Warner Southern College

SCOTT DEPOT, WV —Shortly after five o’clock on Thursday evening, August 19, Brian Johnson, of Plainfield, Illinois, was answering the phone at Warner Southern College, Lake Wales, Florida, in order to give an update on conditions at the 350-acre campus which runs on both sides of U. S. Highway 27. Johnson is a Resident Advisor (RA) who was driving to the school from his Illinois home the day the hurricane hit central Florida.

There is now speculation that when Hurricane Charley struck the campus with devastating power on Friday, August 13, it may have been accompanied by as many as three tornadoes. The Turner Athletic Center, being the largest building on campus, was the most severely damaged of all buildings. Large sections of its roof were torn away and the basketball floor will have to be replaced.

Two smaller size dormitories for upper class men were destroyed. The Rigel Building suffered major loss when the front entrance was ripped away, leaving the structure exposed to driving rains and wind. This large facility which was completed four years ago houses the college’s main dining area, a variety of classrooms, admissions offices, and student affairs.

The H.E.A.R.T. Village which houses a simulate third world village is under the direction of Dr. Joe Mattox, formerly of Nitro, West Virginia and one of the church’s outstanding missiologists and a leader of missions across the world. Hundreds have gone through this program for one semester or more in learning how to live off the land in undeveloped countries.

Dr. Mattox and his staff prepares missionaries to teach nationals in emergent nations how to raise better fruit and vegetables crops, have clean water, improved sanitation, better housing, use animals for food, provide alternative power sources and teach both children and adults to read, write, speak and handle the necessities of life. This vital complex, which serves numerous denominations and missions agencies, lost some buildings that will need to be replaced. Such needs could be met through projects of churches, Sunday School classes, missions programs, women’s organizations, youth groups, men’s brotherhoods, and service clubs. Dr. Mattox can be reached at Warner Southern College for additional information.

Power is now available on the west campus and a phone line is operative on the east campus. It is expected that phones will be operational by late Friday evening and computer operations will be restored. Contractors are also expected on Friday to discuss temporary housing needs. College administrators, faculty, summer students, staff members and volunteers are all putting in long hours to have things ready for the projected date to begin classes on September 20, some four weeks later than the original August 23 date.

Any financial support will be thankfully received and used in keeping with the best stewardship practices of higher education ministries. Checks should be made payable to the college and directed to President Greg Hall, Warner Southern College, 13895 Highway 27, Lake Wales, FL 33859-8797.

I am one of the 23 members of the college’s Board of Trustees and I am convinced that every board member will do all they can to help meet existing emergency needs. We all will be deeply thankful for many friends across the nation who will join us in raising hundreds of thousands of additional dollars that will be needed to make the school fully operational again.

You may call me at 304-757-6089 or e-mail to for additional information. Since Hurricane Charley hit with such destructive power I have been in touch with numerous newspapers and radio stations across the nation. We all express our gratitude for the prayer support, encouragement, and financial gifts as we build back and prepare to open classes for more than 1100 students on September 20.