Personal Reflections on Dr. Timothy Tennent and Julie Tennent

Dear Asbury Theological Seminary Community,
Across nearly four decades in theological education, God has blessed us with scores of wonderful friends and colleagues. While we treasure each one of them, Tim and Julie Tennent claim a special place in our lives and affections. Although we certainly rejoice with everyone at Asbury as you welcome an amazingly gifted new president, we also want you to know how deeply Tim and Julie will be missed here at Gordon-Conwell. Quite simply stated, you have chosen two of our very finest colleagues and two of the most outstanding Christian educators we know.
The Asbury community will soon learn, as the Gordon-Conwell community has known for a long time, that Tim and Julie are lots of fun to be around. We have hiked together, gone bird watching together, eaten popovers together, enjoyed boat trips together, and shared a good many meals and wonderful conversations together. My wife Janie and I have enjoyed their company immensely and have often had our spirits lifted by their delightful sense of humor.
You will also discover that Tim and Julie are absolutely trustworthy. What they promise, they will do. What they tell you, you can believe. What they set out to accomplish, by God’s grace, they will complete.
The Asbury community will also learn, as we have, that Tim and Julie are enormously talented. Julie’s musical abilities, in fact, are nothing short of legendary up here in the Northeast. Not only does she teach and perform and compose music but her presence on the organ at our seminary chapel can lift an entire congregation to the very throne of God. Tim, of course, is no less talented – having demonstrated his remarkable abilities through his superb classroom teaching, his outstanding administrative skills, his remarkable scholarship, his powerful preaching and his godly leadership. And with all of these talents, he can also design and construct a beautiful deck for his Ipswich, Massachusetts house. Talk about omni competence!
Most important, of course, are Tim and Julie’s winsome Christian faith and deep love for Christ and His Church. Tim and Julie will broaden Asbury’s vision for reaching a needy world with the glorious Gospel, to be sure, but they will never overlook the needs of those individuals and institutions that are closer to home. In short, you are going to fall in love with this wonderful couple and their family. We send them to you with our very best wishes and continued prayers. May their coming mark a whole new era of faithful ministry in the history of one of our very finest seminaries.


Feedback

Please fill out the form below if you would like to provide feedback to Dr. Tennent concerning this blog entry.