North American missionaries David and Shirley Proffitt have a passion for winning the next generation to Christ by planting new churches near college campuses. And this passion has turned into a family affair.
Seven years ago, the Proffitts left Southern California, where the couple and their grown son and daughter had been planting new churches for 25 years. They moved to Virginia, where, as missionaries supported by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, they have been planting new collegiate churches.
Their first stop was James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Located in the scenic Shenandoah Valley, the school has an enrollment of more than 17,000 students. Most of the students are from Fairfax County and northern Virginia.
The Proffitts’ church plant, Aletheia (Greek for "truth") Church, Harrisonburg, Va., has grown in six years from four members to about 400.
"Three-quarters of the 400 are students," said David. "The rest of them were probably former students who have gotten married and now have their own children."
David said one reason he enjoys working with students is the varied demographics they represent.
"College students are mobile," he said. "They are ready for risk-taking and challenges. They’re ready to pursue whatever might be next. They’re developing their values. They are in transition. Usually they’re more flexible. They usually don’t have much debt and don’t have to worry about a house to sell. They’re teachable and open. They love to get together, they love to study and they don’t want to be ‘dumbed’ down."
When it became clear that Aletheia, Harrisonburg, was in the good hands of son Aaron, daughter Amy and their spouses, Ashlee and Jon, David and Shirley moved on to Richmond, Va., home of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the largest university in the state with 32,000 students. There they launched yet another church, Aletheia Church, Richmond, Va., in the city’s downtown.
When they first planted the Richmond church, the Proffitts began by holding a series of Bible studies. For each Bible study, Shirley invited and fed up to 18 people in the couple’s campus apartment. "Shirley has been our hospitality leader and always prepares terrific meals for all the people we invite over. She uses hospitality to assist with the evangelism process," said David.
"Every day, a team of US/C2 and semester missionaries are going out on the campus of VCU and to surrounding housing and talking to students, building relationships and doing intentional evangelism," he said. "We’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of people become Christians. We have even baptized new believers in the James River."
The VCU campus is multicultural and includes more than 1,500 international students, many from second-generation international homes. Because of the heavy international student population at VCU, the Proffitts’ ministry, Grove Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., and some other Southern Baptist Convention ministries combined efforts and resources to hold an international student Thanksgiving dinner last November. About 300 — mostly international students stuck on campus with no place to go during the holidays — attended and enjoyed the 11 roast turkeys Grove Avenue members prepared with all the trimmings.
With Aletheia, Richmond, now running about 200 people each Sunday, David and Shirley have since moved on to Norfolk, Va., to plant a third new church, the Old Dominion University branch of Aletheia.
David feels strongly about the need for Southern Baptists to be involved in ministry on the college campus. "We have to continue to think about the next generation, preparing the next generation, getting the next generation ready.
"The next generation can go in any direction. We want to lead them in a spiritual direction — understanding who God is, understanding that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, and that they can have a personal relationship with Him." (NAMB)
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