Taylors College: Teach. Reach. Beach.

Our Teach, Reach, Beach retreat took place in Charleston, South Carolina, offering a weekend of expository teaching, evangelism, and a time of rest. Hosted at Fort Johnson Baptist Church under Pastor Marty Middleton, the retreat brought together students and leaders from six churches. Through breakout sessions and worship, students explored key aspects of their Christian walk and were encouraged to lean in and grow faithfully. Some of the breakout sessions included: Discerning God’s call to ministry, using your passions for His purpose, developing a personal quiet time, emotionally healthy image bearers, Christian dating vs Christ-centered dating, and others.  

Here were several highlights from the weekend: 

• Handing out a brand new study Bible to every student that attended and giving them the E3 tools to study scripture on their own.  
• A training session on evangelism led by Bronson Baker, BCM Director for The Citadel and College of Charleston. He introduced the “15-Second Testimony,” a simple technique to quickly share one’s faith. After the training, we took to the streets of the King Street area, where students and leaders applied what they learned by evangelizing and praying with people for two hours. 
• Enjoying homecooked meals together, low country boil, pulled pork and brisket prepared by our college ministry team. 
• Watching students let their guard down and build close bonds with students from other attending churches. These students took part in games, devotional time, worship, and evangelism with each other. 
• Taking our evangelism training and putting it to action. Each student was challenged to gather in small groups and evangelize in Charleston, near King Street. The returning reports were incredibly impactful as they were able to pray and share the gospel to over 150+ people in an hour and a half time limit.  
• The stories that emerged were incredible — testimonies of prayer, encouragement, and bold faith in action. Watching students grow in confidence as they shared the gospel was a powerful reminder that God equips and empowers His people to be His witnesses, wherever they go. This retreat was a defining moment for many, and we look forward to continuing this momentum in our everyday lives. 

— Alex Smith, Minister of College and Young Adults

Teach. Reach. Beach. allowed me to get to close to God. It taught me extremely important things when it comes to praying, and important tips on how to improve my time in the Word. TBR is an experience not only to further your relationship with our Creator, but also those around you! This year being my first in the college ministry, I really only knew some sophomores. TRB allowed me to branch out and make friends with all ages and get more involved in our college ministry. I had such a great time and cannot wait to go again!  — Carter Norman 

This weekend was nothing short of a blessing to be a part of! I am so thankful for the opportunity we had to be sent out alongside other young adults into a community full of lost and broken souls to speak the name of Jesus. God sure did show up, in every conversation, every prayer, and every gospel presentation. He seeks out the lost with the intention of having an intimate and personal relationship with each of them. How blessed are we to have the opportunity to be a part of that, if we are only bold enough and willing to seek them out as well! It is a joy to be in a church community that prioritizes and encourages this above all else. — Brooke Crittendon

Teach. Reach. Beach. was one of the best weekends! I was personally challenged to take on Biblical rest. Busy times make it easy to be distracted as Martha was, but through intentional rest, we can sit at the feet of Jesus such as Mary did. Walking away from this weekend I feel refreshed and joyful in my walk with the Lord. And as always we built deeper connection with one another which is such a blessing. Thankful for the Lords goodness in the lives of so many!  — Morgan Hester