Wife of former FWBC President Tim Warner passes

June 22, 2010

Eleanor (Waltman) Warner, '45, wife of former FWBC President Tim Warner, entered into her Heavenly home Monday night, June 14 after an extended illness. Visitation was Friday at Fellowship Missionary Church in Fort Wayne, with the memorial service following on Saturday morning.

Dr. Tim, wrote, "I am doing very well. God had prepared us for this departure. I can only envy her joy at being out of this fallen world and in the Father's house. Thank you for your prayers for us. God has heard and answered."

Condolences can be sent to 1029 Olympia Dr, Fort Wayne, IN 46819.

 

 

Leona LLC Signs Letter of Intent Toward Purchase of Former TUFW Campus

Fort Wayne, Ind. - Officials from Taylor University and The Leona Group LLC have announced that Taylor and Leona have signed a letter of intent which could lead to the eventual sale of the former Taylor University Fort Wayne (TUFW) campus at 1025 West Rudisill Blvd.

While the agreement between Taylor and Leona is preliminary in nature, the desired result would be an educational partnership utilizing the property and buildings on Rudisill's south side. In the coming weeks, Leona officials will work to identify education-related businesses and services to partner with them. This process will include interaction with local government and economic development specialists, as well as representatives of the surrounding neighborhood associations, as the project begins to take shape.

The possible sale does not include the WBCL studio, the Fort Wayne Alumni and Friends Resource Center or the buildings on the north side of Rudisill.

Leona, headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., operates the Timothy L. Johnson School on Anthony Blvd. in Fort Wayne, as well 71 charter schools throughout the United States.

Taylor officials said the sale, if completed, would result in continued education-related use of the property, which prior to becoming Taylor University Fort Wayne in 1992 was Summit Christian College and Fort Wayne Bible College.

For comment, contact:
Melissa Cook, Director of Communications and Marketing, Leona LLC
517-333-0535

Jim Garringer, Director of Media Relations, Taylor University
765-998-4912 - office
765-744-7907 - cell

 

Former President of Fort Wayne Bible College/Summit Christian College Dr. Don Gerig Dies

Dr. Don Gerig, 70, who served as the final president of Fort Wayne Bible College and Summit Christian College prior to its merger with Taylor University, died Tuesday evening following a long illness.

He was a resident of Fort Wayne.

Gerig was born August 7, 1939, in Berne, Ind., where his father was a missionary church pastor. He attended elementary and high school in Indiana and Illinois. Gerig originally went to the University of Illinois before transferring to FWBC where he received a bachelor in theology in 1962. During his student years at FWBC, he played trumpet for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.

He later earned Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill.

Gerig became an associate pastor at Harvester Avenue Missionary Church in 1960. From 1962-67, he served as pastor at Spring Lake Missionary Church in Manito, Ill. In 1967, he became pastor of Grabill Missionary Church. While there, he attended the U.S. Congress on Evangelism in Minneapolis and the International Congress on World Evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1976, he was invited to be senior minister of the Calvary Memorial Church of Oak Park, Ill.

He became sixth president of Fort Wayne Bible College in 1986. In 1989, FWBC became Summit Christian College and he served as president there until the merger with Taylor University in 1992.

Following his presidency at Summit, Gerig returned to the pastorate, serving at Huron Hills Baptist Church, near Ann Arbor, Mich., until his retirement in 2003.

In addition to his presidential and pastoral roles, Gerig taught at FWBC, wrote curriculum in the area of pastoral management, published articles in a variety of publications and a book - Leadership in Crisis (1981).

Gerig is survived by his wife Caroline. He is also survived by two children, Denise and Douglas, and six grandchildren.

 

Remembering One Year Ago Today

October 13, 2009

Today, we remember the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the closure of the Fort Wayne campus. As I walked the campus this morning, the leaves were falling from the back woods - even my favorite tree by the old baseball field was losing its radiant red leaves. As the clouds hovered the campus, I was sad.

However, I was buoyed by the signs and chalk drawings along Rudisill with messages and verses – see our Facebook page for more information.The walk brought so many memories of walking the campus with students and even back to when I was a boy being brought to campus by my dad.

Much has happened since a year ago today. God has proved Himself faithful in providing even in difficult situations. Perhaps you're struggling today, but let me encourage you "to press on toward the goal."  Find someone to encourage or to tell them how much they mean to you. Look for an alumna or alumnus to call or e-mail. Remember what God did in and through you at Fort Wayne. 

Shortly, all alumni will be receiving a letter from me sharing some of the plans we have for the future. Meanwhile, please continue to remember to pray today for the future plans of the campus. These are still unknown, but I will keep you posted as they are decided.   

---Michael Mortensen

 

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