April 7, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Wilberforce University Alumni Association,
I pray that this letter finds each of you doing as well as you can as we live through this unprecedented time of Covid-19. This unseen enemy has shut down our schools, our houses of worship, our entertainment and sports outlets. It has had an adverse impact on our healthcare system, our economy, and restricts on our personal and public way of life.
The truth is what affects us personally also affects our Alma Mata. Not just in terms of money or students, but the fate of Wilberforce depend on the state of our nation, governmental systems, educational systems, healthcare system and our economy.
Remember when we learned that Wilberforce was known as “Church Side” and Central State was known as “Stateside?” Or, how many of you remember when we were expected to attend Sunday Night Vesper Services? Remember the Wilberforce Concert Choir and the Wilberforce Vesper Ensemble? These remind us of Wilberforce Universities religious heritage. Wilberforce University was built on the foundation of Christian Faith in which prayer was always a part of our DNA.
In this unprecedented time that is disrupting both our lives and our quest to keep Wilberforce accredited, the good news is “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8). Here’s why: this August Wilberforce will celebrate 164 years of educating primarily African American minds. As the mothership of privately owned HBCU’s and most public HBCU’s, Wilberforce has navigated through many storms with faith and determination with the Lord being our helper. I believe that He is able to bring us through this current storm as well.
Therefore, I invite all of you who believe in the power of prayer and want to join me in building a powerful and effective prayer ministry for our Alma Mata and Alumni Association, to contact me atrmm@ngmec.org. I would love to talk to you and hear your ideas on how we can work together to make this ministry a reality. Thank you.
In His Service,
Russell M. Morrow, ‘77
WUAA Chaplain
731-514-4128