Spire Spring 2018

vision mission

Missionaries Share Experiences with BC Students

Jonathan and Amanda Brown are long-term missionaries. They’ve been serving on the mission field for four years now, spreading the Gospel all across Central Asia, even where it once was the former Soviet Union. But they took a break from their mission work this year to rest and replenish on sabbatical at Bluefield College as part of the school’s Missionary-in-Residence Program. “Amanda and I really enjoyed being back on campus and remembering a lot about when we were students here and seeing all the changes on campus,” said Jonathan about he and his wife, former Bluefield College students who actually use pseudonyms now for their safety as missionaries in high-risk, anti-Christian environments. “We so enjoyed being involved with as many students as we were able.” Jonathan and Amanda were back on the BC campus through the college’s Missionary-in-Residence Program, which offers missionaries a place for respite and study during a much-needed sabbatical from their duties. A partner in Christian ministry with the Baptist General Association of Virginia since 1922, BC’s

Missionary-in-Residence Program is a commitment to help Virginia Baptists carry out the purpose of missions at home and abroad. The program, which provides missionaries not only rest and rejuvenation, but also the opportunity to share the value and realities of mission work, drew even greater attention in 1992 when the college dedicated a cottage on campus to furlough housing and in 2006 when the school renovated its old president’s home into the spacious missionary accommodations that now exist. “Bluefield College has a historic relationship to the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and as Baptists we have always had a strong emphasis on taking the Gospel where Christ is not known,” said Dr. Henry Clary, BC’s campus pastor. “Hence, the college seeks to emphasize the importance of missions in the life of the believer.” During their stay at Bluefield, Jonathan organized and led an on-campus missions club, which averaged about 10 students during its monthly meetings. He also served as a guest speaker for Dr. Clary’s Introduction to Missions class. In addition, he helped train and prep a team of BC students who traveled on mission to Panama during Spring Break. “The Missionary-in-Residence Program is important for Bluefield and other colleges, because it gives students opportunities to talk about missions, both on a local level and an international level,” said Jonathan. “It gives us as missionaries the opportunity to share real- life experiences with students and give them a very real picture of mission work. It also allows missionaries the opportunity to meet and bless students by hosting them for dinners, meeting with them one-on-one, getting involved in their activities on campus, and just plain loving on them as we are able to.”

Student Evan Abbey (right) said BC’s Missionary-in-Residence Program helped him better understand the realities of a lifetime commitment to international missions.

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