TBC appoints Hill as new missions director

by Amy Davis
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE — He's no stranger to the mission field. Nor is he a newcomer to Tennessee Bible College, having served as its director of public relations since 1990.

But David Hill recently had a new serving of responsibilities added to his TBC work plate, that of the school's director of missions. And he's wasting no time getting down to business, with evangelism campaigns in New York and New Hampshire planned for August.

"It's the most meaningful work to me," said Hill, a 1986 Tennessee Tech University business management graduate and TBC alumnus, whose previous mission experience has included work in Trinidad, Russia and Africa. "I can't imagine anything more rewarding and certainly more important. It has eternal significance."

While the mission field isn't unfamiliar territory for Hill, he says he looks forward to the new challenges the position of mission director will present.

"This work is not so much different from what I did 15 years ago, when I was involved in overseas missions in Russia. It was all under my title as public relations director at TBC," Hill said. "I've also participated in some stateside efforts, including special programs and lectureships. In fact, that's always been our direction here at TBC — to work at home as well as abroad as we have the opportunity. So my job is to coordinate those opportunities, keep communications open between mission points and help connect people."

In recent years, TBC mission efforts have concentrated on foreign soil, primarily in Zambia, Africa. But for the time being, the focus is much closer to home.

Malcolm Hill, president of TBC, said, "As we looked at the world and where the gospel needs to be preached, we found that we have been flying over millions in our own nation who have not heard the gospel. So we decided to focus on the United States eastern seaboard."

And the new missions director already has a head start on the evangelism effort, having made numerous trips to the northeast in recent years. Last summer's survey venture included stops in New York and Pennsylvania.

"I've been to all the New England states and most of the states down the eastern seaboard, visiting and surveying churches of Christ to understand the issues they face, the religious influences in their communities and the complexities of society," Hill said. "It's been a pretty exhaustive survey."

David Hill

As for this summer, the mission agenda includes trips to New York and New Hampshire.

"We've got a couple of trips to New York coming up in Jamestown and Watertown, and we'll be helping with a revival meeting in central New Hampshire," Hill said.

The long-range goal, he said, is to visit and assist church congregations in each state.

"We've had calls literally from all over the place, from Pennsylvania to New York to Rhode Island to New Hampshire," Hill said. "So, through the next period of time, we'll be going into all of those areas and helping any way we can, whether it be assisting with revival meetings, vacation Bible school or any other campaign work."

Hill feels that TBC has the tools to make it all happen.

"Tennessee Bible College can make a lot of difference in the mission field because of the talent we have here," he said. "Anytime you have an educational environment, you've got a pool of talent — the instructors, as well as the students who are being trained to go out. So the college has a lot of valuable resources to lend to mission work."

And Hill says he's happy to be part of the effort.

"I was a serious guy a long time ago, but I didn't anticipate mission work being as satisfying and rewarding as it has been through the years," he said. "The work in general here at TBC is that way. It's been far more rewarding than I ever dreamed it could be."

Contributions to the mission work at Tennessee Bible College may be made by calling David Hill, director of missions, at (931)526-2616.

David Hill of Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville preaches underneath the brush arbor during the college's 2007 mission campaign in Zambia, Africa. Hill, who has served as TBC's public relations director since 1990, was recently appointed as the new missions director. He is heading up TBC's mission efforts in New York and New Hampshire this summer.