By Sharon Mager, BaptistLIFE correspondent
NEWARK, Del.—Kelsey Maier thought she knew Jesus before she headed off to begin her studies in early childhood education at the University of Delaware.
“I thought I knew the Lord before going to college because of a youth retreat in high school. However, during my second year at University of Delaware I found out what living for Christ truly meant. I was invited to the ‘Passion Conference’ in 2011 by people from Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on my campus. It was then that the story of Jesus really hit me and I recognized my sinfulness and need for a savior. Afterward, I became very plugged in at BSM.”
Maier said she began regularly attending BSM events and Bible studies. “I stopped partying and doing things that I did my first year of college and surrounded myself with other believers who would push me to know the Lord and live my life for Him.
“An older girl named Megan Rabian (now Mead) discipled me. We would meet up for coffee and a discussion of the Word. She would challenge me in what I was learning and how I was applying it to my life.
“I was poured into by multiple people and soon became a leader,” Maier said. Though reluctant at first, with her peers’ encouragement, she took the step.
“It was a great decision because it prepared me to be a leader in the youth group that I’m involved in now,” Maier said. She ministers at Ogletown Baptist Church helping with Sunday morning youth group and Wednesday night Bible studies as well as social events and retreats.
In August she ministered in Germany with a youth group from Ogletown Baptist Church leading a camp for teenagers.