BLUEFIELD — Thanks to a generous donation from Fredericksburg Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Bluefield College recently completed renovations to a guest cottage on campus.
The church offered a $10,000 gift that enabled the college to completely restore the exterior portion of the cottage. The work included the installation of new vinyl siding, windows, doors and guttering.
“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the congregation at Fredericksburg Baptist Church and for their sharing such a meaningful gift with our campus,” said BC president David Olive. “This is a significant gift because of the church's true sense of partnership with Bluefield College and its desire to further the mission of the school.”
Bluefield's guest cottage after renovation, made possible by Fredericksburg Baptist Church.
The Fredericksburg Baptist gift, Olive said, is not only improving the quality of guest housing on campus, but also enabling the school to continue its campus improvement efforts. The new exterior on the guest cottage, he added, enhances the visual appeal of the entire campus community for students, employees, prospective students and their families, and other visitors.
“The opportunity to partner with Bluefield College in this effort has been a privilege,” said Larry Haun, pastor of Fredericksburg Baptist.
“Bluefield provides a quality education, and I am hopeful that the new and improved guest cottage will lure many interested guests and alumni to enhance their time spent on campus getting to know how well the school is accomplishing its mission.”
The gift, Olive said, has additional meaning not only because it demonstrates Virginia Baptists' continuing partnership with Bluefield College, but also because of the direct connections between Fredericksburg Baptist and the school. In fact, before coming to Fredericksburg, Haun was a former youth minister with Olive in Maryville, Tenn., some 30 years ago. He is also the individual who recommended Olive for the presidency at Bluefield College.
“Fredericksburg Baptist Church is glad to link our name with Bluefield in this manner,” Haun said. “Personally, I am humbled to know that I had even a small part in the making of the fine person that President David Olive is today. I am sure we all will be greatly pleased with his efforts on behalf of the school and the community in which he now resides.”
In addition, Jack Marcom, a 1962 Bluefield College alumnus and longtime member of the BC board of trustees, is a faithful member of Fredericksburg Baptist. A pastor himself for more than 40 years, Marcom also served as chair of the presidential search committee that called Olive to BC.
“That's what makes this contribution even more significant — the demonstrated connection Fredericksburg Baptist has to Bluefield College,” Olive said. “The gift has greater meaning to me, personally, because of my longstanding friendship with Dr. Haun and because of the dedicated service of Rev. Marcom to the college.”
The renovation of this guest cottage is the first of five similar improvement projects planned for guest housing on campus. The cottages are used to accommodate guest speakers; prospective students and their families; visiting pastors, performers and professors; missionaries; and other guests on campus.