Tarleton State: Freshman introduced to Jesus

The Baptist Student Ministry at Tarleton State University welcomes new students—and welcomes the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus.

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She arrived at our first freshmen Bible study of the semester, called Journey Together. The excitement of something new for all of these new students to Tarleton’s campus was overwhelming. I could feel the eagerness in the class of 2019 as we played games while waiting for others to arrive.

warren ethridge130Warren EthridgeThat’s when she came in. One of our freshmen journey group leaders, Becca, greeted her and made her feel at home while she filled out her nametag.

“Do you have to have a Bible to be here?” she asked. It was obvious this was not somebody who had spent much time in church.

“No, not at all, but if you would like one, I have one I would love to give you,” Becca responded. Becca knew instantly her new acquaintance needed to hear the gospel presented. And after dividing up into small groups, she was in Becca’s group. As they walked through the discussion questions, they traveled through the group’s spiritual backgrounds. That’s when Becca learned her new friend had never been in any kind of evangelistic service. She had never heard the gospel, but she wanted to know more about who Jesus is and how to follow him. Another student already had asked to talk with Becca immediately after Journey Together, so she introduced her new friend to Rachael, one of our other Journey leaders.

She and Rachael talked for a little over an hour about who Jesus is, why he died for us and why we need him in our lives. She listened intently, and absorbed all the information like a sponge. After hearing a clear gospel presentation, she prayed to receive Christ in her life and live according to how he commanded.

Rachael then asked her a question that has rocked my world.

“How do you feel now as opposed to when we started this conversation?” Rachael asked.

“I just feel new,” she replied.

That is the reason I do my job—to share the excitement of new believers welcoming Christ into their life for the first time. To watch students take the next step in their faith, whether it’s the first step ever, or the first step in a long time.


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Warren Ethridge is serving with Go Now Missions as a campus missionary intern at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.


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