When Bethany Pruett stepped into her role as women’s outreach and development leader at the University of Oklahoma Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), she was following a lot of history and standing on the shoulders of some devout believers in student ministry.
Baptist student ministry, known for years as Baptist Student Unions and later changed to Baptist Collegiate Ministries, was begun by Southern Baptists in the 1920s to place someone on campuses to work with college students during the week and help them to be involved in a local church. The BSU at OU was started by Norman, First, led by “Preacher” E. F. Hallock. It was the first BSU in Oklahoma, established in 1923.
Through the years, the OU BSU (BCM) has introduced students to having fellowship with God by developing a consistent quiet time, memorizing Bible verses and sharing Christ with non-Christians. The ministry is designed to share the Gospel, help Christians grow and get a vision and skills for disciplemaking.
In line with the mission of OU’s BCM, Pruett focuses on discipling ladies and leading them to disciple others. She also helps with the BCM’s weekly freshman event and shepherds the upperclassmen who serve as leaders of freshmen.
“My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would continue drawing students at OU to Himself, and that we would be faithful to step into what He is doing,” Pruett said. “We want the students to grow in their desire to be used by God among the nations, and when they graduate and begin their careers, they would be faithful church members who see themselves as people who are ready to make disciples of all nations.”
Because the new BCM building is located near fraternity and sorority houses, Pruett has begun a Sorority Bible Study on Wednesday nights.
“It’s a time of worship and teaching aimed at helping renew minds to transform lives through God’s Word and clear gospel truth,” Pruett said. “The girls from Greek houses come together to dive into the Bible and learn how to know, love and glorify God in their everyday lives.”
Because of the generous giving of Oklahoma Baptists through the Cooperative Program, an amazing array of ministries are supported. This unified giving encourages fellowship with other believers all over the world. Collectively, Oklahoma Baptists are advancing the Gospel together.
Bethany Pruett was featured in the 2022 Missionary Prayer Guide for Oklahoma Baptists. To see more information, visit oklahomabaptists.org/cp.
