Getaway Weekend

This past weekend a group of students traveled to Tan-tar-a Resort in Osage Beach for an amazing weekend of spiritual awakening and rejuvenation. The weekend retreat is called Getaway, and we go to it every year, along with other BSUs in the area. Just to give you an idea of what this weekend was like, here is what some students said about Getaway.

Regan Kelly said:

In the midst of an ever changing world, 300 students along with Pastors, teachers, mentors, and friends, from all across the state of Missouri, decided to break away from daily life and gather together under one roof and for one God. The place? Tan-Tar-A, Osage Beach, Missouri. The occasion? Getaway 2007.

38 fun-loving students, myself included, from Missouri State and OTC, traveled together to experience a God-filled weekend amongst our peers. In almost no time at all the vans, we had traveled in, approached our destination. I could feel the excitement grow and bubble all throughout the van. I couldn’t help but feel a little of it myself. “This is it. This is what people have been talking about for the past several weeks.”

Soon we were gathered together with the others and the worship began. When the music started I began to feel the usual pulse in my core that only music can bring. The whole room was filled with praise for the one and only God of the universe. It went on like that for several hours, worshiping, praying, laughing, listening and conversing with God. It didn’t matter that we didn’t finish until 11 pm or that the students from the BSU stayed up and kept talking together until 1 am.

The next day as our group split up and we each decided which sessions we were going to, I realized that I was getting out of my comfort zone. I didn’t care if I wasn’t with all of my friends. I was okay with going to each session by myself, because in all actuality I wasn’t alone. I was there with and for God, and so was everyone else. It’s an amazing feeling when you remember what it feels like to never walk alone.

Saturday night was one of the most spirit-filled nights I’ve had in a long time. I had been stagnant and holding on to things that I hadn’t realized I had been holding on to so tightly. That night helped me shake off the rock on my shoulders and remember that no matter what went on in my life God would be taking care of everything. I was literally flying. I still am. I smile and laugh more. I’m a little more upbeat in everyday life, and I know that it’s because I have a better grasp on God and what he wants for my life. I have great friends that will help me and hold me accountable. I will never have to walk alone.

Kayla Cook said:

"Overall, it was a good wake-up call for all of us. The main speaker was Thomas Young, he has a Web site called thomasyoung.com, and he was very honest. One of his quotes was "Life is a mission trip, and you should be mission-trippin' all the time." We really learned what it means to be a disciple. Jesus only had 12 guys following him, and he invested time in each of them. We learned that instead of spreading ourselves so thin, that if we invest in just a few people's lives it will make a huge impact if they disciple others. It was a big freeing worship experience. I think a lot of us got to that point of letting go and worshipping God without holding back and being ashamed and thinking about what other people thought of us. It was a good, relaxed spiritual vacation. Just worshiping God without it being hard. In the 'real world' there are a lot more challenges and here we didn't have to worry about things. It was a good place to learn and worship and not feel pressured to be everything to everyone. I just belonged to Jesus and I didn't have to be a student or an employee. I wasn't responsible to anyone but Jesus. I was just there to be a worshiper."

Keep watching for more posts from students on their experiences from Getaway and other
activities here at the BSU.

Regular Activities

Ok, so now that you have a taste of what has gone on around here at the BSU we can talk about what we do here on a regular basis. These are the activities you can count on each week (except for on holidays of course).

Wednesday Lunch
Remember that dollar lunch we mentioned in the last post? Well, in case you didn't read the last post or you somehow missed the information, we have a lunch each Wednesday that's only $1 unless it's your first time, and then it's free! What could be better on a college student budget than home-cooked food from some nice people at a local church for next-to-nothing. The serving starts at 11:20 and ends at 1:10, so come check it out sometime if you have a break between classes. You won't regret it!


The Life
The Life is our weekly worship service that takes place right here in the basement of the BSU, right across from MSU campus. This is a great time to come together and give praise to our Father through song and message. If you are just needing some encouragement or needing a break from the hectic world we live in, nothing can help more than giving praise to God and spending time in prayer with other believers wanting to pray for you in any way they can. If you are hurting and know there is something missing from your life, please come join us and let us show you the love of Christ as we worship together.

P.S.-You don't have to be Baptist to come either. Or even a Christian for that matter, we just want to spend time with you and show you the grace and love we have received through Christ.


International Worship Gathering
There is now a worship gathering for international students on Sunday nights at 7:30 in Strong Hall room 001 (down in the basement). The Christian organizations on campus are working together with international students to really get this thing going and you can help. Know any international students that are Christians or interested in learning about Christianity? This is a great place to bring them to meet other international students curious about the same things. We are really excited to see what God is going to do through these students. He has brought so many nations together right here on campus. We have such a great opportunity to share the love of Christ with students from around the world and be blessed by the relationships we make with them. If you are interested or know someone that may be, please come join us or let us know how we can help.

-We'll get back to you with more details about what goes on at the gathering soon. And by soon, we mean Monday.

Week 1 Activities

Ok, so we're going to back-track a little bit here. Since we just got his blog up and running, we need to catch everyone up on what we've done so far this semester. So here it goes; starting with Week numero uno.

Week 1
This week we had a different activity each day for new students to come and learn more about the BSU and meet some other students with the same passions and beliefs. To start the week off we held a Sunday morning worship service at the BSu, followed by lunch at a fantastic Mexican restaurant. On Monday night, we had dinner and a movie here at the BSU and on Tuesday night was Guys'/Girls'night out. Wednesday we had Free Hot Dog Day for lunch (we always have lunch on Wednesdays hosted by a local church that only costs $1 and is free your first time, but we'll get to that later). Thursday night was our first worship service at the BSU with free food and local church information. And lastly, the week concluded with a Game Night on Friday night.

We are always doing something new along with our regularly scheduled activities, so keep checking in to see our upcoming events. If you're looking for a fun place to come meet new people and worship God, then this is the place for you!!

Welcome!

Thank you for vising our new blog! We are still in the construction process, but please check back shortly for more updates. You can also visit our Web site at springfieldbsu.org for information on our upcoming events and ways to get involved. We would love for you to come join us!