A Missionary's Journey
Blue Ridge Christian Homes was founded by Clyde and Saloma Bender on the Bender family farm in Stuarts Draft, VA in 1975, as a not-for-profit ministry in healthcare that seeks to honor the elderly by providing loving care through Christian principles based on the Fifth Commandment to "Honor your father and mother." Clyde desired to serve as he was raised to do in the Amish community where families relied upon, and helped each other, in difficult times.
Clyde, a dairy farmer by trade whose family still owns and operates both facilities, while recovering from a farming injury in 1969, was invited on a missionary trip to Haiti to help feed the poor. After his time in Haiti, and with a growing desire to do mission work at home, Clyde returned to the United States and in 1972 he opened a children’s home to care for orphaned children on the family farm in Stuarts Draft. Then, in 1975, Clyde opened the Blue Ridge Christian Homes, a home for the elderly on the same property. Both homes operated concurrently until the mid 1980's when the children's home closed.
For five decades, Blue Ridge Christian Homes has operated under the same principles as when it first opened. We have served families from the local community as well as an expanding radius into new areas as word has spread. Clyde moved to Bealeton in 1979 to start a farm, leaving his children in charge of the Stuarts Draft location and built the second location on the Farm in Bealeton in 1987. The Stuarts Draft location was sold in the late 1990's and is now Stuarts Draft Christian Homes. Blue Ridge then expanded to Raphine and opened another location in 2000, serving the Rockbridge County area ever since, and operated by Clydes oldest son Melvin, his wife Carmina, and their children. The growing Bealeton area is still served by our facility there, and operated by Clyde's granddaughter, Katrina, and her husband, Shawn, and their children.
Clyde passed away in 2001 and his funeral services were conducted on the morning of September 11, a day that all of our lives changed forever. Thankfully, the mission of Blue Ridge Christian Homes continues on as we seek God's grace and strength to answer the call to care for those in need.
Clyde had seven children who all worked on and around the dairy farm and also helped at BRCH cooking, cleaning, and helping take care of the elderly. Being raised in the amish community, hard work was paramount to keeping the busy farm and health care ministry going. Pictured right, Clyde is giving one of his grandchildren a horse ride up the drive to the farm.
Clyde loved raising miniature horses. At times he had over 100 that would have adorned what is now the front lawn of the BRCH Bealeton facility. One of his horses, 'Whitey', marched in Ronald Reagan's inaugural parade.
Living on the Bender farm meant that you were blessed by the myriad of activities taking place on any given day! Most were spontaneous like this buggy ride with one of Clyde's favorite horses pulling hard. Other Bender family events were more routine like Sunday afternoon popcorn with grandma Saloma. The aroma of butter popcorn can still be experienced every Sunday morning after the church service in Raphine and Bealeton.