Kim S. Phipps inauguration ceremony

‘Created and Called for Community’

An excerpt from President Kim S. Phipps’ inaugural address, delivered October 14:

“Over the course of a century, much has changed from Messiah’s modest beginnings of less than a dozen students to a current enrollment of 2,900; from a one-room facility to multiple buildings comprising a multi-million-dollar campus; from one course of study to more than 60 academic majors—but much also remains constant about Messiah. . . . Messiah’s mission and identity are rooted in and nurtured by a sincere Christian faith. Messiah is committed to holistic education of persons toward maturity of intellect, character, and faith. Messiah exists for the pursuit of intellectual exploration and inquiry—teaching, learning, and scholarship are inextricably linked. Messiah desires to embody and impart the values of graciousness, forgiveness, holiness, peace, and justice. Messiah seeks to model and nurture a commitment to service. We believe that our heads and our hearts and our hands should work together to serve God and others. . . .

To read President Phipps' inaugural address in its entirety visit the Inauguration website.

At Messiah College, we understand that we have been called to live as a community characterized by deep Christian conviction, accompanied by a gracious and kind attitude toward others. It is our collective responsibility to nurture a campus ethos rooted in humble, respectful dialogue because we sincerely believe that we have much to gain from others as well as much to give to others. In our contemporary society, there are very few contexts in which people can come together, live peaceably, and learn from each other. Colleges should provide that kind of context—that kind of community. . . .

While we are communal by nature, community still has to be created, and after it has been created, it needs to be re-created on a daily basis. My goal is to help Messiah College be a place where community can flourish in many ways and in many contexts for everyone who is part of this great institution. For that to happen, however, we will all need to work at welcoming each other, appreciating each other, listening to each other, challenging each other, loving each other, and praying for each other. As President, I have a special responsibility to model that kind of compassion and caring, but ultimately, building community is everyone’s calling!

This calling is not an easy one—it requires the best of our shared leadership, our shared servanthood, our shared governance. We must live and learn as an educational community shaped and governed by our mission and our foundational values. . . .

With God’s help and the help of each other, we move forward into the 21st century—into Messiah’s second century poised and prepared to be an educational community defined by the virtues of humility and hospitality. We have not achieved this goal, but we pursue this noble purpose—and we learn from being on the journey—together! . . .

May our humanity be evidenced in this type of community as we labor together, intent on leaving a lasting mark as we remain faithful to being created and called for community!”