Prayer Request Regarding Campus Relocation

by jowens | Apr 3, 2015

Dear Friend of Welch College,

Please be in prayer for our effort to sell our campus in the coming days. We have some exciting new developments on this front, and I wanted you to know about them so you could join me in prayer.

We announced in January that we had signed a contract with Forestar Group, a publicly traded real estate firm out of Austin, Texas, for the sale of our campus. We also mentioned that there were several hurdles they had to get over to make it feasible for them. One of those was being able to build four-story condominiums on West End Avenue, which would require a clarification in the height restriction to the property (some experts said it was three stories, others four).

Well, the neighborhood and city officials did not offer their support for four stories, and we learned this week that Forestar is unable to purchase the campus. Yet, as I’ll explain, we’re still hopeful for a campus sale this summer.

You may also remember that we hired a real estate developer to advise us in the process and help us master-plan the development of this property. His team recommended several strategic changes which, together with a burgeoning Nashville real estate market and the attention that a major firm like Forestar attracted, have created excitement and put a spotlight on our campus and what a unique property it is.

This has put us in the unprecedented position of having multiple buyers at this point with offers and letters of intent on my desk to purchase our campus. These LOIs have a price and timeframe very similar to that of Forestar, and the due diligence Forestar has already completed will help us maintain our schedule.

We’ve never been in this exciting position in the entire history of our attempt to sell our West End campus. Please pray for the campus sale in the coming days, that God would bring us the buyer He wants us to have so that we can build our new campus in Sumner County and continue the growth with which He has blessed us.

In Christ,

Matt Pinson
President

Welch College Announces Golf Classic

by jowens | Apr 3, 2015

Welch College Classic

Two-person Scramble – Shotgun Start Golf Tournament

Purpose: To raise $20,000 for the KSSD (20 two-man teams)

Location: Pebble Brook Golf Course
1730 Tom Austin Highway (U.S. 431)
Greenbrier, TN 37073

Date: Monday, May 11, 2015
Time: Registration – 11:00 a.m.
Complimentary lunch – 12:00 p.m.
Shotgun start – 1:00 p.m.

Fees and Prizes: Since this is a fundraiser, each golfer’s goal is to raise $500 – $100 entry fee plus $400 in fundraising efforts.

Sponsorships: Sponsorships are available for $100 per hole. Individuals may sponsor a hole(s) in honor or memory of a special person, also. Multiple hole sponsorships are available at a discounted price.

Contact Mike Edwards (mike.edwards@welch.edu; 615-522-8791) for more info.

Gonzales, Miracle to Address 2015 Graduates

by jowens | Mar 27, 2015

Judge Alberto Gonzales and Reverend Wayne Miracle will challenge the 2015 Welch College graduating class May 7 and 8, according to President Matt Pinson.

Wayne Miracle, Pastor of New Life Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church in Statesboro, Georgia, since 1998, will deliver the 2015 Baccalaureate address Thursday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. Reverend Miracle earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies and Pastoral Training from Welch College in 1990. Since then, he pastored Pine Level Free Will Baptist Church in Alma, Georgia, before going to New Life Fellowship in 1998. He has served in several leadership positions on the local, state, and national levels of the denomination, including Moderator of the Georgia State Association and member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Free Will Baptists.

Judge Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. Attorney General, will address the Welch College class of 2015 on Friday, May 8, at 10:00 a.m. Judge Gonzales grew up in Houston, Texas. He joined the Air Force after high school and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy. He later attended Rice University, completing his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979, and Harvard Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 1982. After practicing law in Houston as a partner at a major firm, Judge Gonzales served in several key positions in state government, including Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and Secretary of the State of Texas. He was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney General by former President George W. Bush and was sworn into office on February 3, 2005, serving until September 2007. Judge Gonzales currently serves as dean of the Belmont University College of Law, a position he began in June of 2014.

President Pinson said, “Commencement week is an important occasion for the entire college family and especially for graduating seniors. The college family comes together to honor them for their years of academic rigor. This special time always brings us face-to-face with our mission as a college—to educate leaders to serve Christ, His Church, and His world through biblical thought and life. We hope you will join us as we celebrate with our 2015 graduating class.”

Script Writing Contest Announces Winners

by jowens | Mar 26, 2015

The first annual Welch College Script Writing Contest has a winner, according to Drama Department Director AnnaGee Harris.

The winning script, 7×70, was co-written by Audrey Trotter Jordan and Josh Dunbar. It follows three stories where Christians are asked to forgive others in difficult circumstances.

“We weren’t sure what to expect in the way of entries for our first contest,” Ms. Harris said. “I was thrilled with the number of entries we received, and the quality of the submissions was superb. The contest was a great reminder of the many talented people working in our denomination. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a play, and I urge them to do so again next year.”

The Evangel Players will perform 7×70 this summer during the group’s annual tour.