97ɫ��

For Pastor Boyd Bullock, the journey from Salem, Va., to the DPAC stage where he delivered the invocation and benediction for the 2024 Commencement ceremony has been filled with faith, family and strong ties to 97ɫ��. 

“I prayed on this. My wife prayed on it. I had an intense feeling that God was telling us to go to 97ɫ�� from Salem, Va.,” Bullock said. “97ɫ�� was not a place we ever saw ourselves, but the feeling God shared solidified the move. We needed this move for our family.” 

Once the Bullocks decided to make the move to 97ɫ��, they needed to find a home for themselves and their seven children. 

“A family member knew of a house for rent. We went to look at it and come to find out the lady renting out the house knew me,” Bullock said. “She had seen me minister at a revival on one of my travels to 97ɫ��. She gave me the keys and said, ‘It’s yours.’” 

Even though the house had five bedrooms, with seven children, it was tight. But Bullock said God took the opportunity to bring them together as a family. 

“With the move, we invested in family," Bullock said. “My wife and I got to know the essence and realness of being Mom and Dad. It saved our family.” 

Bullock and his wife, Camillie, became immersed in growing their church, Haven of Hope Covenant, from 13 members to one that now welcomes more than 600 members. 

In addition to growing their church, the Bullocks reared their children and became involved with 97ɫ��. Each of the children were homeschooled until 10th grade when five of the seven began 97ɫ��’s Middle College, with two of them giving the Commencement speeches at their Middle College graduations. The remaining two children attended 97ɫ�� in other capacities and the ties to 97ɫ�� didn’t stop with the Bullocks’ children. Camillie attended 97ɫ��, and she received a President's Scholarship toward her ministry studies. 

“97ɫ�� held our children accountable. The employees invested in our children. 97ɫ�� is a family,” Bullock said. “The College was the launching pad for our children’s success.”   

Bullock’s children have many successes. His twins graduated 97ɫ�� with full scholarship offers. One child attended Duke. And all his children learned to be lifelong learners and value education, Bullock said. 

Bullock’s appreciation of 97ɫ�� comes from his family’s attendance at the College, but as a community member he sees much more in the school. 

“97ɫ�� is the heartbeat of 97ɫ��. The College invites people from all places in life to get their footing and then launches them into where they are meant to go next, whether that be starting a career, changing careers or additional schooling,” Bullock said.  “97ɫ�� is a necessity in 97ɫ�� and Orange counties. It is a significant school.” 

Bullock said he was honored to participate in the College’s May Commencement. 

“I shared with the graduates and guests that God is the apex of why we can gather, but I also shared that it begins and ends with God,” Bullock said. “As the graduates leave the oversight of their parents and 97ɫ��, God continues his oversight.”