Cleveland, TN—A Christmas celebration for employees of the International Offices took place on Wednesday, December 8 in the World Evangelization Center chapel. The event was the first following an extensive upgrade and remodeling of the space earlier this year.
[1]Voices of Lee perform in the renovated chapel during the December 8 Christmas celebration (click photo to enlarge)
The chapel is located in the original four-story building constructed on the Keith and 25th Street campus back in 1968. In 2004-2005, the structure underwent a complete facelift and renovation when the adjacent Leadership & Communications Center and Discipleship & Education buildings – both two stories – were added, creating a three-building campus tied together with a Prayer Garden.
The chapel, however, only received cosmetic upgrades during the renovation. Since then, it had become largely obsolete for meetings and gatherings that require today’s advanced audio/visual technology. A campaign to honor the late Dr. David Blair, director of Youth and Discipleship until his passing in March 2021, was launched following his death and funds were received from a number of generous donors across the nation.
The Christmas celebration included special musical guests Voices of Lee and the Browder Family, with greetings from the International Executive Committee led by General Overseer Tim Hill. Portions of the event will be broadcast during a special Christmas presentation on Facebook (@COGHQ), entitled “Hearts Coming Home…Again.”
While the December 8 event was the first to take place in the new space, the chapel will be renamed the David C. Blair Ministry and Training Center during a formal dedication scheduled for January 12, 2022.