In 2020, amid the unknown of a pandemic, Chowan University and its supporters launched a campaign for the university’s first free-standing chapel. From the words in Jeremiah 29:11, the family of Bucky ‘74 and Jan Glover made a lead gift to launch the fundraising efforts for a new chapel at Chowan University. Chowan was founded as a Baptist institution and has served students since 1848 without a dedicated building for worship. In 2023, as the university celebrates its 175th year, this will soon change thanks to the Glovers’ involvement and the Board of Trustees’ commitment to construct the 5,000 sq. ft chapel in the heart of campus. 

The university held a groundbreaking ceremony in 2021. Despite delays related to the pandemic, access to materials, and inflation, it is on track to be completed in summer 2023 ahead of the 175th Founder’s Day on October 11, 2023. In late January, excitement built on campus as six concrete trucks arrived and laid the foundation for the chapel. Since then, the progress has been swift.  

As the contractors are finalizing the first third of the chapel’s framing, the Glovers have prayerfully named the chapel what they feel is fitting and welcoming to all. Following a vote by the Board of Trustees, all are excited to share that the name of the first freestanding chapel in the university’s history will be “Chowan Chapel.” 

To learn more about the Chowan Chapel, see live progress via webcams, and learn how you can contribute to this project, visit chowan.edu/chapel. 

About the Glovers

Bucky Glover, a 1974 Chowan graduate and Trustee of Chowan University, along with his wife Jan, are both Certified Public Accountants in the Charlotte, NC area.  Mr. and Mrs. Glover have been supporters of initiatives that engage people with their church and Christian values. The Glovers’ generosity runs deep within their faith and hopes that others will embrace a Christ-filled life. This gift demonstrates the Glovers’ commitment to the University as a faith-based institution for the benefit of Chowan’s students, faculty, staff, and community. 

About the Chapel

The Chowan Chapel will seat 170 guests, and its design is light and open which will allow the building to interact with the landscape around it. Guests will be able to overflow into the beautiful area of the iconic Kerr Gazebo and Alumni Walk. The sanctuary will be an inviting place for reverence and worship.