College and Young Adult Ministry
Ben Hankinson, Parish Intern

I am glad to announce that we have an exciting new ministry at St. John’s: College and Young Adults. We as a church are actively beginning to delve into the lives of college students and the young adults of our community. In his vision for the Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Mark Lawrence has placed a significant importance on reaching the younger generations of adults. Under Bishop Lawrence’s vision and with guidance from Daron Taylor, the coordinator of young adult ministries, we as a diocese are seeking to have a presence on every university campus within diocesan boundaries. So what are we doing here at St. John’s to contribute toward this initiative?

To achieve this goal, we as a church have begun to do our part by reaching out to the students on the Francis Marion University campus. Currently, we are forming relationships with students, organizations, and campus leadership. St. John’s has begun to partner with the Wesley Foundation, a student run organization sponsored by the Methodist Church, which is an open and welcoming environment for individuals of any denomination. We are supporting them through prayer, participation, and more recently through the contribution of soda for some of their weekly meetings. We are also in active prayer support of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) and their events and students. Finally, at least one day a week I am taking a few hours just to be on campus and be available to talk or simply have fellowship with students outside of any organizational setting.

While we are thrilled about the things that we are already doing, we are also looking forward with expectancy to other activities that are on the horizon. One such event is closer to home here at St. John’s. I am happy to announce that as of November 1, we will begin to have a weekly Sunday school class for the college and young adult age group. Our classes will begin with a look at the Nooma series as well as placing an emphasis on the relationships and fellowship that we hope to foster. Farther off, but no less exciting, is the goal of creating an official student organization at Francis Marion. This will allow us access to new venues and opportunities to reach out to more students and have a more profound presence on campus. 

I am so glad that we are able to begin this ministry here at St. John’s. As we move forward as a church in this ministry field, I ask for your prayers for what we are doing both as a parish and as a diocese. We hope to honor God and his call to us in this field. I look forward to growing in this ministry as a church and hope that you will be as energized as we are in this new direction of growth here at St. John’s.