BARNESVILLE, Ga. — About 100 mission-minded students from across Georgia gathered last weekend at First Baptist Barnesville for Discovery Weekend 2025. The event is a chance for those students to narrow down where they are called to go during Send Me Now summer mission opportunities.
Beverly Skinner, the college ministry catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, was enthusiastic about the student turnout and their response. "Send Me Now is one of the most important things we do through Georgia BCM. These students will spend part or all of their summer serving in Georgia, the United States, and around the world. God will use these students to share the love of Jesus with people who need Him and in the process, their lives will also be changed. God will use this summer to call these students to even more service in the Kingdom of God throughout their lives."
Prior to the students’ arrival, campus missionaries spent some time together to kick off the new semester as a cohort. As part of their meeting, they got to hear from Mark Marshall, who leads the GBMB’s church strengthening ministry, as well as spend some time in prayer over the Send Me Now locations and the students who came.
Tommy Fountain, Jr., the campus minister at the University of Georgia, said, “This weekend I had the privilege of joining our other BCM campus ministers and campus missionaries from across Georgia to appoint this amazing group of students to serve all over the globe this summer with our statewide Send Me Now summer missions program. It’s always encouraging when we’re reminded as Georgia Baptists how we can do more and reach more together than we can separately!”
Campus missionary Emily Aldrich at Georgia Southern reminded Georgia Baptists of the need for prayer to support the student missionaries. “Pray for these amazing students,” she asked, “as they continue their semester serving and reaching our campuses, and as they prepare for this summer.
Austin Reaves, the campus minister at Georgia State University, said, “This program changed my life and it’s so exciting to be a part of helping students figure out where God is calling them to change their lives.”
“It is always a great joy and honor to be part of this weekend helping students to discern where God would have them serve for the summer,” said Eric Swenson, the campus minister at Georgia Tech “Please join me in praying for these students as they prepare to be sent out to take the gospel all over the world this summer. I cannot wait to see how God is going to use them this summer for His Kingdom and His Glory!”