More than 500 people took on mission projects in the Lynchburg area July 20-25, in conjunction with Missions Connection Celebration (MC2) at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center.
The annual event is sponsored by the emerging leaders team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Teams from across Virginia and as far away as Gaffney, S.C., participated in a variety of projects at more than 30 sites in the Lynchburg area and many more on Eagle Eyrie’s campus, said Diane Smith, children’s ministry specialist for the emerging leaders team.
Young volunteers clean up after one of the mission projects. (Photo by Alice Rusher)
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“Some were preschoolers; some were ‘older’ adults. Some were teachers; some were carpenters; some were medical personnel; some were pastors,” Smith said.
Projects included adding siding to a house, replacing a dilapidated porch, preparing and serving meals at the Daily Bread, conducting Vacation Bible School at Rivermont Avenue Baptist Church, renovating a lodge on Eagle Eyrie’s campus, painting furniture, and preparing 15,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now.
Smith said there were a number of highlights during this year’s MC2.
• “An adult leader from Smithfield Baptist Church returned to the work project site on Thursday afternoon to complete renovation of the porch so that the youth might paint the porch on Friday morning; thus, leaving the lady of the house with a brand-new porch!”
• “Adults from one project joined with the youth and the adult leader at another work site on Friday afternoon to complete a project; both teams returned to Eagle Eyrie at 5:30, much later than usual. Why did the two teams work so diligently? ‘We made a commitment to the owner of the house; we wanted to keep that commitment,’ they said.”
• “Older preschoolers did a ‘prayer walk’ at Eagle Eyrie, praying for the youth and adults who worked with construction tools.”
A Lynchburg homeowner watches as Baptist volunteers repair her porch. (Photo by Alice Rusher)
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• “A dance troupe from Bruington Baptist Church in Bruington assisted in worship Thursday night. Tears came to eyes of worshippers when, at the end of the dance, two dancers remained on stage; these two dancers then invited a ‘new’ person to join the circle. Isn’t that so representative of God!”
• “An eighth-grader from Pine Street Baptist Church in Richmond sang ‘Amazing Grace’ acapella as her testimony on Saturday morning.”
• “Concerns for a youth in a difficult family situation were shared in the adult Bible study session. We experienced an answer to that prayer on Thursday night.”
• “One young adult, who first came to MC2 as an 18-month-old child and served with her father to replace or repair roofs as a teenager, taught and ministered with 6th graders during this year’s MC2.”
• “One lady came alone from her church to serve as an adult leader with one of the youth mission project teams.”
“We definitely saw God at work in the hearts and lives of folks during MC2,” said Susan McBride, the emerging leaders team leader. “I listened as they shared, with much animation and excitement, about the projects. I heard comments like ‘amazing,’ ‘unbelievable,’ ‘wonderful experience,’ ‘the lady was so thankful.’ I met people who’ve been coming to missions week at Eagle Eyrie for 13, 15 years; I met people for whom MC2 is a brand-new experience.
The member of one family from the Madison Heights area said, “We put this week [MC2] on our family’s calendar every year. This is what we do each summer — we look forward to being part of seeing God at work during MC2.”