A South Carolina pastor has a second calling, caring for the kids who ride his bus.
Before the sun comes up, Rev. James Davis prepares for a journey that many would consider just a job. But for him, driving students to Ware Shoals schools is far from it.
“I don’t get up in the morning to go to work. I get up to fulfill my purpose,” Davis said.
He’s been behind the wheel of bus No. 8 for nearly a decade. Through the years, one thing remains the same: his love for kids and their future.
He knows each student by name and makes a point to say something positive each morning.
Davis said, “A lot of times you don’t know what people come out of when they get on the bus. You want to give them a positive atmosphere, a positive attitude about going to school.”
Davis also mentors students who may need extra support.
Last week, Davis went before the House Subcommittee for Education in Columbia. He’s fighting to keep the Ware Shoals School District whole. The state is considering consolidating it with Greenwood school district.
Davis plans to continue to fight for the district, where they call him a miracle worker.
The superintendent credits him with helping decrease the dropout rate.
Davis has pastored at Dunn Creek Baptist Church for 24 years.
He’s currently enrolled in a doctoral program and wants to become a professor of homiletics, the art of preaching.