Local church kickstarts religious organization in hopes of guiding students down a path of faith

Of the 95 registered student organizations on campus, eight are religious and faith-based.

Pastor David Youngblood of Unity Christian Ministry started one of these organizations, Inspirational Motivational Powerful Anointed Christian Teaching, to help students connect with their faith.

“The reason why I started impact here is because this is where God has planted me as far as the city of Wichita Falls,” Youngblood said. “I knew that there was a university here and what God told to me was, “Don’t let the same thing that happened to you happen to them” so if I can make a difference in somebody else’s life that’s what I want to do.”

“Impact is a movement that is designed to enhance the college experience by ensuring that God makes the biggest impact in our lives,” said Omarion Bradford, an impact adviser.

Youngblood said when he was younger he did not have a program like impact to help him, so he wants to be the person in a student’s life that is impactful.

“The program we had was just a choir,” Youngblood said. “Everybody sang in the gospel choir at the school, but everybody was still doing crazy stuff.”

He said no one was dealing with the group in ways that caused us to change and impact our minds. God said do not try to start no choir or get no band together none of that. Just give them what they need, be influential, be impactful in their lives where they need it.

The program explores the different challenges college students will face on their journey to a degree, and attempts to give the students the keys to success through the works of God and the Bible.

“From the few times that I have gone to the program,” Ta’Les Russell, freshman in marketing, said. “I have already seen a difference in how I approach school, relationships, and lives’ challenges.”

Although the program has just started, Youngblood said he is already looking towards the future.

“I want this program to grow to the point where the students are so involved with it, that it becomes bigger than what I can imagine,” Youngblood said. “I want students to build lifetime bridges to where people are helping and mentoring one another, counseling one another, loving one another and being there for each other for over a lifetime. I pray that it becomes a life changing experience that will carry throughout their lives.”

As a way to better reach the students, the pastor uses a different technique than when he is in church preaching.

“When I preach at church, it is a totally different atmosphere,” Youngblood said. “When I am here, I talk a lot and try to reach out to where the students are. At church I have to reach a variety of people. I have to reach different people at different levels and in different places in their lives, so here I gear it towards strictly colleges’ students.”