On Thursday, August 15, 2024,  the Gammon Family celebrated a milestone in the progress of campus renovations with the ribbon-cutting of the Gammon Hall student lounge. Several trustees were in attendance, including Bishop Sharma D. Lewis; Bishop Alford Norris; the 12th President of Gammon Theological Seminary, 2020 Interim President Dr. Joseph Crawford; and Dr. Mackie Norris, a current Gammon Trustee. Alum President Dr. Katurah Johnson and Dr. Derrick Rhodes were also among those present. Many other special guests and friends were also present as Gammon’s “brand new day” unfolds. Here are pictures highlighting the ribbon-cutting celebration. 

Unfortunately, significant rain on Friday evening, August 16, led to water damage in the Gammon building, including the student lounge that had just opened..

Despite the setback, the Gammon Team showed resilience. Damage was immediately assessed on Saturday morning, August 17. The following areas received water damage: seven dorm rooms, the chapel/multipurpose space, the President‘s office, and the student lounge.  A water extraction company was contacted and they were on site for the entire day on both Saturday and Sunday to extract the water and set out dryers. Hopefully, the flooring will dry out and there will be no damage behind the drywall. This is being assessed with daily update reports. 

Thanks to Mr. Freddie Johnson for securing a plumber after hours who was able to go on the roof and fix the drain leaks. The Gammon Team is committed to keeping you informed about progress and the next steps.

Special thanks to the staff and Rev. Brenda Bennefield, who made sure that the Spelman students could move in on time on Saturday, August 17, with minimal impact other than over 25 dryers and humidifiers blowing throughout the building while trying to dry the water. Mr. Basil Brewer, Building Director, was on site for over 16 hours on Saturday responding to needs throughout the building. 

This week, the Gammon  Finance Team is working on filing an insurance claim to see if these unexpected expenses can be covered.  The Team will keep you posted on those details, including the progress of the claim and any potential impact on the budget.

Your ongoing support is crucial to the work of Gammon as an emerging independently accredited Theological Seminary and is deeply appreciated. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

The Gammon Trustees look forward to seeing you on campus at the Trustee Board Meeting, September 9–10, 2024. Unfortunately, this meeting will not be held in the Gammon building, but Turner Theological Seminary has graciously offered to host the meeting instead. While on campus, those in attendance can conduct a walk-through of the Gammon building to see the progress.

Please reach out to Dean Lewis with any questions.  She can be reached at 904-233-0047 or at deanclewis@gammon-itc.org.