JACKSON, Tenn. — Total giving from Southern Baptist churches and entities has topped $3 million for Union University’s recovery from a Feb. 5 tornado that destroyed much of the housing and caused major damage to other buildings at the Jackson, Tenn., campus. “We are immensely grateful to our friends both in Tennessee and across the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) for their generosity to us in our time of need,” Union University President David S. Dockery said. “The Lord has used so many people to be a great blessing to us.”
More than 800 congregations across the SBC have provided $2.2 million toward Union’s recovery. All told, more than 6,000 donors gave about $13 million, leaving Union about $5 million short of its needs. Despite good insurance, Dockery said Union faced an $18 million shortfall caused by a number of factors, such as deductibles, lost revenue from student housing and other programs and the increased cost of rebuilding campus housing to greater standards. Total damage from the tornado has been estimated at $40 million.
The rebuilding process for the campus housing complexes has gone better than expected, Dockery said. Fourteen new student housing buildings, arranged in four new complexes, will be ready for students to occupy when they return for the fall semester in September. “The financial challenges are still pressing,” Dockery said. “But we are confident that the God who has been so gracious to us thus far will continue to raise up people to provide for us.”
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