Dear JWC family and friends,
Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year. The cool temperatures are refreshing without being frigid. Hearty food – chili is the correct answer here! - and tasty drinks – ciders, teas, cocoas and, as always, coffee! - fill our tables and our bellies. The fields are harvested and we celebrate thankfulness. It is a beautiful time.
But at the same time, Autumn is historically the time when the wise person measured their stores and supplies, prepared for winter, and ensured that they would be sustained into the Spring. It was a beautiful time, but also a time of careful preparation, prayer for provision, and dedication to endure the coming winter.
John Witherspoon College is examining our pantries, and we are reaching out to our friends, families, and supporters asking them to prayerfully consider whether you might contribute to our ‘winter stores’. The campus move, the slow recovery from a large graduating class, and the usual operational expenses of the college have left us with smaller portions in the pantry than we would like. And while we have and will continue to act in faith trusting God for His provision, we also are asking you to consider in faith if God is not inviting you to help provide for JWC and our vital mission of bringing Christ-centered education into our region. If so, now is the time, before the winter of discontent.
As you consider this request, I also wanted to share this: Some people love Autumn because of the changing colors of the season. And to be sure, the vibrant colors that can accompany the season paint a special kind of beauty. This reflection makes it all the more strange that so often we think of Heaven as a vast whiteness. This is not the portrait we find in the Scriptures!
“Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was standing in Heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” (Rev. 4:2-3 NASB)
The beauty of John’s vision (and Ezekiel’s in the Old Testament) is found in the glorious mixture of colors surrounding God’s throne. There is a reminder in this that our service to the Christ also has ‘many colors’ and expressions. And like Autumn, the most beautiful pictures are those that express multiple colors. JWC is seeking to paint a portrait of what Christian higher education can be. Join your colors with ours!