Craig Whittaker

| Dan Waidelich

dan.waidelich@roanoke.com, 381-1677

Dedicated community servant Craig Whittaker leads a double life.

The devoted husband and father spends his days as the Giles County planner, reviewing development proposals and assisting county residents.

But it is his work as a Christian musician that has put him on the map.

The Giles County native released "Standing," his second album, in October, to the delight of his fans.

"Anytime I go to a new church or venue, people love it, and sales have been great," Whittaker said. "Especially in this area."

Whittaker began writing his own songs in 2003 and began his music-based ministry shortly after.

"I had been singing all my life and doing a lot of contemporary covers," Whittaker said. "One day, I just felt led to write down some thoughts on what God meant to me.

"One song turned into two, and it just went from there."

Whittaker decided to do something about his music and sought out Nashville, Tenn.-based Creative Soul Records, a label that specializes in developing independent Christian musicians.

"I never dreamed of going to Nashville, but God has bigger plans and that's what worked out," Whittaker said.

It was important that the recordings were quality, and Nashville was the right place to do it, Whittaker said.

"Pearisburg and that area where Craig is from isn't exactly the music capital of the world, unless you're recording cows," said Eric Copeland, the founder of Creative Soul. "I'm a resource for artists in situations like that."

When Whittaker recorded and released "Common Ground," his 2006 debut album, audiences responded with enthusiasm.

"Craig is very well known from being a businessman and a farm owner, and a lot of people thought, 'Well, we should buy an album and support good old Craig,' but what they never expected was that it was tremendous," Copeland said.

The albums are only part of Whittaker's traveling ministry. The songwriter seeks out new churches to offer his service to and has traveled all around the New River Valley.

"He's genuine and energetic," said pastor Greg Cox of the Pearisburg Christ Fellowship. "He doesn't just perform. He worships."

Audiences respond to Whittaker's honesty and earnest desire to share his feelings and relationship with Jesus, Cox said.

With all the success and recognition, Whittaker remains a humble public servant.

As the Giles County planner, Whittaker deals with land use issues and granting special permissions to residents, a job that can be controversial.

Dealing with unpopular issues is part of the job, and Whittaker has found himself on the opposite side of people who have enjoyed and appreciate his music, Whittaker said.

"On the weekends, I'll be doing my ministry, sharing songs, in what I consider a great environment, and then I walk back in and find myself back in the office with someone trying to accuse me of wanting to pollute the river," Whittaker said.

"Even on days like that, my job is to be friendly and helpful to anyone who needs to work with us."

Despite occasional difficulties, Whittaker has found plenty of support for his ministry from co-workers and the community.

In May, Whittaker organized an event called "Common Ground," a festival celebrating the Christian faith of local teens at Giles High School.

The musical event was a success for Whittaker, professionally and personally. Whittaker has already planned another event for this coming May.

"It's going to be bigger and better," Whittaker said, "and all our funding is coming from area churches."

Whittaker's musical career has continued to grow, but despite his success, he has no desire to uproot his ties to the New River Valley.

"I'm very content with my place here in the country. I'm the fifth generation of my family to farm in the White Gate community," he said.

"I certainly had dreams early on. I went to several different places around the state, but it just worked out when I finished up [Virginia] Tech, I ended up staying here. That turned out to be the right decision for me."