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For the second year in a row, Bluefield College student Kelly Thompson has been named a Baptist Heritage Fellow by the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies.

October 7, 2008

Article by Bluefield College student Rachel Reed.

For the second year in a row, Bluefield College student Kelly Thompson has been named a Baptist Heritage Fellow by the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies.    

As a Virginia Baptist Heritage Fellow, Thompson, a junior from Cloverdale, Virginia, majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting, will work throughout the academic year with two other Fellows from Virginia to complete a research project on Baptist history and ethnic diversity.    

As part of the project, Thompson and the other Fellows recently attended a three-day conference at the University of Richmond where they met with historians who shared with them their knowledge about this year's project.    

"I have to keep a journal of my thoughts and experiences on ethnic diversity," Thompson said about the research project. "I also have to interview five people who work with ethnic diversity issues on a regular basis and write about their responses to my questions."    

The Baptist Heritage Fellows program is designed to give students like Thompson, a better understanding and appreciation of Baptist history and the relationship between Baptist heritage and the contemporary scene in Baptist life. It also gives the students an opportunity to learn from top leaders in Virginia Baptist life.    

About her project this year, Thompson said she is most looking forward to learning about the diversity of different churches. Part of her project will include visiting churches whose members come from different ethnicities and interviewing the pastors and leaders of those churches.    

As a Baptist Heritage Fellow last year, Thompson completed a project focusing on five people who modeled whole-life stewardship. Through the experience, she said, she gained much insight into servitude.    

"Last year's project taught me a lot about selflessness," Thompson said. "Whole-life stewardship is not just about giving money; it's about giving 100 percent of yourself."    

As part of her research last year, Thompson met longtime Virginia Baptist supporters Eva Easley and Nell Thompson. Their stories, she said, inspired her.    

"No matter how much they struggled, they continued to give," Thompson said, "and that's something that I want to do."    

In addition to her studies and work as a Baptist Heritage Fellow, Thompson is a Bluefield College Student Ambassador.    

"Kelly is a great student with a big heart," said BC Campus Minister David Taylor. "She is an excellent selection for the Fellows program."    

Off campus, Thompson is a member of Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, where she has served as president of the Youth Council and a member of the Youth Choir. She has also been an active participant of a variety of youth ministry teams, Vacation Bible School, mission trips, community service projects, Bible studies, and Sunday School.    

"I am constantly amazed at Kelly's level of maturity and commitment in everything in which she participates," said Rev. Danny Quirin, Thompson's youth minister at Bonsack Baptist Church. "She is a true leader among her peers and in our church. She is an excellent example for other youth."    

The Baptist Heritage Fellows program was created by the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies to provide college sophomores and juniors with opportunities to learn about Baptist heritage, to meet outstanding Baptist leaders, and to contribute to Baptist thought on particular Baptist principles. Applicants are chosen through a process that begins with completion of a general application, followed by an essay with questions to provoke thought about the world of Baptists.

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