Carpenters for Christ to return hospitality to NGU

Tigerville SC (June 19, 2013) “Go ye into all the world” is the mission of Carpenters for Christ. The volunteer members of this national mission organization take that biblical principle seriously (and literally)!

Carpenters for Christ donate their knowledge of construction to help out local communities across the nation. This week, groups from Prattville and Montgomery, AL will be serving the Lord at North Greenville University by helping to build two 72-bed residence halls.

NGU has experienced major growth in student population over the past 19 years.  Campus housing was near capacity this past school year with 1,515 residential students. There is a significant need for additional residential living space.

Membership in the two mission groups is approximately 150. Their main goal for the week is to complete the framing and roofing of both residence halls before they leave the campus on June 15.

The Carpenters for Christ website says, “We feel that you are either a missionary or in need of one. Each of us is a missionary wherever we are. Our Lord has sent us in answer to someone's prayers. We want to be the common ordinary laborers that work in His field."

The men sacrificing part of their summer to labor for the Lord in Tigerville are not all laymen - some are actually full-time construction workers. They are not strangers to our area, either. The Carpenters assisted Bible Baptist Church (just down Highway 253 from the NGU campus) in the construction of their new, modernized church building. When the group worked on that project, NGU provided them with sleeping accommodations on campus. Working on NGU's residence halls is a way for Carpenters for Christ to "repay" the school for its hospitality.

"They were appreciative of us offering them a place to stay during that time and wanted to return the favor by helping us," said Joe F. Hayes, NGU Director for Development.

Raymond Mathis, who is head of the Prattville group, said, "This will be the largest project we've had as a group."

NGU is privileged that such a self-sacrificial group would choose the University as a recipient of the services they have to offer. Mathis acknowledged that they had help from the Lord on choosing to build on campus.

"We are so impressed with the number of salvations the college has had, that we felt the Lord was in this job,” said Mathis. “We'll get the job done with His help.”

God has abundantly blessed NGU in the past and continues to do so. He always provides and this coming week, His blessing will be in the form of 150 hard-working men, completely sold out to Christ and cheerfully following his command to serve others.

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