photo by Michael Mellema Richard DeVos, who helped fund the new building, spoke at Tuesday’s “Stepping East by God’s Grace” ceremony.

Amidst the bright sun and radiating heat of a spring afternoon, members of the Calvin community gathered together to dedicate the new DeVos Communications Center and Prince Conference Center during Tuesday’s “Stepping East by God’s Grace” ceremony.

The celebration was held under a tent erected in the parking lots above the Knollcrest Apartments, just below where bulldozers have already broken ground and begun clearing dirt to make way for the new multi-million dollar expansion. Calvin’s catering staff served cookies and punch, a model of the campus expansion was available for view, and local television media turned out to view the event.

The meditation speech was given by Communications Arts and Sciences professor Quentin Schultze.

“When I came to Calvin in 1982, I never would have thought this possible,” Schultze said of the new development.

He likened the eastward expansion to Adam and Eve’s move east from the Garden of Eden.

“No matter which direction we head, we bring with us tools for heavenly foundations,” Schultze said, “God owns every square inch of this place. In order to serve our neighbors, we must journey east. I think God will be pleased. Together we step east from Eden.”

Schultze also said, “The center will not be a one-technology building. We will have everything from voice to satellite.”

He stressed that unlike many new buildings being built for communications purposes, the new Communications Center is being designed to be upgradeable and expandable as technology changes and foci shift.

On hand were Richard DeVos from Amway Corporation and Elsa Prince Broekhuizen of Prince Corporation, who were responsible for funding their respectively named buildings.

“Some things hit our hot button; we felt this was one of them,” said DeVos during a brief speech at the ceremony.

DeVos also said that he hoped the new facility would enable Calvin students to be more effective communicators for the church throughout the world. “I felt the church was weak in its communication,” he said. “We have a ways to go with outreach.”

“I can’t tell you how thrilled and thankful I am to be here,” said Broekhuizen.

She echoed DeVos’s thoughts about the new centers being an excellent new tool to aide students in Christian outreach. “We have to go and share this good news.”

The new facility will also include an enclosed walkway over Beltline Avenue that bridges the west and east sides of campus.

“I’m waiting to see what the students will hang from that thing,” DeVos quipped.

President Byker’s closing prayer was a reminder of the focus of the new buildings. “You have given us this great land for our heritage, God. We dedicate this place to you.”

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