Tear drops filled her eyes as it was ripped apart. She hates to say goodbye, but she still looks forward to a new beginning.

As Angie Shepherd saw the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) building being torn down this summer, she thought about its history and the lives that were changed there.

“At the same time, I’m really excited about this new chapter and being able to use this [new] facility to bring glory to the Lord,” said Shepherd, associate director of the BCM.

Sheperd said the old building was fifty years old and suffered a lot in its later years.

Tiles were falling out of the roof and the air conditioning and heat often broke down.

Shepherd said the roof also leaked in “several spots” and that it was hard to “find anyone who could fix it.”

“It was more cost efficient to tear the building down and build a whole new one than it was to fix the big flat roof,” said Shepherd. “That’s why we decided to create a new building for students.”

Maurtavius Evans said he made fun memories during his time at the old BCM, but now that it’s gone, he said it’s time to move forward.

“There is always a time for change and changes don’t do anything but allow us to overcome tougher changes and that allows us to grow stronger together,” said Evans, a junior nursing major.

Evans said he hopes the building will give more opportunities to spread the gospel on campus and that it will affect the surrounding community in a positive way.

But students like Evans who go to the BCM regularly will have to get used to a few changes while they wait for the building to be finished.

Shepherd said Tuesday night service will be held at College Place Baptist Church, located behind Kentucky Fried Chicken right off the campus.

“And instead of having a 12:01 Wednesday lunch, we’re going to have a 7:01 Tuesday night dinner before the worship service,” said Shepherd. “We’ll still be offering the meal for a dollar, but it will be at a different date and time.”

Sheperd said this temporary change is a great opportunity to show that campus ministry can still be effective without a  building.