BCM Testimony--Michael Adams

My name is Michael Adams and I am a 3^rd year seminary student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I also received my undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina in May of 2009 in Business with a focus in Insurance/Risk Management.  Currently, I am working on a Masters in Divinity degree and exploring opportunities in serving the Lord in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When I first came to BCM one might say that my Christian walk looked good. I stayed out of trouble and was living, at least based on today’s standards, a pretty moral life. However, I had a very strong desire to make MY mark on the world and was basically taking the approach of how I could use God to get the things that I wanted such as money and prestige. However, during my sophomore year I went on a short term mission trip called Christmas in China which has had a huge impact on my life. One of the biggest life lessons I began to learn on this trip is that life is not about God making us happy but is about us serving the Lord, making His name great, and reaching the nations with the gospel. This mission trip helped me realize that I needed to change my priorities around. Serving God is the most important thing in life, not serving self.

Upon my return to the University of South Carolina I got very involved in reaching internationals with the gospel on campus. Although I did not have the privilege of leading a Chinese person to Christ on my mission trip to China I did have the wonderful privilege of leading a Chinese student at USC to a relationship with the Lord. Also, during this time, I met a student from Russia who is a Latter Day Saint (Mormon) as well as a professor who is LDS who taught me International Business Communication. This has lead me on a potential path to serving the Lord in Salt Lake City, Utah (aka Mecca of Mormonism) with a desire to reach the city for Christ as well as internationals in the area who may confused between Mormonism and true authentic Christianity.

I am very thankful for BCM and the ministry’s desire to serve King Jesus. It was BCM who promoted the Christmas in China mission trip. It was BCM that allowed me to use its amazing facility to hold an International Bible Study. And it was at BCM during one of these Bible studies that my friend and brother in Christ from China came to put his faith in trust in the Lord.

As a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary there has been a lot of talk about something called the Great Commission Resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention. BCM at USC is certainly a ministry that is intentional about reaching the lost with the gospel as well as helping equip its students to grow in their understanding of how they can allow God to use them in fulfilling His Great Commission and furthering his Kingdom.

Thank you BCM!

Michael Adams

University of South Carolina

Class of 2009

BCM Testimony--Katie Woodlieff

Heather Bennett and Katie Woodlieff

I have been lucky enough to be a part of two BCM/BSUs. My first was during my four years as an undergraduate at Wake Forest in North Carolina. However, my first experiences with this organization were much earlier. While in middle and high school, my church often had BCM/BSU teams come for the weekend. As a teen, going through all the struggles and challenges which that time of life brings, I was amazed by a group of college students like this - so unashamed of their faith and their own identities. I wanted to be just like them.

When entering college, I sought out BSU. And, they sought me out as well. I became quickly involved. College is a difficult time for many students - and it was for me. During this time students grow and change, experience setbacks and progress, and begin to truly develop a sense of their adult selves. For me, BSU was an anchor in that process - an anchor back to the most important thing in life, Jesus Christ. BSU helped me build relationships with other believers, grow spiritually, connect with a local church, and make my faith my own. While other things were constantly tugging at my mind and my time, BSU always reminded me of my foundation as a believer.

When transitioning to graduate school in South Carolina, at USC, it seemed natural to me to seek out BCM.  I was blessed to find another group of students who loved me and who desired to grow closer to Christ. For someone like me, moving out of state, to a city where they didn't know anyone, BCM provided more than words can express. At this point in my life, my needs were different, but BCM still found it a priority to help in meeting those needs. I was able to connect with other graduate students, and also help in reaching out to underclassmen, as I used life lessons I learned in college to give advice and reassurance.

I love the heart that BSU/BCM has for its students, and for the world. Two of my fondest memories in this organization involve service opportunities, a major priority to this ministry. While at Wake Forest, I spent most Friday mornings preparing lunch for homeless men, women, and children in the area.  And while at USC, I looked forward to spearheading our ministry's annual Christmas service project - adopting a needy family from our local community. These service opportunities, though very different, reminded me of our true purpose as belivers of Christ - to be a light to the world.

I can never adequately put into words the true impact that BSU/BCM has had on my life. I can say, however, without a doubt, that I wouldn't have maneuvered college so well without this organization and all the support it provides. I believe that those years were defining ones in my life - years in which I grew and developed a great deal in my faith. BSU/BCM were critical in that growth.

BCM Testimony--Chris Foy

BCM Alumni:
Rob Foy, Matt Raven, Chris Foy

Thank you BCM.

There’s no way that I could thank BCM properly in a blog post or a video for everything that it has meant in my life, but I’ll give it my best shot.  After reading all the wonderful testimonies already posted, I have decided to share simply all the great things I gained from being a part of BSU/BCM.  It would be quite concerning if these opportunities were ever not afforded to our college students.

Simply by being a part of BCM…

It gave me tremendous mentors.  Jane Poster, Greg Nix, and Chad Stillwell to name a few. 

It gave me lifelong friends.  Eight years after graduation, I’m still as close to many of my BCM brothers and sisters as I was back then.   

It gave me accountability.  I shudder to think what kind of roads I would have gone down had I not had the support of friends who cared about my Christian walk.

It gave me encouragement.  It is incredibly moving when your peers do great things in name of Christ.  There were countless examples of my friends going out and making the world a better place because of their opportunities through BCM.

It gave me mission opportunities.  All I had to do is sign up my time, and through BCM I served in trailer parks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, thrift stores, Bible Camps, three week long service trips, and one eight week missionary trip in Kershaw. 

It gave me the tools and confidence to take what I learned and spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout the world in everything I do.  I’ve incorporated the lessons I learned into the churches I have been a part of as well as into my everyday life. 

It gave me hope that in an increasing secular world, there is a program that is equipping young men and women to be the future of our church.

BCM has given me so much.  I could never give the organization enough praise. 

Chris Foy

University of South Carolina

Class of 2003

BCM Testimony--April Adams

Crystal Ham, April Adams, Lauren Vincent Thomas, Shelley Petit Stinson

If one's major would have been determined by hours of time spent on a particular activity, mine would have been BCM. I arrived at the University of South Carolina in 2002 a bit apprehensive of everyone and everything, yet determined to not spend my next four years with all of the same people I went to high school with. It took me a couple of weeks to make my way to a BCM activity. The Main Street Center had just been bought and renovations had barely begun. I remember standing in the front room at the Center and meeting Jane (campus minister) for the first time. She asked me if I'd like to see the "new Center." I thought we were going to get in a car and drive somewhere so I warily agreed. Then she proceeded to take me around the grungey building and tell me the vision of the new student center. Little did I know, but I would invest a large amount of my time, effort, blood (yes, pretty sure I smashed my finger knocking out old windows once), sweat and tears into that building itself and the activities within it.

I decided to go against caution and go on the fall retreat. I think the only reason why I went was because Jane told me I needed to video the weekend. I never would have gone without being given a task. I left Columbia on a Friday barely knowing a soul and came back that Sunday afternoon with some of the best friends of my life (and the first of many video tapes full of memories). I got involved in everything, Bible studies, service projects, outreach, fundraising, intramurals, media ministry, whatever was going on, I had my hand in it.

The summer after my freshman year, I went to Kansas as a summer missionary through BCM. It wasn't the best trip of my life, but it was an experience from which I continue to learn. During my time in the Heartland, I was able to reach a new level of honesty with myself and God.

The rest of my college career, I served on BCM's council and was president my (first) senior year. I saw the BCM building go from a dust covered renovation project to a functioning and thriving student center where laughter, worship and life was shared amongst the seeking souls who passed through its doors. Because of BCM, I serve in my church, Shandon Baptist, on the Media Ministry volunteer staff, teaching Bible studies, planning events for my Sunday School class and more. If BCM wouldn't have been there, it's likely I would never have opened my mind to attending a larger/different church than what I was raised. I wouldn't have realized the ministry opportunities available to me, nor would I have seen some of the potential in myself.

BCM provided me with an extended family and equipped me for a life of service within the church and my community. I can't thank Jane Poster for her leadership as campus minister, the interns who lent their talents and gifts each year, Ken Owens for his organization and leadership over all the BCMs statewide and all those in Southern Baptist churches and beyond who have contributed to this ministry enough for the support, love and growth they provided during some of the most formative and crucial years of my life.


April Adams
USC-Columbia
Class of 2006

BCM Testimony--Ben Bryan

Susan and Ben Bryan

My on-campus involvement with BCM spanned seven years. I got involved during my first semester on campus, became active as a student leader and remained so in graduate school, and then served as the BCM intern. From the senior class during my freshman year, to those who were freshmen while I was intern, I had contact with an entire decade of students.

Many of the testimonies on this board are students I knew, and some I’ve not seen in years. It’s wonderful to know that their experiences through Baptist Student Union and Baptist Collegiate Ministry have had a lasting effect on their lives, spiritually, just as it has on mine. As Ward pointed out, college is a pivotal time in one’s life: Habits, values, and relationships formed there have an enormous impact on students for the rest of their lives. And most of us are familiar with studies reporting the number of students who leave the church during college and never return (over 60%). Given the stakes, I firmly believe on-campus college ministry is among the most critical mission focuses for the church today.

But the reason for that importance isn’t just the spiritual health of the students touched directly by organizations like BCM. It’s also because of the extended impact on the lives they reach. I’ve seen first-hand the extent to which the opportunity to serve in Christian leadership at the college level can lead to decisions to enter full-time ministry, or, at the very least, service in a needed leadership capacity at their home church. At the church I attended after college, leadership in the single adult ministry was comprised predominantly of individuals who had served in some capacity in a Baptist Collegiate Ministry in South Carolina.

The duration of my involvement with BCM afforded me a unique perspective: I was able to watch many students make incredible transformations between their freshman and senior years. The year I served as intern, I sat in on meetings in which a nominating committee of student leaders discussed the direction of BCM student leadership the following year. They had a huge vision for reaching the campus and for supporting missions. They could discern the spiritual gifts of younger students they believed would be excellent fits for needed leadership and service positions. These students were able to dream big, share a vision, and lean on God for direction in evangelizing an often-hostile environment. It was only at this point, some seven years after first attending a BSU worship service, that I truly comprehended what a powerful ministry it was: Baptist Collegiate Ministry had an enormous impact on my personal spiritual growth, but it had just as much of an impact teaching me how to serve and to lead as part of a body of believers. I just had to witness it in other students in order to realize it.

Through BCM, I forged life-long friendships. I made lasting memories. I grew personally in my walk with Christ. And I am thankful for the influence that the ministry, and particularly Jane Poster the campus minister, had on my growth as a Christian and as a leader. I pray that God continues to use Baptist Collegiate Ministry as a way to grow and equip future Christian leaders, just as I've seen it do for years in more ways and with greater reach than any ministry I've ever been a part of.

Ben Bryan
University of South Carolina
Class of 2002
BCM intern, 2004-05

BCM Testimony--Cristin Henry

Left to right: Katie Woodlieff, April Adams, Cristin Henry

BCM, to me, represents life-change and growth.  At an integral time in my life, BCM was one catalyst that drove me to deeper relationship with Christ.

When I arrived on campus at USC, I was completely alone, and that was what I wanted.  I wanted to start a whole new experience where I didn’t know anyone.  I knew that I wanted to go out of state at a big school where none of my friends went.  I did just that.  What I didn’t know was how God would completely change my life through it.

I had been a believer since I was seven, but when I left for college, my relationship with Christ was roller coaster-like, at best.  Over the summer, as I was preparing for school, it became clear that God was moving in me.  I knew that I needed to make some changes.  I just wasn’t sure how. 

My first day alone on campus, after I had finished freaking out in my room, I found an invitation to a BCM cookout.  I didn’t really know what it was about, but I figured I could at least meet a few people there and since I knew no one, I decided it couldn’t hurt.  That was when things began to change for me.  I made friends at that cookout that I am still friends with today. 

God worked in amazing ways in my life over the four years that followed, much of that facilitated by BCM and friends within BCM.  BCM helped me get plugged into a local church, where I became a member and served.  I started attending Bible studies through BCM, as well as retreats and social activities.  I was given opportunities to lead and use my gifts, as well as stretch myself outside my comfort zone through local ministry and international service. 

Jane Poster, USC BCM director during my time at USC, poured into me wisdom and encouragement.  She helped strengthen my walk, and clearly identified gifts in my life I had never seen before.  I think she knew before anyone else, including myself, that God was calling me overseas. 

I took my first international mission trip with BCM, after my junior year.  Then, after I graduated, I served two years in Asia as a Journeyman.  That time overseas was life changing and has opened my eyes to God’s work around the world like nothing had before.  I know that God used BCM to lead me overseas and to where I am today.

When I look back at what God did in my life during college, I am in awe.  I am thankful to BCM and those involved with BCM for submitting to God’s leadership and calling to serve college students.  When we allow God to move in us and work through us He does amazing things.  Thank you, BCM, for allowing Him to move.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. – Ephesians 3.20-21

Cristin Henry

USC-Columbia

Class of 2006

BCM Testimony--Will King

Will King is a 2004 graduate of the University of South Carolina. Will submits this testimony explaining how BCM was there for him during a turning point in his life.

Please submit your testimony to us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

BCM Testimony--Jason Rapp

What a blessing it's been to read the testimonies of so many of those who've connected with our Lord thanks to this vital ministry through the years. I'm privileged to call many of them friends. Though many stories are familiar, you can never tire of being encouraged by the way God moves in someone's life.

The vital ministry of which I speak allows young people to grow and develop among brothers and sisters in Christ at a critical time in their lives. Ways of thinking and habits form and take root as make our way, away from the nest. Having BCM does one of two things, depending on your situation: a) allows fellowship that reinforces so many of the values church and family instilled as you progressed to this point in life, or b) helps those without that advantage be introduced to the peace and assurance of that comes from a relationship with the Living God. No small thing, to be sure!

Beyond being a "safe haven" for believers old and new in the often-hostile environment of most college campuses, BCM means a lot to me for the connections I made that, nearly nine years later, I still have. Directly because of BCM, I've had hands of Christian brothers and sisters reaching out in support in the depths and hands reaching to the skies in jubilation during the heights (my groomsmen, for example, were all BCM alums).

But I won't belabor any points about life-long friends that so many have done well already. I feel a more powerful story lies in the impact BCM has down the line, and the point has been driven home to me in striking fashion more than once.

Most organizations mean things to people personally after some time, but the truly worthwhile ones pay things forward through the values instilled and lessons taught. The council for the USC BCM let students take ownership of in-reach and out-reach, which are appropriately the elements of the BCM logo. Leaders are perhaps born, as the saying goes, but their skills have to be honed somewhere. In the mid-2000s, when I looked out at the others serving on leadership at the Shandon Baptist young single adult ministry, I was awestruck and proud that nearly two handfuls of people I also saw at BCM council meetings were again serving together for Christ. Now, on young married adult leadership at the same church, I still see a few of those, and know of others serving in other areas.

Ownership then, ownership now. BCM helps you grow in faith during a time when you become who you are. And when you're here now looking back, overwhelmed by the blessings received, it makes you all the more eager to continue serving Him wherever you are.

Jason Rapp

USC-Columbia

Class of 2002

BCM Testimony--Ward Inabinet

Greetings!

My name is Ward Inabinet. I was at the University of South Carolina from 1995 through 2000, pursuing an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. I look back on my college years as pivotal in the shaping of my world view. These precious years provided abundant opportunities to establish positive, nurturing relationships that pushed me toward life-long Christian discipleship. BCM was a major element in that process.

Students in college are at a crossroads in their life - having the time and space to ask fundamental questions. Questions such as "Why am I here?" , "What's the meaning behind this world and the universe?", and "Where can I meet people who will accept me just as I am?". The BCM at USC has always been a space on campus to welcome students asking these questions. Jane Poster was there, with her quiet presence, to lovingly engage the student body. For me, the BCM created a space for students across all disciplines to unwind, have fun, worship God, and learn how to be a body of Christ to a world in desperate need of Christ's healing and love.

God's Holy Spirit will always be at work, with or without a physical BCM on college campuses. But know this; a BCM ministry staff and a physical space to gather for fellowship, study, worship, (and food!) can not be underestimated in allowing the Holy Spirit to penetrate student's lives and hearts. The impact has longterm and eternal ramifications.

There is no time like the years of college to cement a person's lifestyle. Decisions about how to leverage one's money, how to invest one's valuable time, how to raise one's children, and ultimately how to engage one's culture are all chiseled within these few years. Praise God that the Baptist church had the vision to establish a deep connection on campus to these students. Even now, on a regular basis, I look back on notes I took at BCM conferences. I look back on pictures of crazy late nights during mission retreats. No trip back to campus is complete without a drive by the old BCM property at USC. Many good memories come rushing back on friends, late-night studies, and (of course) the good food I experienced there. Christ was made known to me within those walls and within that community. Then, we made Christ known to the world. That is a call that I continue to reach for today.

Please, consider the missed opportunities we all will face if the BCM relinquishes her spot in the lives of college students in South Carolina.

Best regards,
Ward Inabinet
University of South Carolina
BS Mechanical Engineering, class of 2000

BCM Testimony--Amy Jackson

How has Christ impacted my life through BCM? I think the easier question is answer is how He hasn't--there are so many ways that I have been molded and changed: by the people I met in my four years at the University of South Carolina through BCM, through learning about ministry, and even by making important discoveries about myself, my calling, and the personality God has given me.

I came to the University of South Carolina as an out-of-state student, and I only knew two other students on campus--that really changed after I got involved with BCM! I felt at home at BCM, even from the first time I came to the student center in tears, asking to speak with Jane because I was so homesick and overwhelmed with changes and a new town and new people. There were other tears along the way, but also lots of laughter. I cannot put into words how the staff at BCM really encouraged, impacted, and changed my life--for the better. I was blessed to be able to build relationships with the Posters, as well as the Stewarts, and now live in Birmingham, Alabama and get to work alongside Mary and Wayne Splawn, who were interns at BCM during my junior year of college. I feel blessed to be able to call all of these people former mentors and ministers, as well as current friends.

I also have to say that, through BCM, I made friendships that I hope will last for the rest of my life. I met people who have a passion for Christ, and they spurred me on to know Him more and become more like Him. They are the people that I can call in the middle of the night with a ridiculous problem, and know that they will have encouragement and comforting words for me to hear.

BCM was also a stretching experience for me; I'm such an introvert sometimes, and God used BCM to show that He has a sense of humor in calling me to positions that I constantly felt were for more "extroverted and outgoing" people: Trailer Park Ministry coordinator, missions chair, BCM president. Through BCM and the great leadership and mentoring efforts of the staff there, I began to see that God had an incredible purpose and calling for my life, and that He created me and gifted me uniquely and could use my quietness and organization and thoroughness just as he could other people's extroversion and excitement. it's because of ministry at BCM--in particular, the Spring Break Boston mission trip, my time as a summer missionary, and the year of serving as BCM president--that I felt led to go to seminary and pursue a calling into ministry.

I can't say enough positive things about BCM and the impact it had on my life--the tremendous opportunities I received through BCM, the relationships I built through BCM, and the life-changing and eternal truths about Christ and his kingdom that I learned through BCM, both through speakers and through being challenged to live out the gospel on campus, in Columbia, and throughout the world. My four years at USC were challenging, stretching, molding, and beautiful--and that's all because of Christ's kindness in leading me somewhere like BCM.

Amy Jackson

University of South Carolina

Class of 2009

BCM Testimony--T.J. Cofield

I joined BCM my freshman year at Furman because two of my best friends were in it - one who was joining with me, and his brother, who was the president at the time. The seniors that year took a lot of us newbies under their wing.

BCM was not what I expected. I had been raised Baptist, but I was kind of looking to move elsewhere as far as my worship tradition was concerned. In BCM, I found a group where all people were welcomed regardless of faith tradition, doctrinal beliefs, or any other exterior quality. BCM was a group where we were safe to explore God's will for our lives in college together.

Rodney Norvell, who was the BCM minister at the time, taught me that Christianity was more about what we do than what we don't do. In high school, many of the people who followed Jesus Christ identified themselves by what they refrained from - premarital sex, alcohol, drugs, etc. Unfortunately, people weren't much interested in faith beyond that.

In BCM, I discovered God calling me to have an active faith that serves God and others, not just a lifestyle that abstains from certain behaviors. I owe a lot in my faith journey to what God taught me through Furman's BCM.

T.J. Cofield
Furman University
Class of 2008

BCM Testimony--Tommy Smith

BCM Alumni,

I hope all is well in South Carolina. Things seem to be settling down a bit here in Peru as we approach the rainy season but there is still plenty to be done.

Tonight I had dinner with our semester missionaries who are serving in Recuay, and was reminded of the young ladies that served there this past summer. As you know, Mary Batchelor from Francis Marion and Jordan Lockaby from North Greenville were the South Carolina BCM representatives. They were such a blessing to the people they served, Humberta (our translator) and to me also. The ministry they were involved in strengthened the Believers and opened doors for future teams as well as those of us who remain.  

This type of ministry is invaluable in a culture that is so relational. There would certainly be a void without it.

It is wonderful to see young folks being obedient to the Lord's command to boldly go and joyfully sacrifice as they did. And to think they could have been doing so many other things but chose to step out of their comfort zone.

I am very appreciative of our partnership with the Carolina convention and Carolina BCM and the opportunity it affords to these college students.

Blessings,

Tommy

Tommy Smith

REAP North Perú

Americas Affinity Group-IMB

http://pray4huaylas.blogspot.com/

http://americanpeoples.imb.org

www.reapnorthperu.org

Huaraz, Ancash, Perú

We have been asked to post this...

...but once again we would like to remind everyone that this website does not represent nor is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

The comments below are solely those of Ken Owens, Director of Collegiate Ministry for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

"It has been a blessing to read and hear what BCM/BSU alums have been posting here at Thankyoubcm.com. As the state director of collegiate ministry in South Carolina, I am certainly encouraged, along with all of our past and present staff members, by the positive statements made about how God has used this powerful ministry over the years.

But I do want to clarify one thing that I believe is a common misperception among some of our BCM/BSU alumni. I have received calls recently asking me if BCM is in trouble or in need of “rallying the troops” for support. Though none of us can predict the future, especially during a time of rapid change, I can tell you that we have no plans to stop or cut back on BCM ministries in our state. (emphasis added, ed.) In fact, we are seeing some of our most fruitful ministry on many of our campuses in our history and support for the work is strong.

I do believe some concern among alums was generated by a survey that we sent out in the last few weeks. As the state director, I became aware of two other states that initiated similar surveys and saw the positive results that were produced.

So, after seeing the positive impact of the surveys, I wanted to do it in SC as well. It was not done because of any problems or concerns with BCM. We had never done a survey like this, so we wanted to put it out there for alums to be able to give some input.

What we have received in response thus far has been very positive. Unfortunately, we are still a little under the number of completed surveys of graduates between years 1991-2011 to make the survey a statistically valid one. So, if you can spread the word and ask others to complete it, that would be awesome for sure. Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bsubcmsurvey

Again, thanks for all the great testimonies you are sharing on this site. Hopefully, we’ll be able to produce a report that you’ll be able to enjoy reading and publish on this site in the future."

Ken Owens, 

Director of Collegiate Ministry 

SC Baptist Convention

We greatly appreciate you reading and submitting your testimonies to ThankYouBCM.com. We still believe this is a very important time for the future of BCM in the state of South Carolina. 

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

Without further ado...we will return to original programming with another testimony at Noon today.

BCM Testimony--Kendra Joyner

Kendra Joyner, Elizabeth Thomas

Hello! My Name is Kendra Joyner and too was privileged enough to become part of BSU/ BCM while I was attending the University of South Carolina.

I graduated in the class of 2005. I knew of BCM before I arrived on campus as both of my parents had been a part of BSU in their college days on their separate campuses. They actually met as a part of BSU during their college years by attending a statewide BSU meeting.

I must tell you that BSU/ BCM is a large part of who I am today. As I arrived on campus at USC I knew only one person who happened to be from my home church but also be a part of BSU. As soon as I got settled into my room, She found me and took me directly over the BSU center. I immediately met Jane Poster who has had a profound impact on my life and whom I can call a life long friend even today. She was there to help encourage me and mentor me along the way during my time at USC. I learned valuable ways to minister, serve, and even lead while being a part of BCM at USC.

BCM became my home away from home while I was at school. As I was going into my junior year of college, my family moved to Germany. So during the holidays I also had a place to go simply because of my BCM family. I can also honestly say, some of my very closest friends are those whom I met and grew alongside of in BCM! I am quite sure that I would not be who I am today or where I am today had it not been for the opportunities that BCM provided while being away at college.

During my time at USC I had many opportunities to develop lifelong friendships, to hone my skills in leadership, growing in leading bible studies, in reaching out to others no matter their backgrounds, and growing tremendously in my own personal relationship with Christ. I was also provided the opportunity to share in the BCM summer missions program, once on a short-term mission trip and once for ten weeks.

During my ten week mission trip to British Columbia, I felt the Lord calling me into full time ministry.
If it had not been for BCM and the opportunities of growth it provided me as well as the solid foundation built on the Word of God, I would not be where I am today. Today I currently serve in a local church as a full time Children's Minister and can honestly say, Thank You BCM for helping me find where the Lord wanted to use me.

I pray that the same opportunities, that were provided to me, will continue to be provided for those in the future. Our generations now, more than ever need that help in staying grounded and building a solid foundation built on the Word of God while in College. This is the most transitional time in a College student's life. They need the influence, stability, and encouragement for growth and service that BCM offered to each of us in order to become the men and women that the Lord created them to be in order to bring Glory to him!

May you continue to see the importance in investing in the lives of college students around the state and world through BCM!!

In His Grace,
Kendra Joyner
USC-Columbia
Class of 2005

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

In Their Own Words...

BCM students talking about what the ministry means to them and the
many different services/ministries that BCM provides.

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Michael Tew

Left to right: Jared Rapp, Will King, Jason Rapp, Michael Tew

“It is not the high school friends you will remember, but the ones from college that will bless you the rest of your life.”

That sentence was spoken to me shortly after my high school graduation in June of 1997.  I came from a small church where I was happy with the few close friends that I had.  I was never one of the popular people in high school, so my group of friends was the youth group at my church.  After a week or two at Carolina, I was talking with my pastor and he said I needed to check out BSU.  I thought about it, and said to myself why not.  My first weeks of school included class, work, and that was about it.  I had “graduated” out of the youth and to the Young Married Sunday School Class.  Not that, as an 18 year old, sounds horrible, but I was looking some people of my own age to grow with.  So I went.  And never left.

I was lucky enough to be lead by Jane Poster, who has taught me more in four and a half years about life and God than I could have ever gotten from anything else.  I was able to grow with other Christians in similar situations as I.  I was able to learn, lead, serve, minister, and pray with other Christians looking for the same thing I was.  With all the sin and evil that was very alive on campus….700 Pickens Street was the place I knew as home.   

I know that BSU/BCM was the place that helped to show my skills in leadership in the community.  From this, I have served in different churches in Columbia as a deacon and director of Sunday School classes.  If this doesn't show the impact of BSU/BCM in local churches, I am not sure what can.

Lastly, from BSU/BCM, I have a community of friends for life.  I know these people will stop and pray for me whether they be five minutes away or five hours.  They truly care for me as a person and want for me to do well.  I am very lucky to be getting married in April of 2012, and out of the thirteen groomsmen and ushers (yes, I know already), ten of them are guys that I have meet through the ministry of BSU/BCM.  I hate to think what my life would be without these guys.

I know that the economy is tough, but please do not take this ministry away that is a gift to people like myself that are looking for God in different places.

Michael Tew

USC-Columbia

Class of 2001

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with  us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Through The Years

Here's a look at BCM through the years. From the decade of the 1940s through the present. This is a snapshot of what BCM has meant to people for more than 70 years. Thank you BCM. Thank you for being there for people, helping develop their relationship with God and bringing glory to His kingdom for such a long time.

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Jessica Harris Potts

Left to right: Amy Hines Roddey, Jessica Harris Potts

BCM was more than an organization it was my family while at USC. Helped me mature from a girl to a young lady, discover who I was, and most important grow my relationship with Christ. I was able to develop and build life long friendships with fellow believers, encouraging and challenging one another to follow Christ. We were able to be a light to USC sharing with other God's love to all students.

Jessica Harris Potts

USC-Columbia
Class of 2005

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Greg Nix

Left to right: Shawn Helms Nix, Meredith Barkley Murphy, Andy Murphy, Greg Nix

BCM/BSU had a major impact in my life. After I was saved in February of 1995, it was lonely being a Marine in Jacksonville, NC. The BSU at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington opened its arms to me and gave me many opportunities to serve in various ministry areas. After I accepted the call to ministry and went to Southeastern College in Wake Forest, NC; I continued to seek an chance to find a BSU. The Raleigh-Area BSU was there to continue my growth in ministry. When I completed my Masters degree from Southeastern Seminary, someone put me in touch with Jane Poster at the University of South Carolina. She hired me as an intern, but God used this to allow me to have one of the greatest years in ministry as intern for the USC BCM. We had a great year and I had the extreme privilege to disciple some of the most awesome college students. Thank you BCM/BSU for all that you have done in this life.

In Christ's Service,

Greg Nix

Associate Pastor of Education and Youth

First Baptist Church Milledgeville

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Denis Bergeron

Left to right: Shana, Brittany, Denis, Rebekah, Erica

My name is Denis Bergeron and I am an alumni of the BCM at USC, class of 2007. I come from a Catholic home and I am still a Catholic today. In high school I went to a Catholic church but attended youth group at a Presbyterian church more than my own church, mainly because all my friends did. I considered myself a christian, but looking back I don't think I knew what it meant to be a christian at the time. I was having fun with friends and hanging out with them, while doing missions and local work. BCM showed me what it is to be christian and that what I did through BCM was more important than the people, yet I couldn't help making friends that will be by my side all my life.

When I came to USC as a freshman, I was all but alone. I wanted to meet new people instead of just extending my high school life. I found out how easy it was to fall in with the wrong crowds. I knew I wasn't who I wanted to be and I was way off God's path for me but I was trying to fit in and like a lot of people, I made poor choices. About half way through my sophomore year I was invited to BCM by a classmate and I went a few times. I was't sure about it and felt weird going at first. But, very soon, I found myself getting involved in as much as I could. Everyone was very welcoming and normal. My thoughts before were that an organization like BCM would be full of weird and judgmental people, but I was very wrong. I was doing bible studies, ministries, outreach, sports, and making friends at the same time. I finally felt on the right track. As time went on I got into leadership at BCM. Everyone has their talents and I got the chance to use mine just like everyone there does. There is no pressure to be a leader or to be anything other than a member. Yet, I guarantee everyone who decides to give it a shot would want to be as involved as they can.

BCM helped me become the person I am today, and I can't imagine not being part of it and I am afraid of what I would have been without it. I will carry what I learned at BCM for the rest of my life, and I try to apply it everyday. I want to thank you for making BCM available to me and so many others. It isn't just some on campus club, but so much more to so many people and more to come.

Thank you,

Denis Bergeron

USC-Columbia

Class of 2007



Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.


Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Dr. Dan Morgan

To Whom It May Concern (and it ought to concern everyone)

I am a missionary in Canada. I train church planters and work on national strategy for the Canadian National Baptist Convention. We depend on God-called students, discipled and trained by BCMs to come alongside our planters to give them the extra people-power needed to advance the Kingdom through the establishing of their church. I know not all BCMs are the same, so let me clarify the kind of BCM that is essential to us.

There are BCM directors who are not concerned to just preserve a student’s loyalty to the SBC, however shallow their commitment to Christ, but they are passionate to take unbelieving students and young believing students on a journey toward Christlikeness. These BCMs help young followers of Christ learn to sacrifice for the King and band together for the extension of the Kingdom. Those ministries consistently send us teams of students that “knock it out of the park.” When a student serves in Canada, there is a some likelihood that God will call them back to us to serve as an adult. If they stay in their home state, they will enter a church as a laborer, not just a religious consumer. They are the future core groups of the new church plants we hope to start all over North America.

Beyond my area of church planting, university ministry forms the “R&D” department of the SBC. It is there that we learn how to win each new generation to Christ. It has been true for my entire ministry that some of our most effective pastors and church planters among young career professionals learned how to minister to the generation they reach by serving on a campus ministry team. It would be tragic to abandon campus ministry because it is not explicitly involved in starting new churches right now. Campus ministry that is focused on evangelism and discipleship is our investment in future evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Finally BCM, when rightly focused, is essential in identifying and developing rising young leaders who will carry the SBC into the future. We cannot wait until a person graduates, finds their career, marries, dabbles with other purposes and finally decides to give their all to the church. It takes a long time to raise up a godly leader, we have to start in university. Because the university is its own community, somewhat isolated from the surrounding world, the local church cannot usually do as good a job as a campus-centered ministry in reaching students and turning them into serving disciples. We need the BCM presence.

For all the above,

Thank you to the leaders who have sacrificed to make BCM what it is today

Sincerely,

Dan Morgan

Professor of Church Planting – CSBS&C

National Strategist – CNBC


Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Bobby Wood

Left to right: Bobby Wood, Todd Davis, Rob Foy, and Wright Culpepper

God used BCM tremendously in my life in college at the USC. For me college was that time in my life where I went through a questioning process of everything I believed and the motivating purposes to my life were.

Through BCM, I found a group of loving individuals and a Christ-centered leadership that helped me through that process. I was a chemical engineering major at the time thinking about making a good deal of money when I left college, but God changed that. Through BCM, I decided to do a summer missions project and got sent to Burley, Idaho. God showed me that He wanted me to devote my life to ministry.

I went to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary when I graduated college and am now a youth pastor in Layton, Utah. God used the campus ministers and BCM to GREATLY influence my life.

I'm very grateful and appreciative for BCM! I hope their ministry continues on USC's campus for years to come!

Bobby Wood

USC-Columbia

Class of 2006


Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Laura Stribling

Laura Stribling is a 2007 graduate of the University of South Carolina. Laura submits her testimony to explain how important BCM was in her life.

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Elizabeth Thomas

Front: Elizabeth Thomas, Kendra Joyner

My name is Elizabeth Thomas and I'm an alum of BCM at USC, class of 2005. Growing up I knew BCM as BSU. You see, both of my parents were involved with BSU in the 70s and actually met through BSU. I knew from a young age that this organization was important to both of them, as they frequently (and still do) get together with people from BSU days. In fact, one of my dad's friends from BSU is more like an uncle to my brother and me than my dad's brothers.
 
Starting at USC my freshman year, I knew I'd try out BCM to see if I wanted to get involved. The first moment I walked in I felt welcome and loved. I had known who Jane was growing up as she was Woody Hammett's assistant when my parents were in school. Not only was I welcomed by Jane, but felt right at home with the other students involved. They took me in, loved me, encouraged me, trained me, challenged me, supported me and allowed my faith to grow in ways I never thought it would. I served in leadership, participated in outreach projects, missions, Bible studies, fellowship, retreats and served twice as a summer missionary, one being one week and the other 10 weeks. I feel that those four years of college challenged and developed my faith like no other experience has. My closest friends even now are from my BCM days. I learned how important it is to serve the Lord wherever you might be and how important it is to be involved with a fellowship of believers(church). I also learned how important it is to love and welcome people no matter what you think about them. I do not know, and actually am scared to think where I would be today if I had not been involved with BCM.
 
Thank you for allowing such a ministry to be available for the most formidable years of my life. And thank you for being there even back in the 1970s, allowing my parents to cross paths. Today BCM is needed more than ever to show Christ to those young adults who are searching for something to fill that hole.

Thanks,
Elizabeth Thomas
USC-Columbia
Class of 2005

Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Sarah Vick

First of all, thank you so much for starting this campaign. BSU/BCM has meant so much to my life, I cannot even fathom the thought of it being gone!

When I went to college at North Greenville I didn’t know anyone there. BSU(as we called it) became my place. I met so many wonderful people, and grew in my faith more than I ever have in my life. When I started at NGU, I was a Christian, but I was not very strong in my faith. In my hometown I didn’t have any Christian friends to encourage me. In fact, shortly before I left for school I tried to witness to my four closest friends from high school. I told them that I didn’t want to “play” church anymore or be fake. I had decided that if I was going to claim to be a Christian that it was time for me to start really living it, and stop living on the fence. I was very painfully told by each of them that they didn’t want anything to do with Christianity, and they didn’t want anything to do with me either. This was so hurtful! They had been my best friends all throughout high school, and now since I had decided to give Christ my whole life, they didn’t want anything to do with me! I will never forget New Year’s Eve that year when all of them went to a party that I knew I shouldn’t attend, and I stayed home and celebrated alone. At midnight that night, I went outside and prayed that God would send me some strong Christian friends that wanted to live for Christ, and could build me up in my faith.

Later that year I went to NGU, my first night there I went to BSU and could not believe that there were so many people my age who were praising God with their whole hearts! I had never seen anything like it. The next semester I joined a ministry team through BSU. We traveled every weekend and shared the gospel through drama. I never thought of it as a sacrifice, because I loved what I was doing so much. There was nothing else that I would have rather done throughout my years in college, than share my love for Christ with people who loved me, encouraged me, and pointed me to Christ.

Through BSU I found an accountability partner, an older woman to disciple me, and lifelong friends that are now like family to me. I did so much with BSU in college that I used to tell people that I was a BSU major.

A few years after college I had the privilege of working with Spartanburg BCM for two years. Through being a semester missionary and working with all five colleges in Spartanburg I had the joy of discipling girls, being discipled, reaching out to the community, working with foreign missionaries, and sharing Christ through the arts. Those were two more years of my life that I experienced radical growth in my life with Christ. Before I started working there I was feeling stagnant in my faith, but having the chance to serve Christ through BCM reignited my passion for my Savior.

Since then I have gone to seminary, and now I am working at North Greenville in the admissions office helping to bring more students to this wonderful school. I am also in charge of a club on campus that ministers to prospective students and their families. I love having the chance everyday to point others to Christ at this amazing university!

Without the funding of BCM I would not have had the chance to be a part of a ministry team. While working with BCM I would not have had a place to live or an income, I also wouldn’t have had the chance to help send hundreds of students out as local and foreign missionaries.

I know that finances are tight right now, but please don’t cut finding to BCM. It is a vital ministry to countless numbers of people! We will never know the full impact of it all, but I know that without it in my life I would not be the wife, mother, or Christian that I am today.

Thank you for your time.

In Christ,

Sarah N. Vick
North Greenville University
Class of 2005


Now, more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Please share your testimony with us by emailing testimony@thankyoubcm.com

BCM Testimony--Rob Foy

Rob Foy is a 2003 graduate of the University of South Carolina. Rob submits this testimony to explain how important BCM was in his life and how important he believes it to be to future students.

Please submit your testimony to us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

As we have said...now more than ever, it is important that we as alumni support BCM.

Mission Statement

Thank you for taking the time to visit ThankYouBCM.com. More than likely, you arrived here today on this website because you are either an alumnus of a BCM group in the state of South Carolina, or you are here because you are currently a student in a BCM group in South Carolina.

The common thread that we all share is that we are BCMers. We were blessed with a great student ministry that cared for us when many of us moved into a new phase of our lives. We were also greatly blessed with campus ministers that acted as our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

This project has begun as a way for us to simply say "Thank You BCM." A way for each one of us to reflect the impact, a positive impact, that a student ministry such as BCM has on a young life and how God uses it for His glory and His plans.

Over the coming months, we are going to share with you the testimonies of what BCM has meant to each one of us. We are going to share with you how it has and still impacts our lives. We will share with you the lifelong friendships we made, the laughs we have shared, the tears we have cried, and the way that God has grown us and continues to grow us.

We pray that you will be touched by this project. We pray that you will feel led to share your story. We pray for BCM. 

So...whether you are a Clemson Tiger, a Lander Bearcat, a Francis Marion Patriot, a South Carolina Gamecock or anything in between we want to hear from you.

Email your submissions (video or written) to us at testimony@thankyoubcm.com

Share your photos with us at photo@thankyoubcm.com

It is more important now, than ever, to support BCM. So please consider sharing your story.

We look forward to sharing all the testimonies of how God has used, and continues to use BCM to build His Kingdom.