1825 Central, a new and up-and-coming UCA RSO, plans to implement campus connection through weekly Bible studies and campus events.  

Senior Rodney Rodgers, president of 1825 Central, said that the process of starting the club has been in motion for the last three years, implying their acceptance as an RSO was a monumental success. 

“Our college pastor over there at Central Baptist Church has been trying to get an RSO started over here at UCA for three years,” Rodgers said. “This past two years, we have grown a lot, and we actually had the requirement for like six people or so needed to start an RSO. We began that process, and we got it.” 

Rodgers said the club, all 12 members, has seen an influx of people at each meeting. 

“We’re steadily growing,” Rodgers said. “Every meeting, we’ve just added like one or two people every time we have a meeting.”

Michael Treat, a pastor at Central Baptist Church, has created a group at both Hendrix and Central Baptist College and wanted to grow a program at UCA. 

“What we wanted to drive home, was that we wanted to serve not just the students, but faculty and staff,” Rodgers said. “We wanted to do more stuff on campus, so we thought that RSO would be, like, the perfect way to do that.” 

“His [Treats] whole goal is to serve. He’s a college pastor and he sees the need for it in our UCA community.” 

1825’s Event Coordinator, junior Emma Barnett, says that 1825’s goal is to be connected to a campus that does so much in return for its student, faculty and staff. 

“Being an RSO allows us to be connected more on campus and have more outreach opportunities,” Barnett said. “There are talks of planning a disc golf tournament, de-stressing events and hosting other campus events,” Barnett said. 

Barnett, who’s been attending Central Baptist Church since August of 2024, says the club has offered her a sense of community. 

“I got connected with them at Conway Daze,” Barnett said. “It’s become something I look forward to every week, and I’m thankful for the people I’ve met within the group.”

This semester, the club meets weekly on Wednesdays, 

“I want this club to offer a sense of family for our campus,” Rodgers said. “I want this to be a place where students, faculty and staff can feel the love of Christ.” 

“Everyone needs a community, and there are plenty of students on this campus who share the love for Christ,” Barnett said. “Just come as you are. Jesus loves everyone, and we would love to share the word of Jesus with anyone we’re able to.” 

The group meets weekly on Wednesdays, and for more information on the group, follow @1825central on Instagram.