To Everything, There Is a Season

Ryan Casto, LPCC

Associate Director, New Creation Counseling Center

1 September 2017

I love the fall. I love everything it brings, the leaves, pumpkins, the chill in the air. It's finally hoodie season! I love hayrides and fires on our back porch. It is my favorite season, and it is, unfortunately, going to be over too soon. That is a bittersweet reality with which we all must reckon, I guess. The seasons of our lives only last...for a season.

In our little corner of the world at New Creation Counseling Center, we are facing the end of our own very special season. Our Executive Director, John Jung, retired from New Creation this summer. He officially retired on July 1st, and now serves on a part-time basis as Clinical Supervisor. Kitty Kincaid, formerly New Creation's Assistant Director, is now our Executive Director. John was New Creation's Director from 1995 to 2017. It was quite a long season, comparatively speaking, and it is now over too soon. I wanted to take some time this month and say a few words about John.

Ask anyone who knows John Jung, and they will tell you why John is so special to New Creation and to this community. He is universally admired, trusted, liked, and respected. He is a man of integrity and character. He is a kind person who has touched the lives of thousands of people in this area. I have not known John that long, but in the time that I have worked for him he has been a supportive employer who with ease communicates that he believes in you and has your back.

The thing that impresses me the most about John is his reputation. I think of the Bible verse that says "by (faith) the elders obtained a good report (Hebrews 11:2)". John is a man who has trusted God throughout his life, and has dedicated himself to honoring God. He has lived a life of obeying God, to be sure, but more than that he has lived a life of being loved by God. He has lived his life trusting in God's love for him, and it has empowered him to love others. This is evidenced by his reputation. He has obtained a good report. Whether people have served with him at church or on community agency boards, or they were one of his clients, the report on John is consistent. A community leader recently told me that when John comes into a room he has an easiness about him and puts others at ease, and after he leaves his presence continues to have an impact.

It is a daunting thing to follow in his footsteps. I often joke that it is a good thing that there are two of us (Kitty and myself) that are taking his place at the agency and in the community; there are big shoes to fill, and we need one person for each shoe. I also joke about the "John Jung effect" that I observe when I go to community meetings. When John's name is mentioned, you can see a wave pass over the crowd of people saying "Oh yes, John Jung!" along with various words of praise for him. It's annoying! No, that's another joke.

For myself, the season of John Jung ends with a bittersweet tinge. John is one in a million, and now he is leaving. The uniqueness of his character and his role in this community, and how those traits enriched this agency, is a loss that is acutely felt. It is a testament to a man who has humbled himself before God and so is honored by God in the sight of the people. I pray to God that I can bear some of the fruit that John has borne.

I guess that is the best thing I can say about him. He makes you want to be a better person, and he shows you that it is the Lord that works in you to bear that fruit.

If you see John or get a chance to talk to him, let him know how he has impacted your life. He is not the type of man who seeks the praise of others, but he doesn't get a say anymore, since he's not the boss. I believe that by acknowledging the things you like about John you are giving glory to God and to the work that He has done in John Jung.