by Welford Orrock

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” (Romans 10:14)

Across Virginia students are shaped by gospel-centered communities through BGAV congregations and campus ministries. From birth through college, student ministries are essential to the life of the church. Ministers and faithful volunteers help our students understand that God loves them and that God demonstrates His love for them most clearly through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As these young disciples choose to follow Jesus and orient their lives around the love of Jesus, they experience the promise of their salvation—abundant life in Christ!

Every encounter with Jesus begins with an invitation: to listen, learn, and share. An invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good!” This is the important work of evangelism: sharing the joy we have found in Christ! Through proclaiming the gospel, the church continues to grow in the mission of God through the world with a new generation. 

Over the past several years BGAV has encouraged ministries to strengthen their evangelism efforts with students in new and creative ways by providing Student Evangelism micro-grants. 

In 2021, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) announced an infusion of $5 million over four years to support evangelistic efforts specifically designed to reach students, and state conventions have been implementing multi-faceted approaches to accomplish the task.  

Micro-grants ranging from $500-$2,000 have supported a wide array of student evangelism efforts across Virginia. In Scottsville, grant funds were used to organize a community youth revival with several area churches partnering for a weekend event of worship, teaching, and fellowship with students. In Clarksville, the resources were used to provide meals for the high school football team, where ministers were invited to share a message with the athletes. Churches used grant funds to enhance their VBS programming, to include a greater focus on students. Several grant recipients were able to provide scholarships to students to help them participate in mission trips, retreats, summer camps, and conferences—allowing their students to grow in their understanding of the gospel and in their confidence to share the good news of Jesus with others. BCM communities across the state have used the grants to increase their outreach and evangelism work on campus and to engage students in evangelism training resources. 

These are just a few of the nearly 60 different initiatives that were made possible through the Student Evangelism Grants. Welford Orrock, Kairos Initiative coordinator, commented, “It has been inspiring to see how creative our BGAV ministries have been with these resources! The grant funds empowered passionate leaders across our state to imagine new possibilities for reaching students, without the concern for where the financial resources would come from in their ministry budgets. Each initiative is a unique expression of our collective calling to proclaim the gospel in word and deed. We praise God for the lives that have been transformed—for each student who has decided to trust Jesus with their lives, and for each student who has grown in faith to be bolder in their witness!”

‍

‍