College Ministry

Paul Damery - Missouri Western State University
Paul Damery - Missouri Western State University

Paul Damery

Missouri Western State University

Campus Missionary
Mission Statement: We exist to Reach students with the Gospel, Train them to live and share the Gospel, and Send them to campus and to the ends of the earth with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a Campus Missionary: As a college freshmen, I got involved at the BCM at Illinois State University. I met my wife (Jala) while involved with the group, and our lives were impacted with a desire for making disciples among college students. In 2004 during seminary at MBTS, we began serving with the Missouri Western BSU, and upon graduation from seminary in 2005, we were called to serve full-time at the BSU, now called Christian Challenge!
What do you love about doing ministry on your campus? I love the opportunity to watch students grow in their faith and make much of Jesus on campus. There is nothing better than hearing stories from students about the opportunities they’ve had to live out the Gospel and share about Jesus with friends and classmates.
Tell us about yourself and your family: I’m blessed to be married since 2001 to my college sweetheart, Jala—truly college was a life-changing experience! We have four kids - Noah (2005), Joshua (2007), Asher (2009) and Hannah (2011). When we’re not shuttling them between soccer, basketball, and dance, you might catch us exploring the neighborhood on our bikes. If you come to our house, the chances are good that you’ll be offered a cup of home-roasted coffee and a bowl of popcorn—two staples in the Damery home!
What do you hope to see happen on your campus/within your ministry in the next few years? We’re praying for stories to tell where we have to say, “Only God could do this!” Part of this involves training students with simple Gospel tools that are easily reproducible. We’re praying for a Gospel movement beginning at Missouri Western and stretching to the ends of the earth.
What are some of the things your ministry does – ways students can connect? “Challenge Night” is our weekly large group gathering on Thursday nights. We usually have dinner or snacks beforehand at 6pm, followed by worship and Bible teaching at 7pm. Throughout the week, we encourage students to plug in to Life Groups where they can really grow in their faith and make friends who will help them live for Christ. You can often find a few of our students hanging out at a basketball court, drinking coffee on campus, or playing pick-up soccer at the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex!
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