A Legacy Visit

Moody Bible Institute was founded by Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886, and in our 125^th year, we had the privilege of hosting Mr. Moody’s great-grandson and his wife during Founder’s Week 2011. Today, Mr. Moody’s grandson wrote a post about his time on the Chicago campus.

By David Powell, D.L. Moody’s great-grandson

I believe that to fully appreciate my great-grandfather’s role in religious history, one should be familiar with his association with the Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH), as it is now called; the Northfield Summer Conferences, and Moody Bible Institute. I am very familiar with the first two, but the missing link was my knowledge of the latter. Our visit to Moody’s Chicago campus for the 125th anniversary was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Dwight Moody’s “Chicago school.”

My first visit with someone from Moody was when my brother, Ted, and my sister, Virginia, and I had the opportunity to meet Dr. George Sweeting during his visit to the Northfield Mount Hermon School some years ago.

This visit to Moody for the 125^th was such a meaningful opportunity for my wife and me to learn firsthand about your school. We hoped to learn about the school’s objectives and method of operation, to attend some classes, to meet as many administrative, faculty and student personnel as possible, and to experience the spirit of the school.  In addition, we wanted to attend as many of the special events scheduled for the 125^th as possible. The schedule that Brenda McCord in Event and Guest Services and Professor Gregg Quiggle designed for us could not have satisfied these hopes any better! 

There were some extra added attractions that made our visit even more enjoyable:

- Attending the Alumni luncheon gave us the opportunity to meet some loyal graduates of Moody, as well as learn about the achievements of those receiving special recognition at Founder’s Week.

- Quite by chance we met Jon Gauger at Wednesday’s luncheon. This resulted in an extensive tour of  Moody Radio, and much to our surprise, a recorded radio interview.

- The visit to the Moody Museum gave us a chance to review many of the Moody archival treasures.

While there, someone suggested that I have my picture taken in the display area containing Mr. Moody’s life-size statue. I was anxious to see what part of the Bible he was reading. As I looked over his shoulder, I was overwhelmed! The Bible was open to the book of John, containing the first verse that Mr. Moody’s daughter, my grandmother, taught me as a child: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in me, should  not perish, but have everlasting life.”  It was a magical moment that will stay with me forever. Amen!

Thank you, Moody Bible Institute, for the opportunity to share in your glorious 125^th anniversary.  We look forward to the time when our paths may cross again, either in Northfield or Chicago.