Summer missionaries find calling through BCM

By Lauren Urtel / June 1, 2007

PENSACOLA (FBC)—Katy Sharp was running. Running from God and the life she had always known.

“I came to college to get away from everything and everybody,” said Sharp. “I just wanted to start over and live carefree.”

Brett Golightly was searching for a way to serve God further and more fully.

“I felt God tugging at my heart,” said Golightly, who grew up in the Baptist faith.

Their paths led them to the Pensacola Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM).Sharp and Golightly will be among the 133 collegiate summer missionaries being sent from Florida. Funding for the summer program is undergirded by the Maguire State Mission Offering.

Sharp credits her roommate at the University of West Florida for the change in her life. It was her roommate who first invited her to the BCM. “Even though I had been in church all my life, I never really knew what it meant to be a Christian,” said Sharp. “They made Christ real for me.”

As a college freshman Sharp accepted Christ as her personal Savior. After, she began to consider missions as the next step in her walk with Christ.

“I heard a missionary explain that God wants us to be a part of his plans and passion for the nations. It was then I knew I needed to be open to going,” said Sharp.

In 2006 Sharp felt called to Turkey for a mission trip. After two weeks sharing her faith, Sharp knew missions would always be a large part of who she was. “My eyes were open to the world,” said Sharp. “Missions is God reclaiming His creation for His glory and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Sharp will be in serving in Vancouver, Canada this summer. “I don’t know what this summer will hold for me,” said Sharp. “But I know it is where God is leading me.”

Golightly grew up in Pensacola as a member of Olive Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his personal savior at age 11 and has always been an active church member. The summer before he entered Pensacola Junior College, Golightly felt called to the mission field.

The summer of 2005, Golightly traveled to Cleveland, Ohio with a team from Olive Baptist. “I fell in love with the area and I knew God’s presence was missing,” said Golightly.

While Golightly was helping lead Vacation Bible School camp in the city, he befriended a 13 year-old boy. “I spoke with him the entire week and at the end it was amazing to see what an encouragement I had been to him and to his faith,” said Golightly.

Golightly followed his Cleveland mission trip with trips to Moscow, Russia and New Orleans, La. in 2006. Now, in 2007, he feels called back to Cleveland.

Golightly will be participating in Cleveland Hope, a mission project though the North American Mission Board. The project focuses on neighborhood evangelism and church planting.

“Missions have become the central core of what I think my call is: talking with people, sharing my faith and helping them,” said Golightly.

Both Sharp and Golightly are actively involved in their BCM where 53 of the 133 2007 summer student missionaries are originating from. “We are passionate about missions,” said Tony Olesky, the area BCM director. “We are not just talking about them, we are doing them.”

“Both Katy and Brett have a heart for missions. It is a natural part of who they are,” said Olesky. “Katy has put together our prayer calendar for summer missionaries and Brett, he is very involved on his campus with our leadership team participating in intentional evangelism.”

Olesky, who is himself actively involved in international missions, believes in the changing power of the missions experience. “We pray that it will not be a one-time thing for our summer missionaries,” said Olesky. “We pray that it would be a catalyst for them to be actively working for God in their everyday lives. God is at work through these students on all of Florida’s campuses.”

These and the rest of the summer missionaries can be found on the attached insert from the Florida Baptist Witness. This insert is deigned to garner prayers for those serving in missions in the upcoming months.