THE TIGER AND THE TORCH ebook

A PLACE CALLED ZION’S HILL
The early foundations of African American education and faith in Christiansburg,
VA, are offshoots of the relentless efforts of Rev. Charles Schaeffer. Many years
of his life were dedicated to improving the physical, mental and spiritual
condition of African Americans throughout Virginia. Two testaments to his
impact and resolve are the old Christiansburg Industrial Institute and the
Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church, 18 bearing his name, that
stand together atop Zion’s Hill.
In The Story of a Consecrated Life, biographer Charles Harrison
describes Schaeffer’s 1866 appointment with the Freedmen’s
Bureau as, “…a series of providential steps which brought Mr.
Schaeffer in direct relations with the field of his future life-work. It
is by such seemingly insignificant events as these that our lives are
modified, and sometimes the whole current of them changed.” 19
Schaeffer’s PURPOSE extended beyond his work
as a public servant through the Bureau of
Freedmen, Refugees and Abandoned Lands 20 . He
was also a teacher and Baptist minister. He
displayed LEADERSHIP in his personal,
professional, and ministerial life. Although the view
from the outside in is never the same as the view
from the inside out, Rev. Schaeffer believed that
education and faith were essential and should be
available to anyone. When he wasn’t traveling out
of town, he, along with some of the church
members, went throughout the local community
sharing Bible stories in pictures and song, thereby
granting ACCESS to the church outside of the
building.
Photo Credits: The Story of a Consecrated Life
Title Page (top) and Stained-Glass Window
(bottom) at Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church,
Christiansburg, VA
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