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Local church to endow chair at AU

Blue Ridge UMC in Kansas City, Missouri is preparing to launch a US$500,000 fundraising drive to endow a chair in the Faculty of Education at Africa University. The congregation’s fundraising plan for Africa University was shared by its senior pastor, Dr. Kenneth Lutgen, during a visit to the campus earlier this month. Dr. Lutgen was accompanied by a 45-person group comprised mainly of members of the Blue Ridge UMC congregation. “Our aim is to raise US$500,000 in honour of the work of Reverend C. Garret Gray and Mai Gray, who have had a long history of work within the United Methodist Church,” said Lutgen. “The couple has also been very committed to Africa University and we are setting up this chair in respect of their celebrated careers as educationists.”

The campaign, to be launched in November, is expected to take three to four years to complete. Its annual target is US$100,000, with outreach to the 200+ churches within the Missouri and Kansas East conferences. “We are reaching out to friends of Mai Gray from across the worldwide church, and our launching ceremony this November will set the tone for word to spread of this effort,” said Lutgen. The fundraising team will also produce promotional materials for distribution in the wider church highlighting the campaign’s goals and the impact it will have on Africa University.
“Africa University is a phenomenal story, teaching us how important it is to give people an opportunity to get educated,” said Lutgen.