WINONA LAKE — Grace College announced its plans for the new Ray “Butch” and Sandra Shook Welcome Center to be located in Westminster Hall.
The main floor of the facility will be renovated to serve as a hub for all campus guests and the new home for the school’s admissions office, according to a news release from Grace College.
“This transformative initiative will repurpose Westminster Hall’s main floor to become a vibrant and welcoming entry point to our campus, showcasing many of the things that make Grace so special,” said Dr. Drew Flamm, president of Grace College. “We are very thankful to the generous donors who have ignited this important project for Grace, and we look forward to seeing how God will continue to bless this endeavor as we steward this beloved historic building.”
The Shook Welcome Center is named after Ray “Butch” and Sandra Shook, who met as students at Grace. Butch graduated from Grace in 1972 and became one of the school’s first full-time admissions counselors. Two of Butch and Sandra's three kids attended Grace, and Butch now serves on the Grace Board of Trustees.
The project will feature the current Winona History Museum and the west community banquet room while remodeling the east banquet room to create space for admissions offices and meeting rooms. The lobby space will also include the Grace Gear campus store and lakeside rentals for guests to enjoy on 564-acre Winona Lake, just a few blocks from Westminster. The center will be the first stop for prospective students on their Grace College visits.
“We welcome thousands of high school students and their families to Winona Lake each year,” said Dr. Mark Pohl, vice president of enrollment management. “Through our new welcome center, we hope to enhance the visit experience, provide an inviting space where visitors instantly feel at home and share the rich history of Grace and Winona Lake.”
Westminster Hall, formerly the Westminster Hotel, was built in 1905. The historic hotel housed the world's largest gospel publishing company and served as the site of a national recording studio. The Youth for Christ organization was founded in the Rainbow Room, the west banquet room, which also held the all-night prayer meeting in July of 1949 that launched Billy Graham's first large evangelistic crusade in Los Angeles.
“Since Westminster also houses the Winona History Center, which displays artifacts and research archives about the history of Winona Lake, the Bible Conference movement and the Chautauqua period, we look forward to having many more campus visitors enjoy the rich history and learn about the distinguished pedigree of this delightful little town of Winona Lake,” said Dr. Terry White, town historian and former docent of the Winona History Museum.
The school intends to break ground on the Shook Welcome Center this winter.
Grace has raised $1.6 million of the $2 million needed for the project. Every dollar donated to the Shook Welcome Center through Tuesday, Dec. 3 will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $200,000, thanks to a generous board member.
To give to the project or to see project renderings, visit www.grace.edu/welcomecentermatch.