Southern Baptist Students Gather at University of Mobile for MFuge Summer Missions Experience

MOBILE, Ala. – Nearly 2,500 students from Southern Baptist churches across the South will come to the University of Mobile this summer for MFuge Camps, a missions-focused experience that combines community service, spiritual growth and Gospel-centered discipleship.

Hosted by Lifeway Christian Resources, a ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention, MFuge will bring approximately 2,475 campers representing 96 churches to the University of Mobile over six weeks. Students from states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas will serve the Mobile community while participating in worship, Bible study and ministry experiences designed to strengthen their faith.

The University of Mobile, a Christ-centered university affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention, has hosted FUGE Camps since 1981 and has served as one of the longest-running MFuge locations in the nation since the missions-focused camp model launched in 1996.

For many students, the weeklong camp will be more than a summer event. Through hands-on ministry and intentional discipleship, campers will have opportunities to discover God’s calling, deepen their relationship with Christ and learn what it means to live on mission.

“Each summer, the University of Mobile is honored to welcome students from Southern Baptist churches across our region who come ready to serve, grow and be challenged in their faith,” said University of Mobile President Charles Smith. “MFuge reflects our shared commitment to making disciples and developing Kingdom leaders. We are grateful for this longstanding partnership and the opportunity to see lives transformed through the Gospel as students serve the Mobile community and beyond.”

Last summer, the University of Mobile site hosted 2,451 campers from 102 churches, and 114 students made professions of faith in Christ, while 14 sensed a call to vocational ministry. Campers also served at 41 ministry sites throughout the Mobile area, contributing 1,428 hours of ministry and helping raise $16,922 through the camp’s missions offering.

The impact extended far beyond Mobile. Across all FUGE Camps locations last summer, 52,342 campers from 2,016 churches participated in missions experiences that resulted in 1,954 salvations and 479 calls to ministry. Campers gave more than $445,000 through missions offerings and served at 381 ministry sites, contributing more than 10,700 hours of ministry in communities across the nation.

A Legacy of Ministry and Missions

The University of Mobile has welcomed generations of students through its partnership with FUGE Camps, creating opportunities for young people to grow in their faith while serving others.

MFuge Camps are designed to help students move beyond learning about missions to actively living out their faith through service. Campers spend their days serving in local communities and their evenings gathering for worship, Bible study and fellowship.

The experience challenges students to see missions not as a one-week event, but as a lifestyle of following Christ and serving others.

Serving the Mobile Community

A hallmark of MFuge is its emphasis on hands-on ministry. Throughout the summer, campers will spread across the Mobile area to partner with local ministries and organizations serving people with a wide range of needs.

Students may serve through construction, painting and yard work projects; children’s ministry; recreation outreach; and social ministries that include food assistance programs, clothing distribution centers, nursing homes and other community organizations.

The goal is to meet practical needs while building relationships and creating opportunities to share the love of Christ.

“MFuge hopes to connect with local ministry partners to shine the light of Christ throughout the Mobile community while meeting physical needs and creating opportunities for individuals to experience Christ personally,” said Melina Baird, FUGE Camps coordinator for Lifeway Christian Resources. She said the University of Mobile’s commitment to serving the community helps make the Mobile location a favorite destination for many churches.

“FUGE Camps is grateful for the partnership with the University of Mobile,” Baird said. “Mobile’s dedication to serving through active presence in the surrounding communities provides incredible ministry partnerships. It is a camp location that sees churches return summer after summer with a desire to continue the ministry relationships that are fostered as churches engage with ministry partners during their week of FUGE Camps.”

Baird said those long-term partnerships benefit both campers and the community, creating ministry opportunities that extend well beyond a single week of camp.

UM Student Serves Through MFuge

University of Mobile student Jackson Anders is spending his summer as an MFuge staffer. A junior from Cumming, Georgia, majoring in Christian Studies, Anders has sensed the Lord’s call to serve in youth ministry. After graduation, he plans to attend seminary.

“I see UM helping me pursue my calling not only through my major in Christian Studies, but also through the connections you can make. One reason I love UM is because of all the friends that I’ve made and the community that I have here at school,” he said.

As an administration assistant at MFuge, Anders handles many of the behind-the-scenes details that make the camp run.

“I got involved with MFuge because I attended camp with my church at a young age,” he said. “This summer, I hope our students see the true love of the Lord and understand that it’s ok to be hyped for the Lord. I want them to use what they learn and take it into the real world when they go back home.”

Anders’ experience reflects the impact MFuge has had on countless college students who first encountered the ministry as campers and later returned to serve on staff.

Spiritual Growth That Lasts

For many students, the most significant moments of MFuge happen not through the projects they complete, but through the ways God works in their hearts throughout the week.

Whether through a profession of faith, a call to ministry or a renewed commitment to follow Christ, students often leave camp with a deeper understanding of God’s purpose for their lives.

As thousands of students arrive on campus this summer, leaders are praying for another season of spiritual growth, transformed lives and Gospel impact.

“One of the greatest joys of hosting MFuge is seeing students discover that God can use them right now to make a difference,” President Smith said. “Our prayer is that they leave Mobile with a deeper love for Christ, a greater heart for serving others and a renewed commitment to live for His Kingdom wherever He calls them.”

For the University of Mobile, the partnership continues to reflect its mission of multiplying Kingdom leaders for the glory of God and the good of the world — one student, one church and one transformed life at a time.

About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered university pursuing excellence “For the Kingdom. To the World.” With a vision to multiply Kingdom leaders for the glory of God and the good of the world, the university equips students through Christ-centered learning and community to pursue God’s calling with courage, purpose and Kingdom impact.

The university was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, UM offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Learn more at umobile.edu/um-info and connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

Kathy Dean

Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the University of Mobile unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.