Stepping Stone ministry offers students fellowship, time of praise
The drab, brick Mudd Hall, with its dark auditoriums and laboratories, came alive on a rainy afternoon with live music filled with messages of love.
Every Sunday afternoon, Mudd, which during the week is packed with stressed Hopkins students working on exams and scribbling notes, transforms into a religious haven for Hopkins students attending Stepping Stone Ministry's Sunday service.
Students were greeting each other enthusiastically, asking about Halloween and school. Newcomers were quickly welcomed by the friendly staff standing outside the doors, while the worship band provided enjoyable background music.
Despite its formation only 10 years ago, the Stepping Stone Ministry has experienced tremendous growth. The Stepping Stones Ministry started with a group of only eight students who were just eager to meet more people and discover God.
"We are supposed to be a conservative Southern Baptist Convention," Hopkins alumna Kristi Dusek, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in public health and is now one of the leaders of the Stepping Stones Ministry, said. "But really, everyone is welcome. We are not an old-school church."
Despite its Baptist roots, a somewhat unique characteristic of the Stepping Stone Ministry is the variety of denominations represented in the group. Some are Baptist, while some are Presbyterian. Some are Methodist, and some are simply nondenominational.
"Stepping Stone Ministry is unique in that it reaches out to people who don't have faith. We reach out to anybody," junior Keun Hee Oh said. "It is not exclusive. It is open to anyone who is looking for a home and who wants to connect with God."
Unlike other imposing churches and cathedrals one observes throughout Baltimore, the Stepping Stone Ministry at the Homewood campus is held in a plain lecture hall. The pastor does not have an elaborate altar from which to deliver his sermons. Despite the lack of a "religious look," students' devotions create a haven of faith.
Every Sunday afternoon, Mudd, which during the week is packed with stressed Hopkins students working on exams and scribbling notes, transforms into a religious haven for Hopkins students attending Stepping Stone Ministry's Sunday service.
Students were greeting each other enthusiastically, asking about Halloween and school. Newcomers were quickly welcomed by the friendly staff standing outside the doors, while the worship band provided enjoyable background music.
Despite its formation only 10 years ago, the Stepping Stone Ministry has experienced tremendous growth. The Stepping Stones Ministry started with a group of only eight students who were just eager to meet more people and discover God.
"We are supposed to be a conservative Southern Baptist Convention," Hopkins alumna Kristi Dusek, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in public health and is now one of the leaders of the Stepping Stones Ministry, said. "But really, everyone is welcome. We are not an old-school church."
Despite its Baptist roots, a somewhat unique characteristic of the Stepping Stone Ministry is the variety of denominations represented in the group. Some are Baptist, while some are Presbyterian. Some are Methodist, and some are simply nondenominational.
"Stepping Stone Ministry is unique in that it reaches out to people who don't have faith. We reach out to anybody," junior Keun Hee Oh said. "It is not exclusive. It is open to anyone who is looking for a home and who wants to connect with God."
Unlike other imposing churches and cathedrals one observes throughout Baltimore, the Stepping Stone Ministry at the Homewood campus is held in a plain lecture hall. The pastor does not have an elaborate altar from which to deliver his sermons. Despite the lack of a "religious look," students' devotions create a haven of faith.
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