Tarleton BSM: a ministry centered on students

BY LINDSEY HUGHES

Art Director

Tarleton State University has several different student ministries surrounding its campus and culture. The Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) is one of these many organizations.

 The BSM is a student organization that focuses on ministering to college students on the Tarleton State University campus. It is a multi-faceted organization with quite a few different types of ministries attached to it. Journey groups, 402 and Noon Lunch are the three main branches of the BSM. 

According to the BSM website, Journey groups are student-led small groups, created to get people connected and allow students the opportunity to explore faith. These groups are assigned and tailored to the individual.

402 is BSM’s Thursday night worship encounter. It happens every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. and starts with the house band playing and ends with a biblical message and often games or snacks. This takes place in the BSM building directly off the Tarleton campus.

Noon lunch is BSM’s Wednesday outreach in the BSM building where different churches and communities bring home-cooked meals for Tarleton’s students, teachers and faculty to enjoy for free. 

All of the different ministries that are associated with BSM are there in an attempt to provide students with a spiritual home, a place to both follow Christ and to lead others to Him.

Maddie Sanders, an elementary education major at Tarleton, is on the BSM lead team. She has been a part of BSM for over a year and has loved every second of it. 

“We are a group of college students whose hearts are sought after Jesus, and our goal is to reach the students of Tarleton through every endeavor, sharing the good news,” Sanders said. 

BSM strives to get students connected to each other. Many people are drawn to the ministry because of its welcoming and friendly reputation. 

Lexus Brisby is a Tarleton senior criminal justice major. She has been a part of the BSM for four years and says that the ministry has loved and supported her throughout the entirety of those years. 

“What drew me to the BSM was that it was small enough that people knew my name and cared about my absence, but it was big enough that I met new people often,” Brisby said. 

Cassie Bond is a junior mathematics major at Tarleton and has been involved with BSM since the fall of 2023. She came to college seeking Christian community and found it within the walls of BSM. 

“The BSM has significantly impacted my personal faith and growth with God. As students saw me from afar as I entered the BSM building, they took me under their wings, training me to step out in boldness to make a difference at Tarleton and in the world,” Bond said.

When asked what they felt the primary vision of the BSM is, students unanimously answered that it was to reach and connect as many students as possible to the Lord and to a community of Christians. 

“The primary vision of the BSM is to have every college student on our campus within arms reach of the Gospel. We seek to get college students connected to God, connected to other people and connected to the world,” Brisby said.

Overall, the Baptist Student Ministry is an impactful organization that has reached hundreds of Tarleton students. Many testify that they have found their home away from home within BSM.