Letter from the President

Looking beyond the surface

A letter from President Van Dyk

This morning, I was on a Zoom call (a familiar event for many of us!) with prominent leaders in the city of Atlanta. Dr. Robert Franklin, a wise and experienced leader, reflected on the challenge of leadership in such demanding times. He said that we all have a basic question to ask ourselves in this time of challenge and loss. Dr. Franklin invited us to imagine a seasoned Shakespearean actor coming to the theater and asking, “What is the play and what role do I have?” This question struck me as the heart of the matter for us: what is happening in our world and what role do I have to make a difference? It is a question appropriate for every chapter of our lives but, right now, it seems even more pressing and urgent. I ask myself that question as I continue the call of leadership here at Columbia Seminary and I invite you to ask yourselves how you too can clarify and embolden your service here and now in your places of community and witness.

The events of the year 2020 have impacted all of us again and again. The stories pile up of loss and loneliness. The stories also pile up of faithfulness and love. I am listening carefully to these stories and trying to absorb the wisdom that they teach. The stories from Columbia Seminary that have emerged over the past year will be told and retold many times. We will learn from each other as we share our experiences and find new perspectives that challenge and instruct us. Surely, we are confident that learning from one another, through the guidance and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, will deepen our unity. We still face the pandemic, racial injustice, and political upheaval. Those forces often drive such deep wedges into families and communities that fractures and chasms open up. Even as I write these words, the challenges of political crises are acute. Some people are lured into hatred and even violence. Yet, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Our call is to unity and community. True unity, however, includes the demanding requirements of repentance and forgiveness and justice and change. We know the road to unity is not a smooth and grassy path but a steep and rocky climb. We at Columbia Seminary are committed to that climb and will, God helping us, persist in it.

Many other challenges surround us as well, including the death of family members, the long separation from those we love, the frustration of not being able to be together on our beautiful campus, and economic impacts that have threatened us. In the context of all that we have lost or left, I find myself with an even deeper gratitude for what binds us together as a community of faith and learning and service. The witness of this community to our union in Christ over the past months of physical separation is profoundly moving to me. Our staff has kept all the processes of effective administration going; our faculty has tackled the demands of quickly learning online education while still paying pastoral attention to the learning needs of students; our trustees have been attentive, supportive, and encouraging; our students have persevered in their studies against considerable odds. When I reflect on this past year, I freely admit that I am proud of us—for what we have endured, for what we have modeled, and for what we have hoped and dreamed.

This issue of Vantage takes the opportunity to celebrate some of the strengths and gifts of our seminary community. We give thanks to God for the life and ministry of President Emeritus Douglas Oldenburg, who passed away on July 21, 2020. Every time I walk around our lovely campus, I see the plaque which names the center green lawn as the Oldenburg Quadrangle. This is a fitting remembrance for the president who accomplished significant building and landscape improvements during his 14-year presidency. This issue will also highlight how the seminary library has continued to serve faculty and students during a campus shutdown. The sheer commitment and creativity of the library leadership and staff is worthy of celebration! Another joyful moment for our community was the official naming and dedication of the Marcia Y. Riggs Commons, the new name, engraved in stone, of what used to be called the NRH (New Residence Hall). It is a joy to now call this student residence hall by the shorter name of Riggs Commons. We eagerly look forward to the day when students can once again make their seminary home there!

All of our days belong to God; this is a daily comfort and encouragement to us. We are grateful, as well, for the faithful support of the friends of Columbia Seminary. We continue to need your help as we commit to the mission of the seminary to serve the church and the world that God so loves.

Blessings,

Leanne Van Dyk

PRESIDENT