UMO holds dedication ceremony
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on March 28, 2018 10:23 AM
Full Size
Submitted photo
Nearly 200 people attended the dedication of the newly renovated Rodgers Chapel and construction of the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies at the University of Mount Olive.
Full Size
Submitted photo
An exterior view of the newly renovated Rodgers Chapel and construction of the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies.
Full Size
Submitted photo
Several guests enjoy a conversation in the Jean F. Ackiss Prayer Garden, one of the highlights of the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies.
Full Size
Submitted photo
First lady Mary Kerstetter, left, talks with former longtime University of Mount Olive employee Jean F. Ackiss, right, who has a garden named in her honor in the new E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies. Looking on is former first lady Rose M. Raper.
From staff reports
MOUNT OLIVE -- Nearly 200 people attended Sunday's dedication ceremony for the University of Mount Olive's newly renovated Rodgers Chapel and construction of the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies.
The facility, encompassing 5,922 square feet, was designed by Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and constructed by Daniels and Daniels Construction.
It houses two classrooms, a kitchenette and coffee bar, a multipurpose room, and ten offices with floor-to-ceiling windows allowing beautiful views of the campus
A prayer garden, dedicated to Jean F. Ackiss, who provided 50 years of service to the development of church support at UMO, features a tranquil place for meditation and reflection.
All members of the department of religion, the campus chaplain and the director of church relations have relocated to the Center, allowing for the expansion of the university's religious studies program, and further denoting the literal and figurative cornerstone of the campus community.
More than 260 donors contributed more than $2 million to the chapel expansion project.
Portraits and bronze plaques, bearing the names of many of those donors, adorn the new spaces.
Chief among those donors is Dr. E. Lee Glover for whom the center is named.
A 1959 graduate of Mount Olive Junior College, Dr. Glover was not able to be present for the dedication service. However, he prepared remarks, which were read by his friend and former classmate, Gary Fenton Barefoot.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my two years at Mount Olive," Barefoot read from the remarks. "I made lifelong friendships with several of the professors and students. The faculty and staff of the college created a caring environment.
"I had never met so many sincere and committed people. I developed a life-long interest in the school which had served me so well. I am pleased to be able to give back to my favorite alma mater by helping underwrite the cost of this addition. May this facility be a testament to our commitment to education, to our faith, and to our enduring relationships."
UMO Chaplain Carla Williamson presided over the ceremony.
Remarks were provided by Dr. K. David Hines, UMO vice president of academic affairs; the Rev. Ronnie Hobgood, president of the Original Free Will Baptist Convention; Dr. Neal Cox, chair of the department of religion; and others.
The UMO Concert Choir provided a selection of songs which also highlighted the newly installed Allen Three Manual L-33 model organ, made possible by an endowment by Vernice G. Jones.
President Dr. Philip P. Kerstetter noted that not long after his arrival at UMO, the university began a comprehensive capital campaign which included the expansion of Rodgers Chapel.
"We saw the need for a facility that could not only be used for worship services, but that could also be used more broadly for instruction, for reflection, and for gathering together both formally and informally to share, learn, and grow in faith," Kerstetter said. "I cannot thank you all enough for what we are witnessing here today.
"I know that great things will happen here. Rodgers Chapel and the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies will be a beacon, one that will shine brightly as a testimony to faith at the University of Mount Olive for many years to come."
The facility represents the next step on our journey of faith at the University of Mount Olive, said Earl Worley, UMO board of trustees chairman.
"It will provide numerous opportunities to gather, to worship, to learn, to explore, and to share, he said. "Faith has been, and continues to be, central to the mission of our University.
"I have always appreciated the fact that Rodgers Chapel, and now the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies are physically located on the center of campus as well. The intentional placement symbolizes the University's commitment to the Christian faith."
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Teresa Hines called the dedication a wonderful day for the university.
"I stand before you today with a heart filled with gratitude," she said. "Your generosity has transformed Rodgers Chapel and has made possible the construction of the E. Lee Glover Center for Religious Studies.
"Because of the generosity of many of you, we have this welcoming place, open to all, to offer as a haven of peace and a place of communion for our students, our faculty and staff, and our community. You have made this happen and we, the University of Mount Olive, will be eternally grateful."
The university now space to hold spiritual formative classes and workshops as well as space for students to relax and have coffee and talk theology together, Williamson said.
"We are filled with joy at being able to return to our special space of worship and the new space for sharing hospitality and creating community," she said.
"My office will be located just across the hall from the chapel, so when students come to me in tears, we can walk over to the chapel and pray together. God's word will once again be proclaimed within the chapel walls, music will fill the air, and prayers will rise from our souls. For all of this we are grateful."
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values.
The university, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College.
For more information, visit www.umo.edu.