This Year At ODUBCM
Fall 22 - Spring 23

Spring Retreat!

This semester we also got to attend a retreat with CSF (Christian Student Fellowship) of the College Ministries Of Virginia! We had a blast, connecting with other college students as well as being challenged personally. A lot of growth happened this weekend and we are grateful that we were able to attend. The students are already looking forward to the next one! (Eagle Eyrie here we come!)

After spring break, the semester fleeewww by! Before we knew it, our last 5 large groups were done! We continued our series on friendship with some awesome special guests and had some other activities and events sprinkled in.

(Photo 1) Pastor Edwin Jones of the Bridge Church in Hampton, Va, who spoke to us on friendship with others.

(Photos 2 - 8) As members of the UCA, we participated in the Spring Service Project - making blankets of the oncology unit at CHKD.

(Photos 9 - 11) Bible Study! After spring break we kicked off bible study.

(Photos 12 - 13) The following week we took a pause and had a game night!

(Photo 14) Then our second speaker of the semester, Ms. Meshon Davis, came in and spoke to us on friendship with ourselves aka self care, which wrapped up the series.

(Photo 15) Then on the 6th, Missionary Ashley came and spoke to us about missions - sharing her experiences abroad, answering our questions and giving us tips and encouraging us on starting our own journey with missions.

(Photos 16 - 17) Our Media Manager and Campus Minister tabled in the Webb Center for the Mini Student Organization Fair Ft Educational and Faith-Based Organizations.

(Photos 18 - 25) We then wrapped up the semester with an indoor picnic full of games, sweet treats and fellowship!

March 16 - April 13th

February 23rd
2023

February 23rd we got to do a lot! First, our Outreach Advocate, Jocelyne Dempsey, prayed for our campus on National Collegiate Day of Prayer, joining millions of others in praying for college campuses. A few of us also got to take a field trip, attending the gallery opening of one of our members, Tyarria Duncan, a senior who also happens to be our Media Manager. We finished the night by continuing our series on friendship - discussing first and foremost about how we are a child of God. This means that before anything, we are love, seen and chosen, and from that knowledge all of our relationships should flow.

MOVIE NIGHT!

Spontaneous Karaoke? Check!

Kahoot? Check!

Snacks? Check!

Couches to watch movies on? Check!

Packed House? Check!

Revival On Thursday - Valentines Addition

ROTh - Feb 9th, 23

On February 9th, the fictional cafe "The Open Door Cafe" opened its doors for students to come and enjoy a meal while watching a podcast on friendship. For this semester we felt like God wanted to lean into this topic so this was the first of many large groups on the topic. After watching the podcast we gathered and talked about their thoughts and opinions, asking and answering questions and processing what we just heard!

ROTh - Feb 2nd, 23

For the third Revival on Thursday we asked the students to look for a passage of scripture that resonates with them, we then created yarn paintings based on those scriptures. The goal was to immerse ourselves in the scripture some how and depicting that imagery, and/or to depict what the scripture made you feel. We then shared our scriptures, what they meant to us and how we depicted them in our pieces.

Revival On Thursday

Jan 26th 2023

The next large group we dove into the topic of Church Hurt because as a growing community we wanted to acknowledge who all was in the room. People are people and they make mistakes, can cause harm and can even make us want to pull away from spaces like the BCM. Giving voice to our pasts allowed us to clear the air and come into this space with optimism - after a great discussion we split up into groups to solidify the three pillars of our community by backing them with scripture.

Our Mission: to connect students to community through reconciliation and creativity.

Our Pillars: Community, Reconciliation & Creativity

Check out the videos detailing the scriptures chosen and the student's thought processes behind the chosen scriptures.

Spring Semester!

Jan 19th, 2023

After a productive winter break, Spring Semester felt like a fresh start! We kicked it off with our large group gathering - Revival On Thursday! (More info on ROTh here) We began by sharing the vision for the BCM and talked about what ROTh would be, we then went around the room and introduced ourselves because even though a lot of us knew each other, this was the first time we formally were introduced lol. After the conversation, we moved into the main area where we made keychains and decorated cookies and of course ended the night with some games. It was a perfect start to the semester.

Christmas Party!

To end the Fall 22 semester, we had a Christmas Party with Christian Student Fellowship! It was such a good time of fellowship, great food and even yanky swap (or do you call it white elephant?)! It was a good way to end the semester as we looked forward to the Spring!

Thanksgiving Blessing Bag's!

For Thanksgiving we got the opportunity to partner with the Ezer Initiative, a non-profit located in Hampton, Va, that services the homeless population in the 75. For the holiday, Ezer was able to gather enough supplies to pack bags with everything one would need for a hearty thanksgiving dinner and distribute them to those who needed some assistance! Four BCM students and two young adult volunteers helped pack, organize and distribute bags, as well as handling parking duty! It was a blessing to be apart of such an awesome operation, we are grateful to have been the hands and feet of Christ as He provided for those in need!

Looking for ways to engage we pulled from ideas that were submitted by the students earlier in the semester and planned to have a Karaoke game night! However, almost a week before the event, something unexpected happened in the Campus Minister's personal life that put a brief pause on the Ministry's function.

You can learn more about that in the Campus Minister's personal newsletter!

2nd Dinner Of The Semester!

An important part of the BCM is connecting with local churches because this Kingdom work can not be done alone. We are super grateful to Freemason Street Baptist Church in downtown Ghent who provided the students with delicious Shepherd's Pie!

I had some fun with the flyer, as you can see!

September 20th & 29th

The rest of September was spent creating opportunities to connect with students and share with them about our ministry through sweet treats and a paint night!

Taco Thursday

September 8th, 2022

Following the carnival, we had Taco Tuesday! Food, especially home cooked, is something people far and wide enjoy gathering around. During the height of COVID BCM had to stop serving dinner's for the safety of everyone, as things settled down we were able to bring them back! Taco Tuesday was a huge hit! Good conversations, good food and good fun was had!