There scarcely has been a time in Rob Sandford's life when he was not associated with Baptist student ministry. “Born and raised in a Baptist church,” he became involved in campus ministry at the age of 18 when he entered the University of Tennessee. It was while a member of the Baptist Student Union that he felt a call into Christian ministry.
“I decided at the end of my time at Southern [Seminary] that campus ministry had made an impact on my life and that I would love to do campus ministry for a few years and then maybe go into a pastorate,” remembers the veteran campus minister. In September 1968, Sandford's first job out of seminary was for Virginia Baptists in campus ministry, first in Lexington and since 1970 in Norfolk. He intended to stay “a few years” but this month Rob Sandford completes 40 years of devoted service. He observes that student ministry can be compared to migrant ministry — the people are always on the move and the ministers have to move along with them! “It is a life that keeps growing and you keep learning by staying put.”
Fred Anderson
Sandford shares that his call became his mission. “I came to see how vital campus ministry is and how much I enjoy ministering to college students who go on to become church leaders, pastors, missionaries and active Christians. The joy of being a campus minister is knowing that I make a difference in so many lives.”
If student generations are only four years long, Rob Sandford has guided 10 generations! He has become “a father figure” to the students. He also is the senior staff member of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Rob Sandford is quick to declare that Bettina, his wife, “has been a partner” in student ministry and “has attended hundreds of meetings, prepared hundreds of meals for students and gone on many retreats.” She also serves as a deacon at their church, Thalia Lynn in Virginia Beach.
Soon after Sandford came to Lexington, Bill Jenkins, who headed Virginia Baptists' student work, told him about an opening in Norfolk where the about-to-emerge Old Dominion University presented a ministry opportunity. “I thought a student center would come fast,” he says, “but it didn't. It was quite a struggle. Property was the issue.
“We wanted to be in the center of the campus with high visibility. Money had been raised for a building and the Norfolk Baptist Association would pay for the property if the Mission Board would build a facility, maintain it and pay for a campus minister. One day I received a phone call from a lady on 49th Street who said that she was going to move and asked if we would be interested. I said that I would be there in 15 minutes; and within a week, we had the property. Neighboring property was offered. It was all beyond belief and we began the process. In September 1973, the new student center was dedicated. We could quadruple our ministry virtually over night. The student center was a miracle!
“For commuting students, the center was a God-send. It gave them a home away from home. They and the residential students could come to the center for fellowship, academic study, Bible study and social events.”
Rob and Bettina Sandford
Sandford credits much of his success to the strong support of the Norfolk Area Association. The churches raised the initial money for the student center but they never forgot the ministry. The member churches of the Norfolk WMU have provided lunches for students. Although the Virginia Baptist student ministries have historically been open to “whosoever will,” Sandford realizes that the support for the ministry comes from Baptists and he declares, “We are not ashamed to be who we are.”
Sandford sees campuses as “an incredible mission field for the future.” He shares that “ODU sees us as an important part of meeting the spiritual needs of students” and remembers that immediately after the disaster of Sept. 11, 2001, the Baptist campus ministry was asked to participate in a campus-wide service. He further observes that the reason Virginia Baptists had such an impact after the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, “is because we were always there.”
Campus ministry provides more than spiritual guidance. “Family problems, money issues and even roommate problems happen and students begin to look around for support. Those who come to the Baptist center begin to see that we do have some resources to help them process their questions and often we help them to get into touch with other helps. We are a referral agency sometimes. There's always an opportunity for an enormous amount of counseling.”
In '85 the students participated in the first hands-on mission trip and these became annual spring break events. “Students get away from their regular environment and think about other people and their needs; and through these experiences, God is able to speak to them. Many students have made life-changing commitments because of the mission trips.”
Rob Sandford is optimistic. “I think we have bright days ahead,” he says. “The spiritual life of students is on the up-swing. I have seen more students wanting to go into the ministry lately. They bring with them a solid commitment and real desire to reach out to their peers. Our campus ministry is always very student led. The key to success is hanging on to the students who are responding to Christ and ministering to their peers.”
He has seen changes along the way. Most ODU students are working on weekends to make ends meet. Busy student lives make meeting times difficult to schedule. Technology, especially cell phones, has brought greater personal contact among the students. But the campus minister maintains that “the basics stay the same, [such as] trying to decide vocationally what to do with your life, who will you marry, what are my values, how to develop relationships and who will be your Lord.” Today he keeps in contact with some 450 alumni from the student ministry. “If you are a part of something that changed your life, you feel a commitment to it and want it to continue. You must make it happen for the next generation.”
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.