Up Front with President Hammond

Dr. Michael Hammond is the ninth president of Gordon College. Between pondering questions of budgets and curricula, perhaps his most burning question right now is: Cherry Hill Farm or Captain Dusty’s?

president@gordon.edu www.gordon.edu/president @mike_hammond_gc

Curiosity and Courage

Standing in front of so many of you this past April to be inaugurated as Gordon College’s ninth president was an honor and a privilege. One hundred days later, the words of our theme hymn, drawn from Lamentations 3, still ring in my head: “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”

Great has been God’s faithfulness to my family in leading us to this place, and great has been his faithfulness to Gordon. As I shared during my inaugural speech, from the institution’s fledgling years training aspiring missionaries in Boston to now one of the top-ranked Christian liberal arts colleges, the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission have been central: Gordon students serve with a spiritual fervor and desire to live out the Christian gospel with care and concern for the hurting and broken.

Our strength for today is the result of God’s faithfulness to Gordon over 133 years. And our bright hope for tomorrow comes with a clearer recognition and confident assertion of the strength of our mission and the God who sustains it. Hope requires courage.

Courage to pursue vibrant Christianity without dogmatic judgmentalism. Gordon carries a legacy of faith that is unwavering and enduring in its commitment to Jesus Christ while avoiding the temptation of dogmatic judgementalism that repels people from the gospel. In an era when nuanced, respectful dialogue is waning, it requires great courage to resist the immediate self-gratification of cultural combat.

Courage to pursue service to the world without selfishness. Proclamation of the gospel takes many different forms as we each fulfill the calling to surrender our gifts and motives to God. This act of obedience is countercultural: By serving and giving our gifts for God’s purposes, we gain a deeper reward of participating in his work of grace in the world.

Courage to pursue academic excellence and deep learning without arrogance. Perhaps the deadliest sin for academic scholars is pride. A better way is lived out in academic inquiry that respects the text or research and calls students to receive all truth as God’s truth, marked by a passion for learning, a skepticism toward easy answers and a curiosity for greater understanding.

As I have gotten to know Gordon students, faculty and staff, and have met with alumni and friends around the country this past year, your stories carry a few common themes. First, God has worked in so many of you to guide you to this place; his faithfulness is the foundation my Gordon story in the making, too. Second, the spirit of adventurous learning and hearts joined with minds for service to the world so clearly runs through this community.

In this issue of STILLPOINT, we are spotlighting that spirit of boundless inquiry. On page 14, you’ll meet a dozen students, faculty and alumni and learn about the questions that are driving their lives and work—questions like, “What can Christians learn from the ‘dark side’ of leadership?” and “How do we bridge the gap between capability and circumstance?” Together, they give just a small picture of the curiosity, courage and compassion that define this place.

With bright hope for tomorrow,

Mike Hammond

Hammond Happenings

What a joy it was to accompany the Global Honors Scholars cohorts on their trips to Greece and England, where they embodied patience, good humor, camaraderie and a fierce desire to engage and learn from the experience. I was so encouraged by these bright students whose Christian faith and desire to learn demonstrates hope for the future of the Church and our world. Had a terrific time meeting dozens of Gordon alumni on the Alumni Tour this spring, including Rev. Dr. Michael ’06 and Sonya ’07 Bailey. From New England to Colorado to California and back again, it was such an honor to hear the stories of God’s faithfulness over the years. Read more on page 30.

So proud of our Women’s Track team for making Gordon history as the 2022 CCC Champions! What better way to celebrate these Fighting Scots legends than with late night cookies.

Thanks to the generosity of the extended Gordon community, we had our most successful Day of Giving in early April, raising $315,194 for the Gordon Fund, which directly impacts students through scholarships and programs. Our two oldest children flew back for a quick visit this spring and we had a blast exploring a few new (to us) North Shore spots like the Fisherman’s Statue and Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester.

All sunburns and smiles at the College’s 130th—and my first— Commencement ceremony on May 14. Congrats to the 460 newly minted Gordon alumni, including Yicaury Melo ’09 M’22. See you again at Homecoming and on the next Alumni Tour!