Executive Committee President Morris Chapman presented Union University President David S. Dockery with the check Feb. 18 as part of the Executive Committee’s two-day meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
A Feb. 5 tornado caused an estimated $40 million in damage to the Union campus, and destroyed about 70 percent of the university’s student housing facilities.
“We are so thankful for the Executive Committee and their generosity to us,” Dockery said. “Our needs are massive, and every gift is a step in helping us rebuild the campus. We’re very grateful for the SBC Executive Committee reaching out to us in this way.”
Chapman, a Union trustee, was on campus Feb. 16 for a meeting of the Union board of trustees.
“As I drove across the campus on that morning, things had already changed dramatically,” Chapman said. “Much of the debris was already being hauled off, and it’s going to be a new day at Union University.
“But during the trustee meeting, Dr. Dockery took all that had happened and all that needed to happen, how it was going to be accomplished and what the results would be, and he put it in a capsule of brief understanding and made it as clear as it could have been,” Chapman said. “The trustees went away not only thanking the Lord for his protection during the storm but also for the leadership of Dr. David Dockery.”
Bill Harrell, chairman of the Executive Committee, said told Dockery that the group “knew what the heart of Southern Baptist people is on a subject like this. We want to give you a gift to help you put the campus back in first-class condition.”
The Executive Committee gift follows a $350,000 donation from LifeWay Christian Resources, $110,000 from First Bank and $100,000 from Belmont University for Union’s recovery efforts.
