Christian outreach at William Jewell College expanded this semester with the establishment of a new bible study club: WJC Bible Study. First-year civil engineering majors Grant Stubbs and Jordan Jermain founded this club a couple of weeks into the spring 2021 semester.
“Jordan and I wanted to start this club to give the students a form of Christian outreach on campus. We want to give other students an opportunity to hear the word of God, as well as giving us a chance to grow in our faith,” Stubbs said.
To spread the word about the club, Stubbs and Jermain made an Instagram account to publicize meeting dates and share words of spiritual inspiration. The account currently has over 150 followers.
Though Stubbs was initially skeptical about how much interest there would be among students, he stated that an average of about 20 people attend the club’s weekly meetings. At its peak, around 30 students attended – an impressive turnout for a Jewell student organization.
“During a typical meeting, we watch a video to start off,” Stubbs said. “After that we read a short passage and go over some discussion questions with the group. Sometimes we go over 2 or 3 passages. Meetings usually run for about 45 [minutes].”
Stubbs and Jermain also often bring snacks to help incentivize attendance.
In some of their previous meetings, the club has focused on studying particular books – Ecclesiastes, for example, at their March 8 meeting – or on broader Christian concepts like the concept of peace and what it means to Christians at their March 1 meeting.
“The discussions are structured around questions asked about the passage. They serve as an open floor for anyone to share thoughts or questions about the passage or video,” Stubbs said.
Jewell has a few other spiritual organizations, the most notable of which being Christian Service Ministries (CSM), a non-denominational Christian worship group that provides resources and activities to help members of the campus community grow in their faith. However, Stubbs notes that WJC Bible Study provides a function distinct from CSM because it centers specifically on scriptural studies while CSM engages in a number of faith-building endeavors, including service activities and worship events.
“Our club does not have the typical structure of worship, then a sermon. Our club is more discussion based and focused on exploring Jesus’ teachings as a group,” Stubbs said. “We would love to give people opportunities to give sermons and worship together. Hopefully that is in our future.”
Stubbs reiterated that WJC Bible Study’s mission centers around outreach and that the ultimate goal of the club is to bring Christians in the campus community together.
“The goal of this club is to reach as many people as possible at this school and help them learn about God. It is also to create fellowship and bring fellow believers together,” Stubbs said.
If you are interested in WJC Bible Study, meetings are held in Mathes Hall every Monday at 7 p.m. To get updates about meetings and to receive pieces of spiritual inspiration, follow WJC Bible Study’s Instagram, @wjcbiblestudy.
