Nancy Lovelace, far right, from Bible Union Baptist Church, Martin, gives directions to a group of BCM students who were serving as part of the new “late-night pancakes” moinistry at this year’s BeachReach.
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — From various regions of the U.S., God assembled individuals, like John Hjelm, to join forces with churches and mission organizations to help make Beach Reach 2024 another successful ministry opportunity for college students to reach spring breakers in Panama City Beach, Fla.
Hjelm, a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, Hannibal, Mo., was the Week 2 leader for “late-night pancakes” — a new ministry that was introduced as part of this year’s Beach Reach.
“Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday night, we had a rush of spring breakers come for pancakes. It was tremendous that not only did we have many conversations going on at the tables, but also our serving team was having conversations with those who could not find a seat,” said Hjelm.
Nearly 50 church-based and campus-based (BCM) college ministries partnered with the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board and churches to facilitate outreach in PCB. The objective was to equip Christian college students with opportunities to have gospel conversations among the thousands of spring breakers in the area.
Hjelm expressed that Beach Reach was “a very enjoyable time working with the students and seeing them have great conversations with those who came to eat pancakes.”
During Week 3, a team from Bible Union Baptist Church, in Martin, cooked pancakes for the late-night ministry. Keith Sumner, pastor at Bible Union, has been connected to the work of the BCM over the years. “I am so thankful for our relationship with the UT Martin BCM. I have seen the impact of the BCM in my family and in families that I minister to. It is an eternal impact.”
Each night, Sumner would have his team begin the prep work for pancakes. When Beach Reach students arrived, he directed the setup of tables, chairs, a serving line and a drink station. Sumner then gathered the students together to provide encouragement, give assignments and pray for God’s blessing for the night’s ministry.
One of Sumner’s church members commented “my faith is renewed in this next generation for the kingdom of God!” The connection between the Bible Union team and Beach Reachers who worked each night was an amazing sight to see. Sumner added “Is Beach Reach worth it and would we go back? Yes, yes, yes!”
Students on spring break eat pancakes that were provided by the BCM as part of the new “free pancake ministry” at this year’s Beach Reach.
Rusty Mabry came to Beach Reach with a team from Temple Baptist Church in Ruston, La., to give leadership to Week 1 late night pancakes. “As an older adult, it is amazing to see college students engage in sharing their relationship with Christ and explaining how, during a short ride in a shuttle, or during a simple meal, your life can be changed for eternity.”
Mabry’s cooking team set the tone for the pancake ministry that lasted all three weeks of Beach Reach. “The pancake event provided a simple, no pressure atmosphere for deeper conversations with students who had questions and a desire to know more. It also sharpened the ‘sharing skills’ of the students involved in Beach Reach … (It was) a win all around,” added Mabry.
The Church at the Beach in Panama City Beach was a crucial partner with this year’s Beach Reach. They hosted late night pancakes at their church all three weeks and even provided dinner multiple times for all the groups. “Beach Reach was an ideal way for our church to serve our community, young adults from other areas, and Southern Baptists as a whole,” said Jay Powell, senior pastor at The Church at the Beach. He added, “It was a no-brainer for us to partner up. Morgan Owen (Beach Reach 2024 Point Person), his fellow BCM directors, and all the students were amazing and made the entire time a real joy.”
In recent years, Beach Reach has had a crucial partnership with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board. “Our next gen team at NAMB is thrilled to partner with Beach Reach because it is an incredible opportunity for students to get hands-on experience in evangelism and see God move in powerful ways,” stated Paul Worcester, national collegiate director for NAMB.
Sarah Farley-Beall, senior NextGen Strategist at the International Mission Board, said, “Beach Reach is an incredible opportunity to prepare students to serve overseas. Students experience prayer-walking, intercessory prayer, street teams, compassion ministry, peer-to-peer evangelism, and cultural contextualization in a week!”
Farley-Beall coordinated a staff from the IMB to provide oversight in the prayer room all three weeks. From prayer stations to prayer resources, the IMB was a valuable contributor to effective ministry this year. “When students participate in Beach Reach, it gives them the confidence and excitement to not only go back to their campus and share their faith with students but also to go overseas and share with students around the world,” stated Farley-Beall.
Generations came together to have a Kingdom impact in the lives of thousands of spring breakers this year. BCM leaders said they belive that the new and continuing partnerships have set the stage for greater momentum in reaching young adults for His Kingdom in the years to come. B&R
