A Grief That Runs Deeper Than Expected
In this episode, Dr. G reflects honestly on the profound grief surrounding the closing of Multnomah — a grief that, even for him, was stronger and broader than he anticipated. While many alumni experienced the loss all at once, his own sense of grief began decades earlier, at the moment when the school’s direction first changed. He explains that when the mission shifted 25 years prior, he knew immediately that the Multnomah he was recruited to and loved would never fully return. From that point on, each year brought incremental changes — small decisions that accumulated into a fundamentally different institution. By the time he eventually left, it was no longer the school he had given his life to, and that made the physical leaving less painful than one might expect. What did surprise him, however, was the depth of grief expressed by alumni and faculty once the school finally closed. Through social media and personal messages, he has been overwhelmed by people whose hearts are broken — grief that, as one person told him, “won’t change.” This response revealed just how wide and enduring the loss truly is. Dr. G emphasizes that his sorrow is not rooted in hostility toward other educational models. Rather, it comes from deep love for the traditional Bible college mission he devoted his life to and hoped would continue. Yet even in the sorrow, he sees possibility: that this shared grief might become the soil from which something new — and faithful — could one day grow.

In This Video
• Why the depth of alumni grief was unexpected
• How Dr. G’s own grief began decades earlier
• The impact of cumulative, long-term changes
• Why leaving later was less painful than losing the mission
• Hope that shared loss may prepare the way for something new

About This Series
This video is part of a collection celebrating the story, ministry, and legacy of Dr. Garry Friesen (Dr. G), honoring the heritage of Multnomah School of the Bible / Multnomah University and the continuing work God is doing through new ministries around the world.

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If these stories encourage you, feel free to like, subscribe, and share with others who knew and loved Multnomah — and with believers growing in faith in Rwanda and beyond.

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The production of these videos was provided by the Multnomah Family Team, if you would like to help sponsor more videos like this, please contact us here.