Go therefore. Make disciples. Teach the Gospel to the entire world. While these famous words have been memorized, tweeted, and plastered on the back of many car bumpers, the leaders of Ouachita’s Campus Ministries are putting Jesus’ last commands into action as they seek to grow a culture of discipleship through their Veritas and Men’s Discipleship programs.
According to James Taylor, director of Campus Ministries, both programs function with the purpose of “fostering relationships with Christ, providing avenues of meaningful ministry and fellowship, and training leaders who will engage the world and serve the church.”
With this mission in mind, Veritas and Men’s Discipleship both provide students with opportunities to learn more about Christ and grow deeper in their faith, while also establishing campus wide community and connectedness.
For women’s Veritas, this year has been focused on learning to become more obedient to Christ in every area of life. The group’s theme verse is found in Exodus 19:5 which states, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
Veritas hosts two large group meetings per month, which consist of worship, teaching, fellowship and prayer. It also offers small groups and prayer partners for girls seeking closer fellowship with other female students.
The group kicked off the semester by inviting Christa Black Gifford as their first large group guest speaker. Gifford is a multi-platinum selling songwriter, renowned author and blogger, and powerful communicator of the Gospel. Along with Gifford, Dr. Rachel Pool and Amy Taylor have also been guest speakers this semester. In celebration of Christmas and their last event of the fall semester, the group also came together for a night of worship through Christmas hymns and a retelling of the Christmas story.
Men’s Discipleship seeks to provide a place for men on campus to come together and grow in their relationship with Christ and each other.
“Men’s discipleship provides a time for guys to meet on a regular basis, get to know the other members of their group, and to begin to be honest with them about what is going on in their lives,” said senior Christian studies major and ministry leader, Joseph Breckenridge. “It’s a time that guys can come together and be real with each other and real with God.”
Men’s Discipleship held their first event after Tiger Tunes by hosting a cookout and interest meeting for all the men on campus. Apart from their small group gatherings, they also recently held a night of fellowship under the teaching of Dr. Ray Franklin, associate professor of Christian missions.
“One of the purposes of these large group events is that anyone can come, “ Taylor stated. “We want people to have opportunities to be a part of a culture of discipleship, even if they aren’t in a small group.”
These organizations also work to train students how to become spiritual leaders on campus, by giving them practical ways to teach and disciple others while also growing in their own faith.
“I have seen girls who have been involved become such leaders on campus,” said senior elementary education major and ministry leader, Cassie Lynch. “It instills so much confidence and encouragement. I have also seen girls create the most precious relationships that they otherwise would not have made if it had not been for Veritas.”
“I think God really called people and helped arrange a team of really phenomenal people to be leaders,” added Hannah Ramsey, assistant director of Campus Ministries. “It has been really cool to see God’s Sovereignty in the way He has arranged those relationships and groups. I didn’t know who needed to be in who’s small group or who needed to be prayer partners with who, but I’ve heard so many stories about how small groups have clicked and how God has been working in relationships.”
While both groups have grown significantly in strength and number in recent years, they still continue to face challenges when it comes to attendance and the busyness that comes with college life.
“The largest issue is timing,” Breckenridge said. “Whether it be trying to find a time that everyone in a group can meet or trying to find a night open on the school calendar for an event, timing has definitely been the biggest obstacle.”
“Discipleship takes time and you can’t schedule it in one hour a week,” Taylor noted. “People have to make it a priority and that’s hard when you add in the fact that people have classes and studying and social activities and church ministries.”
With this said, both groups have made great strides in building up a structure for community and discipleship on Ouachita’s campus and hope to continue to grow more into the spring semester.
For more information on Veritas or Men’s Discipleship or how to join a small group, contact Hannah Ramsey at ramseyh@obu.edu or James Taylor at taylorj@obu.edu.
By Cimber Winfrey
