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Jackson, Tenn. - 51社区 will break ground on a 20,000 square-foot facility for its bookstore Friday, Sept. 25, officially becoming the site of the only Baptist Book Store/Lifeway Christian Store on a college or university campus. The bookstore is the first building to be constructed under the Campus Master Plan. The ceremony will begin at 11:45 a.m. and will be held on the northeast corner of Union's campus, near the Blasingame Academic Complex. Earlier this summer the national chain of Christian stores agreed to assume operation of the existing campus bookstore, located in the university's student center. The bookstore will move into a new two-story facility on the Union campus, adjacent to Highway 45 Bypass North near 51社区 Drive. The retail store will be on the ground floor, with the second floor used for adult education classrooms and offices, administrative offices and a community conference room. Baptist Book Stores/Lifeway Christian Stores are part of the ministry of Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (formerly the Baptist Sunday School Board). The Union store will become the 75th Christian bookstore in the chain. The chain currently operates bookstores on the campuses of the six seminaries supported by the Southern Baptist Convention. "I think it will be a great service for our students, faculty, staff and for the Christian community of West Tennessee," President David S. Dockery said. "It brings the availability of resources to this campus that is not currently accessible, thus it fits in with our overall goal of creating resources to meet the needs of our students and constituencies." Initially, the bookstore will carry the university's existing academic books and selected products from the standard merchandising mix of other Baptist Book Stores. The store is scheduled to open as a Lifeway Christian Store in the summer of 1999. Union is a Christian, liberal arts institution in Jackson, Tenn. The university enrolls 2,323 students and is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Baptist Book Stores operates 74 Christian bookstores offering a wide range of books, Bibles, music, church supplies, apparel, gifts, jewelry and special services. The chain serves churches and individuals in 20 states. For more information about Union's bookstore and/or the groundbreaking ceremony, contact Nedra Kanavel at (901) 661-5215 or news@uu.edu. |
