November 7, 2025
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — What some might call an “invasion,” Lakeside Baptist Church Pastor Tim Oliver sees as a blessing. Every Monday, Oliver and his wife, Peggy, open their home to students from nearby Georgia College and State University, offering a meal and a Bible study.
The first week of the fall 2025 semester, a record 116 students filled the Olivers’ home. That number was topped on Monday, Aug. 25, as 118 young people crammed into every part of the house and yard.
From folding tables in the living room to blankets spread across the backyard, the gathering known as Journey has become a vibrant ministry of Lakeside Baptist Church. “I just want to impact these students for Christ,” Oliver said, “that the passion they already have for Christ would burn brighter, and that those who don’t yet know Christ would come to know him.”
Oliver says the vision for Journey grew out of the couple’s long-standing desire to do ministry together. “From the beginning, our whole ministry has been family-oriented, and the whole family has been involved,” he explained. “It is something we talked about since the earliest days of dating life. The name Journey came from the idea that in this life, we’re just journeying through, and we are journeying together.”
Oliver recalls that in 2010, some of the students attending the church asked if Lakeside would consider starting a college ministry. The group began with a handful of students and grew steadily to about 30. Today, the numbers have multiplied far beyond their early expectations. “The Lord is stirring up a generation,” Oliver emphasized. “They are so hungry for the Lord.”
Peggy admits she was nervous at first. “I have to admit, my heart was for preschoolers. College students scared me,” she said with a laugh. “God has grown my heart and allowed me to mentor college girls. It felt really good to have the students back at the start of this year. They may think they’ve been home, but now they are back where they belong.”
Tim credits his wife’s influence and support. “She has such a tender heart. In so many ways, especially for the young ladies, she has become a second mom and a mentor,” he said. “It’s a great blessing to have a wife who not only tolerates but fully invests in the ministry.”
Each Monday has a familiar rhythm as students arrive early to help with food prep, prayer and dinner follow around 7 p.m., and then tables are cleared for a verse-by-verse Bible study. This year, the group is walking through Galatians.
Students are asked three simple but profound questions: What does the Bible say? What stands out to you? What challenges you about what you read?
The hunger for discipleship is evident. Four young men recently asked Oliver for a weekly meeting. The only time Oliver had available was at 7 a.m., and the young men agreed to meet and study the Bible together. “Who ever heard of college students volunteering to do anything at 7 a.m. that they weren’t forced to?” Oliver quipped.
The ministry nearly ended in 2020, when social unrest led students to “question everything,” Oliver recalled. “We had just one student who was faithful.” Brokenhearted, Oliver asked God if the work was finished. Soon after, David Kirkland (Baptist Collegiate Ministries director at GCSU) invited local churches to prayer walk the campus. Students who heard about Journey began to come. Within two weeks, the group grew from one to more than 30. “When we least expect it, He honors our faithfulness and obedience,” Oliver said.
Kirkland said the Olivers’ faithfulness has been transformative. “Tim has an incredible love for college students,” he said. “Tim and Peggy not only invest in students through intentional discipleship, but they also sacrificially care for them as if they were their own children. Their partnership has been a tremendous blessing—not only to me personally, but to the ministry of BCM as a whole.”
Oliver emphasizes that the ministry is a team effort—between the Olivers, Lakeside members, and the BCM. The first week of the semester, Lakeside grilled 400 burgers and hot dogs for the BCM’s kickoff cookout. On Saturday, the church hosted a freshman breakfast and Color Wars.
“We have a seamless partnership with David and the BCM,” Oliver explained. “Our church funds the ministry, and our members fully support what we do. We couldn’t do it effectively without their support.”
Oliver hopes to encourage churches in college towns, especially those that may not have a BCM available, to minister to students. “My vision is for every campus to have a ministry for students by a local church. And I hope that every community with a college campus will have a church that captures that vision as well.”
Beverly Skinner, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board's collegiate catalyst, said Oliver’s leadership has blessed the entire BCM network. “In addition to his faithful investment in Georgia College students, Pastor Tim has been a friend to all of Georgia BCM,” she said. “At a recent BCM retreat, he spoke on leadership from Nehemiah, encouraging our staff and volunteers with wisdom from his years of ministry. He truly understands the critical role campus ministers play in students’ long-term spiritual development.”
For pastors seeking to start a similar ministry, Oliver has straightforward advice: “Feed them, and they will come. Love them, and they will stay. Introduce them to Jesus, and you’ll be with them forever.”
Tim and Peggy Oliver see the Monday night “invasion” as nothing less than a gift. As Tim often reminds the students who crowd into their home, “Remember, Jesus loves you, and we do too!”
Share with others
