For Andrew Casper (’00), a calling to ministry that took shape at Northwest University has grown into a lasting mission of faith, community, and transformation. More than two decades after graduating, Andrew is leading a church in Virginia—and helping give new life to a historic chapel with a remarkable story of its own:
Northwest gave me the tools I needed to fulfill my calling to full-time ministry. I graduated in 2000 with a degree in Church Ministries with a Youth emphasis. After five years as a youth pastor in the Potomac Ministry Network, God led me and my wife, Cindy, to plant a church in Lorton, Virginia.
We started South County Church in 2008 and now have the privilege of renovating the former Lorton prison chapel that used to be part of Washington, D.C.’s prison system. It was built in 1961, but the prison shut down in 2001; the development where the chapel resides is called Liberty.
We are so grateful for how God has weaved us into this amazing history and is using us to bring freedom to our community. I am so thankful for all the faculty and administration at Northwest who poured into my life.
—Andrew Casper, Class of 2000