Students Chalk Entire Gospel of John All Over Western Kentucky U: ‘I Want Them to See Christ’

Christian students at Western Kentucky University have found a unique way to reach their fellow students on campus with the Gospel message.

Nearly 70 students from Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM), Cru, and Hilltoppers for Christ (HFC) spent last Monday night into Tuesday morning chalking all 879 verses of the Gospel of John.

It took about two hours to illustrate and write all 21 chapters within a two mile stretch. After it was done, the volunteers prayed for WKU’s students and faculty at Centennial Mall.

“People look for answers in a lot of different things, and I think it’s really good to have answers right in front of them,” said BCM Vice President Luke Alford. 

Alford, a senior mechanical engineering major at the school, told Kentucky Times the idea came from an BCM alumni who had seen a similar idea on social media. 

The idea was submitted to WKU Student Activities and then approved. 

Students woke up the next morning and could not ignore the message illustrated across their campus. 

“It’s my goal for the year, to get more connected with God,” said freshman Ryan Cantabeni. “It’s really nice to have some kind of sign showing me (to) keep doing this.”

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For others, the scriptures may not hold a significant meaning just yet, but it has caught their attention. 

Junior Jenna Kittrell describes herself as non-religious and told the Kentucky Times that, “A lot of people probably don’t appreciate it enough, but I think it’s pretty, and it adds colors to the campus.”

BCM has faced some criticism for spending their time chalking the campus. One student anonymously posted a message on the Yik Yak app writing, “You could have spent those hours at a soup kitchen or volunteering…Being an actual servant of the lord. Not just writing with chalk that’s gonna be washed away by Friday’s thunderstorm.”

But for most, the campus ministries’ artwork is inspiring. 

Christa Frost shared the group’s photos on Facebook and told CBN News, “I pray this sparks a revival among our college campuses and Jesus will be made known!”
 

As CBN News reported, a supernatural Christian revival has been stirring up once again on numerous American college campuses.

Last month, UniteUS – an evangelistic movement marked by salvations, water baptisms, and worship – kicked off their first outreach of the year at the University of Kentucky which is just 30 minutes from Asbury University where the first sparks of a new spiritual awakening were seen among American students in February of 2023.

This time, more than 8,000 students packed Rupp Arena to worship Jesus and to hear a powerful message on the Gospel and more than 2,000 students responded to the gospel message of Jesus Christ and many took part in spontaneous baptisms. 

“It’s hard to believe. This keeps happening. It is insane,” said UniteUS speaker and founder of IF:Gathering Jennie Allen.

UniteUS was birthed out of a desire to “lift the name of Jesus.”

It all began at Auburn University’s Neville Arena in September 2023 where 5,000 students showed up to worship Jesus and 200 were spontaneously baptized in a nearby lake. And now, the organization hosts massive worship events making waves on college campuses across the country. Collectively, those events have brought in more than 70,000 college students.

Alford says he wants to point students at his university, WKU, to Jesus and also help them find a church.

“The church body is so important,” Alford said. “You have people from all different stages of life and walks of life united by one cause.”

Elijah Vaughn, BCM’s serve team coordinator, told the Kentucky Times, “I want [the WKU community] to see Christ in all that we do.”