Released by the Baptist College of Florida ……
Sixteen students and three faculty members of The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) were among the nearly 350 in attendance at the State Collegiate Conference which took place at North Jacksonville Baptist Church February 21–22.
The annual conference brings college students from Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) and church college groups from around the state for a weekend of preaching, worship music, and breakout sessions.
The main speaker for the three worship sessions was Jamie Dew, President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). He challenged students in the areas of calling and discipleship.
The musical worship was led by Ascension Worship Band, a group of musicians from various churches in the Jacksonville area.
Students were able to attend three different breakouts from their choice of twelve, including topics such as “Living & Leading as a Christ Follower Among Your LGBTQ+ Friends,” “Discovering the Right Future,” and “Dealing with Tragedy.” BCF Professor Mark Rathel led an apologetics session titled “Are There Many Paths to God? Jesus in the Context of World Religions.”
In addition to the worship sessions and breakout times, students were able to visit displays by various organizations including seminaries, the North American Missions Board, and the International Missions Board. The BCF Professor David Coggins represented Florida Baptist Disaster Relief at one of the displays.
The annual conference has taken place at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center in the past but has also been hosted at various churches throughout Florida as it was this year. The staff of North Jacksonville Baptist Church was very accommodating throughout the conference in the use of their facilities, providing volunteers to make the conference run smoothly, and hosting a sandwich bar for lunch on Saturday.
BCF Campus Minister Lance Beauchamp, who attended as well as planned the breakout sessions for the conference, stated that he was excited to begin bringing BCF students. “God really moves among our students through this conference,” stated Beauchamp. “Last year, was the first time we brought a large group of students when it was at Lake Yale. We had quite a few of them return this year and they encouraged others to go as well. It’s a great experience to not only grow in Christ but to also see how God is at work on other college and university campuses around our state. I hope this will be an annual tradition that keeps growing. I haven’t met a student yet who has attended and been disappointed.”
For more information on BCM, conferences, and upcoming events at The Baptist College of Florida, please call 800.328.2660 or visit the website at www.baptistcollege.edu.