Morey – Building for More • Excavate, lay foundation and drainage, finish design work, produce and install artificial turf field • Build new press box, benches and fencing surrounding the field • Continue hosting conference and national tournaments on an elite surface PHASE 1 INVESTMENT $1 MILLION Lead Gift Honors Family Legacy This summer, Bethel University will begin construction on an exciting new project: replacing the grass surface of Morey Field with artificial turf. Bethel’s current grass field has long had problems with irrigation, flooding and uneven surfaces, limiting the ability to host home games and tournament events. The new field will be used for our National Champion Men’s and Women’s Soccer programs and Women’s Lacrosse program. This $1 million project is phase one of a three-phase plan to expand Bethel’s athletic facilities. Bethel has already secured a grant that will greatly reduce the cost of the turf material by 70%. During a vision-casting dinner in February with men’s and women’s soccer alumni and friends, several lead gifts were secured, raising $455,250 that evening, with a total of $505,300 raised as of late March. A significant lead gift came from Andrew ’83 and Cindy Carpenter ’81, in honor of the Carpenter family, whose lives have been touched by Bethel through three generations. Andrew’s father, Charles Carpenter, graduated from Bethel in 1957. His older brothers Mark ’81 and John ’80, and twin brother Aaron ’83, also graduated from Bethel, as well as three of his four children, nieces and nephews, and sisters-in-law Laurie ’81 and Sandi ’81. “Bethel has played such a significant role in the Carpenter family. It has shaped all of us — we had a wonderful experience there and grew in our faith as a result of that environment,” Andrew Capenter says. Soccer runs in the family, too. Growing up on the mission field in Brazil, Andrew and his brothers fell in love with soccer, which they refer to as “the beautiful game,” and Andrew and Aaron played alongside brother John when they BY: Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 were freshman and John was a senior at Bethel. The next generation of soccer players, Andrew’s sons, Nate ’07, Eric ’09 and Drew ’14, also played at Bethel (their son Lucas played for a different school); nephew Caleb Morris ’16 played too. Andrew expects to see his grandchildren on the turf one day. “One of the biggest reasons we gave is the soccer program is literally changing lives for Christ,” Andrew Carpenter says. “The way [Head Coach] Thiago is mentoring these young men … discipling them … many are serving God in multiple ways. We are honored to be a part of this. The Carpenters want to say thank you to Bethel for the impact it’s had on our family over the years.” The new turf field will strengthen Bethel’s recruiting and retention, expand opportunities for campus events and create a welcoming gathering place for families and the broader community for the next generation. See more about the Carpenter family at BethelUniversity.edu/Carpenter. The Andrew and Cindy Carpenter family BE A PART OF THE LEGACY! Give toward this project todayat BethelUniversity.edu/Morey. Left: The twins are pictured with their father at graduation in 1983. Above: Andrew Carpenter, center, with sons Nate and Eric on Morey Field. 19 SPRING 2026
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