Christian Living

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With a student population which has tripled since the early ‘90's, the campus of Kennesaw State University has become a bustling hive of activity at all times of the day. It is this characteristic which makes Baptist Student Union Director Dave Stewart smile.
“There is a spirit on this campus which hasn’t been present before,” says Stewart, who also is the BSU Director at nearby Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta. “It has really started to become a big-time university.”
It is due to this that Stewart has challenged the leaders of the BSU to be “more intentional” on their campus in spreading the gospel. It’s difficult for the Mansfield, OH native to be a constant presence at a college with 18,000 students, 90% of which are commuters. Because of these demographics, Stewart and his leaders must provide different outreach and fellowship opportunities throughout the week.
The main meeting time, called “The Mix”, is 6:30 Thursdays at the BSU Student Center on the SPSU campus. Periodically, the meetings are held at KSU. It is in Kennesaw that lunch is served at the gazebo on Tuesdays beginning at 12:30.
Recently, KSU students may have been leaving a humanities or political science class. As they stepped outside into the crisp air, they would have heard the sounds of guitars and singing from the outdoor gazebo which sits adjacent to their building. Turning the corner, they would have found a group of people their own age singing songs not-quite-like the ones they remember from church. A table would be set up nearby, giving information on the BSU. Near that, the bespectacled, ever-smiling Stewart would be waiting to introduce himself.
This scenario would have played out on September 18. This was the night of the first open-air meeting for the BSU at Kennesaw State. In a relaxed atmosphere, students could hear the music and testimonies of others as they lounged on the benches in the wooded grove of trees to the side, sat at the outdoor cafe-style tables above the gazebo, or come closer and reclined on the cool, grassy tiers of the amphitheater.
At the conclusion of the activities, those who had spent time on stage would make their way out into the audience to introduce themselves and ask their peers their impression of what was said... and if they had a relationship with Jesus.
“Through the BSU, there are so many ways to serve,” states Nicole Fritchey, an Architecture major at Southern Polytech, who spent the summer teaching English in Afghanistan. Looking into the audience, she tells them to “ask, seek, knock, and He’ll be faithful.”
“As a high school senior, I loved doing things for people,” shares Angelo Locra. “I basically put myself into a position to help others. [After awhile], I felt I was doing this to prove something to God. One day, I asked myself if I really thought I could earn grace.”
Spending the past summer in Bolivia working as a camp counselor for kids reopened Locra’s eyes to something he already knew. “It was here that God showed me a lot about dying to myself,” says the Computer Engineering major from Atlanta.
Jason Sims, the Kennesaw State/Southern Polytech BSU president, added his reflections on spending the past few months as a missionary in Wales. Through this experience, the senior from Waleska was led to the third chapter of Philippians and Paul’s description on wanting to know Christ and his afflictions.
Working at two different campuses has also put Stewart in the position of dealing with two different student bodies, each one with a distinctive personality.
[At SPSU], the students respond more to hands-on learning,” the Georgia Tech and Southern Seminary alumni explains. “I take a more practical, pragmatic approach to teaching. I must be able to demonstrate applications. [There], we’ve had more success with small groups instead of big events.
“Students tend to be more philosophical [at KSU]. They will talk and they are curious. Virtually all of them work part time as well as have other responsibilities, so it’s tough to plan. Many are either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday students.”
The BSU also works with other Christian organizations to put together “The Point”, an evangelistic outreach event to the entire campus. Approximately 200 students attended on September 11, resulting in six decisions.
For more information on the Kennesaw State/Southern Polytech BSU visit their website at http://bsu.spsu.edu or e-mail at [email protected].

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