“We have seen 10 more baptisms. There is nothing better than seeing people give their lives to Christ.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Online ministry was a challenge for everyone, especially those reaching young adults. One Campus Ministry (and that’s actually the ministry’s name) found a way to make it work with Ottawa’s university students. Reaching out through Zoom, Instagram, and hashtags, they baptized 16 people in the last two years.

“Inviting people has been difficult, but we have been asking God to open doors,” says Shabach Kerr, one of the group’s leaders. “We do a lot of sharing through Instagram and sending out invites. Students sometimes just follow us randomly, even through hashtags or people sharing testimonies.”

One open door the ministry found was among international students. With restrictions, international students often struggled to find community, so the ministry found ways to connect with them and build bridges.

“People who have been impacted have shared testimonies [through social media]. So people from different parts of the campus see what is going on and they start attending because of our Instagram.”

“After that night my curiosity heightened and I wanted to learn more.” Photo courtesy of One Campus Ministry.

The ministry started with Kerr and two friends who did outreach together in high school. After graduation, they split up between Carleton, Ottawa U, and Algonquin College. Yet, with help from Stittsville United Pentecostal Church they continued their evangelism, starting outreaches at each campus.

“Before COVID, things were going well. We had people coming out from all different backgrounds: Christians, atheists, Muslims. It was a Bible study, but with more preaching and interaction. We had people sharing their testimonies and talking about the power of God.”

In March 2020, they brought all the groups together for a big event. Six people came to faith and were baptized, including one from a Buddhist background and another former Muslim. The next day, the restrictions were put in place, but the group launched an online outreach group and several discipleship groups throughout the week.

“From then until now, we have seen 10 more baptisms, with people giving their lives to Christ. There is nothing better than seeing people give their lives to Christ and experience the glory of God.”

“My life has changed completely and I know this is just the beginning.” Photo courtesy of One Campus Ministry.

Shaun Noye is one of the students baptized in the past two years.

“I was in a low moment in my life and as a last resort I decided to give God a try,” he says. “I grew up religious, but I started to fall away from it as I grew older. By attending [One Campus] I have been able to grow in my faith and be among people who are trying to grow and help each other.”

Noye says the Christian life is not easy or free of troubles, but he now knows God can help him through them.

“My life has changed completely and I know this is just the beginning.”

Another of the people baptized is Salee Na. She was not interested in hearing about Jesus, but a friend encouraged her to join a Zoom call. During that call, her friend’s mom was filled with the Holy Spirit.

“I grew up in a Christian home, but never knew what having a relationship with God was. After that night my curiosity heightened and I wanted to learn more.”

“We are planning a campus blitz to go back on campus in person and share the love of God.” Photo courtesy of One Campus Ministry.

While attending One Campus Bible studies, Na started feeling more peace in life. She also learned the meaning of baptism. One evening, the group invited people to receive prayer for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Na says she is normally far too timid to raise her hand for something like that, but that night she felt bold.

“I wasn’t filled that night, but instead of feeling discouraged I felt even more encouraged. I told my friends boldly and confidently that I was going to receive it that week. That same week I was filled with the Holy Ghost. Because I received the baptism of the Spirit, I felt the Lord telling me it’s time to get baptized in water. It felt like the last step that I needed to take to completely give my life to Christ.”

Na says turning to Christ brought her life so much peace. She went “from having anxiety, panic attacks and being depressed, but having to hide all of those feelings, to now being able to truly be joyful and not having to fake smiles.”

Through life’s challenges, Na has learned to appreciate the ways God is moving in her life.

“There is so much I want to share about what God has changed in my life, but there are no words to properly express it.”

With campuses starting to open again, Kerr and the One Campus team are excited to be able to reach out in person.

“We are excited for what God has in store. This is just the beginning. We are planning a campus blitz to go back on campus in person and share the love of God.”