“Can you help me get the extra chairs out?”

This question was asked almost weekly last school year as we met for worship every Thursday night at Stillwater, Eagle Heights. This fall, the OSU BCM has again experienced unprecedented growth and for the first time in our ministry’s history, we’ve expanded to two Thursday night worship services with more than 800 students attending on multiple occasions and more than 700 gathering consistently each week.

But the most exciting part of what’s happening in Stillwater isn’t the number of students filling seats. It’s the lives being transformed by the Gospel.

One of those lives belongs to Bella, a deaf student who began attending BCM after being invited by one of our student leaders. As students connected to OSU’s American Sign Language program began attending our gatherings, we recognized an opportunity to make our worship services more accessible and began providing an ASL interpreter each week.

But Bella’s story didn’t end with an invitation to worship. At the end of last semester, she made the decision to give her life to Christ and was baptized by the very student leader who first invited her to BCM. Her story is a beautiful reminder that behind every number is a person, and behind every invitation is an opportunity for the Gospel to change a life.

And while we’re grateful for the growing number of students attending, our desire has never been simply to gather a crowd.

We exist to seek the welfare of the campus through evangelism, discipleship, missions, and leadership development. This year, more than 150 students are serving on our leadership teams, helping lead Bible studies, build relationships, share the Gospel, and disciple their peers. We have 26 different small group Bible studies meeting each week. And, more than 100 students are participating in mission trips, taking the Gospel beyond Stillwater to communities across the country and around the world.

We believe the impact of collegiate ministry extends far beyond a student’s years on campus. The students being reached and discipled today will become tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, teachers, business leaders, and faithful members of local churches across Oklahoma and beyond.

And as God continues to grow this ministry, we’re facing an exciting challenge: Making room for what He’s doing. Not just adding extra chairs to a borrowed sanctuary but dreaming of a long-term home for our ministry.

For nearly a decade, we’ve relied on the generosity of local churches and other partners who have opened their facilities to us. We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership, but the growth of the ministry has made the need for a permanent home increasingly evident.

We’re now working toward fulfilling the promise made more than 10 years ago: Building a new home for the OSU BCM. More than simply a place to gather on Thursday nights, we envision a facility that will serve as a hub for evangelism, discipleship, missions, and leadership development for generations of Cowboys to come.

For nearly 100 years, Oklahoma Baptists have faithfully invested in reaching students at Oklahoma State. We invite you to continue that legacy by praying for our students and prayerfully considering a financial gift toward our building campaign. We believe a permanent home will help us steward the incredible opportunities He’s placed before us.

For more information or to make a donation, visit osubcm.org/building.