cal Institute in Naperville, Illinois, which sought to serve recent immigrant communities and churches and eventually became Evangelical Theological Seminary, as well as Lucy Rider Meyer’s vision for the Chicago Training School, which was founded to train women to minister to the needs of the most vulnerable in late 19th century Chicago. Yet, even these more expansive narratives are arbitrary places to begin because the story could go back even further, including the Native peoples who lived on these lands and what happened to them and their communities and cultures when our three institutions claimed or purchased their lands. Or we could go back even further to England and Germany, for example, and the beginnings of the Methodist and Evangelical movements in those countries. More importantly, these origin stories don’t readily address the more important questions: Why were we created? Why do we exist? Take the biblical account as a case in point. “In the beginning …” These are perhaps the three most familiar words in all of scripture. Most hear those words and immediately know that what follows is the biblical account of the origin of all that is. But as I’ve already said, origin stories aren’t ever really origin stories, and this biblical account is no different. The predominant interpretation of this so-called origin story of the Jewish and Christian traditions frames this as a story of a God who stands outside of and beyond anything and nothing and who then speaks something and everything into existence. We assume that this is, in part, a story about God’s great power (omnipotence is the theological word), to create ex nihilo—out of nothing. Out of nothing comes everything. That’s how powerful God is, we were told, and that’s the real meaning of our origin story. Once we allow the divine drama to sink in, we’re logically led to consider or to ask the more profound question: Why? Why were we created? Why do we exist? How we answer those questions, both about our God and about our founding institutions, will have profound implications for our individual lives and for our future work as a seminary. When I think about the fact that our sacred text opens with a story about existence being mired in chaos and emptiness and that God powerfully sweeps into that reality and radically transforms it, I’m filled with a sense of hope and awe. I also wonder, however, why we so often forget this powerful truth that our ancient forebears so wiselyand intentionally placed as the opening narrative of scripture. It functions more as a profound expression of faith and trust, a recognition of who God is from the beginning, rather than as an account of something that occurred long ago. To the contrary, it is something that is still happening today. Walt Whitman wrote: I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the beginning and the end; But I do not talk of the beginning or the end. There was never any more inception than there is now …Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now. If Whitman is right, then our present moment is a Creation moment. It is a moment infused with ruach Elohim (the Spirit of God) to transform what is into what God intends. I honestly believe that the same creating Spirit of God described in Genesis is brooding over us right now, brooding over the chaos of this world and of our lives, brooding over the emptiness of our souls, the voids that persist in our common existence. I believe that sacred wind is sweeping through Garrett-Evangelical anew with great power, great desire, and a great call for us to help transform the chaos, the emptiness, and the voids in the lives and communities of those we serve. Why were we created? Why do we exist? To be God’s creative partners in this world and to see the possibility, the promise, the hope that God intended “in the beginning.” The stories that follow in these pages are expressions of this seminary’s attempt to be co-creators with God of a new future, to be partners with the Spirit of God in speaking peace and hope into our national and global chaos. In the research and teaching of our faculty and in the sending forth of our students to communities around the globe, we see ourselves as participating in the ongoing work of God’s never-ending creation. There is no doubt in my mind that the founders of the three institutions that today are Garrett- Evangelical shared this creative hope and intention. While we may approach and embody their vision differently today, the work remains the same—Garrett-Evangelical exists to be the creative, transformative, powerful presence of God in the world that speaks and embodies peace, harmony, justice, and love to a world in chaos. What a privilege to be called to that work and to be able to share in that work together. Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera, president, Garrett-Evangelcal Theological Seminary 5.6 General Board of Higher Education and Ministry GBHEM seeks to promote innovative and experiential opportunities for transformative learning, higher education, and ministry formation worldwide. The agency works with key partners, churches, and institutions in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America to offer connectional, contextual, and collaborative programs to support the Church, the Academy, and the world. Among its various activities, GBHEM is responsible for two initiatives approved by General Conference: The Methodist Global Education Fund for Leadership Development (MGEFLD) – which includes the Grants and Scholarships Program (GRASP) – and the Central Conference Theological Education Fund (CCTEF). The agency also maintains Regional Hubs for Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD Hubs) in various locations around the world, has helped create and support the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU), and works with regional education associations on five continents. GBHEM is currently partnering with general agencies and other organizations to support important projects on COVID-19 vaccine equity, mindfulness and wellbeing, net-zero emissions, human rights, and the promotion of a culture of generosity throughout the United Methodist worldwide connection. In 1972, The United Methodist Church reaffirmed its support of the 11 historically black colleges and universities related to the denomination by creating the Black College Fund and this year we celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Support for the Black College Fund supports the education of world-changing leaders by investing in the hopes and dreams of students from around the world. Continued support for the Black College Fund renews the vision for the next generation of transformational leaders.
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