George Fox University | Offices and Services | Student Life | Equality Ride Visit

Visit Follow-up

April 11, 2007

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends,

On Thursday, April 5, George Fox University hosted the Soulforce Equality Ride on our Newberg campus. As you may recall from earlier communication, Equality Ride is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and activist allies traveling across the United States this spring to visit 32 religious colleges. They are visiting these institutions because their policies reflect the traditional, orthodox Christian position on homosexual practice. As a follow-up to their visit to George Fox, I would like to provide you with a summary of the day's events.

We are grateful to God for your prayers and support. Overall, I believe we achieved our goal of a mutually beneficial day of dialogue, befitting the educational mission of our university. We also were able to express the love of Christ to a group that has not always been met with grace.

Brad Lau, vice president of student life, managed the campus visit. Brad and his assigned campus hosts, a group of students, faculty, staff, and administrators, did an excellent job of coordinating schedule and meals, while making our guests feel welcome.

Brad reports that the message Equality Riders heard over and over again from the George Fox community was one of grace and truth. We were clear about who we are and what we believe Scripture teaches about homosexual practice, and the Equality Riders experienced a welcoming and hospitable community demonstrating the love of Christ. Both of these messages came through very clearly last Thursday.

Comments I've heard from both Equality Riders and George Fox community members regarding the day were quite positive. The Riders commended George Fox on our willingness to participate graciously and lovingly in the conversation and were impressed by the way our students, faculty, and staff engaged and challenged them biblically.

Nancy Almquist, an administrator in the development office, was one of the university hosts. She shared her experience:

"I think most hearts were stirred and people's lives touched after many conversations today. Some conversations went smoothly and some were a little more heated. It seemed in our debriefing time with the Riders they too had a good experience - and for some, this was a pivotal day.

Today, I am more proud to be affiliated with George Fox University - we took a step of faith and acted in the way we think Jesus would have - and my personal hope and prayer is that Jesus used me today to be a vessel of grace, love and humility."

Like Nancy, I, too, am proud to be affiliated with George Fox and grateful to you, as our supporters, for your prayers as we stand on the Word of God and demonstrate to our students and guests the love of Christ in an uncompromising manner. My hope is that Christ was honored and that our visitors saw a campus community that upholds the truth and authority of Scripture, but loves all people as valuable and of great worth.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at dmiller@georgefox.edu or Brad Lau at blau@georgefox.edu.

Dana L. Miller Vice President for Marketing and Advancement