Armstrong Center Reading Room Named for Jenkins Family
The Jenkins Family Reading Room will be dedicated to the bestselling author, Jerry B. Jenkins; his wife, Dianna; and their three sons, Dallas, Chad, and Michael.
Colorado Christian University is excited to announce the naming of the Jenkins Family Reading Room in the Armstrong Center on the University’s Lakewood campus. The reading room is named in honor of bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins; his wife, Dianna; and their sons Dallas, Chad, and Michael. The family has long been immersed in Christian higher education. Jerry was Vice President for Publishing at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago and also served 18 years on the Moody board of trustees, seven of those as chairman. His wife Dianna and all three sons graduated from Christian universities, Michael from CCU. The Jenkins Family Reading Room is the second named space in the currently under construction Armstrong Center, which will serve as the academic backbone of the University when completed in 2024.
“What an honor for our family to be afforded a room in a building erected to commemorate the impact of Bill Armstrong, a consummate promoter of ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!’ Dianna and I raised all three sons – Dallas, Chad, and Michael – to be storytellers about the Savior,” said Jerry B. Jenkins.
Named in honor of former CCU President Bill Armstrong, the Armstrong Center continues the transformation of CCU's Lakewood campus into a world-class training ground for future business, church, and world leaders. Construction on the 60,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility is slated for completion in fall 2024. The center will allow the School of Music to return to CCU's main campus, house an expanded library, feature a 500-seat performance theater, and will be home to the University's first dedicated chapel.
“The Jenkins family are a great example of the power of Christ-centered education,” said Eric K. Hogue, CCU’s president. “Their dedication to spreading the gospel is evident in both their personal and professional lives. We are blessed at CCU to have a dedicated space honoring these great friends of the University.”
Jerry B. Jenkins is one of the most prolific and successful Christian authors of the last 100 years. He is best known for his Left Behind series of books written with Tim LaHaye. A 21-time New York Times bestselling author, Jenkins has written more than 200 books. He also serves on CCU’s Board of Trustees and chairs the creative writing program in the College of Adult and Graduate Studies.
Dallas Jenkins is the creator, director, and co-writer of The Chosen, a multi-season series depicting the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The Chosen portrays the life of Jesus primarily through the eyes of his followers and acquaintances. It is one of the most successful crowd-funded media projects in history, raising over $40 million in initial funding. The series is available to stream for free on the show's platform. An estimated 108 million people had watched at least part of an episode as of November 2022. Dallas Jenkins was awarded an honorary doctorate by CCU in 2023, making him and Jerry the first father-son recipients, as Jerry was awarded the same in 2007.
Since 2015, the CCU has dedicated four new facilities — providing much-needed academic classrooms, student housing, and meeting spaces. The Armstrong Center is the fifth and most ambitious facility to date.