I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. – Luke 2:1

December 22, 2021

Merry Christmas ministry partners, friends and family!

The not-so-surprising, very-good news is that I’ve been invited to serve as co-Executive Director of New College Berkeley (starting in January). This will be a quarter time position, so I will continue in my role as GFM Pacific Area Director in a slightly reduced capacity. Craig Wong, the other co-Executive Director, is a former InterVarsity staff who has devoted more than 20 years to Grace Urban Mission, a San Francisco church related non-profit that served the marginalized in the Mission District.

New College Berkeley is a Christian Study Center next to the U.C. Berkeley campus. It is an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union and a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. Since its founding in 1977 NCB has served undergraduates, graduate students, and lifelong learners with wide-ranging courses, conferences, seminars, lectures, and retreats aimed at renewing minds, deepening faith, and shaping vocation.

By taking on this role, Craig and I hope to extend NCB’s service of providing discipleship resources and reflective spaces for students and faculty. We also hope to be a “third space” for local church leaders to gather and envision a future for a renewed, constructive Christianity.

On a personal note, NCB offers me opportunity to re-engage academic and ecclesial spaces where I hope to share my research. For example, I believe that my book on Christianity in Asian American history can benefit both church and academy.

Together, with great dependency on God’s wisdom, Craig and I look forward to discerning New College Berkeley’s future service for church and society. Would you pray for us as we transition into our new responsibilities? Let me know if you would like to stay abreast of NCB news and programs.

Please also continue to pray for my ministry with InterVarsity. God has provided an excellent team for the GFM Pacific Area, so I am confident that a slight reduction of my work hours will not hinder our ministry to the university. My budget remains the same, however. So would you renew and possibly increase your donations, or refer me to potential supporters?

Thanks again for your continued interest in my ministry and care for me!

Tim

A not so surprising, but very good year
2021 was supposed to be restorative. We were supposed to return to some sense of normalcy. But it wasn’t and we didn’t. Actually, that’s not so surprising. Some things, in my opinion, got worse. Ask me about that later, but for this update, I’d like to say that it was still a very good year.

On the family front

— we celebrated my dad’s life and ministry. He died of natural causes on September 26 at the grand old age of 93. As his health declined over the summer, our entire family rode an emotional roller coaster.  But the outpouring of love and appreciation for his ministry gave us great comfort.

— Betty was the Tseng Family Philanthropist of the Year in 2021.  A simple project of salvaging a friend’s Monstera plant turned into a fund raising campaign for the Alameda County Food Bank and a local church’s building fund. After months of propagating plants and swap meeting neighbors and strangers, she raised over $1,200. To Betty, we give the Philly Award.

— Our adult sons. Well, nothing new to report this year. We’re just grateful (and a little prideful) for their continued commitment to nurture their faith and values.

With InterVarsity

— GFM Pacific Area subscribed to Seminary Now, “a streaming video platform that delivers exclusive biblical, theological, and practical ministry training from a diverse group of leading educators and thought leaders.” Seminary Now partners with Northern Seminary, Missio Alliance, IV Press, and others. Our students, faculty, and ministry partners are welcome to access Seminary Now. Just let me know if you’re interested.

— The Stanford IV Grad Fall Retreat was held at Mount Hermon Conference Center on November 6-7. It was a delight (and sometimes a bit awkward) to have our first in-person retreat in a two years! Dr. Sophia Magallanes-Tsang spoke on the theme of “Embodied Witness.”

— Betty and I had a Thanksgiving meal with GFM alum Bowen Bao and Jimmy Lee at our home. We consider it a privilege to be a small part of the journeys of today’s young adults – especially as they navigate life with a bit of faith. Equipping the next generation of Christians for a Post-Christendom America will be the most exciting challenge for church leaders today.

— A cadre of PhD students, IV staff, and ministry partners have participated in the 20th Century American Christianity Book Club that I facilitated this fall. We will be starting again in January. A better understanding of the history of Christianity in 20th Century America has helped us interpret the current state of religion in the U.S. Let me know if you’re interested in joining us for this informal, but informative, lunch discussion group!

— Dan Stringer, our Hawaii GFM Team leader’s book, Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay has been published! Order your copy at InterVarsity Press.

Looking forward to 2022

In the winter and spring quarters of 2022, look out for the following activities:

— Finding God in Your Field: Grad Winter Conference (Feb. 4-6, 2022 at Redwood Christian Park)Do you ever feel lost as you seek purpose and passion, in your grad work and in your life as a follower of Jesus? As the world hungers for a connection between purpose and passion, we find the interconnectedness of both in Christ. Start the journey with us to find the connections between your deepest beliefs and your daily work. We’ll draw on The Scholar’s Compass, a guide toward thriving as a Christian scholar and impacting the world for good. The Scholar’s Compass will be provided for each conferee. The Early Bird discount registration deadline is January 10th. More Information and Registration at: https://tinyurl.com/gradwinterconference21

—  Faculty Roundtables at Stanford and UC Berkeley (Spring 2022)Depending on how the recent COVID situation develops, we hope to coordinate Faculty Roundtables at Stanford and U.C. Berkeley this Spring. The John Templeton funded  Roundtables gather faculty and administrators over a meal to hear and discuss presentations about Religion and Science. As a service to the university, FRTs offer an informal opportunity to talk and build relationships. The model for these discussions comes from the Cambridge Roundtable on Science and Religion which began in 2002. Since then, the model has been used to host thousands of discussions on campuses like Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Brown. Have a look at Northwestern’s virtual roundtable.

— I’ll be teaching Christianity in Asian-American History, a 6-week online course, for Candler Foundry at Emory University next Spring. The classes will be held Mondays 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET from April 18 – May 23, 2022. Please register at: bit.ly/asianamericanhistoryspr22

Grace and Peace to you and your loved ones!