Twenty Years as a Volunteer BCM Director: A Generational Impact
Generations of college students at USC Aiken and Aiken Technical College have encountered the Gospel because one woman kept showing up, voluntarily and faithfully, for over 20 years.
Gina Booth attended USC Aiken as a student, and she joined the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) group there her freshman year. “BCM meant a lot to me,” Booth said. "It was really my people.”
Several years after graduating, and feeling unsure about her career path, Booth received a call that impacted the next 20 years of her life. “The director that was at USC Aiken when I was here in college contacted me and said, ‘Hey, what do you think about being BCM Director?’” For Booth, the answer was an easy yes. “Absolutely,” she said. “Little did I know, 21 years later, I'm still here.”
When asked why she has served in this role for 21 years, the answer was simple. “This is just my way of showing other people God's love and helping them to see Him,” she said. “Hopefully I've accomplished a little bit of that.”
The Vital Role of Volunteer Directors
Chad Stillwell, SCBaptist Evangelism Team Leader, said, “It would be hard to overstate the importance of Gina’s leadership at BCM. God has used her faithfulness to make a real difference.” Booth may have the longest tenure as a volunteer BCM Director in South Carolina, but she is only one of many volunteer directors serving faithfully across the state.
South Carolina has nearly 60 colleges and universities, many in small or rural communities. "In order to reach those schools, so that every student in the state has the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ, we engage volunteer directors," Stillwell explained. That's especially true at technical and community colleges, where about a third of the state's college students are enrolled. "Volunteer directors are a critical and important role that gets us into communities across the state," he said.
The Cost of Ministry
In 2025, BCMs across the state engaged 30,323 college students. That reach doesn't happen without resources. The Janie Chapman Offering funds nearly all of what volunteer directors do to reach students on their campuses. Because while the directors give their time for free, ministry still costs money.
“Without the Janie Chapman Offering, we would be engaging tens of thousands fewer students each year with the Gospel on our campuses,” Stillwell said. “But because churches and people in those churches are faithful to give, we’re able to expand our ministry to get to new campuses, community colleges, technical colleges, historically Black colleges and universities. All these things are possible because of gifts to Janie Chapman.”
For Booth, the funds cover things like programming and mission trips for students. “College students love food, that costs money. Or mission trips or the CONVERGE conference—it costs money to get there,” she said. “It’s so important that people continue to give. It really is making an impact even when you can't see it.”
Impacting Students’ Lives
That impact is very real for several USC Aiken students. Heather Fore serves as the BCM President. “Gina has probably impacted me more than she thinks,” Fore said. “She’s been a constant presence of support since I was a freshman. If I need support, if I need prayer, I can go to Gina for pretty much anything.”
After first attending BCM in her freshman year for a few meetings, the stress of classes began to catch up with her. That’s when a fellow BCM attendee reached out. “She texted me asking where I was and asking if I was okay,” Fore said. “That’s when I knew that I wanted to continue going to BCM and to be involved.”
From that point on, Fore emphasized that attending BCM was “nonnegotiable” for her. “BCM is where I get such fulfillment and reassurance when I’m going through my week,” she said.
A mission trip to Myrtle Beach provided a tangible moment of impact in her life. “They had us talking to strangers and praying for strangers,” she said. “I’d never actively gone up and talked to a person about Jesus or asked if I could pray for them.”
Jacob Mastromonico, USC Aiken's BCM worship director, describes his experience as similarly impactful. "BCM has done a complete 180 on my life," he said. A pastor once told him why that happens: "You're never more like Jesus than when you're serving."
Stillwell has seen it proven true across the state. "No effort put forward for God," he said, "ever returns in vain." And, somewhere, on a college campus right now, a student needs someone to show up.