During the first week of June, mission groups from several churches across the Southeast came together at North Greenville University to help in building three male housing units. These volunteers, mostly retired, give up a week’s vacation to assist the university in accommodating the 1,900 students that will attend the school this fall.
A construction mission team comprised of volunteers from across the Southeast has converged on the North Greenville University campus to help build three duplexes to house students this fall.Morgan County Baptist Team, which started out of Central Baptist Church in Decatur, Ala., began construction mission trips 17 years ago. Now in partnership with the Morgan County Baptist Association, the team is made up of several churches in the Southeast which join together to build churches, pastoriums, and group homes.
“We began this mission in 1989 with a group from our church,” said George Murphree, coordinator of the group and member of Central Baptist. “We’ve built the team we have today with churches from across the Southeast because they joined us along the way and enjoyed themselves so much that they’ve made it an annual tradition.”
East Highland Baptist in Hartsville, Ga., Oak Park Baptist from Decatur, Ala., Danville Baptist from Danville, Ala., and First Baptist Church, Azle, Tex., have joined the group this year.
This is not the group’s first time in Tigerville. They worked with a similar project last year. “We came back because we have a good rapport with the school’s officials and we see the need here,” said Murphree.
Chief foreman for the week is Harry Vice, a civil engineer and surveyor from Decatur. “I see this as an opportunity to do the Lord’s work. People working together to help others. God uses us,” said Vice. “Our goal is to have all the framing and roofs completed on the three duplexes by the end of the week.”
The three 2,000-square-foot units, scheduled to open this fall, will accommodate 36 male residents. The school housed 66 percent of its 1,844 enrollment on campus this past year.
“It is school policy that students live on campus through their sophomore year unless they are living at home,” said student services director Billy Watson. “The new facilities will help house the increase in students that will enroll this fall.”
A second group of volunteers will be coming in July.