By Cody Frohman

What do you value most? Well for me, it’s community. While in Welcome Week training and during Welcome Week itself, we played an ice breaker game called “Trashing Your Values.” You start out with ten slips of paper and you write down ten things you value. Through a couple different rounds you trash, trade and have values taken away until you’re left with one value. This game is supposed to encourage you to think about what you truly value – what is important to your life and what is not as important. Both times I played, I ended up with the same three values: grace, justice and community. In the end, community won the game both times.

Community has been a huge part of my experience at Baylor, and it’s the main reason my college experience has been so amazing. When I first arrived at Baylor, I didn’t know a single person – I didn’t go to Line Camp or Orientation. I had never even visited campus before. #outofstateprobs. During my first two months at Baylor, I got connected to a life group through Antioch Community Church and found an amazing group of people who quickly became like family.

Some of my life group in Mongolia this past summer.

When I decided to come to Baylor, I had absolutely no idea that my life would be completely changed through the community around me. I had no idea I would be part of a group that deeply loves, carries my burdens faithfully, breathes life into me and always points me to God. Along with all of the deep spiritual change I’ve gone through, I’ve also had a ton of fun with my community at Baylor. I’ve gone on a number of spontaneous late night trips when I definitely should have been studying. I’ve gone on life-changing missions trips and spent countless nights laughing and just hanging out with the coolest people in the world (I might be slightly biased…).

Now, I know what you might be thinking…“Community?? Of all things, you picked community?” It wasn’t easy – I had things like grace, faith, love, justice and mercy written down, but after thinking, I came to the realization that all the things I value are magnified or exemplified by community. I’ve never experienced grace, love and mercy like I have within a community. I’ve never seen such unshakeable faith and a desire for justice than I have within a community.

I entered my freshman year unaware of what was ahead, of what the year would hold. But I left with vision for what was valuable – people. I’ve seen how great community is; I’ve seen the impact it can have as people are transformed and restored. We are people, and we were created to live in community. Whether you find it at church, in your residence hall or through one of Baylor’s many campus organizations, don’t wait to experience the quality community Baylor has to offer.

If you’re interested in learning about more ways to get plugged in to life groups or other organizations, leave a comment below or email me at cody_frohman@baylor.edu.