August 17 marked the beginning of a new school year at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) and my seventh as Campus Minister for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on this campus. It also marked the beginning of a 40 Days of Prayer initiative started by my neighbor, Teresa Stark. Mrs. Teresa is the wife of Dr. Robert Stark, a 26-year professor of agriculture at UAM.  

This issue of Missions + Ministry features information about the ABSC Annual Meeting, Pastors' Conference, Pastor + Staff Appreciation Month, and more.

It’s no secret that we have trouble slowing down to rest these days. For those of us who didn’t have jobs essential to being in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like a lifetime ago that we were staying home, moving slow, and finding some much-needed rest from the hustle and bustle of life.  

Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) is known for going into difficult places to serve those in the crisis of disaster. On August 17, a team of DR volunteers from across the state assembled to serve in a different way! In the early hours of the morning volunteers started driving from all over the state headed to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, making the same trip to campus that over 7,000 incoming freshmen had made just days before. While the freshmen had moved to start life in their new home, Disaster Relief volunteers were mobilizing to make them feel welcome.

It is late August and fall is quickly approaching, signaling for some the anticipation of football and hunting seasons. But, for over 160,000 University students, it signifies the start of classes on our Arkansas campuses. Students from all the states and from many countries have arrived in Arkansas seeking higher education.

Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) students have incredible opportunities during the summer to serve in a variety of ways. As a campus minister, I love when students use a week, month, or entire summer to serve! God honors that time in ways that many students do not expect. Over the summer, students can serve in many different places and in a variety of opportunities. Below are a few examples with their comments about their summer experience. 

Emma didn’t let initial discouragement deter her from letting the Spirit flow and sharing the Living Water.

Robert Rockett veered off course early in life, but prison didn’t bar him from soaring to new heights.