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For many reasons, I found myself immediately enjoying the ‘Campus Ministry Family’, Don Blaylock’s not inaccurate title for the collection of Campus Ministers at Kentucky’s colleges and universities. Over seventeen years, my friendships with these splendid men and women enriched my life tremendously, and several of these continue. Don called us to meet together at least twice a year, in addition to annual state BSU Conventions (as time went by Georgetown BSU sent more and more students to this Fall event, sometimes having more students than any other campus), spring Leadership Training Conferences, and, later, trips to Ridgecrest for Student Week (over the years, we ‘did’ Student Week in many ways–on the Ridgecrest campus (prohibitively expensive!); at In-the Oaks, a charming Episcopal Retreat Center in Black Mountain; and at Blue Ridge, the FCA/YMCA conference center). Students developed a slogan, “Kentucky, First in Fellowship!!”–and it was true! ‘Ridgecrest’ provided a fruitful time for Kentucky students and campus ministers to get to know one another in a scenic, relaxed setting.
There were several ways I ‘tweaked’ the program during my years as Campus Minister. (1) Thrice-weekly ‘Vesper Services’ evolved into once-a-week ‘Campus Praise,’ usually on Tuesday evening or Thursday evening, for many years meeting in the open loung in the Great Hall of the Cralle Student Center, later enclosed as the Hall of Fame Room. When weather allowed, we met outside on the steps of Giddings Hall or Hill Chapel. A succession of gifted students served as Worship Leaders, who always needed to recruit hard-working folks to help with the necessary sound system; (2) In the mid 80s we replaced the annual ‘BSU Welcome Party’ with the weekend ‘New Student Retreat’, a wonderful way for new students to learn about the programs and activities of Campus Ministries. Over the years this event was held at Camp Pine Crest near Irvine, Cedarmore Baptist Assembly near Bagdad, and a small Presbyterian camp near Louisville with unheated cabins, where about sixty students nearly froze to death in September of 1992! Bullittsburg Baptist Assembly in Northern Kentucky proved to be the most satisfactory and least expensive site option. ‘Genesis,’ a Monday evening Bible Study for new students, grew out of the New Student Retreat and provided a quick and easy place for freshmen to ‘belong.’ (3) During the late 1980s, a plethora of musical talent allowed for the formation of 'Image', a second contemporary Christian music ensemble. Larry Martin, a gifted music leader, initiated the formation of this group. (4) The Christian Emphasis Week model gradually evolved into ‘Renewal,’ an annual spring event which brought to the campus speakers, musicians, and drama folks, such as Dr. Bob Baker, Dr, Steve Hadden, Rev. Benjamin Baker, Dr. Allen Walworth, Paul and Nicole Johnson, Tony Campolo, Felix Haynes and Greg Cagle, Dr. Howard Roberts, Dr. Bill Marshall, and ‘Skip’ Fendley. (5) “Christmas at Doc’s” became an annual tradition, first at 151 Rucker Avenue, then at 321 East Main Street.(5) With the increase in numbers of summer missionaries, it became necessary to raise more money for the Kentucky BSU Summer Missions Fund. Over the years we used a variety of money raising strategies, including: lots of youth revival teams and musical ensembles visiting churches (I recall one autumn when ‘Image’ travelled to first Baptist, Pikeville, and returned with a $900 check for sumeer missions!); date auctions; penny wars; BSU Missions ‘Blitz’ (students saturating the campus boldly asking folks to contribute; working concessions at football games; and others I have surely forgotten. Our most dramatic money raising effort was an annual (ca. 1986-1996) journey each May (during final exams) to the infield of the Kentucky Derby to sell concessions and earn a ‘cut’ of the profits of the concessionaire. This effort was led by Tom Smoot and Angela Perkins with their University of Louisville connections. Over the years our students showed an amazing amount of grit and resilience, often working long hours (we usually left Georgetown about 4 a.m.) in cramped conditions, sometimes very cold, sometimes very hot. Tony Shouse, during his years at Georgetown was indispensable as the official ‘hot dog and smokey cooker’, a job requiring his great strength. The experience was always educational, and the students were unfailingly kind and cooperative. Some years we made lots of money, some years very little. (6) When I arrived at Georgetown, I found that a student named Beth Stricker (now Mrs. Ken Perkins), some years earlier, had worked to raise money to purchase a van for use by BSU. With the help of Frank Snyder of the business office, we were able to purchase a ‘KY Blue’ van from Jenkins Chevrolet in Tennessee, the first of a noble succession of ‘BSU Vans’ which transported MANNA, IMAGE, Revival Teams, the Georgetown College Summer Ministries Team, FCA groups, spring break mission teams, and hosts of other groups all over Kentucky and even the United States on an amazing variety of adventures. BSU/Campus Ministries simply could not have been done without these college-provided vans.
The Campus Minister’s position in those days also included leadership of the ‘worship’ events of what was then called the Cocurricular Enrichment Program (CEP). Dr. Joe Lewis arranged the non-worship events, while I organized six or seven worship events (we did not use the word 'chapel') each semester. Since students were required to earn twelve ‘co-curs’ each semester, attendance was nearly always good, but students were nearly always ‘restless’, to say the least. For many years the Thomas F. Staley foundation provided funds to bring an outstanding Christian speaker to the campus each year. I remember especially Dr. Stan Hastey, Dr. Fr. Clyde Crews, Dr. Wade Rowatt, Tony Campolo, and Esther Burroughs.
A major enhancement of Campus Ministry came with the arrival of Dr. Bill Crouch as President in 1991. Soon after he became President, Dr. Crouch initiated a series of moves which brought the Student Life Office to the top floor of the Cralle Student Center (where Campus Ministry was located) and moved Campus Ministries to the basement of John L. Hill Chapel. For the first time we had a lounge area where students could hang out with friends, study, or watch TV or videos. I tried to recruit as office workers students who had the gift of 'hospitality'--making their fellow students welcome--as well as being effective 'gofers.'