The Baptist Student Union at Mississippi State University will soon have a new home. The student ministry will be moving into a new facility that will accomodate their growing size. The new building will be quite large; approximately 14,540 square feet, and it will include offices, meeting rooms, a coffee bar and a spacious auditorium, which will hold around 800 individuals. 
     June Scoggins, associate director of the BSU, said the new facility is near its completion, but the exact date is not known. Scoggins says the BSU is estimated to move during the summer months. 
She said the transition will not really be difficult, but they have been in their current building since 1961, which was expanded later in 1984. 
  Ashley Taylor, the assistant at the BSU, said the transition would take a little time since the staff knows the current building well. 
    Taylor said, “The new building will benefit the BSU by providing more space, which will help create more opportunities.”
 Taylor said those opportunities would include bigger events like concerts and conferences that formerly had to be held somewhere else. Taylor said it will provide more space, easier access and even a coffee house style, which would be welcoming. 
   Scoggins said the new building will include meeting rooms where small groups can meet for Bible studies or other activities. At least one of the meeting rooms will be able to house 25 individuals.
 Taylor also said one of the best things about the new building are the opputunities it will provide. 
   Scoggins said the building will provide diverse events, which would help build the Christian community. 
    Students involved with BSU also weighed in on their opinions of the new facilities. Brittany Donahue, a junior english education major, is the International Hour coordinator for the BSU. Donahue coordinates outreach to International students at Mississippi State. 
The program includes getting to know internationals and sharing the gospel with them.
   Donahue said, “The new building has been needed for a long time. We have not had enough to do activities.”
   Also, Donahue said activities will be easier and the ability to have more events will be a possibility. Donahue said the best part of the new facility is more individual rooms will be accessible for Bible studies and one on one conversation.
   Donahue said students should branch out and not be scared to talk to individuals who are different from them.
   Zack Killion, fifth year senior and mechanical engineering major, said the new facility was a valuable investment for the BSU. Killion said he was excited about the new building, and wished he could be here next year to participate in the new facility’s activities. Killion said the new facility will encourage more involvement because people are attracted to new things. 
    Killion said, “It would attract a lot of people and once those people see what the BSU is about they will definitely stick around.”
   Karoline Holsonback, a junior elementary education major, said the new facility was encouraging to see because it shows that Jesus’s followers are not fading away. 
   Also, Holsonback said her favorite part of the building would be its ability to house more people and the ability to grow more friendships. 
   The Baptist Student Union’s new facility will be owned by the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.  The building was made possible by funding and donations from the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, students, alumni, friends, parents and local churches. 
   The Baptist Student Union has many activities throughout the week. Priority worship night is on Tuesdays at 6:15, Noon Day on Wednesdays at noon, and International Hour on Thursdays at 5:30. If interested, feel free to call the BSU office at 662-323-5761 or visit their website, msubsu.com.