Dawn over U. C. Berkeley’s Campanile
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? –Isaiah 43:19
Dear friends,
A new day is dawning for New College Berkeley! After twenty-eight years of leading this ministry, on January 1st I’m passing the reins, with confidence and enthusiasm, into new hands. In 1994 the Board of Trustees participated in a new day for New College by appointing me as Executive Director and Sharon Gallagher as Associate Director. We were the first women to serve in the (previously titled) President and Dean positions. In those years, it was rare for women to lead Christian ministries like New College, and it was and has been a tremendous privilege.
The Fruit of the E. D. Search
And now, after a year-long, international search, the Board of Trustees, on the unanimous recommendation of the Executive Director Search Committee, has—also unanimously—voted to engage Dr. Tim Tseng and Craig Wong as Executive Co-Directors of this precious ministry which is about to celebrate its 45th year. This is cause for great rejoicing in the opportunities that lie ahead!
As the new year begins I want to express deep gratitude to the people who have led the search. The Search Committee was chaired by Jeff Bairey, also the chair of the Board of Trustees. He is a person of tremendous integrity, energy, and organizational capacity. He oversaw the formation of the committee which was composed of Trustees Kathryn Badalich (Vice-Chair of the Board), Jan Brown, Doug Sterne, and Phil Stillman (Secretary of the Board), and augmented by long-time friends of New College, Esther Cho and Rick Leong. This Committee met weekly or more frequently for most of the past year. They sought the wisdom of thought-leaders in theological education and crafted an announcement of the position which attracted applications from many qualified scholars and leaders.
We all are so grateful to the people who prayed, discerned, counseled, and networked on behalf of this mission to find the next Executive Director for New College Berkeley. Thank you to all of you who participated in this season of prayer!
I had the opportunity to hear from the Search Committee as they reported to the rest of us serving on the Board of Trustees, and it was like having a ringside seat to the work of the Holy Spirit as Dr. Tim Tseng and Craig Wong became known to us and were recognized as God’s people for this new day!
Tim Tseng & Craig Wong
You will be introduced more fully to New College Berkeley’s new Co-Executive Directors soon and, I trust, you will come to know them well over the years ahead. They bring much expertise and vision to this ministry, and we will all be blessed by their ministry.
For a Future Not Our Own
Not surprisingly this is a time of reflection in my life. Thirty years ago I became the Academic Dean at New College Berkeley and two years later, Executive Director. It is and always has been a surprise to me that this was the calling I received, and also that it extended for three decades! It truly has been a labor of love, with the presence of the One Who is Love always near, whether I was attuned to it or not at the time. I can’t think of another place I would have more wanted to serve in this capacity. It’s love, too, that I carry with me as I leave this role, my heart full of gratitude for all the people I’ve come to know over these many years.
My dear friend Dr. Mima Baird, who has prayed for me and offered me her wisdom all through my years with New College, recently sent me a prayer. It’s a prayer which Pope Francis quoted in his December 2015 Christmas address to the Roman Curia and was written in 1979 by Bishop Ken Untener (to be spoken by Cardinal Dearden at a worship service). It has touched many people over the years as they’ve pondered the significance of a life lived with faith. It speaks to me, and it may speak to you, too, as you live your good lives, walking in the newness of the life given you by Jesus Christ.
Prophets for a Future Not Our Own
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of
saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an
opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
As I come to the completion of my service as Executive Director of New College Berkeley, I’m so aware of how the work began before me and continues on into the future, grateful to have been a steward of it for a while. Thank you for your accompaniment in this good work.
Blessings and love to you, my friends,
Susan
Susan S. Phillips (Ph.D.), New College Berkeley Director Emerita and Professor of Sociology and Christianity, is a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate Theological Union and also a spiritual director.