As the cold weather hit the area Tuesday, some students went to their rooms and curled up to keep warm. Others showed up at the Lewis Temple C.M.E. Church to warm their spirits as Baptist Collegiate Ministry kicked off the new year.The Rev. Reginald Alford preached to a packed house Tuesday night. The church seemed to run out of seats as it reached capacity.
“It’s amazing,” said Jessica Alford, wife of Reginald. “We just lifted up God and that’s when people started coming.”
The purpose of BCM is to get young people involved with God, to adequately train them to go to different churches and be effective in ministry.
A few years ago, BCM was a sparsely populated service, held in Grambling Hall. As their popularity grew, so did the problems. A few issues with booking on-campus sites later, they moved Lewis Temple.
“We had a lot of issues (on-campus), but we used different avenues,” said Davin Pierre, faculty advisor of BCM and Director of Athletic Operations. “But when you have Christ, all you have to do is believe. God turned around and blessed us.”
As the ministry has progressed, so did the functions of the ministry. According to Jessica, there is “a place for everyone.” Some of the ministries that the organization offer include women’s, men’s, fine arts ministries, and more. BCM is also starting a choir.
BCM’s main attraction, however, appears to be its Tuesday night service. With upbeat melodies and a friendly, family atmosphere, BCM seems to be fulfilling its mission to unite Christians under a roof of praise.
“We just give the people what they are hungry for, and what they are hungry for is God,” said Alford.
The service is similar to a Sunday morning church service, complete with a choir, praise songs, prayer and meditation. The sermon is given by whoever is the speaker at the time, as BCM frequently invites others to speak.
Sophomore Nic Beem definitely enjoyed the service.
“I’m real impressed,” he said. “I feel like a brand new man.