In an effort to highlight the work and people of CBFNC, we are sharing ministry spotlights featuring our college/young adult ministry.
Meet some of CBFNC’s Campus Ministry Engagement Team and read the insights they have to share about working with today’s college students/young adults.
JUSTIN LOCKAMY
Campus Ministry Specialist, Campbell University
What energizes you most about campus ministry?
I am most energized by the lifelong relationships that are being formed by the students. Campus ministry gets the community aspect of the Christian faith right in many ways. It is an honor to play my small part in the koinonia being formed between these students.
Why is campus ministry important for your context?
Campus ministry at Campbell is important because we have a great opportunity to come to the table with Christians of different traditions and show a positive expression of Baptist life. We partner often with the other ministry groups and help represent our shared tradition with the wider Christian community on campus.
What do you envision for this year and the future of campus ministry?
This year has started out strong with good organic growth. As the founding generation of CBSF Campbell students graduate off, I envision this ministry flourishing into its second generation which should be a vibrant community for years to come.
What would you want churches to know about young adults?
Young adults have not given up on loving God or loving our neighbors. Young people often provide an insightful and uncomfortable mirror for the ways we as Christians have fallen short. We should look to them to inspire us to amend our shortcomings and grow into the future of our faith.
JIQUAN DAVIS
Campus Ministry Specialist, West Region
What energizes you most about campus ministry?
What energizes me the most about campus ministry is the growth of faith in students. I love seeing students ask questions and have discussions about faith and church traditions and not fight over which traditions are good or bad. Since I have been doing campus ministry for the last couple of years, it has energized me to learn and grow with students when I witness them having seeing students have a clam and reasonable discussions.
Why is campus ministry important for your context?
Campus ministry is important for my context because students need a place where they feel free to explore their faith. In my time at Western Carolina University, the Baptist Student Fellowship gave me the place and time to explore my faith and my call to vocational ministry.
What do you envision for this year and the future of campus ministry?
What I envision for this year and the future of campus ministry is that the groups will grow and make connections with local churches who can come along side campus ministers to help grow the faith students and people on college campuses. With the help of local churches, we can show college students what the love of Christ can do and show that we are one body in Christ.
What would you want churches to know about young adults?
I think churches should know that young adults are not scary. Most young adults want to be in a place where they can engage with older adults and ask questions because they want to learn all they can about the Bible, jobs and careers. So, just talk with them and make them feel welcome.
JAMES DOLPH
UNCG Campus Ministry Specialist
What energizes you most about campus ministry?
Campus ministry is an avenue for all types of people, in all walks of faith. I find it exciting to work with so many diverse students. Each person has their own story, and each story should be heard.
Why is campus ministry important for your context?
I am currently in graduate school, working toward my MDiv. Campus ministry is what I would like to do after I graduate. Working in campus ministry now allows me to explore and learn in a context that I am hoping to work in full-time in the future.
What do you envision for this year and the future of campus ministry?
This year, I envision building a strong foundation for Cooperative Baptist Student Fellowship (CBSF) at UNCG. In regard to future endeavors, I see CBSF working with other faith organizations on campus to create a more open and inclusive environment for students.
What would you want churches to know about young adults?
Churches should know that young adults want to go deeper in their faith. Sometimes, they just don’t have the guidance they need or want where they are. It’s important to meet young adults where they are. This period in life can be very different from one person to the next. It’s important to recognize and work with that.
TIERNEY BOSS
Appalachian State University Campus Minister
What energizes you most about campus ministry?
I am always excited to provide students with a safe space to explore scripture, ask difficult questions and challenge one another’s ideas. College students and young adults are generally deconstructing the faith that they grew up with or they are (re)constructing a belief system for the first time. They get excited about making faith make sense for them here in Boone, NC, and it’s an incredibly fun and significant process to journey alongside them.
Why is campus ministry important for your context?
Our students and young adults involved with App State refer to themselves as the “Island of Misfit Toys.” Our young people revel in our group’s diversity. In many ways, we have provided a space for the remnant- those who have not found a place where they fit in and those who have been displaced from other campus ministries. They feel secure with one another, even when they have little in common, and our community encourages them to become secure enough in themselves to become encouragers in Christ.
What do you envision for this year and the future of campus ministry?
In the near future, our students are going to serve alongside other faith groups in our respective communities. Students and young adults are remembering that the Christian faith is wider than their own traditions and experiences. There are a multitude of saints walking alongside them and a long history of faithful that have come before. I envision a return towards things like “The Book of Common Prayer,” contemplative and liturgical studies and a rich variety of spiritual disciplines.
What would you want churches to know about young adults?
Young adults today want to participate in the creation of a more welcoming, human-centric world, but often don’t know how. They feel a responsibility to care for marginalized groups, the earth and those struggling with mental and physical health. They take on too much, so nervous energy prevails. Still, they have already dreamed up a betterworld and are doing what they can to see that vision realized.
