TIGERVILLE, SC (BP) — Joshua Gilmore was a student at North Greenville University (NGU) in 2001, and he had a problem.

Gilmore learned quickly that dorm rooms aren’t the most spacious and don’t accommodate drum kits too well. Tigerville Baptist Church, located in the middle of campus, said it was fine for the 18-year-old to store his kit there.

And don’t think this was in a spare closet or out-of-the-way unused classroom. The best spot for his drums was in the sanctuary. And so there they stayed — broken down with his bass drum on the bottom and the rest stacked like a percussional Christmas tree.

“The church was kind enough to let me in,” said Gilmore, who would help lead worship when in town but could also practice in the sanctuary. He now serves as NGU’s senior director of church and community relations.

“I’ve always felt so indebted to Tigerville Baptist because of how they helped me as a student,” he said.

The church welcomed him again at the start of this year, this time as pastor. Since then, a revitalization at Tigerville led by Gilmore, along with help from Rocky Creek Baptist Church, has included the baptisms of four college students and four families joining the membership. A revival set for Sept. 21-25 starts with Tony Wolfe, South Carolina Baptist Convention executive director, speaking.

Tigerville Baptist got its start in 1918 because Tyger Baptist, a different congregation, was located more than a mile from what was then North Greenville Baptist Academy. School leaders didn’t want students to have to walk that far, so a new church was established on a corner of the campus. The school continued to grow around the church, making it so that all Gilmore needs now to attend to matters at both is a golf cart.

His roles at NGU and as a pastor coalesce from a desire to see college students have a spiritual home during those formative years the way he did.

“I’m asking for people to pray for us and what God is doing in Tigerville,” he said. “God is breathing new life into this congregation.”

The church was at the beginning of a time of decline during Gilmore’s student days. Annual Church Profile figures list a membership of 227 in 1999. By last year, that number barely reached double-digits. Instability in leadership was a factor, as an article on the church by the South Carolina Baptist Courier noted at least 26 pastors (including interims) in the church’s history.

Rocky Creek Baptist agreed to help. Travis Agnew, its pastor, will be the speaker on the revival’s second night, Sept. 22.

“I just felt led of the Lord to schedule an old-school revival, and Rocky Creek has been helping plan that,” said Gilmore. 

The event begins with Wolfe speaking that Sunday and is scheduled to finish on Thursday with Brett Pyler, an NGU alum and former staff member who is currently a director for Woodlands Camp, located in Cleveland, Ga. NGU’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry, which typically holds its gatherings on Thursdays, will also join the revival service.

“Stephen Splawn used to be the state evangelist for South Carolina Baptists and will be our speaker on Tuesday,” Gilmore said. “He’s a phenomenal preacher and friend. Then Don Wilton, who had mentored me the last five years, will preach on Wednesday.”

Since becoming pastor, Gilmore has urged the church not to dwell on the past but continue to look forward.

“It’s a problem when we look in the rearview mirror when we should be focused on the windshield. There are at least 12 subdivisions being planned in the area. Those families don’t know our history, so it doesn’t make sense to dwell on it,” he said.

“We need to focus on Jesus and our community. Win lost people. If they’re saved, make sure they follow in baptism. If they’re saved and baptized, provide opportunities for them to be involved in ministry.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)