BLUEFIELD, Va. — Protect, guard and live Baptist heritage, Bluefield College students were told during the school’s annual Baptist Heritage Day recently.
“This is your heritage,” said keynote speaker John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. “Protect it. Guard it. Live it, and may you never forget it.”
Upton encouraged students at the Oct. 24 event to live these values and to “never forget who you are.”
For the 13th consecutive year, the BC community came together to “celebrate the college’s Baptist tradition and its ongoing relationship with Virginia Baptists.” The occasion, according to vice president for student development David Taylor, is designed to “help students, faculty, staff and the community at-large remember that Bluefield College is a Baptist college,” and as a Baptist-affiliated institution there are “certain ideals the college cherishes and celebrates.”
BGAV executive director John Upton speaks at Bluefield College’s Baptist Heritage Day. (Bluefield College photo) |
“We do this every year to celebrate our religious heritage,” said president David Olive. “Our founding was made possible because of the investments made by Virginia Baptists. We lift that up today and celebrate and acknowledge the vital role Virginia Baptists play in the life of Bluefield College.”
Elected BGAV executive director in 2001, Upton said he is thankful for the relationship Virginia Baptists have with the school.
“We are so proud of Bluefield College,” he said. “I don’t think any other school in Virginia has produced as many leaders for Virginia Baptist churches as Bluefield College has. Everywhere I go I see Bluefield College graduates at work or in leadership roles in Virginia Baptist life. We love you, and we’re behind you.”
Upton, who also is president of the Baptist World Alliance, spoke about the values Virginia Baptists cherish, including the autonomy of the local church and the freedom for individual congregations to explore new opportunities of faith. He also spoke about the value of the centrality of Christ and how Christians honor God when they put him first.
“You want to be courageous?” he asked the students. “Put Christ at the center of your life. Fear nothing. Stand firm. The world needs courageous people who put God first in their lives.”
Upton also talked about the priesthood of believers, also held dear by Virginia Baptists, a value that says all believers have direct access to God and sees the potential in every human being.
“That’s why I’m so proud of Bluefield College,” he said, “because Bluefield College has always seen the potential in every student.”
Upton joins a long list of Baptists who have helped Bluefield College celebrate its Baptist Heritage Day, including most recently Bill Leonard, Baptist historian and founding dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity; J. Bradley Creed, a former Baptist pastor and longtime Baptist higher education professor and administrator; James M. Dunn, former executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty; and Joseph T. Lewis, former BGAV president.
Chris Shoemaker ([email protected]) is director of marketing and public relations for Bluefield College.