Kuyper Welcomes the Divine Servant Statue to Campus
Kuyper College is the new home of the Divine Servant statue, which was officially welcomed to campus with a dedication ceremony in the Vos Chapel in late September 2024.
The Divine Servant is the first iteration of the work by artist Max Greiner, cast life-size in bronze, and it depicts Jesus washing His disciple Peter’s feet. It was gifted to the College by the Zondervan Publishing Company, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, in 2023, after being housed in the Zondervan offices for many years.
The event was attended by representatives from Zondervan and HarperCollins, Kuyper alumni, students, and staff, as well as many other friends of the College.
Dr. Patricia Harris, President of Kuyper College, welcomed the guests and thanked Zondervan for choosing Kuyper as the Divine Servant’s new home.
“We are sincerely grateful to you for providing this meaningful gift to our college,” she said. “The message of the statue reflects our mission as a college, which is to live purposeful lives of work and service to God and neighbor.”
She also acknowledged other contributions that made the placing of the statue possible – a generous gift from the Henry and Charlene Nyeholt family, as well as work by Hamilton Distributing Crane Services, Karsten Masonry and Katerberg VerHage Landscaping – before reflecting on Kuyper and Zondervan’s shared history.
“Our partnership goes back 85 years to when Mr. Pat Zondervan, co-founder of Zondervan Publishing, was a founding board member of this institution,” she said.
President Harris then welcomed Doug Lockhart, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, to the microphone.
“The importance of this sculpture to our organization really can’t be underestimated,” he said. “Thank you for your willingness to steward this important work into the future.”
Lockhart’s remarks were followed by a musical performance by Kuyper student Eli Buckner and Alyssa Blom, Executive Assistant to the President, before Al Moss, Kuyper’s Director of Faith Formation, read from John 13, after which the Divine Servant is fashioned.
Dr. Dan Kroeze, Professor of Biblical Studies, then offered a meditation on the passage. “It’s one of the most significant moments in Jesus’ life and ministry,” he emphasized. “He is bending a knee and humbling Himself.”
This story, reflected in the statue, reminds all of us that the way of Jesus transforms not through power, but through service, Kroeze continued.
“And that’s why we are so grateful for this wonderful statue, because the posture captures our identity as a college. We here at Kuyper College have been bending the knee for 85 years,” he concluded.
After all those present joined in singing a song of praise, President Harris then returned to the microphone to offer a prayer of dedication.
“We know that the message of this statue is a deep and powerful one; Lord Jesus, give us Your strength to follow through and show Your gospel everywhere,” she said.
The service concluded with a light reception in the courtyard outside the chapel, where the Divine Servant now resides.
