The Hands and Feet of Christ

At Portland Seminary, graduate students are learning about God’s deep love for humanity and how they can spread his message of love and peace in their communities. We interviewed four seminary students to find out how they got here, and their answers may surprise you.

Crystal Garner

Bend, Oregon
Flower Farmer

Why did you come to Portland Seminary – what drew you here?

For me, seminary was just a step in obedience. I first chose Portland Seminary because it offered a certificate program for spiritual directors. I originally just enrolled in that certificate program, but once I started I realized I actually wanted to get my full master’s degree. 

Why did you choose this particular program?

I chose the Masters in Spiritual Formation program with a concentration in spiritual direction because I really enjoyed the cohort model that the seminary offered, and because it was relatively close to where I live. 

What stands out most about your experience so far?

I love how all of the instructors have come from different walks of life, different denominations, different perspectives and different passions. They are an example of how to keep Christ in the center of it all instead of letting our differences divide us. Their differences have united us, and I love that.

Can you share some life experiences that influenced your decision to come here?

About five years ago, I stumbled into spiritual direction because I was asked to go to a group direction session. I didn’t realize that I needed it, but I have healed in many ways and grown in my faith due to spiritual direction and the deep listening my director offered me. I hope to be able to offer that healing gift to others.

What are the most important things you’ve learned or hope to learn at Portland Seminary?

I am not only learning how to be a better listener, but I’m also unlearning the ways I’ve been taught to listen to myself, to others, and to God. It’s OK to listen, and it’s OK to sit in silence. 

What do you view as your calling, and how do you want to impact the world for Christ?

I’m still discerning what my calling is. I think this whole process for me has just been the next right step. God hasn’t revealed my next step after seminary, so I feel like I’m just waiting to see what he does next.

Linda Hong 

Beaverton, Oregon
J.P. Morgan Bank

Why did you come to Portland Seminary – what drew you here?

I actually started my studies at a different university where there wasn’t really any personal element to my education. But I wanted to have a transformation in my heart, and someone I know recommended that I go to George Fox. I think I made a good choice, and I believe I’m getting a transformation of my heart for God, in God, and through God here.

Why did you choose this particular program?

I originally enrolled in the Masters in Leadership and Culture program, but then I changed to the Master of Divinity program. I switched because the pastor at my church asked if I would like to preach to young adults, and suggested that I should gain a deeper understanding of the Bible, including Hebrew and Greek. The divinity program has language courses at the end, so I made the switch.

What stands out most about your experience so far?

I’ve been taking part-time classes, and I’m reading a lot of different materials. Normally I could read by myself and just move on, but we write papers and have class discussions that expand my understanding further. Discussions are good opportunities for me to hear someone else’s thoughts and learn from them. The youngest person in my classes is 20, and the oldest is 60. I’m learning a lot from both the younger and older generations. It is a really good opportunity for me to engage with different perspectives. 

Can you share some life experiences that influenced your decision to come here?

I grew up in South Korea, but I moved to New York after I finished middle school. When I was living in New York, I worked in one of the twin towers. But in 2000, I lost everything financially. I had nothing. I asked God what I should do, and my sister reached out to me and suggested that I move to Oregon for work. I did, and then 9/11 happened in 2001. If I had stayed in New York, I don’t think I’d be here today. For the last eight years I worked at First Republic Bank, but last year there was a financial crisis and the bank collapsed. I lost everything again. That’s when I truly realized that nothing lasts forever, and the only truth is God. I thought, “Why don’t I just learn more about God?” Now I want to lead a meaningful life and be there for the Korean American immigrants in my church and my community. 

What are the most important things you’ve learned or hope to learn at Portland Seminary?

I know how to read the Bible and learn about God’s heart by myself, but at George Fox I’m learning with others. Now that I’m learning in community, I get to have a lot of conversations I might not have had otherwise. I think my learning process needs to transfer from my brain to my heart, and that’s been the longest journey of my life. But I think George Fox can make it happen. In fact, I think it’s already happening, and I really want to keep experiencing that. 

What do you view as your calling, and how do you want to impact the world for Christ?

I’m serving with the youth and the young adults in my church. There are about 35 of them in total, and I really like working with them. I have a passion for working with these young adults because in my Korean-American church we have a lot of immigrant families. They have gone through so many difficult experiences, and there are a lot of cultural differences for them to navigate. I really want to be a bridge between those first and second generations of Korean-Americans and help them grow together. 

Sam Hough

Vernonia, Oregon
Pastor at Vernonia Christian Church

Why did you come to Portland Seminary – what drew you here?

I enrolled in Portland Seminary because I heard good things about the spiritual formation classes and about the seminary as a whole. It’s also relatively close to where I live, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

Why did you choose this particular program?

I chose the Masters in Leadership and Culture program because I thought it would be most applicable to my career. I’ve been the pastor at Vernonia Christian Church for the last 20 years, and I don’t plan on changing careers. I just wanted to do something practical that would further my education while being a pastor.

What stands out most about your experience so far?

I haven’t been in school since I graduated from undergrad in 1999, so it’s been interesting to see how the education world has moved on to new ideas and new thoughts. I’ve been able to start grasping some of the new ideas that we’ve been studying, and I’m finding that useful.

Can you share some life experiences that influenced your decision to come here?

When I graduated back in 1999, I intended on continuing my education. But then I had an opportunity to take on a ministry in New York. I went straight into that ministry and then I had a family, and things got busy. Five years later, I moved to Oregon to be the pastor at the church I’m at now. There never was a good time to go into a master’s program like I had originally planned, but I’m at a place where the ministry in my church is going well and my kids are getting older. God put the desire to continue my education in my heart, and it’s been there for a long time. I’ve been in ministry for almost 30 years now, and my undergraduate degree has gotten me this far. I hope this degree will refill my tank for the next 25 years.

What are the most important things you’ve learned or hope to learn at Portland Seminary?

I’m hoping to learn how to be a better leader in the church I’m in and how to help the church grow. I’m interested in developing some new leadership skills and styles. I feel like I have grown as a pastor and as a Christian, but I’m just hoping this will be another piece of the puzzle. 

What do you view as your calling, and how do you want to impact the world for Christ?

I believe my calling is to be a pastor. As a pastor of a small-town church, I’d like to see us reach more people and transform the whole community to the point where someone would be able to say, “In Oregon, there’s this town that loves Jesus.”

Melissa Alvarez

San Diego, California
Small Business Owner

Why did you come to Portland Seminary – what drew you here?

I knew that Portland Seminary was going to take me into deeper places. I believe that my psychology feeds my theology and vice versa, so I wanted to learn more about both of those things. This is a great place to do some inner work along with work in the community. I want to be able to answer the questions “What do I believe?” and “Why do I believe what I believe?”

Why did you choose this particular program?

I chose the Masters in Spiritual Formation program because that was the path that spoke the most to me. I work a lot with the women in my church, and I’ve been doing that for the last 15 years. As I’ve grown and learned what spiritual formation is, I’ve come to understand that it’s how Jesus has formed me within my story. It’s why I believe Jesus is my friend, God is my father, and the Holy Spirit guides me.

What stands out most about your experience so far?

What stands out the most to me is the way that the instructors bring the community together, the way they ask questions that help us ponder, and how they don’t give us an answer. When you go to seminary, you think you’re going to learn some information, but you actually learn how much you don’t know. The instructors invite us into spaces to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

Can you share some life experiences that influenced your decision to come here?

I have always had a desire to know the promises of God. Growing up I went to Catholic school, but I didn’t really go to church. When I got married I was in a blended family, and that’s really hard. I was struggling, and I thought, “I want to know who this God is that my grandma loved so much, and I want to know if his promises are true.” That was 20 years ago. 

What are the most important things you’ve learned or hope to learn at Portland Seminary?

I want to learn who God created me to be. When I don’t know who I am and I can’t be still enough to hear the voice of God, then all I’m giving the women I work with is myself instead of inviting them into a space of and for Christ.

What do you view as your calling, and how do you want to impact the world for Christ?

I think my calling is understanding what it is to be a child of God. I think we are all called to be free, and part of that means always being willing to go back to kindergarten.