With over nine different campus ministries, students have a variety of ways to get involved in faith-based communities. A worship night held on Thursday in the Auditorium brought each of these unique communities together to worship as one.

Representatives from these ministries all collaborated to help create a space where students could come together as one church body.

The night was entirely focused on worship, with scripture readings appearing throughout the service. 

Because this event took place during Holy Week, the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the representatives with each ministry read through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, guiding students through the story of Jesus’s life and sacrifice.

Organizers continuously highlighted the significance of gathering all the different ministries on campus together. Macy Ward, a freshman member of 7-47 and Baptist College Ministries (BCM) majoring in elementary education from Barton, Arkansas, said the experience was encouraging for her to see.

“What a gift it is to have just a glimpse into heaven and what we’ll get to see one day as we all get to worship together,” Ward said.

Abby Kholer, an alumna of Arkansas State and assistant for Chi Alpha, said the importance of the theme of unity for the event.

“It was nice seeing students that I don’t normally see, getting to see just how, even though we work separately in the ministries, we’ve actually worked together to see students come to know Jesus,” Kholer said.

Chi Alpha is an interdenominational Christian fellowship that serves as a social club for students who want to be in community with other believers. The Arkansas State chapter was started this year, showing this event’s dedication to involving all ministries across campus.

“I hope it helps with unifying all of the ministries,” Kholer said. “That we would realize that we all have the same mission and can work together to reach the rest of the campus.”

The environment of unity throughout this event allowed students to engage in reflection and prayer. Tamiyah Brown, a senior member of BCM majoring in nursing from Jonesboro, Arkansas, said her favorite part of the event was the time set aside for prayer.

“Honestly, I love those moments to just kind of marinate in it, to not just be reacting but thinking,” Brown said.

As students filed out of the auditorium, the worship band members continued to play music, allowing students to stay as they pleased. Organizers of the event say they hope that this event’s impact on connecting student ministries continues past the end of just one worship night.

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