By Cadance Tyler, Longwood University BCM

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I can vividly remember seeing my parents drive off on move-in day my first year of college. I went back to my dorm room and just stood there, not really sure what to do next. I was 18, five-and-a-half hours away from home, and alone. I was absolutely thrilled to be embarking on my college journey, but I’d decided to attend a college where I knew no one. I knew to attend class, but no one talked to me about how to find a faith community. That first Sunday, I picked up a flyer left in the lounge and followed the map to a large Baptist church just outside of town. I kept attending the church throughout my time in college, but no one spoke to me until my last semester! I sat alone, worshipped, and then drove back to my dorm.

The first few days as a first-year college student are both terrifying and exciting. Many students are feeling the same way I felt back in 2004. They are alone, wanting community, and not sure where to start. As a campus minister for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) at Longwood University, I see both sides to the equation. I talk with students who are alone and searching for community. I also hear from churches who want to welcome college students into their fold. So how do we bridge that gap?

One important step pastors and church members can make is to connect us with graduates. Two years ago, Melissa Fallen, senior pastor at Glen Allen Baptist Church in Glen Allen, VA, emailed my husband and I about a new student at Longwood University. He was from her church, and she wanted us to connect. My husband, Adam, is the pastor at Farmville Baptist Church, and we have a heart for ministering to college students in our community.

The email from Melissa resulted in a great friendship between us and first-year student, Elijiah Tonello. We invited him to the local coffee shop for conversation, worship at Farmville Baptist, and events with the Longwood BCM. He became more involved in our church and at the BCM. That led to him becoming the president of the BCM this year as well as an intern at Farmville Baptist, paid for by a BGAV Kairos Initiative evangelism grant.

In her email two years ago, Melissa wrote that she hoped we would get to meet and “benefit from one another’s gifts!” I can attest that we have benefited from Elijiah’s gifts, and I pray that he has felt welcomed and encouraged by us. The BCM has grown due to his leadership and ability to invite and include others, and I can’t imagine not having him and the other college students with us on Sunday morning for worship.

If you know of a student who is graduating and going to college, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Kairos team or a local BCM minister. If there is a BCM on their campus, we will make sure to get them plugged in with the ministry. Amazing things can happen for the kingdom when college students and local congregations connect. Let’s work together for the flourishing of our communities and campuses! Visit www.kairosinitiative.org to learn more.

Rev. Cadance Tyler is BGAV’s Baptist campus minister at Longwood University in Farmville, VA.

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