On May 11, Andrew Wommack, teachers and staff of Charis Bible College, and members of the Charis community came together to celebrate the school’s next big project — on-campus housing! The goal is to make it easier for students to attend Charis, follow their call, and take the Gospel as far and deep as possible.
As Charis has grown, students have struggled to find affordable housing. Some have to make long commutes. We want to remove barriers to studying God’s Word, and on-campus housing helps do that!
Celebrating Growth
The celebration opened with praise and worship led by Daniel Amstutz & Charis Worship. Guests then heard from several Charis leaders:
- Andrew Wommack, president and founder of Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis
- Mike and Carrie Pickett, vice presidents of Charis
- Paul Milligan, former CEO of AWM
- Billy Epperhart, current CEO
Video of the groundbreaking ceremony.
Paul focused on the spiritual impact of the ministry. He reminded everyone there, “Today is about Jesus.” All the great things AWM has done are only because Andrew followed the Father’s will.
Billy focused on the financial impact. In his own words, “Miracles were happening every week.” In early years, the ministry was almost bankrupt. Now the ministry is thriving. Last year, we were even able to pay off the parking garage in record time. God’s blessing on the ministry is undeniable! The faithfulness of our friends and partners has also been a blessing. Hear how God provided the land that would house Charis Bible College.
Sharing the Vision
Andrew then explained the vision for the housing. He shared a video that showed an artist’s model of the dormitories. The plan is to have six buildings that will house forty students each. They will be fully furnished. Everyone will have their own bedroom. We want to make housing comfortable and easy, especially for younger students who might be leaving home for the first time.
You could feel the excitement in The Auditorium as everyone saw the vision come to life.
“Our future is so bright we have to squint to look at it.”
— Andrew Wommack
Breaking Ground
After the video, everyone was invited to walk over to the groundbreaking site. The atmosphere was lively as attendees made their way. Anyone who wanted to stay cozy inside was still able to share the moment through live stream.
Many of the senior leadership were lined up at the future housing site:
- Andrew Wommack
- Paul Milligan
- Billy Epperhart
- Mike and Carrie Pickett
- Andrew Wertz, senior vice president of AWM
- Stephen Bransford, executive producer of AWM Television and Media Production
- Chris Suess, executive director of Construction and Facilities
- John Reich, construction general manager
The crowd was full of anticipation. Younger members of the audience climbed trees to see better. After a few words, the leadership members broke ground with ceremonial gold shovels. This officially signaled the new phase of Charis expansion.
A Bright Future
Andrew closed in prayer and dedicated the future housing to God. Finally, no celebration would be complete without cookies and lemonade for the guests!
Once all the paperwork is finished, construction can begin. We can’t wait to see how God will use these facilities. We invite all of you to partner with us and be a part of the mission.
We hope you’re as excited for the future as we are!
If you want to support the mission of Charis, consider joining as a Foundation Builders Partner. You will be helping students thrive and God’s kingdom grow. Go to awmi.net/build or call our Helpline at 719-635-1111 to become a partner today!
