BUDD Builders bless retired pastors in Florida
By Staff
February 21, 2006
GRACEVILLE, Fla.— Missouri Baptist volunteers continue to minister to retired ministers through the Building Under Divine Direction (BUDD) Builders program, a not-for-profit group created in 1997.
BUDD consists of retired teachers, railroad workers, civil service employees, bankers, ministers, construction managers, business owners and others from around Missouri. In January, a group of BUDD kingdom workers in several RVs came to The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) to build two new homes in the college’s Shepherds’ Cottages development for retired ministers.
BCF President Thomas Kinchen, who came up with the idea for the Shepherds’ Homes, was delighted by the sight of Missouri Baptist laborers on campus. Other projects the Missourians were involved in were building a new residence hall and renovating the main administration building.
“These folks are literally a Godsend for the college,” he said. “They come in with willingness to work and a great sense of God’s leadership. We look forward to seeing them each year.”
A total of 16 Missouri Baptist churches are represented in the three-month building emphasis, which will conclude in March. The men and their wives live on campus in RVs just a short distance from the location where they volunteer their labor. The women volunteer at nursing homes, sew lap quilts and serve in campus offices while the men participate in the building.
Each of the cottages is built entirely through donations and volunteer labor much like the popular Habitat-for-Humanity model. Retired ministers who cannot afford adequate housing are serviced by the cottages.
“I have never seen a group work harder and have a more pleasant outlook,” Kinchen said. “They are a genuine pleasure on the campus and in the community. We would be lost without them.”
To obtain an application for residence or to recommend a retired minister who could benefit from this program, call (800) 328-2660, ext. 446, or email lltice@baptistcollege.edu.