Union University Love Offering

I received a letter from Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University. You may recall this campus was hit by an EF4 tornado February 5, 2008 on their Jackson campus. While the lives of the students were spared, there was devastating damge done to the campus facilities.

As many of you who visit this blog know, this one is a bit personal for me. Brittany, our youngest daughter, is a freshman at Union. We were very blessed not to have lost anything in the storm. But I did visit the campus the morning of February 6. It was a scene that will never be erased from my memory.

However, the letter I received from Dr. Dockery did not come to me as a parent of a student, but as a Pastor of a Tennessee Baptist Church. Dr. Frank Page, current President of the Southern Baptist Convention has issued a call for a love offering for Union. In order to rebuild, Union will need as much as $20 million in addition to what was covered by insurance. The leaders of our national convention, as well as the leaders of the Tennessee Baptist Convention have asked that we receive this money April 6 as well as have a special time of prayer for this University.

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Dockery's letter:

While we need your financial support, the most important thing you can do for us is to pray for us. Our institutional needs after the insurance settlement, including the cost of the extensive rebuilding of the residence life facilities and the need to make up huge revenue losses brought on by the storm, could well reach $20 million. Union University has never faced a financial challenge of this size. We want you to know that if your congregation has not already made a gift, we will be ever grateful for your support for us at this time in response to the appeal from our TBC [Tennessee Baptist Convention] leaders, who have established April 6 as the official day for this special offering. We will be so very grateful for your help.

We will not "pass the plate" twice in the service. If you wish to give to this special offering, please just indicate on your envelope the amount you wish to go to Union. If you give online, please indicate in the appropriate comment area how much you wish to go toward Union. You may also mail your gift to ClearView clearly marked that it is a gift for Union. The address is 537 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 37069.