GLORIETTA, NM (BP) - It seems fitting that the dedication of Cottonwood Lodge came during Easter week. The building received new life March 22 thanks to the help of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

The SBTC in December made a $250,000 gift to LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center to boost its revitalization efforts. The donation expedited the restoration of Cottonwood Lodge, which was in need of major repairs. Once used to house summer staff members, Cottonwood, formerly named Yucca Lodge, completes the conference center's plan for adding youth lodging. It will begin housing Centrifuge and other attendees this summer.

On Dec. 3, SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards presented LifeWay President James T. Draper Jr. with a check to fund renovations of Glorieta's aging Yucca Lodge. Richards said the convention sees the contribution as an investment.

The SBTC provided the funds from an excess in its operating budget. In recognition of the gift, a large engraved stone will greet visitors to the lodge. Steve Grassfield, Glorieta's general manager, estimates that between 70 and 80 percent of the campers attending one of several Centrifuge weeks are from Texas.