7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

As, you probably already know, Tuesday’s twisters missed us at Southern Seminary, but our brothers and sisters at our Southern Baptist college, Union University, in Jackson, TN, suffered massive damage on campus Tuesday night as a result of fierce storms, but amazingly, no lives were lost. Please keep all those impacted in your thoughts and prayers and seek ways to assist them as they rebuild. The following update from the school’s President is on the school’s website:

A message from President Dockery

Dear Parents and Friends of Union University
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the Union University campus was devastated by serious tornadic activity, resulting in extensive damage to the facilities. Following a nearly five-hour emergency effort, all students — including the 13 who were trapped in the fallen rubble — were rescued. Fifty-one students were taken to the hospital, nine of whom suffered serious injury. By God’s providence, no lives were lost.

Seventeen buildings received some kind of damage. Approximately 40 percent of the dorms were destroyed, and another 40 percent were severely damaged. Additional damage has been observed in other academic and administrative buildings. The damage from this storm exceeds the impact of the 2002 tornado by 15-fold.

Classes will not begin again before Feb. 18.
[...]
So many of our friends have contacted us about their desire to help Union University during this most challenging time for our campus. The Board of Trustees has established a special fund to address this particular need in the life of this University. For your generosity to Union at this particular time, please know of our gratitude. Please send designated gifts to:

Union University Disaster Relief Fund
1050 Union University Drive
Jackson, TN 38305

Faithfully,
David S. Dockery, President

Here are some photos of the aftermath at Union:

(Some Youtube videos can be found here and here)

For updates, see also the Baptist Press blog.