Eleven years ago Richard arrived as a student at Mars Hill Graduate School. Throughout those 11 years Richard鈥攆irst as a student, then as an alum, and finally as alumni/staff鈥攈as labored alongside many of us here and many who have gone before to develop the value of Intercultural Credibility at 天美视频.

Intercultural Credibility requires relationship and is an active commitment to becoming trustworthy through:

1. The developing capacity to recognize the particular biased cultural contexts contributing to the formation of one鈥檚 sense of identity;
2. Creating generous practices which engage others with courage, loving curiosity, and mutuality;
3. Engaging robust theological discourse in light of Christian tradition(s) and relentlessly changing culture(s);
4. Being faithfully present in the Way of Christ to expand communities and systems with an imagination for the biblical practice of Shalom.

Intercultural Credibility is an ongoing journey we are on as an institution and will be one of Richard’s enduring legacies here at 天美视频. From curriculum to student life and underrepresented student programming, Humanity Through Community, institutional training and policy, the lives of students, and the communities our alumni serve, Richard’s impact is felt throughout our community. He has been our pastor, our mentor, and our friend all the time insisting 鈥渋f we鈥檙e not making mistakes, we鈥檙e not doing the work.鈥�

As a colleague in this space, I will miss Richard鈥檚 incredible intellect, his deep kindness and laughter, and our long conversations dreaming for the people鈥攕tudents, alumni, faculty and staff鈥攚ho make this institution. As Dean of Student & Alumni I am thrilled, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, to send Richard into the world as a husband, as a father, and as an alum of 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology to the people, the communities his life will touch.

Please join me in thanking, celebrating, and (s)ending Richard into his life post 天美视频. In honor of Richard, we are compiling words, memories, poems, and other sentiments from all members of our 天美视频 community. If you would like to offer your own words for Richard as he transitions to his new role with Cultures Connecting as Racial Equity Consultant, please email your reflections to studentsandalumni@theseattleschool.edu.

Thank you, Richard.

听

Paul D. Steinke
Vice President of Student & Alumni Development

Our staff family recently gathered to celebrate Richard and his family, and to surround them in warmth, love, and prayer as they embark on their next steps. Here are a few photos from that special day.

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Several months ago, I was sitting at Macrina with my dear friend and 天美视频 alumnae Amber Englund. She was asking about me and my family and our recent but unexpected move from Seattle to Bremerton, and we were revisiting past conversations we鈥檇 had about the difficult and sometimes painful challenge of putting down roots in a new land among a new people. As we spoke, Amber pulled out her phone and, thumbing through her photos, began telling me鈥攊n an 鈥渙h that reminds me鈥� kind of way鈥攁bout a series of paintings she had begun, paintings that she had to paint, that she couldn鈥檛 stop painting. Amber said: 鈥淪o often when we see pictures of trees and their roots, the portion of the tree-above-ground鈥攖runk, branches, leaves鈥攔eceives all the artist鈥檚 attention. The color and movement of the picture, and the roots, are often relegated to not much more than narrow, bleak lines on a page鈥攎ore of a background, if they鈥檙e expressed at all.鈥�

鈥淏ut there is sooo much life,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hat occurs underground!鈥�

And so what Amber began to paint was a series of trees where the view of the trunk and branches and the leaves above ground were 鈥渂ackground鈥� to the vibrant shape, color, expression, and movement of the roots鈥攚here what was happening above ground was 鈥渂leak鈥� compared to the life growing deep into the earth. 鈥淲hat if,鈥� Amber said, 鈥渋n the midst of the dreariest and desolate of seasons, if we could see and feel the life pulsing through our roots, growing them, pushing them ever deeper.鈥�

On her phone Amber showed me the photos she鈥檇 taken of two of the paintings in this series and I…caught my breath. They were stunning. We were at the end of our time and I was running late for an appointment and so I fumbled through asking her to text them to me. As we hugged and said our goodbyes and I walked back to the school, I couldn鈥檛 let go of the shape and color and outward movement of those roots. I found myself almost beside myself, praying and thirsty for more of whatever was there.

For me, Amber articulated in those paintings through image and color and light what I cannot articulate with these words. Through a stark landscape, she gives imagination to life that isn鈥檛 visible, brings vision to what is hidden鈥攎aking vibrant what is below ground, what is to the human eye ordinarily dark.

Friends, much that we can see right now is bleak. Much is desolate.

So why are we still standing? It costs all of us differently to remain standing, and still: why do you remain standing? Two of the presenters today are dancers. Are you a dancer? Why do you continue to not only stand but also to dance? Another presenter will be singing. Why do you sing? Amber鈥檚 icon鈥攁 window into how things really are鈥攔emains with me. And this is why we need each other: to remind and be reminded that we don鈥檛 stand alone. You don鈥檛 dance alone. You don鈥檛 sing alone.

You don鈥檛 lament alone.

As we gather together, the roots that are hidden are revealed.

This year 天美视频 is celebrating its 21st birthday. What began in 1997 as a small group of students in a church nursery in Bothell has grown into more than 1,200 alumni around the globe, some of whom we鈥檒l be hearing present this afternoon. The blessing we seek is to honor and remember the root system that grows vibrant and allows us to say, We are still here. When the sky has been its bleakest, our roots were running deep and long. When the wind has been its strongest, our root system has buffeted us. And our root system has been grafted with other roots, because roots, of course, never exist by themselves but within an ecosystem of dirt, and other roots and living things. For 天美视频 our roots are the founders both present and past, our roots are our donors, our board, our faculty, staff, students, our families, our partners around the globe, and the neighbors outside our doors in Bothell and now Belltown. But especially, our roots are our alumni.

Each January, we begin a six-month process at 天美视频 called (S)ending. In the name of Jesus and the wildness of the Spirit, we send our alumni into the world to love the world, fully anticipating鈥攜es, fully anticipating鈥攖hey will change the world. And when I say such a thing, I know it can sound colonizing and the kind of crap dominant culture says. But I don鈥檛 mean it that way. Rather, I believe we boldy send our alumni out as deep lovers to love the world. And deep love changes things. As Anne Lamott has said, 鈥淕od loves us just as we are and too much to allow us to stay that way.鈥�

鈥淲e boldy send our alumni out as deep lovers to love the world. And deep love changes things.鈥�

And so as lovers, we send them in Jesus鈥� names鈥攐f Justice and Mercy鈥攖o go with the untamed Spirit to also be changed by the world: cracked open, heart broken, and put back together more whole. And it is weeks like we just experienced that test our roots: a week amidst Dr. Ford鈥檚 testimony, Kavanaugh鈥檚 confirmation hearing, our complicity, the dehumanizing of us and each of them, and then the public mockery of a woman鈥檚 sexual assault amidst mob laughter. It鈥檚 weeks like this that you will hear our alumni as pastors, artists, entrepreneurs, counselors, as lovers arise鈥攁lmost in one voice鈥攚ith a holy anger on behalf of and a deep compassion for humanity, for human bodies, the rich humus, living soil we share. And they move boldly with their own bodies into people鈥檚 lives, creatively, innovatively, with curiosity and conviction.

And as they do, our roots grow and run even deeper.

And so, it is no surprise then that each year we invite our alumni to return 天美视频鈥攖o Symposia鈥攖o show us our roots: where we have come from and where we are growing to. We say: 鈥淥ur alumni lead us as they seek to live out their callings in the communities they love and serve.鈥� We want to be changed by them, their broken-open whole-heartedness, who they are now, their people, their root systems, that we might continue to be deep lovers of the world who send lovers deep into the world.

So during these presentations, you are invited to explore our roots through the lives and labors of 13 of our alumni and the life and labor of Dr. Angela Parker. I welcome all of you to this place, or to a chapter space around the country, as we anticipate and celebrate what will unfold in this time today. I welcome you in the name of Jesus, and the wildness of the Spirit, to places and stories vibrant with color, movement, and Life. Amen.

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for videos of all the presentations from Symposia 2018. We are so grateful for our alumni, and we cannot wait to share their vital, beautiful work with you. You can follow us on and for all of our latest videos.

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