28 June 2026 | Bracknell, UK [Audrey Andersson]
The 125th anniversary celebration of Newbold College of Higher Education is naturally an opportunity to look back with gratitude. A century and a quarter is a remarkable milestone—long enough to witness wars and peace, to educate generations of pastors, teachers, missionaries, administrators and leaders, and to watch the world change beyond recognition.
Yet anniversaries are not simply about remembering the past. They invite us to ask whether the reason we began is still the reason we continue.
I believe it is.
Although the world has changed dramatically over the past 125 years, the deepest questions of the human heart have not.
In my presentation during the anniversary celebrations, I reflected on a beautiful moment near the beginning of John’s Gospel. John the Baptist points towards Jesus and declares, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Two disciples begin following Jesus, and Jesus turns to them with what may be one of the most searching questions in Scripture:
“What are you looking for?” (John 1:38)
It is a striking question.
Jesus does not ask, “What do you know?” Nor does He ask, “What do you believe?” or even, “Who are you?” Instead, He asks what lies beneath every human search: What are you looking for?
If Jesus walked through our cities today, I suspect He would ask the exact same question. Beneath the noise and complexity of modern life, people are still searching.
They are searching for meaning.
Searching for hope.
Searching for purpose.
Searching for a faith that makes sense not only on Sabbath morning, but on Monday morning—in the workplace, in the home, at university and in public life.
Many faithful church members are asking those same questions. Not because they doubt God, but because they long to understand how following Christ shapes every ordinary day.
Information is everywhere. Wisdom is not.
The digital age has transformed access to knowledge in extraordinary ways. We can hear sermons from around the world, study theology from every continent and access libraries our predecessors could scarcely have imagined. That is a remarkable gift.
Yet access to information is not the same as wisdom. It is certainly not the same as trust. Algorithms can recommend. Artificial intelligence can summarise. Videos can inspire.
But none of these can replace trusted communities where truth is carefully tested, Scripture is thoughtfully explored, difficult questions are welcomed, and lives are shaped over time.
People today do not simply need more content. They need somewhere—and someone—they can trust.
That is one reason institutions, such as Newbold, matter more than ever.
Not because they are perfect, but because healthy Christian educational institutions preserve wisdom across generations. They safeguard theological integrity, encourage careful thinking, nurture Christian character alongside academic excellence, and create communities where people learn not only what Christians believe, but how Christians live.
In a world overflowing with competing voices, trusted institutions become places where truth can be heard with both clarity and grace.
Meeting people where they are
One of the qualities I have always admired about Newbold is its willingness to innovate.
A few months ago, I visited Ted Pettit, an alumnus of Newbold, in the hospital. Many within the Newbold family will remember Ted or know him by reputation. He arrived as a student in the early 1960s and became a close friend of my father.
I asked him a simple question: “What brought you to Newbold?”
His answer surprised me. “I saw an advertisement on the London Underground.”
Imagine that. One advertisement. One invitation. One young man who chose to respond.
I love that story because it reminds us that Newbold has never simply waited for people to find it. It has always sought ways of meeting people where they already are.
In the 1960s, people travelled on the London Underground. Today, they travel different pathways. The digital world has become today’s Underground. The platforms have changed, but the mission has not.
The Church has always been called to meet people where people are and invite them to where Christ is.
“Come and see”
The conversation in John 1 does not end with Jesus’ question. The disciples ask another: “Rabbi… where are you staying?”
Jesus replies with three wonderfully simple words: “Come and see.”
Not, “Come and win an argument.”
Not, “Come and consume more information.”
Simply, “Come and see.”
That has always been the invitation of authentic Christian education. Come and see what faithful scholarship looks like. Come and see what Scripture teaches. Come and see a community committed to truth. Come and see lives being transformed by Jesus Christ.
That invitation is every bit as compelling today as it was two thousand years ago.
Looking ahead
As Newbold celebrates 125 years, the question is not simply what has been accomplished. The more important question is whether we still have the courage to extend Christ’s invitation to a searching world.
Across Europe, people are still looking. Young adults are looking. Professionals are looking. Parents are looking. Church members are looking. Communities are looking.
Our response cannot simply be to provide more information. It must be to extend Christ’s invitation: “Come and see.” Come and see Christ. Come and see His Word. Come and see a community that seeks truth with humility and conviction. Come and see lives prepared for faithful service in God’s world.
That is why Newbold matters. That is why trusted Adventist educational institutions matter. And that is why this next chapter is so important.
So may Newbold continue to have the courage to go where people are searching. May it continue to earn trust. May it continue to invite people, with confidence and humility, “Come and see.”
The Church needs this work. The world needs this witness.
And we watch with expectation to see what God will do in the years ahead.
Audrey Andersson serves as a General Vice President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. This article is adapted from a presentation given during the 125th Anniversary Weekend of Newbold College of Higher Education, 26-28 June 2026.
[Photos: Featured image, Ansun Olivan. Shutterstock, Stanborough Press, David Neal]
