BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — They came with questions. Some wanted clarity on God's calling for their lives. Some wanted to know what to do when they grew up. There were still others questioning whether seminary was a necessary step or if their calling would be fulfilled in a non-ministry vocation.
For some students, the answers were found at Antiphony, a five-day collegiate conference.
“I needed it to mean a lot, and it did,” said Mississippi College senior Jonathan Barlow.
Unlike most other students who came with school or church groups, Barlow traveled to Antiphony alone, not letting lack of company deter him from finding answers about his ministry calling. “God had called me into the ministry, and I needed to know what that meant,” he said. Through Antiphony, “God brought to focus what my future ministry might look like,” Barlow added.
The first-time conference was sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and Passport.
Many Antiphony participants came anxious because they lacked future vocational direction. Even those who had goals said they needed to be more open to God's leadership beyond their plans.
Kendall Bumgarner, a University of Oklahoma senior, said her focus on future plans had distracted her from current unmet needs around her. “Now I have this passion to be comfortable with where I am now and be willing to do whatever needs to be done right now,” she said.
Even for students already called to vocational ministry, Antiphony had something to offer. “I came in knowing I had a call to ministry, but I wasn't doing anything about it. Antiphony helped me get back on track,” said Ryan Clore, a Christopher Newport University senior.
Antiphony brought much to the conversation table, not only in worship but also through the approximately 55 religious leaders that shared their expertise during discussion groups and chat room sessions. Many students said the interaction with leaders forged new mentoring relationships while other students appreciated meeting religious leaders they had only heard about previously.
The positive feedback has encouraged members of Antiphony's steering committee to offer a similar conference in the future. “Our dream all along was that [Antiphony] would happen regularly. Our hope is to do it again,” said Amy Whipple Derrick, steering committee chair and the Fellowship's associate coordinator for Global Service Corps and student missions.