Over the course of two weeks spanning the end of May and early June, more than 100 volunteers stopped in on Maranatha’s first-ever project at Oakwood University. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, the school is the only Historically Black College and University, or HBCU, operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was the site of a Maranatha project that saw longtime volunteers and Oakwood alumni combine forces to renovate student housing. Volunteer project leader, Loretta Spivey, an alumna of Oakwood herself, has a plethora of experience leading international mission trips with Maranatha, but was new to leading a project in the United States. Although it was very different and required flexibility, she loved combining two of her favorite things: Maranatha and Oakwood.
“It’s something that I dreamt about … but now that it’s happening, it’s just really exciting. I’ve had a long history with Maranatha. My youngest son is here at Oakwood, and I literally started with Maranatha before he was born into this world. And I love Oakwood because I went to Oakwood, I met my husband at Oakwood, and all of my children went to Oakwood … it’s just really a great blessing to be able to have the opportunity to be the person to bring those two [things] together.”
During the project, volunteers ripped up old, stained carpet in duplex homes, called “The Annex,” reserved for upper-classmen female students.They replaced rotted flooring and installed beautiful new flooring. Coupled with fresh paint and new trim, the transformation was stunning. Students will return to campus this fall with refreshed living spaces that will support a focused learning environment at Oakwood. It’s a change Spivey hopes will hit home for current students.
“Young people these days say that they don’t feel seen. They say that the faculty and the staff don’t listen to them. And so really, my hope and my prayer would be that they see that somebody sees the plight of this housing and has worked to do something about it. I would really hope that it would make the students feel seen and heard.” Already, plans are in the works for another project next year, when Maranatha can continue to renew the student experience at Oakwood.
Each year, Maranatha works with organizations in the United States and Canada to provide volunteer labor for various construction or renovation projects at summer camps and retreat centers, schools, and churches. Work ranges from renovations of existing buildings to new construction, and saves thousands of dollars in labor costs.