220Leadership Founders Day events begin with campus wide prayer walk and reflection on the past, present and future of the University. Students, alumni, faculty and staff celebrated Harding’s third Founders Day by participating in a prayer walk around campus. President Mike Williams led the prayer procession to various buildings throughout campus while the group prayed for the lives of past, present and future students and faculty. The prayer walk was held for students, faculty and alumni to come together as a community and remember Harding’s pioneers. There were 10 stops scheduled for the prayer walk which included major buildings on campus that had scripture incorporated into the architecture. At each stop Williams asked a different person to pray, including former chair and professor of music Dr. Cliff Ganus III, executive vice president Dr. Jean Noel Thompson and former president Dr. David Burks. The director of alumni and parent relations, Heather Kemper, helped coordinate the prayer walk. Kemper spoke with Thompson and Williams about the importance of prayer for the centennial year Founders Day. “Dr. Williams and Dr. Thompson really wanted prayer to be an important component of the Founders Day activities,” Kemper said. “In trying to think of how to best meet the needs of the student body and alumni and everybody that would be on campus really, that’s kind of where the prayer walk came from.” The idea of the prayer walk came from Lisa Williams, wife of Mike Williams, who had led prayer walks for women in the past. The purpose of the event was to create a spiritual foundation not only for the rest of the school year but also for Harding’s future. “It’s something that can live on the entire year that anybody can be a part of,” Kemper said. “Whether you’re here on campus, or if you’re alumni living a thousand miles away.” When asked what would be expected for upcoming centennial celebrations, Thompson said he believed students, faculty and alumni would celebrate Harding’s history in different ways, focusing on the longevity of the University. “Everyone is doing it in such a way that we’re boasting in Christ, we’re thankful, we’re grateful for those who have come before us,” Thompson said. During his previous tenure at Faulkner University, Thompson served alongside Mike Williams and celebrated Faulkner’s 75th anniversary. During that time, Thompson and Williams prayed deeply for their school, but Harding’s Founders Day celebration was the first time Thompson took part in a prayer walk. Alumna Cheryl Finley participated in the prayer walk and was deeply moved by the event. “There were individuals in the group that at each stop had a connection to that particular stop, and Mike had them pray,” Finley said. “[Mike Williams] called them out to pray for that particular stop, Praying in Preparation | A brief introduction is given about the prayer walk by President Dr. Mike Williams. He had urged guests to pray at locations that they had a unique connection to. Photo by Lauren Simmons Please Bow with Me | Member of the Harding University board of trustees, Robert Diles, leads a prayer on a stop in front of the Thornton Center for Education. The walk was guided by volunteers willing to bless the school year and give thanks for all that has been done in the past century on Harding’s campus. Photo by Lauren Simmons
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