When women walk into room 142 of the Tate Center on Wednesday nights, they find a small group of female students with Bibles in hand.

They sit in a circle of gray chairs and chat as they wait for more students to arrive. But once the clock shows 7:30 p.m., they join hands and pray.

These women are members of Timothy Campus Ministry, the campus outreach ministry of Timothy Baptist Church. Every Wednesday night, they gather to study a passage from the Bible and relate it to their own lives.

Cassandra Tolbert, one of the ministry’s advisers, said most of the students attending the Tate meetings are active members of Timothy Baptist Church, but anyone can join the ministry.

“Membership is available to members of the University community who are interested in learning more about Jesus Christ, in furthering their Christian development or fostering that development in others,” Tolbert wrote in an e-mail.

Kimberly Marshall, a junior from Valdosta, directs the women to a Bible passage after the opening prayer.

At the April 18 meeting, they focused on a story in the book of Ezekiel about God saving an abandoned child.

“God took her, cleaned her and entered into a covenant with her,” Marshall said.

Throughout the Bible study the other women in the group don’t hesitate to add their thoughts.

Bynikini Frazier, an early childhood education major from Savannah, commented when the girl in the story grew up and turned her back on God.

“This story translates to our lives now,” Frazier said. “There’s a void within all of us and sinners are chasing things to fill the void, even though God can fill it.”

When they finish their discussion, the women share prayer requests and pray in a circle again.

“Cover your family, your friends, your coworkers, everyone you know in prayer every day,” Tolbert told them.

Frazier, who has been part of the ministry for two years, said she loves coming to such a welcoming group every week.

“We are a ministry that cares,” Frazier wrote in an e-mail. “TCM truly is a ministry enriched in the love of Jesus Christ. It does not matter what road you once were on or even if you are on the wrong road, at TCM we will let you know that God loves you and so do we.”

To find out more about Timothy Campus Ministry, visit http://www.uga.edu/tcm/.