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Kelly Wheat named as new BSU Director


Mississippi native Kelly Wheat is returning home after working at Colorado churches for a half-dozen years to become the new director of Baptist Ministries at Mississippi College.

Wheat succeeds Christy Carley who joined the Mississippi Baptist Convention staff in Jackson as associate director of the Collegiate Ministry after eight years at MC.

"We're thrilled to have Kelly join us to continue a ministry that has impacted thousands of students throughout the years,'' said Eric E. Pratt, MC's vice president for Christian development. "Our desire is for MC students to join Jesus on the journey of loving God completely, seeing themselves correctly and reaching out to others compassionately.''

"We are excited about joining the family of Mississippi College and becoming a part of the great work that has been done in the BSU here and across Mississippi,'' Wheat said. "I look forward to seeing what God does through the lives of our students as we share life together and pursue Christ in the years ahead,'' he said Tuesday before welcoming hundreds of teens at MC this week for Super Summer camps.

Wheat recently moved to his post at the Clinton campus from Fort Collins, Colorado where he spent the past two years as a church planter. Prior to leading Canyon Ridge Baptist Church, he served as college pastor at Immanuel Community Church in Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, for four years.

Wheat, who grew up near Prentiss, is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and received a master's of divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological seminary.

The 33-year-old Mississippian was a student minister at Adaton Baptist Church in Starkville and spent a year as the Baptist Student Union intern at Virginia Tech. He and his wife, Rani, are parents of two children, Caden, and Addy, with a baby to be named soon.