Editor’s note: Author Ethan Tanner is affiliated with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry.
Over 85 years after its founding, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) is still thriving at UT Martin, organizing mission trips across the nation and gaining devoted followers.
Established in 1939, the BCM is one of the four campus ministries available for students
of faith on campus. Located on 112 Hurt St., right down the road from on-campus
housing, it is currently directed by campus minister Dr. Morgan Owen, who has held
this position since 2003. Dakota Martin is the men’s campus missionary and Rilee Kat
Vest is the women’s campus missionary.
The BCM regularly provides worship services referred to as “The Well” each Monday at
6 p.m., usually led by Baptist ministers from across the region. Additionally, it hosts
“Noonday,” free meals provided by local Baptist churches, each Thursday at noon.
Weekly women’s life groups, known as “Radiant,” and men’s life groups, known as
“Manup,” are available at 6 p.m. for students on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively.
According to its website, “Many students find the BCM to be their home away from
home! During the semester, the BCM Student Center is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Monday-Friday.” Even though the BCM is a religious institution, students are free to use
it as a place of study and leisure during its open hours throughout the week.
Regarding future club events, BCM Secretary James Crowell said, “We’re planning on
having more ‘Wells’ on campus … probably have it in the Watkins Auditorium in the
[University Center.]”
The BCM also has “some mission trips coming up. We’ve got Beach Reach, and we have Street Reach, and we also have a mission trip [going] to Boston, Massachusetts,” added Crowell, a junior Media Design major from Union City, Tennessee.
The “Beach Reach” and “Street Reach” mission trips will both take place during Spring
Break in March 2025. On Beach Reach, students will travel to Panama City Beach,
Florida, and stay at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat Center. The total cost is $450. On
Street Reach, students will travel to Memphis to spread the gospel with children through
Bible Clubs. Its total cost is $375. Both trips have a $100 deposit due on Dec. 1, 2024.
The mission trip to Boston is also on the books and will cost over $450 because of
airfare expenses. It will have a $400 deposit due Dec. 1, 2024. Housing will be arranged
by Arborway Community Church.
There have also been talks of a disaster relief mission trip in January 2025, before the
spring semester begins, but no current information is available.
When asked about qualifications for the mission trips, Crowell said, “What Mo and I
would say is … make sure you have a walk with the Lord, and [that] you have a good
spiritual background [so] you can share the gospel.”
The BCM is seen as a place of comfort and relief for many students, helping them grow
in their faith as their lives change. BCM President Charles Sands said that the best
thing about the BCM is that it is “a place where fellow Christians can just gather and
lean on each other, during the hard time[s] and struggles that we go through over in
college.”
Sands added, “When I was going through whatever I was going through, there were
people here who encouraged me and supported me through really rough times. … It’s
really set the example of what I want to be as a human being.”
Sands, a senior Biology major from Germantown, suggested that upcoming students should join the BCM, knowing how great of a spiritual impact it has left on himself.
“There’s a lot to gain and not much to lose to get involved here. There’s a lot of people here [who] are ready and able to encourage you and support you through times when you think you’re alone,” he said.
The BCM hopes to increase its attendance in an effort to spread the gospel and
provide comfort to college students amidst their newfound struggles.
Crowell said, “We started to have more numbers through this year, and I hope to
have … [a] 20% increase, so hopefully we will get more numbers for people to come to
the Well, Radiant, Manup, and all our events.”
The BCM is available to all UT Martin students, allowing anyone to attend their weekly
events if they are enrolled at the university.
