By General Contributors
Montana Christian College sits on 200 acres with eight buildings. Four of those buildings are manufactured homes that have been designated for faculty housing. According to President Marvin Jones, “Our goal was to utilize them as housing to attract quality faculty to the campus. The Kalispell area is very expensive and offering housing is a means that God provided for MCC to help new faculty adjust to the high cost of living in Kalispell.”
A Home Needs Repairs, Part 1
Due to flooding, one of the manufactured homes needed gutting and internal rebuilding. “We did not know how we were going to fix it without incurring expensive cost for the upgrades,” said Jones. Upon hearing of the need, faculty member Ms. Jasmine Alnutt made a suggestion: “She called me over Spring Break 2023 and said her dad, Marshall Alnutt, had offered to work on the trailer over the summer to get it in shape for the next faculty. I was delighted that Mr. Alnutt would be willing to come to the campus and volunteer his time,” stated Jones.
Mr. Alnutt worked all summer on the home. He and his wife, Debbie, were a constant reminder of God’s gracious provision for MCC. Marshall is a skilled carpenter and has built many homes over the years. He gutted the building, stripped the old vermin-invested flooring and then raised the floor, hung the sheetrock, and rebuilt the walls. Marshall was both efficient and economical with this project. In fact, the only cost to MCC was the materials, as Marshall did not charge MCC for any labor. He has a true servant’s heart!
MCC Needs a New Administrative Assistant
While plans for the home were being made, MCC’s former Administrative Assistant, Ms. Katie Elliot, resigned to study at Montana State University in Billings. Unknown to President Jones, she began praying about her replacement, and approached him with a potential option: Ms. Alnutt’s sister, Mrs. Mattie Tatton. Mattie and her husband, Martin, had been living in Scotland for 20 years and had planted a church in Glasgow. God had called them back to the States, but since Martin is a Scottish citizen, they were still in the process of immigrating. Part of the immigration process includes sponsorship. As an American citizen, Mattie could serve as her husband’s sponsor through employment in America. The position suggested by Ms. Elliot to President Jones fit the bill.
“Mattie was a godsend,” said Jones. “She had worked in this position before at Calvary Chapel Bible College. Regardless of the challenges of an international move, God called and she responded! I knew the Administrative Office of the President was in good hands. I am proud of her!”
As the time for the arrival of Mrs. Tatton’s family approached, they still had no housing. The manufactured home was almost finished, so President Jones made the decision to offer it to Mattie and her family to live in while she is employed at MCC as the Administrative Assistant. “It was a perfect fit. Her skills are much needed, and she, Martin, and their children needed a place to live. MCC has wonderful people and an outstanding Christian community on campus—it is the best of both worlds!”
A Home Needs Repairs, Part 2
When Christmas break began, the manufactured home was still not completed. Jones stated, “Since I am a former painter and estimator, I recognized that there was a need, so Mike Rosas, our Facilities Manager, and I went to work.” Mr. Mike Rosas was an answer to prayer for MCC. He worked six years in the Maintenance Department at Liberty University. Mike and Dr. Jones met at Libby Baptist Church, where a friendship and working relationship was born. “Mike has taken the maintenance of MCC to a whole new level. His expertise, his love for the Lord, and his love for MCC is evident. I thank the Lord for Mike Rosas,” Jones said earnestly.
Mike and Dr. Jones painted the trailer, and Mike trimmed wood for the base; yet although both men did all that they could, much still needed to be done: plumbing fixtures to be installed, flooring to be laid, doors to be hung, not to mention the clean-up from the new construction.
First Baptist Church Thompson Falls, MT
Dr. Jeff Hessinger is the pastor of First Baptist Church Thompson Falls (FBCTF) and his wife, Mrs. Errin Hessinger, is the new Registrar at MCC. “God has provided top quality faculty and staff for MCC. It is simply the hand of God working on behalf of our fledging college,” said Jones.
Dr. Hessinger overheard a conversation between Mrs. Tatton and Dr. Jones about the status of the construction project, and offered a construction team from FBCTF. Since Dr. Jones had preached there twice and knew several people in the church, he gratefully accepted. The men from FBCTF who volunteered to come have a wonderful ministry and servant’s heart. “Those guys came in and laid the floor, hung doors, and installed plumbing fixtures. They put the finishing touches on the home. The fact that we called upon them twice and they answered the call to serve speaks of their heart for God and MCC,” Jones stated.
When asked what prompted him to get FBCTF involved, Dr. Hessinger stated, “When I learned that the renovation of one of the homes was behind schedule, I presented the need to our congregation. Several men and a few students immediately committed to the mission project, and in less than ten days we had our first team on campus led by David Hall with two teens (Hunter and Ren Foreman) to begin the work. The second team, led by Patrick McKinzie, with four other men (Ray Bailey, Bill Ingam, Gene Nelson, and Kilan Shafford), arrived on Sunday afternoon and worked through Tuesday.”
Clean Up
After the team from FBCTF completed the work, all that was needed was clean up, which was done by Mrs. Tatton and her children in anticipation of Martin’s arrival from Scotland at the beginning of March.
President Jones and the Alnutts had no clue where this project would take them. “I am still amazed at how God brought all these wonderful people together to benefit not only MCC, but provide for our outstanding Administrative Assistant who has become a part of the MCC family,” stated Jones.
“Observing the servant hearts of Marshall Alnutt, Mike Rosas, and the men of First Baptist Church Thompson Falls has inspired me to find a way to honor those who have willingly given their time, talents, and resources to God’s work at MCC. One possibility I have considered is a bench in the courtyard of the College’s main building on which we can commemorate these men as well as future servants. In fact, I would like to call it ‘The Servants Bench!’”
Conclusion
The work of God is not done at MCC. Seeing how God brought together the Alnutt, Tatton, and Hessinger families along with FBC Thompson Falls to bless the College brings hope and anticipation for all He will do in the future. Dr. Jones remarked, “We are also praying that our students will have the same servant’s hearts that they witnessed in action this past summer and fall.”
