Fall Convocation Chapel Service Celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Pilgrim Chapel

For 15 years, the Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel has served as a beacon of faith, worship, and community, providing a sacred space for countless DBU Patriots, faculty, staff, and guests to connect with God and one another. On September 9, DBU hosted a Convocation Chapel Service to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Pilgrim Chapel, where DBU President Dr. Adam C. Wright and DBU Chancellor Dr. Gary Cook briefly shared how University Hill’s most iconic building came to be.

In 1999, during Dr. Cook's presidency, the Lord gave him a vision of a beautiful chapel on DBU's campus. His vision showed a campus landmark that would draw the entire DBU Family together for spiritual development. He felt led to start the fundraising campaign with a donation from him and his wife, Sheila Cook.

Inspired by the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island, Dr. Cook felt called to model Pilgrim Chapel after this historic landmark. After several trips to Providence, official designs of the chapel were created. They decided to situate the chapel on top of the hill, overlooking Mountain Creek Lake, to cement DBU as a "city on a hill," as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5:14. As the project slowly became more real, Dr. Cook continued to patiently pray for more funds and for choosing someone to oversee the campaign. In His perfect timing, God was waiting for the right person to be ready.

In 2005, Dr. Wright was 25 years old, working in Undergraduate Admissions at DBU, and he was gripped with a "holy wrestling" in his heart. Dr. Wright was wondering where the Lord would place him next and was even considering leaving DBU for the next chapter in his career. On November 11, 2005, amid Dr. Wright's uncertainty, Dr. Cook invited him to walk with him around campus. Dr. Cook described his vision for a chapel to Dr. Wright. His vision was remarkable, and Dr. Wright asked Dr. Cook who would fund such a project, and he responded, "I don't know, but God knows." Dr. Cook asked him to serve as the coordinator for the chapel campaign. Dr. Wright's holy wrestling had finally settled, and he knew this was what the Lord had been preparing for him.

Dr. Wright shared that he began his new role in late 2005 and began seeking and praying for a donor to fund this massive project. During the Convocation, he read a prayer from the journal he used in 2005, "Lord, please put a burden on Bo Pilgrim to fund this project." Dr. Wright was surprised he had written such a bold prayer but was glad he did. He noted, "God listens to each and every prayer, so we ought to pray specific and bold prayers." After months of working and praying, on March 24, 2006, Dr. Cook received the long-awaited call from Bo Pilgrim. This gift was the final piece everyone was waiting for, and they broke ground on the construction site shortly after.  

Since the move to Dallas, the DBU Family had met in a tent on the quad and in the Burg Center for chapel services, but on September 2, 2009, DBU students worshiped for the first time in Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel. DBU Alumna and Dove Award winner Kari Jobe led worship, and alumnus Bertrain Bailey delivered a message. The building's construction had been ten years in the making, and it was possible only through the provision of Jesus Christ. During the Convocation, Dr. Cook reminded the DBU Family that the chapel is a gift from the Lord to the campus. During the service, DBU's Chorale performed two songs, and the DBU Family watched a video showcasing the chapel's construction and its impact over the last 15 years.

At the end of the Convocation, six DBU students came on stage to read Matthew 21:13 in six different languages, signifying the worldwide impact the Lord has blessed DBU with. Dr. Blake Killingsworth, Dean of the Cook School of Leadership, closed the service by praying and thanking the Lord for the past 15 years of faithfulness and many more years of continued faithfulness on University Hill.

Immediately following the service, the DBU Family began a 24/7 Bible reading challenge. Students, faculty, and staff signed up for 30-minute time slots to read the Bible in its entirety all day and all night for five days. Everyone heard Scripture read throughout Pilgrim Chapel all week as they thanked the Lord for his continued providence over University Hill.

Watch the Chapel's 15th Year Anniversary Video