Kyle and Peggy Perrin of Chesapeake, VA have a strong passion for their faith. To help share this passion with the next generation, the couple met with Chowan University President Christopher White and Development Vice President John Tayloe and emerged with a new endowment fund established.

Hoping to expand upon Chowan’s Department of Religion and Philosophy and the university’s missionary efforts, the new permanently endowed fund was named the Vineyard Missions Endowment Fund for the many vine and vineyard references throughout the Bible. The Vineyard imagery also symbolizes Chowan’s recent growth and the Perrins commitment to grow Christian higher education.

“I am deeply grateful to you for the opportunity you have given to Peggy and me to participate in one of your university programs,” Dr. Kyle Perrin stated in a letter. “My vision is big because my God can make all things possible if it is His will.”

With the newly established fund, the Perrins want to use that vision to help others. Their son-in-law, Dr. John Pond, is an Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Chowan, and will help allocate the resources generated from the endowment fund to grow the missions area of his department.

“My vision is that this endowment will allow expansion of the missions program for Chowan by moving beyond a strictly religion department-only activity to a more interdisciplinary and all-inclusive experience,” explained Dr. Pond. “For example, there could be mission projects that would involve other majors in an international setting that would include missional involvement, like food pantry or construction.”

“Furthermore, these funds would provide financial support for student/faculty participation and the opportunity for faculty to teach in an international setting,” Pond continued, citing examples such as Faculte de Theologie Evangelique in Montreal of Arcadia University. “These are only some possibilities. I believe that with the rapid changes that occur globally, this fund, with God's guidance, will help Chowan University engage and respond with missional integrity, spontaneity and wisdom.”

To learn more about how you can make a difference on the campus of Chowan University, contact Vice President for Development John Tayloe attayloj1@chowan.edu or (252) 398-1232.