RICHMOND — Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond’s recently-launched Forward Together campaign is helping the school make the move from its historic Brook Road campus several miles north to Villa Park.
A group of BTSR supporters created the $1 million matching gift campaign by pledging $500,000 to be matched by other donors on a first-come basis.
“The campaign comes at a crucial time for the seminary,” said BTSR president Ron Crawford. “As we move into our new Villa Park location, we are facing significant expenses for the build-out. In addition to equipping our classrooms with the cutting-edge technology, we need to furnish our new space with chairs, desks, tables. We also have the normal moving expenses.”
Forward Together gives friends and supporters of the school the opportunity to help create and sustain a cutting edge educational facility that inspires learning.
BTSR president Ron Crawford and first year student Judithy Myers look over architectural plans outside the seminary’s new location. (BTSR photo)
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With $500,000 pledged toward the $1 million goal, every dollar contributed in the form of an undesignated gift will be matched by a dollar from those who have already pledged their support. A $50 undesignated gift, for instance, represents a $100 investment in the seminary. Supporters also have the option of making designated or naming gifts.
“Our donors have diverse interests when it comes to the future of BTSR, so we offer other options for providing financial support,” said Craw-ford. “They can make a designated gift to the campaign, and that would help us equip classrooms with everything from WhiteBoard technology and announcement monitors to chairs and desks. They can also make a gift that offers a naming opportunity. Offices and classrooms, as well as our student lounge, can be named in honor or in memory of someone special.”
BTSR’s relocation is part of the school’s strategic plan to reduce overhead and provide students with expanded resources in a technologically rich environment. Perhaps equally important is the fact that the Villa Park location represents the first time in the seminary's 22-year history that space has been designed to embody the seminary’s values and reflect its mission.
“The design of space either embodies or conflicts with an institution's values,” said Crawford, “and most people understand this intuitively with regard to sanctuaries. The same holds true for educational settings, especially seminaries. Values should shape space. In our new home, the chapel stands at the center of the facility, with classrooms and offices built around it. The lounge, the place where people gather to fellowship and eat lunch, is across the hall from the chapel. All this is done by design."
The build-out also draws attention to the seminary’s rich heritage through the placement of the Glenn Hinson Window and the Seminary Covenant. A stained glass window was given to the seminary in honor of Glenn Hinson in 1998. In the Brook Road campus the window was displayed in a small prayer room. In the Villa Park location the window is centrally located in the chapel.
The Seminary Covenant will be displayed in the hallway between the chapel and the lounge. Originally the covenant of the Southern Baptist Alliance (now the Alliance of Baptists), it was adopted by the seminary in 1989, well before the school opened in 1991.
Even with the technological upgrades, Crawford sees the move as reclaiming the school’s early heritage.
“BTSR started as a dynamic, evolving experiment in theological education,” he said. “We were a wilderness people. In this move, we are returning to our roots and to a simple sense of community as we focus sharply on preparing women and men for ministry.”
Through August, gifts made to the Forward Together campaign can be mailed to 3400 Brook Rd, Richmond, VA 23227. After Sept. 1, checks should be mailed to 8040 Villa Park Dr., Suite 250, Richmond, VA 23228. Dona-tions are also received through the seminary's web page at www.btsr.edu, where additional information is available.