KANSAS CITY – How do you connect with college students when you can’t physically be on campus? That was the question Campus Missionary Carson Conover found himself asking as another semester started at Longview and Blue River Community Colleges in the Fall of 2020. With a handful of student leaders, his intern, Emma, and the staff of Collegiate Impact, Travis Hamm and Kerissa Breisch, Conover wanted to make the best use of their weekly leader meetings on Thursdays. Given the constraints … [Read more...]
Pandemic schoolyear yields surprising Freshmen engagement at NWMSU
MARYVILLE – Having a high amount of freshmen engagement wasn’t something Campus Missionary Jason Yarnell expected in a pandemic year, but that’s exactly what happened at The Lighthouse at Northwest Missouri State University this school year. When the semester began, Yarnell fully expected the campus to revert to online after just a couple weeks of classes. With that prospect hanging over his head, he prepped himself and his student leaders for a tiny window of opportunity to connect with … [Read more...]
Saved after finding Bible on coffee table, Stockert shares God’s Word at UCM
WARRENSBURG – Getting the Word of God into the ears, hands, minds, and hearts of college students is one of Campus Missionary Jerome Stockert’s key objectives in his ministry at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri. “I’m a very strong believer that God’s Word can change us and draw us in because it’s His Word,” he says. Something as simple as a Bible on a coffee table can radically transform a life – Stockert knows this, because that’s his story. Stockert grew up in … [Read more...]
Campus missionary’s workouts lead to new ministry opportunities
TRENTON – The decision to get an on-campus gym membership was a personal one, not a ministry one: Campus Missionary Christina Boatright wanted to build healthier habits for her overall wellness. The on-campus gym at North Central Missouri College, which is open to the public, just made sense. Three months later, that seemingly personal decision has led to a bountiful ministry harvest. “God was like, ‘let’s just throw some extra on that,’” Boatright says. One of Boatright’s BSU student … [Read more...]
MBC campus missionaries, students intentional in gospel witness to all
ST. LOUIS – MBCollegiate Campus Missionaries aren’t just passionate about reaching college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. From insurance salesmen to neighbors and everyone in between, they are living as gospel witnesses in all their spheres of influence – and teaching their students to do the same. Kale Uzzle, Campus Missionary in St. Louis, and his wife have been faithfully and intentionally reaching out to their neighbors for months. While COVID has provided challenges, they … [Read more...]
BSU ministry connects students with local churches
SPRINGFIELD – It’s a simple idea, but a revolutionary one in the world of college ministry: group church visits. Starting this semester, MBCollegiate Apprentice Levi Springfield and his girlfriend, Kaelyn Denham are taking their group of Missouri State University college students on monthly church visits to help them find and plug in to a local church. Springfield has seen a trend in BSU ministries that he says has “been here since the age creation of the BSU”: students often find their … [Read more...]
BSU student overcomes worry, graduates, becomes staff member
MARYVILLE – Beth Yarnell grew up in a solid Christian family in Liberty and accepted Christ at a young age. Though she understood the saving grace of Jesus, she found herself constantly worrying about the future. “I was prone to worrying and wondering if God liked me,” she says. “I felt like I had to do it all on my own.” When she started her freshman year at Northwest Missouri State University, the worry only intensified. “It was a big transition, going from having that family and … [Read more...]
Couple adopts students, pursues apprenticeship with Missouri Valley collegiate ministry
MARSHALL – Alex and Marita Avilez are every pastor’s dream: they have a strong, healthy marriage. They work their jobs and go to their gym with missional intent. They are actively involved in their church and their association. They exude a palpable love for the Lord. They also possess something else, something that makes their presence a blessing far beyond the walls of their local church: a burning passion for college students. “I love college kids!” says Marita. “College was such a … [Read more...]
Seven college students build homes in Mexico, weather blizzard in Texas
MEXICO – A global pandemic has stopped a lot of things, but it hasn’t stopped people from needing homes, and it hasn’t stopped MBCollegiate Campus Missionary Scott Westfall from helping build them. From Dec. 26 - Jan. 2, Westfall led a team of seven students and three other adults on his sixth trip to Mexico since March with Casas Por Cristos. As usual, the team spent a week building a house for a family in Mexico, constructing not just walls but a bond that lasts well after the trip is … [Read more...]
International students hear gospel at Truman State
KIRKSVILLE – When asked if his ministry at Truman State has always focused on reaching international students, Campus Missionary Greg Xander laughs. “Not intentionally,” he says. When he took over as BSU Director 11 years ago, reaching international students was not on his radar. “I grew up in Edina,” he says. “Population: all white.” Neither he nor his wife, Stacey, had overseas experience, nor had they known any international students when they attended Truman Gene Austin, now the … [Read more...]
Football player advances Kingdom
MARSHALL – When Texas born-and-raised Cedric Davis arrived at Missouri Valley College here on a football scholarship in the fall of 2019, he didn’t know a soul. He just knew he was supposed to be in Missouri. A year-and-a-half later, the answer to why is clear, and it has little to do with football or his degree. Davis didn’t grow up going to church but became a Christian his junior year of high school while singing “No Longer a Slave to Fear” at a winter youth retreat. “I burst out in … [Read more...]
Twenty-one saved through Springfield church’s young adult, collegiate ministry
SPRINGFIELD – Like many youths growing up in church, Jared Bone’s understanding of his personal role in discipleship and evangelism ended at the doors to the church building. “I brought a friend to church, so my job is done,” he says of his mentality as a youth. That all changed during college. Today, Bone, the young adult and outreach pastor at High Street Baptist in Springfield, is passionate about helping other young adults recognize that inviting friends to church is just one small … [Read more...]