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-by Mandi Cherico, News Editor; and Liz Yager, Staff Writer
President Alan Cureton was overwhelmed by the number of students that
came to observe the unofficial groundbreaking of the Billy Graham
Community Life Commons Aug. 27.
“What a wonderful day this is. My heart is absolutely delighted,” said
Cureton at the event, which occurred during the first official student
chapel of the school year.
The chapel service, led by Cureton, began with praise and worship in
Maranatha Hall. Cureton gave a short message, then invited the students
to join him in the Nazareth Hall parking lot to witness the “first
dig,” symbolizing the start of construction on the CLC.
NWSA President Peter Kemp led the mass of students in prayer in the
lot. “I’m happy that we could do this for the students because they
will be the ones to enjoy it later,” said Kemp. Cureton asked the
students to remove their shoes in a symbolic gesture of standing on
holy ground and to lay hands on each other during prayer.
“What a joy it was to see so many students out here to pray. That was really cool,” said Cureton.
An employee from Adolfson and Peterson Construction used a small
construction machine to remove a 3ft by 4ft square from the parking
lot, followed by cheers and applause from students.
The crowd of students filled half the Naz parking lot and flooded into
Maranatha circle. Cureton joked about one student climbing a tree like
Zaccheaus in order to see the event better.
According to Vice President of Advancement Amy Carey, who also spoke at
the chapel, this event was not an official groundbreaking ceremony. It
was a time for students to come together and ask for the Lord to bless
the project from the very beginning, said Carey. She explained that an
official CLC groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Oct. 2 at 3:45
p.m. NWC supporters from all across the country will be present,
including members of the
Billy Graham family, members of the NWC Board of Trustees and some
special guests. This event will correspond with KTIS’s 60th
anniversary.
With the approval from the board this summer, Northwestern will soon
start construction on the Community Life Commons. The goal is to have
the building completed by May 2011. The transition between buildings
will happen during the summer, and it will be open to students in the
fall of 2011.
The construction of the CLC is a key component to the Envision
Excellence Campaign, a multimillion-dollar campaign that provides funds
for the college to continue to fulfill its mission and to follow its
long-range strategic plan.
The building will be named after Billy Graham, Northwestern’s second president (1948–52).
The new building has an estimated cost of $17 million. Northwestern
was awarded the prestigious Kresge grant of $750,000. President Cureton
has said, “The Kresge Challenge Grant will provide momentum and
significantly impact the success of our current capital campaign as
well as future fundraising efforts for Northwestern College.”
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