Village fundraiser
moves crowd, campus and community
TIGERVILLE, SC - Someone was overheard saying,
“There’s an electricity in the air at this place.” That was definitely the
case, as over 1,000 guests came to the campus of North Greenville University
on Thursday, October 19 to assist with fundraising for The Village at
Tigerville. Over 800 visitors filled the Todd Dining Hall for a
celebration dinner and close to 200 more joined 1,000 NGU students in Turner
Chapel for a worship service.
They
came from around Tigerville, the upstate area and even farther to hear Dr.
David Jeremiah and Charles Billingsley, but more importantly contribute to the
vision cast by NGU President, Dr. Jimmy Epting. “We want to do something
unique and different in Tigerville,” said Epting. “We would love to see tour
buses and church vans come to visit The Village and see a Christian
play or art. We want to attract people to this area, God’s country, and to His
university.”
Charles Billingsley, accomplished Christian artist, began the dinner
by singing several classic hymns. Dr. David Jeremiah, world-renowned pastor
and Bible teacher, challenged everyone in attendance to give faithfully to God
in every area of their life.
The event grew larger than the university imagined. Calls were
coming in the day of the event with people asking if they could still come. It
took the entire North Greenville family to accomplish the banquet, which was
the largest of its kind ever held on the campus. “I was blessed beyond measure
to see how students, faculty, staff and everyone on campus worked together and
how God brought all of the guests here on our campus,” said Rev. Joe Hayes,
Jr., NGU Director for Development.
Those involved with the fundraising dinner were pleased with the results.
“It was an overwhelming success,” said Dr. Wilson Nelson, NGU Director for
University Advancement. “The evening showed what can happen when people pull
together as a team and trust God to do what only He can do.”
The
university experienced generosity from all sides. “We had a deaf lady come the
morning before the event to give a donation,” said Nelson. “She saw something
about it in the newspaper and wanted to help. Because of gifts like hers and
everyone else involved, we are well on our way to reaching our goal.”
Many who attended made pledges, so university officials expect to continue
receiving gifts toward this project for the foreseeable future. Not only did
NGU receive significant financial contributions, many people were introduced
to the university for the first time. Many of the gifts and pledges came from
first time donors new to the place “where Christ makes the difference.”
While physical donations were important, others saw an even more vital
gift made that evening. “It was an expression of God’s generosity in allowing
us to be a part of such a wonderful evening,” said Hayes.
Current plans are for The Village to house an art studio, theatre,
coffee house, deli, bakery, bed and breakfast, historical buildings, specialty
shops, faculty and student housing, as well as office and classroom space. If
fundraising continues to go well, the university would like to see the Eddie
Runion Creative Arts Center and the Billingsley theatre completed by the end
of 2007, with the rest of the project finished in 2009.
Much of the evening was also a celebration of the accomplishments of North
Greenville University in recent history.
The school was on the verge of closing down in 1991 with just over 300
students, when Epting came back as president. Since then North Greenville
University has been on a meteoric rise. Enrollment has increase every year to
an all-time high of 1,883 undergraduate students this fall. The school became
a four-year institution and now offers 35 bachelor degree programs and two
graduate degrees. The endowment has jumped from under $3 million to close to
$14 million. In the past ten years, over $35 million have been spent in
building projects, without accruing any additional debt.
The Village at Tigerville is just one of the many building projects
that the university is working towards in the near future. The Ira and Betty
Jo Craft Evangelism Center will house the Global Missions Department, the
Christian Worldview Center and the university’s new Families First program. A
new 3,000-seat arena is also being planned, along with several other athletic
venues. New residence halls are always in the works with the influx of new
students. Virtually every existing building on campus will see improvements
and renovations.
Besides the physical advancements, NGU will also expand the undergraduate and
graduate programs, adding more degree programs and enhancing existing ones.
Epting continues to point in one direction for the turnaround on the
campus and the future of North Greenville, including The Village at
Tigerville. “It has to be God to accomplish this. It’s all about Him,”
said Epting. “I’m just thankful He allows us to be a part of it. If it’s going
to get done He’s going to do it.”
Click here to see an artist rendering of the new
theatre.
Click here for the site plans for
The Village at Tigerville.
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