Border Crossings
Regardless of whether or not one is interested in missions, Andover Newton recognizes that in ministry and ministerial studies life is a border crossing. We also recognize that “life is not a dress rehearsal,” life is not a preparation for something later; our time in life is what we are given by God’s grace to not only participate in but to build the beloved community.
“We are a liberally oriented, tradition-grounded institution that knows the way to the future will not come from a narrow group of people who all look, act and think alike. That’s why we are committed to crossing borders of difference so we can learn from people with whom we don’t fully agree and, in the process, come to know them and ourselves better.” These sentences can be found in the opening paragraphs of Andover Newton’s current strategic plan. Like characters in the old Westerns, we see lines drawn in the sand as challenges that are opportunities for both personal and communal growth.
Border crossing can be as intimately complex as sitting with someone in the cafeteria that you have never spoken with before, but have a weekly class with. Border crossing can be as literally realized as taking one of our January trips to see, first-hand, migrant workers travelling from Mexico to Arizona; in January there is also the option of travelling to India to study the long-term effect of the work of missionaries through first-hand accounts and interactions. Border crossing can be as heartily local as joining in Community Day in order to plant trees along the streets of Newton. Border crossing can be as faithfully simplistic as walking out the front door of your dormitory on your first day of class.
In every aspect, in all walks, in each trial, life is a series of border crossings that can be linked with faculties of growth and the expectation of opportunity. We recognize that theological education encompasses holistic preparation, which is why we work to prepare our students for crossing the borders of life in class, in worship and in interpersonal interactions on the quad. That’s us, that’s what we do.
