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Siloam Dedicates New Building
Originally published in the Winter 2005 edition of Healing Waters
The weather was perfect as close to 400 guests gathered for the dedication and open house of Siloam's new 12,000 sq. ft. health care canter. It was a time of remembering, celebrating and honoring those who had made moving into the magnificent facility possible.
The building was dedicated to the memory of former Siloam board member, Phil Patton. It was also a time of rejoicing in God's faithfulness and His amazing grace.
Mayor Bill Purcell reminded the audience that Proverbs 19:17 says, "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Mayor Purcell was joined on the platform by Jack Bovender, HCA Chairman and CEO, and a friend and co-worker of Phil Patton. Jack shared memories of Phil and his commitment to Siloam.
Siloam board member and capital campaign chair, Milton Johnson, thanked the donors who had helped with Siloam's successful $4.5 million capital campaign. Funds raised made it possible for Siloam to move into the building free of debt and with funding to purchase needed equipment and furnishings. A building reserve and an endowment will also be established as a result of the campaign and as five-year pledged commitments are fulfilled.
| Dedication Prayer Lead by Morgan Wills, Staff Physician Lord, you have truly been gracious to us! Your blessing has been with us at Siloam. For more than a decade, you have been delighted to use a few tiny, obscure apartments as your vessel in this city to extend the love of Jesus Christ to those in need through health care. As was the case with your Son, there was no physical beauty of majesty in Siloam's appearance to attract us there. And yet, your presence dwelt there as your people came together by faith to do your work in your way in that tiny, overlooked space. Thank you, Lord, for that humble facility in Edgehill where we learned to depend on you - and not our own resources - to meet the needs of our patients. Today, Father, be pleased to continue to dwell in our midst as we move into this new, larger, more beautiful facility, and may we continue to trust not in our own resources. Thank you so much for the many, many people you used to bring it about - many of them here with us today. Bless them, Lord, with the deep satisfaction that they have helped further the Kingdom of God in our city - and even among the nations. The diversity of gifts functioning together in such a great cause has been beautiful to behold. It has truly been a privilege for each of us to participate, and it is so right to celebrate together today! Now, Lord, as much as we love it, we invoke your presence not just for ourselves - that we might just marvel at your providence and goodness - but that we might share it with others, especially the neediest in our midst. In particular, we pray your hand of protection over our patients as we have been relatively unavailable this past week of transition. We also pray for you to be uniquely preparing those new patients whom we will be able to see in this expanded facility. Many are desperate and scared, some because they are completely new to this culture, and others because they have been metaphorically displaced and "resettled" into the realm of the uninsured. Regardless of the conditions that bring them here, Lord, we pray that they would experience your "saving health" (Ps 67:2, KJV) in this place. Not just physical cures and control of symptoms, as wonderful and necessary as those may be, but also a recognition of your glorious grace as the source of all healing. We pray that you would use Siloam to help restore patients and caregivers alike wherever the image of God in us is broken - physically, emotionally, socially, or spiritually. And, as you do it, we pray that your glory - not ours - would be magnified on the earth. As the psalmist wrote, "May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy..." (Ps. 76:3-4) In the name of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen |
Financial gifts to build the new facility came from many source - individuals, churches and foundations. Gifts varied in size from HCA's lead capital campaign gift of $1.5 million to pennies, dimes and dollars dropped by patients into a jar. The gift that insured Siloam from any debt was received in September in the amount of $500,000 given by the Joe C. Davis Foundation.
Nancy West, executive director, described the day she received the call concerning this key donation, "There was shouting, crying and smiles from ear to ear as we celebrated. This not only meant we were going into the building debt free...it meant that we could immediately redirect our efforts toward patient care and expanding our programs."
The dedication also noted that the financial success of the building project was not just about dollars raised - it was also about dollars saved. Many on the design build team, as well as subcontractors and vendors, gave in-kind gifts that equaled thousands and thousands of dollars in savings.
©2001 Siloam Health Center
