Northwest University Chapel Renovation Campaign

About 60 years ago, President C.E. Butterfield knelt down to pray on the foundation of an old cabin that had stood in the village of Houghton. Once the home of the Stewart sisters, the cabin had hosted Bible lessons and worship services for Japanese students at the University of Washington for years. It was saturated with the sisters’ prayers that God would always use their property for the spiritual training of young people. Not many years later, Northwest University would build a beautiful chapel on that very property to call out to God daily for the abiding presence of Jesus on our campus.

Today, our chapel building has grown weary in serving our community, not only suffering the physical ravages of wear and weather, but also falling behind in the technical challenges that every house of worship faces in our time. It is no longer large enough to meet the demands of our growing student body. Our students need a new, dedicated 24-hour prayer room.

The Butterfield Chapel means more to us than any ordinary building. It stands as a house of worship. It must be renewed now if we expect it to continue serving God’s purposes on our campus.

Northwest cannot remain as the Christ-centered learning community our founders intended and without a vibrant program of worship and discipleship at our center. So, we have prioritized the restoration and enhancement of the chapel as our first project in the rebuilding of our campus. More than a generation ago, believers invested their treasure in this vision by constructing the chapel. Our generation must now rebuild it, with the same vision for spiritual life that inspired the founders and followers of our past. We invite you to join us in bold generosity to invest once again in Christ-centered, Spirit-filled education for the glory of God and the fulfillment of God’s mission in our time.

Respectfully,
Joseph Castleberry, EdD President, Northwest University