Concerns have been raised on whether the Focus on the Gulf trip, sponsored by the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, is for everyone, not just for Southern Baptists.

Focus on the Gulf is a relief effort in the southern Mississippi region, in which the Tennessee Baptist Convention has provided for the BCMs across the state to aid those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry, or BCM, is a student-led organization sponsored by the local Baptist churches in the Martin area. Some students have questioned the requirements each participant had to fulfill. Students had to:

• Fill out an application. • Sign a code of conduct. • Pay a fee of $100. • Find five prayer partners. • Go through training to be certified in Disaster Relief.

The controversy begins with the following two issues: the search for five prayer partners and the training each participant had to complete. Some people found it peculiar that the prayer partners had to be a requirement for helping in disaster relief. Also, when attending a training session in Jackson, some students found out they had to be Southern Baptist in order to receive the training.

“In regards to the prayer partner issue, I don’t know why anyone would feel a Christian organization that plans a mission project should not be allowed to include prayer as a part of the activity,” said Morgan Owen, BCM director.

Owen added that the job of a prayer partner is to pray for a specific person while that person is on a mission trip or involved with an activity away from home.

“Since this is the first time our students have participated in disaster relief, I was unaware of church membership requirements,” Owen said. “Our main goal was to properly train those who are attending the trip.”

Owen explained that Tennessee Baptists financially support the Disaster Relief Ministry, and they expect participants to be members of a Southern Baptist church. He also said that this information was not known until after the students made the trip to Jackson.

Focus on the Gulf’s Web site says that the trip is “intended for everyone on campus.” The site does not say membership in the Southern Baptist Church is a requirement.

Since this roadblock came up, Owen said that he designed a training session to educate the students, regardless of denomination, on how to deal with those who have gone through such a crisis as Hurricane Katrina.

Dustin Lambert, BCM president, said, “The BCM here at UTM designed this project to be open to all students on campus no matter what their religious background.”

Despite the controversy, the BCM said everyone from UTM would be able to attend if they meet basic requirements.

“Bottom line, we want to assist students who feel the desire to help aid those who have been affected by the recent hurricane,” Owen said.