A group of Georgia Baptist college students helped set registration records at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting last week while getting a firsthand look at the scope and diversity of Southern Baptist mission work.<\/p>\n
The nine students, accompanied by Valdosta State\u00a0Baptist Collegiate Ministries<\/a>\u00a0Director David Williams and his family, served in Orlando as part of a\u00a0Send Me Now<\/a> missions trip, assisting with registration for messengers attending the annual meeting.<\/p>\n According to SBC Registration Secretary Don Currence, the previous annual meeting record for the most registrations in one hour was 1,297. This year\u2019s team surpassed that mark three times during the busiest registration periods, recording hourly totals of 1,323, 1,400, and 1,438.<\/p>\n Seeing the work up close<\/p>\n Williams said the experience gave students more than an opportunity to serve behind the scenes. It also allowed them to see the work of Southern Baptists up close.<\/p>\n \u201cIt cannot be overstated how impactful it is for college students to serve at the Southern Baptist Convention,\u201d he said. \u201cCollege students get to see just how far-reaching the Kingdom work of the SBC is, as well as how diverse Southern Baptists truly are.\u201d<\/p>\n This was the Williams family\u2019s second time leading the trip, and he said that both times, students came away with a deeper appreciation for the Convention and the local church.<\/p>\n The BCM Send Me Now team included Kai Freeman, Alessio Williams, Gabe Davis, Riley Girard, Will Hasty, Callie Whigham, Chelsea Brewester, Amelia Dobbs, and Carolyn Bearden. David and Jennifer Williams served alongside their sons, Davis and Daniel.<\/p>\n For many of the students, serving at registration gave them a front-row seat to the breadth of Southern Baptist life.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed meeting the many people across the nation, different ethnicities, cultures, and languages,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cAlso, the fact that they all were there for one purpose, and that\u2019s Kingdom business.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Unseen service still matters\u2019<\/p>\n Whigham saw the registration work as a reminder that unseen service still matters.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was encouraging to see thousands of people come together with a common mission of sharing the gospel,\u201d she said. \u201cServing behind the scenes through registration reminded me that every role, no matter how small, contributes to God\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n