Gospel on the Ground: Students chalk the book of John across OSU’s campus

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A familiar face on Oklahoma State's campus has taken his ministry from a handwritten sign to hundreds of handwritten Bible verses.

Cameron Luschen, a staff member with OSU’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry, has spent the week kneeling on cold pavement in front of Edmon Low Library.

“We are writing the entire Gospel of John on campus in front of Edmon Low, stretching all the way toward Theta Pond,” Luschen said. “We are trying to write the entirety of the gospel to make Jesus’ name known.”

Luschen, widely recognized on campus as the man who holds a sign reading “How can I pray for you?” said the chalk project isn’t sponsored by BCM. Instead, it began with a video he saw on social media of a similar effort at another university, then grew into a rotating group of volunteers from different faith backgrounds.

“It’s individuals who happen to be in BCM,” Luschen said. “There’s been a number of people outside of BCM and even people who are Orthodox or Catholic who came out and helped.”

The group began writing Tuesday morning and continued late into the night despite dropping temperatures.

“It started on Tuesday at 10 a.m. and we stopped at 11:30 p.m.,” Luschen said. “Then we picked back up (Wednesday).”

By Thursday morning, they had reached Chapter 12, just past the halfway point.

“Taxing, but in a good way”

Freshman Stetson Caldwell said the writing process is harder than most people realize.

“It’s been taxing, both physically and mentally,” Caldwell said. “The reader has to go word by word, slowly, and the person writing is crawling on the ground for however many feet.”

The cold wind slowed their progress overnight, and the group temporarily ran out of materials.

“I had to call up one of my buddies last night to get more chalk because we ran out,” Caldwell said.

Luschen said the uneven sidewalk has been another unexpected challenge.

“We have used around 100 to 150 pieces so far,” he said. “Some parts of the concrete are more rough and just eat through our chalk like crazy.”

Even so, Caldwell said the effort is worth it.

“We’re literally writing the gospel on the sidewalk,” he said. “It’s a little bit of evangelism, worship and community involvement all at once.”

Curiosity leads to conversation

Former OSU student Amber Wilmoth, who now volunteers with BCM, said she has been energized by the responses from people passing by.

“Everyone has just been so kind and so curious,” Wilmoth said. “People feel bad for walking on our work. Some will go in the grass and go around it. I’ve just been really surprised by that kindness — how many people are willing to come up to us and say, ‘What the heck is this? Can you tell me more?’”

Before anyone walks away, Wilmoth said they try to slow down the moment.

“We get a glimpse into their life and love on them,” she said. “We just get a moment to slow down with those people.”

The conversations, Luschen said, are the real goal.

“It’s about the conversations we have with people who walk up and question what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re able to share the gospel as we’re writing the gospel.”

Not everyone has reacted positively.

“One person spit on it,” Luschen said. “Aside from that, we’ve only had a minimum amount of people who didn’t like it.”

A campus faith expression

Caldwell said OSU granted them permission to chalk the sidewalks under two guidelines: no writing on brick and no profanity.

“No one from OSU has come up and said stop,” Luschen said.

The group’s chalk permit has technically expired, but Luschen said they intend to continue into the weekend so they can finish the entire book.

“If it rained and washed part of it away, I think we’d just keep going,” he said. “If we finished, then we could say we did. We still wrote the entire gospel of John.”

The Gospel of John was chosen for its readability, Luschen said, and because they hoped students would follow along.

“We thought it would be cooler,” he said. “It’s more comprehensive if someone wants to read it.”

For Caldwell, the book holds personal significance.

“It holds a little bit of weight to me,” he said. “Comfortability kills progress. So just trying to get uncomfortable for a minute, go out here in the cold and do something that’s hard.”

Wilmoth said that’s ultimately why they’re out there — to show love in a visible way.

“We want them to see it’s important to us,” she said. “They can see that in the length.”

No matter how long the chalk lasts, Luschen said he hopes the message does.

“I hope his (Jesus') love can be seen through this,” he said. “That they can forget about us but remember his name.”