New Campus Bridge Under Construction!

Many of you may remember the news of our suspension bridge (on SIFAT’s campus in Lineville, AL) collapsing this past July during our Learn & Serve Summer Experience. We continue to thank God for his protection of our participants and his provision for our organization after the event. We now have reason to celebrate — a new bridge is under way! A new suspension bridge is being built on our Galilee Campus. The bridge will span Mad Indian Creek connecting our campus once again. This bridge is not only functional, it will also serve as an example of a monumental bridge project SIFAT implemented in Quesimpuco, Bolivia in 2008.

This bridge, in Quesimpuco, Bolivia, is the inspiration for the new suspension bridge on SIFAT’s Lineville, Alabama campus.

SIFAT has a long-standing relationship with the community of Quesimpuco. Many years of partnership led to the establishment of a school, boarding home, church and hospital in the area. Many people, however, were isolated from these developments during the rainy season by the Chantaya River. SIFAT partnered with Bridges to Prosperity to train engineers to build a 320-foot-long, 100-foot-high bridge. This bridge provides safe passage for people crossing the river. The bridge was completed with the help of many people and churches. Two churches involved were Auburn United Methodist Church (AUMC) of Auburn, Alabama and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church of Marietta, Georgia. AUMC raised funds to complete the project and a work team from Mt. Bethel UMC was the first international mission team to work on the bridge.

Construction is underway on the site of the new bridge across Mad Indian Creek.

Four years later, these two churches, and many others, are having a lasting impact on our campus by assisting with our new bridge. AUMC has raised funds for our campus bridge project, and a work team from Mt. Bethel was once again the first team to break ground on the project. Additionally, these churches have been involved in Learn & Serve programming for many years. Other churches in the local area, as well as churches from around the southeast, have reached out to assist. Even our staff members have helped and brought in work teams. The construction of this bridge is truly a testament to the connectedness of SIFAT’s programs and supporters.

Terry Haynes, SIFAT staff member and member of Fairview United Methodist
Church of Centre, Alabama, leads a team of workers on the new bridge.

Construction of our campus bridge is expected to continue throughout the month of January 2013.

For more information on the project, as well as ways to assist in funding or construction, contact our Executive Director Tom Corson at corsont@sifat.org.