MVNU campus gathers for prayer following fatal accident
October 10, 2011
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio-The Mount Vernon Nazarene University campus community gathered for a time of prayer and reflection on Monday morning during a special service, following the automobile accident on Friday morning, October 7, involving five students. One of the students, Justina Williams of Centerburg, Ohio, passed away on Saturday, October 8, as a result of her injuries.
Three of the other students involved have been released from the hospital with minor injuries. The other is improving and is expected to be released this week.
Rev. Scott Peterson, University Chaplain, opened the service with a brief update on the status of the students, and some remarks about the nature of grief and the process of healing. Peterson reminded those in attendance that it was quite natural to feel overwhelmed and at a loss. He called on the campus community to provide for each other "what each of us needs most: a shoulder to lean on, a hug of comfort, the recognition that someone is listening, and the certainty that someone is there." A time of prayer, corporate worship and communion followed.
A memorial service for Justina Williams will be held on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University in the R.R. Hodges Chapel Auditorium on Thursday, October 13, at 10:30 a.m. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home in Mount Vernon.
The accident occurred around 6 a.m. on October 7, at the intersection of 146 and Ohio 586. The students, junior nursing majors, were traveling together to their clinical assignments at Genesis-Good Samaritan Hospital. The students were taken there by ambulance, where they received medical attention. Williams, who was critically injured, was transported by MedFlight to Grant Medical Center in Columbus later that morning. She was taken off of life support on Saturday evening. The driver of the other vehicle involved was not admitted to the hospital.
Please continue to remember the Williams family, the other students, and our campus in your prayers.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students and working adults. With a 400-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and several convenient Graduate and Professional Studies locations throughout the state, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education to more than 2,600 students from 26 states and seven countries/U.S. territories.
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