Students Taking Mission Trip to Cleveland

Elisabeth Godfrey
April 11, 2012
Filed under Uncategorized, WLGTV

This May, South Carolina students, including 35 from Lander University,  who are involved with Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) will go on a mission trip to Cleveland, Ohio.

According to Scott Smith, campus minister, Cleveland was chosen because of a career missionary there, and they will be going with the Francis Marion BCM.

“First,there is a missionary there that was a part of the BCM at Francis Marion while a college student,” Smith said. “Second, they wanted a large number of college students and requested over 200 college students from South Carolina.”

One student, Markie Partridge, sophomore nursing major, said she is looking forward to the trip to Cleveland. Partridge said she has been involved with BCM since last year.

“In Cleveland, I am honestly looking forward to being able to help people in many different ways,” Partridge said.

Partridge said that this is her third mission trip. She said she has also been on mission trips to Chattanooga, Tenn. and ChincoteagueIsland, Va.

According to Partridge, Cleveland wasn’t always a place she had wanted to go.

“I always wanted to go up north, but when I heard about the opportunity to go to Cleveland, I looked into the subculture and became interested in taking my love for God there,” Partridge said.

“Students will pay their own way there,” Partridge said.

 “The trip willcost our students $175, and this covers food and lodging,” Smith said.

According to Smith, students from the BCMs in South Carolina will be going on four chartered buses.

Smith said studentswill volunteer in several different ways. They will remodel homes for senior adults, help at Habitat for Humanity, help launch a new church, help at a soup kitchen, and help in local schools.

“I hope that they (the students) will not only have a life changing experience in Cleveland, but I hope that they will come back and be involved in our local community,” Smith said.