Chris Mills said he feels like he says this every year, but every year he’s more excited about the group of students who are scattered across the nation and world as summer missionaries.

“We just seem to get a better and better group of students serving, so I’m excited about the stories we’ll hear from what they’ll get to see and do,” said Mills, student missions mobilizer for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

During REACH weekend in April at WorldSong Missions Place, 106 Alabama college students were commissioned at First Baptist Church Pell City to go to South America, the Middle East “and everything in between,” Mills said.

“A number of them will be in Paris for outreach events leading up to the Olympics,” he said. “Some are headed to Indianapolis to be involved with Crossover before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, and some are going to Alaska to be involved with churches and ministries Alabama Baptists are partnering with up there.”

‘Compelled’

The theme for REACH weekend was Compelled, drawn from 2 Corinthians 5.

“We challenged students to see that it’s not just a calling that we have but that it’s God’s love for us that compels us to be part of what He’s doing across the globe,” Mills said.

Ben Edfeldt, director of the SBOM office of collegiate and student ministries, said sending out students “is a culmination of years of discipleship between families, churches and Baptist Campus Ministries.”

“It results in developing a biblical worldview in the students that will benefit the global church,” Edfeldt said. “It’s what Alabama Baptist churches prioritize and our office is honored to lead in. REACH weekend is a picture of one of the most important callings God has placed on Alabama Baptist churches and their BCMs.”

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.