The Lord provided a van!
Since 2019, BBCS has been fundraising and saving towards the eventual purchase of a 15-passenger Ford Transit van. These vans (released around 2013) are the new, best way to transport medium-sized groups, as they offer a comfortable ride, good gas mileage, and can be driven by anyone with a normal driver's license. Since their introduction, many schools and small businesses have purchased these vehicles to use in place of busses or van rentals.
After consistent, regular fundraising over the first year that led to nearly $15K saved toward the project, BBCS was able to sell one of the short busses and bring the total saved to nearly $23K. The account stayed fairly stagnant around the $25K mark for just over a year, until the Lord recently provided an anonymous gift of $10K, bringing the fund to nearly $40K. By assigning a few recent fundraisers to the fund, the school board approved to begin the search for a van.
When Ford began making these transit vans, they developed only one model that includes all of the features that BBCS desired: extended, high roof; extended cab-trunk space; dual-rear wheels. Each of these qualities are essential in order for the van to serve the many uses throughout a school year. And yet, transit vans with these features are harder to find than the standard models.
In 2020, Bible Baptist Church was able to purchase a transit van with these specs with very low miles at a very affordable price, to be used for church or youth trips. Since then, inflation has skyrocketed the price of these vehicles, and inventory has dropped substantially.
And yet, the Lord always provides, many times through the unexpected. When the recent ERC funds (read more here about explanations on ERC funds) were realized, providing the backing in the budget to potentially use the allotted van funds, the search began for a transit van.
After just a short search, a 2018 Ford Transit, high-roof, extended-back, dual-rear wheeled black van was found, close to home in Locust Grove from an individual seller. It came with the following upgrades: custom wood laminate flooring, USB ports in every row, leather interior, automated step-assist runner. After talking with the owner and taking it on a test drive, it was recommended to the school board for purchase consideration. After discussion, particularly revolving around the details of the sale with the individual owner, the board unanimously approved the purchase--allowing a project that began nearly three years ago to finally come to fruition. The full cash purchase of the van came nearly solely from the van budget-line alone, requiring only a small amount of general equity to be used.
We as a staff are beyond excited to put the van to good use...from field trips, to travel for athletic events, to fine arts trips, to the senior trip, we are praying that the Lord will sustain the use of this vehicle for many years to come. Praise Him for His continued blessings and timely provision of a vehicle close to home that will meet the many needs of practical school use!
Stop by anytime to look inside, and if you have any good exterior artwork recommendations, submit them here!
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