May 24, 2025
God judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity. ~ Psalm 9:8 NRSV
Today the family buried the cremains of Dan and Joyce Chamberlain in Houghton, NY. They served for 30 years as President (Dan) and The Best Example of the True Hospitality (Joyce) of Houghton College, (now University).
One child and three grandchildren spoke, followed by two men who worked with Dan, and a woman who leads World Hope which has named a high school in Liberia named for Joyce.
They all had stories to tell, funny, touching and inspiring stories of the impact that Dan and Joyce made in their lives.
An administrator reminded those present of Dan’s work to create the Buffalo campus, with an emphasis on service and ministry studies. That connection allowed the college to provide college educations to students drawn from the diverse and underserved population of Buffalo.
Dan believed that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion were values modeled and taught by Jesus, and vital in today’s world. The launching of the Buffalo Campus, the hiring of the best employees, without regard of gender or race, and encouraging international students to matriculate at Houghton were reflective of these values.
He ended by saying how often in the past three months he’s long to talk with Dan about the rapid removal of DEI from US institutions and how to respond. Those initials, DEI, are a part of the good news that Jesus talked and walked.
I believe it took a lot of courage to say those words in the middle of a very conservative county.
I pray that the one hundred plus people present, myself included, will be as courageous as my in-laws, and the speaker.
DEI. They are Gospel Initials. ~ Anne
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