"Tarague Timeout"

We held our annual "start of the semester" Guam staff and faculty meeting on Monday afternoon. Normally I am not real excited about meetings, but this year we held our meeting at Tarague beach on Andersen AF Base, one of the most beautiful spots on Guam. Under the shade of the Norfolk pine and coconut trees we began the semester with a discussion of the school's culture, values, goals, mission and vision. As a multi-cultural, multi-denominational, multi-organizational institution it can sometimes be difficult to have clear communication and get everybody pulling in the same direction. There are also tremendous advantages to this diversity as many good ideas, that I never would have thought of in a million years, come from people with quite different perspectives. While there are challenges in this, I really enjoy working in an institution that looks a little like what the kingdom will look like.

Our discussion, of course after I did a little swimming in the warm ocean water and enjoyed the snacks, dealt with the foundational statements and beliefs of our ministry. We broke into several different, mix and match, groups and then came back together to discuss the issues as a unified faculty-staff. Part of this is in preparation for our self-study, but I think it is important to remind yourself periodically of what you are all about. God seems to be expanding the vision of PIBC both geographically and in its scope of programs and we need to make sure we stay grounded in His call. I am always amazed and excited by the high quality of people God brings our way to do the work here and am looking forward to another exciting semester. We value your prayers for us and for our students as the semester begins on Saturday.