After 12 years without a dedicated worship space on campus, Trinity Western University dedicated the newly built Hanson Garden Chapel on April 30, 2016, in the company of many friends and community members.
"Today we are here to celebrate not only a taste of nostalgia and reunion with many old friends, classmates, and mentors, but also recognize the restoration of a physical location which identifies the centrality of Christ and His work on the cross for us," said President Bob Kuhn during the dedication ceremony.
"Fittingly, this garden chapel found its home here between the student residences and the main academic buildings, bridging the significance of student life and the rigors of educational excellence. It stands at the centre, the very heart of Trinity Western University."
Located on the lawn beside the Robert N. Thompson Building at TWU's Langley campus, the garden chapel features a cross that will be lit every night from sunset to sunrise—even in the dark, it will represent light.
The original chapel building, named after TWU's founding president, Calvin B. Hanson, was used for worship and for music activities for 42 years before mould issues forced its closure in 2004. It was a sad time for many TWU community members who had fond memories of the chapel, which had a distinctive roof meant to symbolize open hands as well as a wall made of stones.
The sloping stone walls in the new Hanson Garden Chapel are constructed of these stones, which were saved when the old chapel was torn down in 2011. They pay homage not only to the architecture of the former chapel building, but also to Calvin and Muriel Hanson, who, in the words of President Kuhn, "served as visionary pioneers and tireless servants for the benefit of thousands who would come to experience the extraordinary transformation, the incredible inspiration of this place and people who have invested their very lives here."
The construction of the Hanson Garden Chapel was possible because of the gifts of many donors, most of whom are listed on a set of panels under the chapel trellis.
