Reflections on the 'Soulforce' Visit

By

Dr. Don Meyer, President

Valley Forge Christian College 

The purpose of this communiqué is to provide you with my reflections on the recent visit to our campus by Soulforce, a gay rights organization.  Please pardon the formality of this response but, due to the volume of support we received, I wanted to let everyone know how the day unfolded.  I will share a narrative of the visit and then include some of my own personal reflections. 

Overall their visit was, as we all had prayed, “uneventful.” Soulforce arrived near the campus of Valley Forge Christian College (VFCC) around 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2010, contradicting their communication to the college that they would arrive on Friday, March 5^th. Protesters arrived in a full-size tour bus, emblazoned with the group’s logo, “Equality Ride”, and parked across the street from the campus. The “riders” disembarked from the bus and assembled on the sidewalk in front of the college. For approximately 30 minutes the group sang before re-entering the bus and vacating the area. The group was closely monitored the entire time by Campus Security guards and members of the local and State police departments. At no time did VFCC students interact with the group; indeed, there were no students in the vicinity of the protestors. A call was initiated to the Resident Assistants in the residence halls alerting them to what was going on and assuring them that the situation was under control. There was no indication of anxiety among students as a result of the rider’s presence. 

'Soulforce' returned to VFCC at 9:45 a.m. on March 5, 2010, this time assembling near the back of the campus in Charlestown Park. The riders were met by “Repent America,” a religious group that came to protest the “Equality Ride”. Further complicating the day was the presence of representatives from two pro-gay groups, “Silent Witness Peacekeepers” and “Bash Back”. A college representative expressed to the leaders of each protest group that access to the college was restricted and representatives from their organizations were not eligible to be on campus. There was a combined total of approximately 50 protesters. 

Throughout the morning, the various groups voiced their competing messages and held signs with messages complimentary to their group’s goals. At no time did the protesters enter college property in a way that would be considered trespass. (The college placed numerous “No Trespassing” signs in various locations around campus to inform protesters.) A strong police presence was constantly visible at the protest site. At 11:00 a.m. an email was sent to all students, faculty, and staff requesting that if they left campus they should exit through the front to remain out of the vicinity of Soulforce. 

At approximately 11:45 p.m., Soulforce took a lunch break. The area quieted down until Soulforce returned an hour later to continue their protest. At 2:45 p.m., the riders boarded their bus and moved to the front entrance to continue their protest on the sidewalk. Members of “Repent America” did not follow the riders and chose to leave instead. At 3:30 p.m., Soulforce boarded their bus, briefly returned to Charlestown Park to retrieve equipment and vehicles, and then left. Although the protest occurred near the campus, it appeared that there was very little, if any, VFCC student interaction with the protesters throughout the day. The college hired additional security guards to monitor all entrances and prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to the campus. The access plan was coordinated with other campus partners such as the Renaissance Academy, Phoenixville Area School District, Wolfington Bus Company, etc. Despite the change in vehicular access, the day progressed smoothly. 

The college was greatly assisted by over 50 representatives of the Pennsylvania State Police, Schuylkill Township Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, and Chester County Department of Emergency Services. A Command Center was established in the Solomon’s Porch parking lot in a state-of-the-art trailer. The college attorney was also available on campus for consultation. 

TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM
THE SOULFORCE VISIT

1.  In A Multitude Of Counsellors There Is Great Wisdom.  From the Board of Trustees to the VFCC Taskforce and from our VFCC family to other Christian Colleges and Universities, we were tremendously helped by everyone.  We are grateful for Jim Maza, our college attorney, Juleen Turnage, Public Relations Director for the Assemblies of God, and Dr. Dan Mortensen, VP of Finance (VFCC), who coordinated our on campus initiatives.  Some of the most helpful leaders were our local law enforcement personnel.  Their professionalism, expertise, and serious engagement were absolutely outstanding.  Our entire VFCC community felt “secure” all day. 

2. Great Moral Strength Resides In An Engaged Board of Trustees.  The VFCC Board took an extended period of time in its fall board meeting to discuss the complex issues related to the Soulforce visit.  Out of that exchange and informed by additional research by the college, the board made the decision not to allow Soulforce on our campus.  That decision by the group which is entrusted with the final authority for all institutional matters was priceless. 

3. Nothing Can Take The Place Of Careful Planning.  Life is filled with unpredictable and unavoidable experiences, especially when uninvited strangers tell you they are coming for a visit.  But one way to reduce the risks in times like that is to plan well.  Nothing can take the place of careful planning. 

4. Communication.  Communication.  Communication.  You Can’t Survive Without It.  From the moment we knew Soulforce was coming, we invested an enormous amount of time in sharing updates with our internal and external constituents.  Students.  Employees.  Alumni.  Parents.  Community Leaders.  Board of Trustees.  Pastors.  National Church Leaders.  Friends.  Neighbors.  Through email, traditional mail, meetings (formal and informal), open forums and more personal conversations than we could recall, we committed ourselves throughout to a culture of open communication. 

5. Policies And Procedures Must Be Clear And Logical.  It is never too early to make sure institutional policies and procedures are in place.  If you wait until a situation requires it to address them, it is probably too late.  For example, a clearly defined and logical guest policy greatly enhanced our position toward Soulforce.  Over the years we have denied access to many individuals and groups based on our campus guest policy and this was just one more. 

6. Never Ever Compromise Your Core Values.  The response of support which we received from all over the world – literally – was phenomenal.  I have never experienced anything like it.  Messages of affirmation came from Australia to Germany and everywhere in between affirming us for the posture we had taken.  It was as though our friends and family expressed to us a collective exclamation of “Yes, we agree with your values and we stand and kneel with you.” I can’t imagine how we ever would have explained to our constituents why we would have allowed Soulforce on our campus.  I will cherish forever the love and support from our dear friends who affirmed our (and their) commitment to our core values. 

7. Everything Takes Longer Than You Expect.  Whether you have prepared a sermon or built a building or played an instrument or planned for a Soulforce visit, everything takes longer than you expect.  Meetings, phone calls, conversations, drafting notes, writing reports, and the myriad of other details absorb enormous amounts of time.  Time becomes one of your most important allies and also one of your most frustrating adversaries.  Every hour spent on this issue took us from other issues. 

8. It Is Impossible To Please Everyone.  Although response to how we handled this issue was overwhelmingly positive, I am not naïve to think that that response was unanimous.  We know Soulforce was not pleased.  I will never understand why groups like that feel they have a right to ignore our decision to deny their invitation to come but they do.  We all know that if you try to please everyone eventually you will please no one.  Leadership isn’t about doing what’s popular but doing what’s right. 

9. Improvement Is Always Possible.  Even though we planned our work and we worked our plan, we know there are things we could do better.  We have learned important lessons from this experience and from them we know we can improve.  One of my friends speaks of quality being an ever-receding horizon. 

10.  All Human Effort Falls Short Without The Blessing And Help Of God.  Lest we take personal credit for an event which went well, we must remember that the best plans and the best strategies do not guarantee success.  We can only do so much but as someone said, “You be natural; God will be Supernatural.” God is able to bless our human efforts and through His Divine Enablement compensate for our humanity so that ultimately He gets the credit. 

We rejoice for all that God did to help that day to go well.

Blessings! 

Dr. Don Meyer

--
"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence ... to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways." [Isaiah 64:1-5]