One benefit of being a part of the BGU community is the opportunity to be a part of a truly global family of leaders from many different countries. Our students study together online and at city immersion courses, and meaningful relationships develop as professors facilitate dialogue between people who are learning together across cultures. We learn from each other, and we celebrate the good work that God is doing in cities around the world. Often, when students graduate from BGU, they remain connected to each other. They will invite each other to teach and share their expertise with people in their networks who may not be taking academic courses or certificates at BGU. I have seen many creative expressions of how BGU students, alumni, and faculty unite to support each other in the work of transformation.

This edition of the BGU newsletter highlights several examples of how our global community functions by working together toward the common good of the city. We will get a glimpse of how God is at work in the megacity of Mumbai through a city consultation that was facilitated by BGU graduates. We will get a first-hand look at the remarkable transformation that is taking place in the city of Youngstown through graduates who are galvanizing businesses, churches, nonprofits, and government organizations to work together to address challenges in that region. And we will get a glimpse of the experiential learning that took place when a group of leaders from Brazil visited Dallas for a city immersion. God is on the move through our global community!

In many ways, our global community is fueled by the generosity of partners who donate financially to our important mission. I am thrilled to share that donors contributed more money to BGU in the first half of our fiscal year from July through December than was contributed the entire previous fiscal year. We were able to match and exceed the $63,000 in challenge gifts that were pledged. Praise God! Also, we are seeing steady growth in the number of first-time givers to BGU. These are signs of hope as we continue to explore ways to scale BGU’s impact around the world through our five academic degree programs, twenty-six innovative certificates, and training initiatives in five different languages. Many thanks to our long-time, consistent givers and to all individuals who gave to BGU for the first time. We could not do all that God has called us to do without your generous support!

Dr. Bryan McCabe

President