Ministers and college students alike were encouraged to take advantage of every opportunity they are granted during a memorable and passionate sermon delivered by Howard-John Wesley, senior pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., during GSU’s first Ministers Conference held March 25-27 in the School of Nursing Auditorium.

“Everybody knows somebody who has failed to become all that they could be, because they were not ready when the day of opportunity knocked on their door. Grambling is not just a piece of paper to put on the wall, but rather a key to open a door that will be presented before you at some time in your life journey. When that opportunity knocks, when that moment calls, when that possibility presents itself, there is the expectation that everything God has planted within you will be used to launch you into something great,” Pastor Wesley said.

Skyy Robinson, a sophomore mass communication major who attended the conference, was glad for the motivation of Pastor Wesley’s sermon. “College students need the encouragement and the motivation to keep their spirits up when they are going through a hard time. Like he was saying in his lesson, during this time a lot of students are stressed over midterms and start losing faith in themselves, so the encouragement is always good,” she said.

Edwin Scott, pastor of Hollywood Baptist Church in Shreveport, recalls having a bit of a rebellious streak while he attended Grambling from 1973 to 1977 and understands just how important it is for college students to keep a hold of their faith during this time of personal transition.

“When I was in college, I was a devil. I acted like it, but I had just enough Jesus in me to make sure that I didn’t get too far off track,” Scott said. “That college age is really trying to define who you are, and you are always transitioning from one thing to another. If you are not careful at that age, they (college students) tend to leave church out of that transition.”