BLUEFIELD, Va. — Fifty-five members of Baptist churches from across Virginia and Tennessee spent part of their summer on the campus of Bluefield College on a mission to support their Baptist partner.
The volunteers from eastern Tennessee and across Virginia worked three consecutive weeks in June renovating a faculty house on campus and providing needed maintenance to other BC facilities.
A volunteer employs his skills to renovate a faculty house at Bluefield.
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The volunteers, who committed their time and energy to the project, came from New Bethesda, Mechanicsville, Cool Spring and Northside Baptist churches, all in Mechanicsville, Va.
Other workers came from Shady Grove United Methodist Church, also in Mechanicsville, and from Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn., the church where Bluefield College president David Olive grew up.
“This project is another example of Bluefield College’s desire to build stronger partnerships with churches, especially those from the Baptist General Association of Virginia,” said Olive. “It’s just one of the many ways Virginia Baptist churches are active partners with one another in the BGAV’s Kingdom Advance."
The workers painted and replaced a bathroom and kitchen in a faculty house on campus. They installed flooring and fixtures in the house and replaced the windows and doors.
“This was a great group of people,” said Leroy Williams of New Bethesda Church, who organized the mission project. “Everyone worked hard, and the fellowship was great. We had fun.”
The volunteers also removed portable walls and replaced them with permanent walls and fixed doorways in the conference rooms of BC’s Shott Hall. In that same building, they repaired and painted other walls in the Student Activities Center. In addition, they cleaned doors, doorframes and walls in BC’s Rish Residence Hall.
“We were able to accomplish most of our goal,” Williams said, “and the workers are already talking about coming back next year. We’re thankful for the opportunity to make Bluefield College a better place to live and learn.”
Additional local residents and other BC supporters, including students and trustees Julie Johnson and Tem Marshall, joined in the restoration efforts.
The summer venture marked the fourth year in a row Virginia Baptist groups have joined in mission on the Bluefield campus. Other groups from Baptist churches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia will be on campus later this summer to complete ministry and mission projects in the Greater Bluefield community. Dozens of Virginia Baptist youth will do the same in July as part of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s Impact Virginia.
Chris Shoemaker (cshoemaker@bluefield.edu) is director of marketing and public relations at Bluefield College.