Browsing: Faith

“I really, really appreciated that the university took the initiative to allow us to have an official voice and an official presence,” Jortner said. “There’s a big difference between one professor in the theater program arguing for something and an organization of faculty saying, ‘We speak as one, and this is a concern.’”

Within the first week on campus, flyers promoting services and ministries will be scattered in the Student Union Building and various churches will table on Fountain Mall. With endless possibilities and opportunities, students may attend services and events at numerous churches. This routine is well known as ‘church shopping.’

Amid the business and stress of Move2BU and the commencement of classes this new semester, there’s fun to be had downtown and all around. So whether you’re fresh to Baylor or returning, here are some happenings to introduce you (or reintroduce you) to the Waco scene.

One of the most important things to remember is that the revival doesn’t only exist in “thin spaces” or events that ignite this passion among our generation of believers. The moments and the time after are what truly matter. It is easy to live stagnant, knowing and trusting God’s plan for you, but there are no limits, and there should never be a point at which you stop actively pursuing your faith.

A lot of us may embrace and engage in the large prayer tent on Fountain Mall and various conversations surrounding the three-day Christianpalooza, also known as FM72. There is beauty in having a space for that on a college campus. However, this is one of numerous examples of public, almost performative, Christianity at Baylor.

When you replace the word of God and the seriousness of going to church by making it a popularity contest, you start to lose people. There is something so beautiful about having a diverse mixture of friends — some who share your beliefs and some who don’t.

“I feel like that’s when I had a moment of commitment,” said Yeager, a San Mateo, Calif., sophomore who was recently named Highland Baptist Church’s youngest-ever College Guys Associate. “For the first time, I understood what that meant of like, ‘Oh yeah, I want to be committed to the Lord every day, and I want to live a life for him — worthy of the Lord in every way and bearing fruit in every good work.’”

Everything needs faith to grow, and Baylor has it like no other university. It’s not just because Baylor is a Christian university or because the tuition we pay gives us a high-quality education. It’s something professors, like students, have to do: wake up every day to give something.

Following Jesus, then, isn’t just a call to go to church on Easter or keep a Bible on a bookshelf. It’s a call to become like Him. To think how He thought, to live like He lived, to treat others in light of His sacrifice for them.

Every year at orientation, the incoming class gets to learn its class hymn. Each class hymn is about the transformation of incoming freshmen as they become adults, allowing them to get a glimpse of what is to come as Baylor Bears. For the class of 2027, they learned “There’s More.”

The Spiritual Wellbeing Task Force was created during the 2022-2023 school year, eventually compiling more than 50 recommendations for President Linda Livingstone. According to Dr. Charles Ramsey, associate chaplain and member of the task force, it utilized surveys, questionnaires and discussion about how to put the needs of Baylor’s employees first.

“She has a heart of gold and her mission, honest to God, is to love you, and she is going to do it with these cinnamon rolls,” Cook said. “My suspicion is that the secret to Kimberly’s success has far more to do with how she treats other people than even the quality of her product.”

“It’s been wonderful seeing the Lord work through students lives in that sense … revealing the opportunity that prayer presents and how you can find peace from it,” Barberena said. “You can see it working through the students as well — the way that they treat each other, the kindness and love that everybody shows for each other. You can see it in the way that we are a Chapel team.”

David Bolin is a Baylor alumnus and electronic design editor for Celebrating Grace Inc. Waco graduate student Priscilla Powell is currently going for her master’s in biology. Niceville, Fla., sophomore Stephen Farrell is studying trombone performance.