WINTER 2025 21 Credit: Miracles on University Hill: The Presidency of Dr. Gary Cook, Dr. Mary Nelson A City on a Hill: Dallas Baptist University an Architectural History, Dr. J. Blair Blackburn “THAT WAS AN AMAZING DAY” When praying about who would lead the fundraising effort to build the chapel, Dr. Cook felt led to ask future DBU President Dr. Adam C. Wright, then the director of undergraduate admissions, to take on the role. Dr. Wright recalls Dr. Cook inviting him to take a walk on campus one evening: We were talking through my calling at DBU, and we stopped at the spot where the chapel stands today, and he began to share with me his vision about having a chapel at DBU. He felt like the Lord had said the time was now to build this building. Dr. Cook said, “Adam, I really feel like the Lord has impressed upon my heart to ask you to step into a role of leadership and lead the campaign to build this building.” Like a father would, he helped me understand how in the scripture God oftentimes chooses people to do extraordinary things. I asked, “Where do you think we are going to get this money?” He responded, “I don’t know, but I know that God knows… and He will send it.” So we knelt at that spot, and he showed me a passage, and I’ve never read it the same way again in my life: “We walk by faith and not by sight.” And we knelt there; we prayed and dedicated that ground to God and asked the Lord to bless it. We were going to take a step of faith. We weren’t going to walk by sight––we were going to walk by faith. Dr. Wright immediately began seeking and praying for a donor to fund the significant undertaking. He even wrote in his prayer journal about a Texas businessman and longtime supporter of the University, “Lord, please put a burden on Bo Pilgrim to fund this project.” Dr. Wright surprised himself by writing such a bold prayer, but his faith was strong. After months of working diligently on the fundraising campaign and fervently praying, God provided a miracle on March 24, 2006. That is the day Dr. Cook received the long-awaited call from Bo Pilgrim, who committed $8 million to the cost of construction. Dr. J. Blair Blackburn, former executive vice president of DBU, oversaw the architects and construction company for Pilgrim Chapel, and DBU broke ground shortly after receiving this amazingly generous initial lead gift. “My wife, Candice, and I had just finished praying together at lunch. We included in our requests for the Chapel, as we did nearly every moment possible, that people would give so we could move forward with the project. Dr. Cook called right then to let us know the Pilgrims had committed the lead gift. We were moved to tears…the Lord had answered our prayers and the prayers of so many. That was an amazing day.” -President Adam C. Wright
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