CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa.—“It was different; I have never done anything like that before. The warehouse was an eye-opener.” These were the words of Kaylin Spink, sophomore at Baptist Bible College, expressing her enthusiasm for a day spent with sophomore Heidi Schrecengost at a redistribution center warehouse for the Syracuse Rescue Mission, Syracuse, N.Y. “We got to go out and experience and see with our own eyes what people do and how they live,” Heidi relates.
Nearly 200 Baptist Bible College students participated in several urban missions in New York State, a unique and powerful aspect of VeraCITY, the school’s February 2010 Missions Conference. Students were exposed to the specific needs of people living in urban areas and the work being done by churches and missions to help them. The conference also included many on-campus workshops and speakers before and after the trips. With the theme “Taking the Truth to the City,” the conference focused on educating and equipping students, faculty, and staff for Christian leadership in urban settings.
Groups actively participated in urban missions in Binghamton, Syracuse, and Cortland, N.Y. Hands-on work included food and clothing distribution, evangelism, cleaning, organizing, working with the homeless, clerical work, and much more. But planned trips to New York City, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre had to be cancelled due to weather conditions.
In addition to the off-campus activities, students heard from several special speakers, including Associate Professor John Jackson; Ken Davis, Baptist Bible Seminary director of church planting; and Eric Wohner, church planter with Evangelical Baptist Missions. “We are training, discipling, and mentoring global ministers—whether we call that missions or something else—with the Great Commission,” Jackson notes. “This missions conference was a success because people were so willing to do it. I am extremely excited about the wave of missions here. My prayer is that the Lord shows us His vision of ministry at BBC, and that’s what we are seeing.”
Several strategic features provided students with more information about missions. A prayer room was set up to provide information on several areas of urban ministry in New York and Pennsylvania. Information about the missions and area churches was also given so students could pray for specific needs. Workshops and sessions provided information on becoming involved in urban ministries. Students also met with mission agency representatives and enjoyed a time of music, praise, and sharing ministry experiences.
- View photos of the conference at www.facebook.com/BaptistBible.
- Learn more about the undergraduate Missions concentration by clicking on the Academics tab at www.bbc.edu/college.
