Campus Ministry Helps Students Cope With COVID-19
posted by Shania Ingram | September 4, 2020 | In NewsFacetiming family, working out or hanging with friends are just a few of the coping strategies used by students to escape the monotony of campus life during the COVID-19 pandemic. For others, campus life is enjoyed by fellowshipping through their faith.
As any other student-centered organization at Fayetteville State University, the Campus Ministry Incorporated (CMI) serves as a means of bringing students together, but CMI specifically unifies Christian students who desire to strengthen their faith and share it with others.
Having only existed since the fall of 2019, this organization hosted weekly bible study sessions and other monthly functions in the Rudolph Jones Student Center last year.
Though the organization is still awaiting an official resumption of their meetings for this fall, some of its members cherish the bonds that were created before the outbreak of COVID-19 in March of this year. They still gather in small groups to “catch-up” with each other and to encourage each other through prayer and scripture.
Apryl Jernigan, a sophomore and the ministry’s newly appointed secretary expressed how vital campus ministry is for her. “Church is always with you no matter where you go, no matter if you’re from another city,” Jernigan commented.
As with student athletics or any other extra-curricular activities on campus, students from CMI, as it is dubbed, are just as committed to the task of enhancing the lives and experiences of its students.
Charles Carter, a junior and avid member of the group zoomed in on the personal development he has experienced from the ministry so far. “We are not just out, having bible studies just to have them, we’re doing this so we can train ourselves,” Carter clarified. “We are aimed at getting students more involved with ministry opportunities, local church families and providing biblical knowledge for confronting contemporary issues such marriage and dating.”
Essentially, this organization sells itself as a multi-faceted group with several objectives in mind. However, Carter was keen on making one main distinction: “Honestly, the best thing about Campus Ministry Incorporated is not that we are organized and are community-oriented, the best thing is that Jesus Christ is the center of all we do. We learn more about Jesus Christ by being around godly council.”
CMI hopes to present their faith in such a way that other students will become compelled to invest more time into their spiritual lives. This they believe makes the college journey less stressful and more purposeful, especially in the wake of a pandemic.
When asked what advice she would give to students who are unaware of CMI and would want to join in, Jernigan responded: “I would say join Campus Ministry. You get spiritual covering and make connections with new people.
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