Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. -Exodus 20:12
Mission
Blue Ridge Christian Homes was founded as a not-for-profit organization that seeks to honor the elderly by applying Christian principles of care in small, home-like, rural farm settings, with the oversight of a family.
As a ministry in healthcare, we hope to impact our community by providing a safe place of refuge for the elderly, where they can continue their journey and maintain their role as spouses, parents, and grandparents, without losing their identity or being institutionalized as a patient in a large for-profit medical system.
We believe that God has ordained the family as protection in the elders lives, and that family members should be valued as vital to successfully fulfilling our mission of care, and should be honored and encouraged in that role.
We believe that God's purpose for us on earth is not finished until He decides that our time is complete, that frailty or illness do not hinder our ultimate purposes, and that the elderly should be honored regardless of past experience, background, or position in life.
The elderly eat together with the staff at every meal in the dining room and are provided a living room, with a comfortable chair brought from home, so that each elder has a place of their own, not just a temporary seat in a lobby or isolated in a bedroom.
The elders are permitted to age in place and are not forced to leave when their care increases. This gives peace of mind that a potential decline in health would not be further complicated by a sudden move. We focus on the basics: Good care, good food, and fostering an environment where the elders can give back
The elders are provided a campus farm setting to live on with a resident household and the environment of crops, animals, and community identity of growth and involvement. This is in contrast to being “housed away,” disengaged from the community.
Clyde’s vision was for his family to reach out and help another family in the community. Therefore, the elder coming onto the campus feels a part of “one family helping another” rather than being admitted to an institution.
The Blue Ridge Christian Homes Locations
Bealeton, VA
Shawn and Katrina Wampler, Clyde Bender’s granddaughter, moved to the Raphine Campus from Western Maryland after marrying in August of 2002. After seven years in Raphine, the Wamplers moved to Bealeton in June of 2009 and have lived on the property and operated the home since that time. They have four children, Isaac 18, Ethan 17, Jordyn 14, and Addison 11.
Raphine, VA
Melvin and Carmina Bender built and have operated the Raphine location since 2001. Melvin helped his dad open the first location in Stuarts Draft, Virginia in 1975, and then assited with opeing the Bealeton location in 1987. In 1999,