A Fond Farewell
Within the next few days, I will conclude my term as Interim President. These last few months have represented a time of evaluation and preparation – a “comma” in the grammar of our conversation about who we are and where we are headed as Nazarene Bible College.
When it comes to gazing into the future, we “see through a glass darkly.” And yet, we are women and men of faith and confidence that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion. Therefore, the single-minded focus of Nazarene Bible College is on the next chapter its service to the Church.
This “forward focus” is the nature of education. Our work is all about the future, for that is where our students will live their lives, put into practice the education received at NBC, and where they shall fulfill their callings into ministry.
A determined and optimistic look to the future is also the nature of faith. Genuine faith is never static, never locked in the past, and never confined to present circumstances—it always has an eye on the horizon.
Faith looks ahead because it is anchored in God’s promises rather than in immediate realities or past experiences. Abraham, for example, “went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8), trusting that God’s word was more reliable than his own understanding. The writer of Hebrews describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1) — pointing us forward toward what is yet to be fulfilled.
I am convinced that there are good days ahead for Nazarene Bible College under the leadership of Rev. Douglas Pierce, our new president. He is a gifted administrator and an experienced and dedicated churchman.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the fine NBC faculty and staff who quickly welcomed me into the “family.” Thanks, also, to Dr. Phil Fuller, Chairman, and the members of the Board of Trustees for their confidence and support during my tenure. My prayer for NBC is found in Psalm 90, verse 17:
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.