August 2026

From June to July, David Schwingle, BJU’s Artistic Director and theatre faculty member in the Division of Communication, co-led a team of 10 BJU and two BJA students to Great Britain. April, his wife and co-leader, is a faculty member in the Division of Art and Design. The team included students from a variety of majors, and the only requirement was a willingness to step outside their comfort zone to speak in front of others. David noted that throughout the history of the team, there has always been at least one member who feared public speaking. It was important to him that students understand that being willing and equipped to share the gospel despite fear is an essential part of following Christ. This particular mission trip holds great personal significance for David because he participated as a student when Dr. Lonnie Polson led the team 30 years ago. After David and April joined the faculty in the early 2000s, Dr. Polson asked David to lead the team. Though he remembers his student involvement as extremely formative, when asked to assume leading the team, he feared they weren’t qualified. “We were definitely afraid, definitely had some trepidation,” he said, but Dr. Polson encouraged them and ultimately, David and April took it on.

The 2026 team ministered with six different local churches: two in England, two in Scotland, and two in Wales, ranging from newer church plants or revitalization efforts to established ministries. In addition to the men preaching and all members sharing their testimony, the team used drama and music as tools for sharing the gospel. They also did odd jobs for the local churches, taking care of seemingly mundane tasks. Whether it’s cleaning, painting, or putting on a play designed to point the audience to Christ, all aspects of ministry-motivated work matter.

“For the students,” David said, “it’s an amazing opportunity to move past the honeymoon phase of a cross-cultural experience and gain a true sense of what it would be like to move to another country for the sake of the gospel and a good local church.” Though cross-cultural ministry can be daunting at first, he wants the students to have the confidence to know they “could do this full-time” because “in Christ, [they] are more capable than [they] realize.”

At one church, the team performed a drama that had special significance for the local community. In the 1880s, the town suffered a devastating fishing tragedy when a storm at sea claimed the lives of most of its men and boys. The mission team shared the stories of faith that some surviving families clung to after the tragedy. The response from the small community was incredible with over 100 people attending that evening! The church even had to put extra chairs in the back for people who kept showing up. After the performance, a local man asked them to return because the community needed to hear the gospel again.

Mission trips are a unique way to help students grow in Christ, cultivate an experiential knowledge and burden for the gospel needs around the world while also confirming their God-given talents can and should be used to serve. David noted that “it’s a command in the New Testament for all believers” to fulfill the Great Commission. “You have to either go or you have to support those that go. That’s very clear in scripture.” He added, “our hope and prayer is that every college student will either go somewhere other than their home for the sake of the gospel or give generously and wisely so that others may go.”