Baylor Broadcast Writing & Reporting

By Jacob Stowers
Fall 2025

WACO, TEXAS — Every year, Baylor’s Vertical Ministries, a worship group on campus that hosts a weekly chapel for students, hosts the kickoff for Baylor’s 116th homecoming celebration with its opening worship ceremony on Sunday.

This event was at 9 p.m. Monday at the Student Union Building’s (SUB) bowl, an outdoor amphitheater. This outdoor venue allows students to worship while also fostering a deeper connection with nature.

Worship has been a part of Baylor’s homecoming festivities since the first homecoming celebration in 1909, when George W. Truett, the namesake of Truett Seminary, gave a sermon to begin homecoming weekend.

During this year’s worship session, guest pastor Nate Hilgenkamp from Harris Creek Baptist Church in McGregor delivered the sermon, highlighting passages from the book of Exodus and urging students to be faithful servants to God.

This event is the first of several homecoming events happening later this week, including dinner with the Livingstones on Wednesday, the homecoming bonfire on Friday, and the homecoming parade and football game on Saturday.