From the Dean
I am excited about the launching of the seminary’s new e-newsletter for one main reason.
The look and feel of this online piece is very appealing. We have the talented people in George Fox University’s Office of Marketing Communications to thank for that.
The newsletter is well organized and chock-full of interesting information. We are grateful to Robby Larson and his staff in Alumni Relations for their hard work in pulling together these many parts (which includes extracting this article from me).
It is also worth mentioning that this newsletter doesn’t require paper and ink (unless you print your own hard copy at home), which makes it "environmentally friendly" and in keeping with our growing commitment to healthy Earth-keeping practices that reduce our ecological footprint.
All of these features are praiseworthy.
Yet what’s most exciting about this newsletter is the opportunity it gives us to reconnect, reengage and rediscover.
As we were getting ready to launch this piece, I mailed a letter to many of you asking two things: (1) your current e-mail address, and (2) whether you wanted to receive our e-newsletter. The response was overwhelming. Clearly there is a felt need to reconnect. In the 11 years that I have served at WES/GFES, I have witnessed something special about our students and alumni. Together we make WES/GFES! I have had the pleasure of reconnecting with several alumni who graduated in the early 1950s—and I discovered the same spirit in them that lives in the current students and recent graduates of this place. How good it will be to reconnect!
Another characteristic of WES/GFES students and alumni is the commitment to action. Reconnecting is the first step. Then comes reengagement. The graduates I’ve met are hungry to reengage each other in hearty conversation about life and ministry. They want to celebrate each other’s victories and stand with each other through the hard times. The people of this place are bound by something that transcends time and distance. This e-newsletter is one step among many that will help us reengage each other amid our respective life journeys.
The true test of a good seminary education is not only measured by the knowledge that students take away when they receive their diplomas, but also by the patterns of behavior that continue long after they hang up their tassels. Enter the alumni of WES/GFES! They are lifelong learners who realize that discovery and growth go hand in hand.
So here’s to reconnection, reengagement and rediscovery!
I count myself blessed to be a part of this great place and look forward to strengthening my relationship with all of you. Together we are the seminary … of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Chuck Conniry
Vice President and Dean of the Seminary
cconniry@georgefox.edu
Chuck Conniry is the new dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary. He has served at the seminary for the past 11 years, most of which as the director of the doctor of ministry program. Prior to his arrival at George Fox, he served in full-time pastoral ministry for 15 years. He holds a doctorate in systematic theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and a master of divinity degree from Bethel Theological Seminary. His areas of expertise include systematic theology, pastoral ministry, modern and postmodern philosophy, American religious history, and New Testament Greek.