Buies Creek, N.C.—Senior David Priddy had declared himself an English and Pre-Law major when he first came to Campbell University in 2008. But something happened during that second semester, something that not only made Priddy change directions, but forced him out of his comfort zone.
“I felt like God was calling me to be a Religion major,” he said. “I decided to change my goals that very first year.”
Before long, Priddy was involved with the Baptist Fellowship of Angier in a mission project adopted by the Campbell Religion Club that helps children in Angier overcome the challenges of poverty and inadequate learning skills through a tutoring ministry. He also became the leader of a Bible study on campus, coordinating with other campus Bible study leaders and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
But his desire to serve didn’t end there. Priddy volunteered with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, became a youth minister at Baptist Fellowship of Angier where he occasionally preaches and completed an internship there. In the spring of 2009, he and his cousin, Dylan Priddy, also a senior religion major, and Campbell graduates Lori and Jason Duke raised their own money and with the help of the Baptist Fellowship of Angier became a four-member ministry team to earthquake-devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti. While in Haiti, they helped get a church/school back in operation, painting, power-washing and building a new roof in the small village of Gallete Chambon.
For the outstanding servant leadership example Priddy has set during his Campbell career, he received a national scholarship award from the National Religious Studies Honor Society Theta Alpha Kappa and the Community Impact Student award from North Carolina Campus Compact, an organization that promotes community involvement.
As he prepares to graduate this December, Priddy reflected on the past four years.
“Campbell has been one of the most influential forces on my life,” he said. “It not only made me think about what I believe, but helped me put my beliefs into action. The Campbell community has been the most nourishing I’ve ever experienced. It’s just like a home.”
Priddy plans to enroll in the Campbell Divinity School after graduation this winter. He would like to become a bi-vocational minister.
“I always want to work in a church, but I would also like to work with college students whether it is in a classroom or in campus ministry,” he said.
The son of Christopher Priddy and Darlene McCracken, Priddy is a native of Walkerstown, N.C. He currently serves as the youth minister at Chalybeate Springs Baptist Church and continues to work in the after school program at the Baptist Fellowship of Angier.
Photo Copy: David Priddy, left, helps victims of the Haiti earthquake rebuild a church/school in the village of Gallete Chambon