With hymns, Scripture, and prayers, an important place in the spiritual life of Florida Southern College was given new life on Feb. 15, as the renovated Bishop Robert E. and Faye Fannin Campus Ministries Center was dedicated.

The dedication ceremony formally opened the Center, which has been refurbished and expanded, providing a warm and inviting place for the nine student-led campus ministries at FSC.

Thanks to generous donations from friends and former parishioners, the building was named in honor of FSC’s Bishop-in-Residence, Bob Fannin, a former campus minister, pastor and bishop of the North Alabama Conference in the United Methodist Church. Bishop Fannin and his wife are alumni of Florida Southern.

At the dedication ceremony, FSC President Anne Kerr said the College emphasizes the spiritual, as well as intellectual, development of students, and she noted that over the past 10 years, almost 60 FSC students have gone on to attend seminary. Renaming the Center is a gesture of love and appreciation for the Fannins, she said.

“Bob and Faye have exemplified in their lives the blessings and power of a Christ-centered life,” she said.

Bishop Kenneth H. Carter of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church offered the prayer of dedication, asking God’s blessings upon the ministries carried out at the Center.

“Bless those who lead ministries here, and bless the students who seek fellowship with you and one another in this sacred space,” he said.

Bishop Fannin thanked those present and said he and his wife were “honored and humbled.”

“We are grateful that the faculty and administration of this College support the idea that a good education includes a spiritual foundation,” he said.