More than 200 Southern Virginia University students, faculty and staff attended the Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the university's tenth Service Day last week.
Each semester, the university calendar includes a day when classes are canceled to allow students to spend the day in service. The Buena Vista Young Single Adult Stake — which includes six wards that serve students and members of the local community — takes advantage of this day to organize transportation to the temple.
The Stake chartered three buses to the Washington D.C. Temple, which is located approximately three and a half hours from Buena Vista, Va. Additionally, many other students and faculty traveled in their own vehicles to join in for the service at the temple. Participants in the trip served by beautifying the temple grounds and performing ordinances within the temple.
Brotherson explained how Service Day fits within the culture and education at Southern Virginia.
"If we ascribe to educating the full person, then service is something that fits clearly, and if we really believe in preparing leader-servants, then this goes hand in glove with the mission of the institution," he said.
Nathaniel Fuller, a junior at Southern Virginia who is not a member of the LDS Church, traveled to the temple with friends to serve on the temple grounds.
Fuller's friend Ethan Pike, who is a senior at Southern Virginia, said that he enjoyed the experience at the temple for Service Day.
At the conclusion of the day's service, many attendees of the trip participated in a testimony meeting at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center.
Fuller said that he gave the benediction at the testimony meeting.
In addition to those who served at the temple, some students, faculty and staff participated in service projects at Southern Virginia and in the community of Buena Vista, Va. These service projects included beautifying the local police station and the university's campus.