while I thought the BCM was just a place to meet other Christians, and while that is true, it is also a place of outreach. Each week there are opportunities such as Journey Groups and Campus Reach where non-believers can learn about the Gospel about who Jesus is. UA is a campus with great diversity and has many international students. The BCM is passionate about caring for international students and sharing the love of Christ with them through meals and events.
BCM is a place you can easily plug in and start serving! There are great opportunities like freshmen leadership team that allow new students to plug into the mission of the BCM and reach campus with the Gospel. God used the BCM to give me a great community and to open my eyes to the mission field of my campus. I hope He will do the same for you! We are ready to meet you and welcome you into our community!
1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, “
Lindsey Wood
Thorsby, AL
Junior, The University of Alabama
Biology, Pre-Dental Track