Anyone who has driven on Interstate 81 doesn't have to be told that 18-wheelers are more numerous than a pagan's excuses for not attending church.
According to Laura Bullock, who represents the Virginia Department of Transportation to media representatives in the I-81 corridor, on any given day 22 percent of all vehicles traveling both directions on this stretch of interstate will be tractor-trailers—between 12,000 and 15,000 tractor-trailer rigs a day.
While most drivers who frequent I-81 simply express their frustration and attempt to restrain their anxiety at the challenge the big rigs sometimes present on such a hilly highway, others see a mission field on wheels. Carl Collins doesn't only see the trucks, he sees the drivers and imagines the lives of these modern-day nomads. In 1996, Carl had already retired twice: once as a colonel from the U.S. Army chaplaincy, and once as a Virginia Baptist pastor. Still, he could not ignore a new call of the Spirit. In that year, he began a ministry to the I-81 truckers at the TA Truck Stop in Troutville, Va. Every day 500 to 600 truckers pull in to fuel-up or to get a few hours rest.
Volunteers minister to truckers at the Troutville truck stop.
When his initial plan to open a chapel in a donated trailer across Lee Highway from the truck stop fell through, the plaza manager, who recognized the needs many of the truckers have for spiritual and emotional support, offered space inside the facility. They have been there ever since.
“Steve Painter, the manager, has been mighty good to us,” the volunteers affirmed. “We wouldn't be here without his help, but he realized that we are providing a service for the truckers and his staff,” said ministry director Olin Glidden.
Every Sunday volunteers provide a chapel service for truckers who wish to attend. “Sometimes we have a few; sometimes we don't have any,” offers Glidden, who has directed the ministry for the past three years and has volunteered for the past nine. But these intrepid missionaries are not discouraged by a lack of Sunday morning response. They have also begun a Sunday evening service and will soon begin one on Wednesday evening.
“Our ministry is broad and covers a lot of different aspects of trucking life,” said volunteer David Lucas. Mornings and evenings, Monday through Saturday, a volunteer chaplain is available to counsel truckers and their families.
Raymond Bell approaches trucking ministry with the knowledge of an insider. For 20 years he and his wife drove a coast-to-coast run each week. “Truckers have their own unique culture. Something most people don't realize is that probably one in every five truckers will have his family with him. They home-school the kids, but many of them don't even have homes. The truck is their home,” he says. “Two of every five truckers will have a college degree.”
In addition to his work with the truck-stop ministry, Bell has started a “cowboy church” in Wythville.
“Another thing most people don't realize,” he continued “is that the U.S. has a visa program for truckers. Some of the drivers are from Iraq, France, Germany, Russia, you name it.”
Former International Mission Board missionaries John and Mary Evelyn Divers continue their mission work as truck stop volunteers. Mary Evelyn recalls a time when a driver's brother died. “Drivers who sometimes present a gruff exterior can be very tender-hearted.” She and other drivers offered words and prayers of consolation.
Volunteer Howard George produced a letter he carried in his Bible. George had shared Christ with a man, emphasizing that Jesus is the roadmap to heaven. The letter said in part, “Sir, I can't thank you enough for everything, especially my map home, the rest is up to me. Wow, my life has meaning. I'll see you in heaven, my brother.” In the past three months, three truckers and another traveler have accepted Christ through the ministry.
The truck stop missionaries have also been called upon to minister in other ways. They have assisted truckers and other travelers who have been involved in accidents to find lodging while repairs are being made or until other transportation can be found. They hand out zip-lock bags of cookies baked by area Woman's Missionary Union ladies. Inside each bag is a gospel tract. Occasionally, volunteers will be asked to help with a funeral or wedding of plaza staff. Each month the volunteers distribute 250 to 300 Bibles, the money for which is provided by the mission support ministry of the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association. Other support comes from individuals and churches in the area who are committed to the ministry.
“We have some needs, of course, just like every other ministry,” observed Glidden. “We need zip-lock bags. We need some Spanish Bibles. We're not asking for money, but we wouldn't turn it down.”
At least one volunteer is a non-Baptist, but the others are members of area Baptist churches. Most are from Baptist General Association of Virginia churches; a couple are from Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia churches.
But when it comes to sharing Christ or ministering to a grieving driver, all that matters is that they are motivated by the love of Christ. They have discovered a unique twist to the Great Commission. Instead of going into all the world, they stay in one place while the world comes to them.