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Some people just know they’ve been called. This can happen as early as childhood, and whether or not a child understands the definition of the word “calling,” she still knows the beaconing in her heart as clearly as she knows the voice of her mother.

“Only God can tell you why he put Africa on my heart,” said Maddy Manden ’10  a special education/elementary education major who is completing her student teaching in Ghana, “but since I was 11, I told everyone that I was going to help the children in Africa.”

Before even applying to Trinity, Manden, of Roselle, Illinois, talked with the head of the education department to discuss the feasibility of teaching in Africa and graduating with degrees in both special education and elementary education within four years. She was told she could.

“I knew God had opened the first door for me.”

After her freshman year, Manden began to research various mission organizations that could arrange for her to teach children with special needs in Africa for seven weeks at a school that could also house her. A big order. After much networking and prayer, Manden found the Mission Society. Now in her senior year, she is serving as an intern for the organization and fulfilling her student teaching for Trinity at the Wa School for the Blind.

Manden’s desire to help others couldn’t wait until senior year, however, and she has spent her Trinity years involved in Service Committee, Acting on AIDS, Campus Ministries and many other student organizations focused on service. That work helped prepare her for her final Trinity experience, but Manden knew she needed to do more to prepare herself for teaching the visually impaired.
Manden spoke with teachers at Chicago’s School for the Blind and talked with Trinity’s Dr. Bob Rice, professor of history. “Dr. Rice, who is visually impaired, gave me great ideas about how to work with students, shared what it is like to be blind, and told me what he did for fun when he was a kid.”

With the study help of her sister, Manden taught herself Braille, and she was able to buy books in Braille, as well as a soccer ball with bells in it and various tactile craft supplies, with funds raised by her home church.

“God prepared me very well,” she said. “I also prayed I wouldn’t go into this experience with expectations but with excitement, with a willing servant heart and readiness to learn and grow.”

At the school, Manden teaches math to students who range in age from 9-20 within the same classes. Students in the more advanced classes were eager to explore the world outside of the school, so Manden arranged for field trips to a woodshop, the outdoor market, and a local radio station where the class was given 20 minutes of air time to present a program they wrote with the theme Disability is not Inability.

As she works in Ghana and learns more about the culture, herself, and God, she feels confirmation in her calling. “After wanting to go to Africa for 10 years, I began to question myself,” said Manden. “Was it God calling me or was it just my own desire?”

That question has been answered each day as Manden continues to serve her students. “I have realized that throughout my life God was preparing me to rely on him while I am in Africa,” she said. “Every day, every hour, every minute, I pray to God for everything. Safety, health, help with knowing what to teach, what Bible story to share, that the electricity won’t go out, that the well will stay filled with water, and praying that I will be a light for Jesus.”

To follow Manden’s teaching journey, read her blog: http://africaandmaddy.blogspot.com/.

The history department welcomed Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer from the University of Montana on Monday, February 15, for the annual Black History Month Lecture.

Shearer presented “The Missing Movement: The Civil Rights Freedom Struggle Inside the Church.” His focus was on the civil rights movement that took place within the church, specifically within the Mennonite tradition. This is a “movement that has not been studied or given attention to,” said Shearer.

Opening with a story of two women in the Mennonite church, one African American and the other Caucasian, Shearer shared how the church was integrating with the African American population. For most church members, however, once inside the church, it resembled the rest of society–segregated.

“You remove yourself from the world, to a place that looks a lot like the world,” Shearer explained.

Giving the example of dress, Shearer explained how the coverings of the women functioned in different ways among races. The Caucasian women wore the coverings as a means to gain legitimacy, while the African American women wore the coverings as way to say “I, too, am a Mennonite.”

During the course of the century the women rose up and helped move the church out of segregation and toward integration.

Completing the chronology of the civil rights movement within the church, Shearer left the audience with one final question: Which better represents the civil rights movement? the actions taking place on the streets and sidewalks or the actions taking place within the sanctuaries and living rooms?

The psychology department is once again honoring the artistic abilities of its students with a selection of artwork from student Chelsea Keane ’10 of Sykesville, Maryland.

Keane’s painting, titled Something Fundamental, is on display in the psychology department located in Vander Velde Hall.

“The piece is such a simple piece but one that reminds me of the complexities and intricacies of life,” Keane said, recalling all of the work and detail that went into the painting. “When one views my piece, they may only see three basic forms, but to me there is so much work, effort, and craftsmanship that was woven into the piece that gives it flavor and life.”

The three everyday objects—a mug, an apple, and a paper bag—are each essential and share a sense of purpose. As Keane painted each item, though, it became evident that the objects built upon one another creating a sense of intimacy and reflection. Careful detail to the reflections of one object in another is what creates the sense that the other objects are there.

“It is through this sense of color reflection that creates sensitivity, compatibility, and dominance within the piece,” Keane said in her artist’s statement.

Keane’s Something Fundamental is the third student piece exhibited in the department with work by Jordan Voskuil ’08 and Esther Holwerda ’06 featured in the past.

Trinity has taken several steps toward becoming an even better environmental steward while providing opportunities for student involvement and education.

The recent work of Trinity’s Campus Ecological Stewardship Advisory Group (CESAG) on the water detention basin has been recognized by the organization Renewal, which featured Trinity in its latest resource, Green Awakenings, Stories of Stewardship and Sustainability from the Next Generation. Trinity’s article published in the report was written by Jennifer Hill ’12 of Guston, Kentucky.

Renewal is a student-led movement working with Christian campuses to be better stewards of God’s earth. Green Awakenings was published to highlight those campuses actively making this effort and documents over 50 Christian colleges nationwide.

The CESAG’s work with the water detention basin was approved as a way to manage storm water runoff from the Art and Communication Center while taking the initiative to show environmental stewardship on the campus.

Thirty trees and shrubs, donated by Possibility Place Nursery in Monee, Illinois, were planted in the basin in 2008 by more than 20 students, providing an educational laboratory in addition to habitat restoration.

“Helping with the detention basin was something small,” said CESAG member Jenna VanDyk ’12 of Tinley Park, Illinois. “But it will hopefully help in the future and help others realize what needs to be done and how easy it is to help.”

In an effort to raise awareness and show dedication to caring for God’s creation, the CESAG is working to educate students, staff, and community members on the value of ecological endeavors.

To learn more about CESAG’s Habitat for Life, click here to download the PDF.

Two new students have been named recipients of the prestigious Trinity Christian College Founders’ Scholarship. Aletta Huisman of Hudsonville, Michigan, and Jacob Maatman of Lynwood, Illinois, both expressed excitement and gratitude upon receiving the news from their Trinity admissions counselor Dilaun White ’09.

Founders’ scholarships are renewable full-tuition awards given to two incoming freshmen. Applicants must rank in the top five percent of their graduating class or achieve a 3.8 grade-point average; score a minimum of 30 on the ACT or 1320 on the SAT; exhibit leadership in their church, school or community; and display evidence of personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Huisman, who is a senior at Unity Christian High School and plans to major in biology at Trinity, said that after spending Founders’ Weekend with the 31 other candidates, she realized the committee’s decision would be a difficult one to make given the caliber of students being considered. She is the daughter of Bob ’87 and Lisa ’86 Huisman and attends Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan, where her father serves as pastor.

Maatman is a senior at Heritage Christian School and will major in mathematics. He is the son of Troy and Rebecca ’86 Maatman and attends South Holland Protestant Reformed Church. White, along with Pete Hamstra, vice president for admissions and marketing, and Jeremy Klyn ’02, director of admissions, arrived at Heritage to make the announcement to a very surprised Maatman, and his mother who teaches Kindergarten at the school.

Responding quickly to the news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January, student, staff, and faculty leaders met with President Steve Timmermans to figure out a way to help. Out of that meeting came plans for the Haitian Relief Benefit Concert featuring the a cappella group Supremacy 4 on February 5.

Nearly 300 people attended and enjoyed the featured group in addition to Trinity’s Gospel Choir, Outcry, and Sisters in Unity. Proceeds totaling nearly $8,000 from the concert, as well as other on- campus fundraisers, have been divided between four organizations: the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC); Elim Christian School, in Palos Heights, Illinois, where students assembled Hope Packs for Haiti, filled with food and supplies; Mission of Hope Haiti; and Vision of Hope Ministries. Representatives from each organization were present to provide information after the concert.

Liz Metcalfe ’83, head women’s basketball coach at Trinity, taught for three years in Port-au-Prince at the Quisqueya Christian School, which suffered no damage during the earthquake but has become an oasis in the devastation. Metcalfe shared news from the school with the audience.

According to reports, the chapel is being used as a hospital/surgical room; the Pre-K/Kindergarten area is occupied by children from a local orphanage that was destroyed by the quake; and the soccer field has become a temporary tent city for staff and national workers. The basketball court, where Metcalfe coached her first basketball game 27 years ago, serves as a trauma center and a place for the distribution of food and water.

On January 23, in home conference basketball contests against Trinity International University, the Trolls raised $1,400 through ticket and concession proceeds, t-shirt sales by the volleyball team, and donation collection. The money was combined with the other fundraising efforts on campus.

Dr. Mackenzi Huyser ’98, professor and chair of Trinity’s social work department, and alumna Laura Zumdahl ’02, are the recent recipients of awards relevant to their fields.

The fellow alumni and former co-workers at Trinity have also been collaborating on a project that will give Huyser’s students experiential learning. At the same time, the project will provide Zumdahl, associate executive director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA), with valuable information she can use to better serve clients.

Sociology and social work majors at Trinity who are taking a course in research will work in small groups assigned to a program area at CGLA. These areas include family law, housing law, criminal defense, criminal records, and the volunteer program. Students will research the professional literature in their program area, propose a methodology to conduct further research, analyze data collected by CGLA, and prepare a final report to present to agency representatives.

“It is my hope that the project will not only allow students hands-on experience in the research process but assist CGLA in their goals and reinforce the importance of research in our professional work,” said Huyser.

Dr. Mackenzi Huyser ’98
Dr. Mackenzi Huyser has received the National Association of Social Workers’ Illinois Emerging Leader Award for demonstrating exemplary leadership, expertise, and dedication to the profession in Illinois.

In 2000, Huyser was asked to lead Trinity’s effort to develop an accredited social work program, which received accreditation in 2005 and was reaffirmed in 2009 by the Council on Social Work in Education. Huyser has served as the department chair since its inception.

Huyser is seeing continued growth in the program and said, “Because our program prepares students for community-centered generalist practice we expect that they will have the opportunity to serve many different populations and in many different settings. A student who graduates from Trinity’s BSW program is a well-prepared and competent practitioner.”   

Laura Zumdahl ’02
Alumna Laura Zumdahl was named a Chicago Community Trust Emerging Fellow for 2010 and received nearly $30,000 to fund her professional development plan studying innovation and design thinking in nonprofit organizations.

In 2005, Zumdahl returned to Trinity to serve as the social work department’s project coordinator. She left in 2007 to accept her current position as associate executive director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid, which provides free legal services to over 5,000 low income residents of Chicago each year. She will be completing her doctoral work this spring.

“My time at Trinity provided a comprehensive education but also challenged me to integrate my faith into my vocation,” said Zumdahl. “It was through that experience that I found how much I loved the profession of social work and working in nonprofit organizations. That discovery shaped my calling and career.”

Matthew 25 lists the only criterion in the final judgment as whether or not you gave yourself away to those who needed you. The Restoration Ministries Interim uses this passage as the foundation for its work. Students on this interim spent two weeks in January living at the Tabitha and Harvey houses in Harvey, Illinois.

Acting on a Christian call to service, students work with recovering drug and alcohol addicts in the homes. They spend time in prayer and devotions with the residents each morning, work in the thrift store, visit elderly people in the community, and work with an after-school program for neighborhood children.

“There wasn’t a minute that they weren’t serving,” said Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo, associate professor of psychology, who has been leading the interim for over 10 years and working with Restoration Ministries for 25 years.

Living in the houses gave students the ability to build relationships with the residents. For Colosimo it is exciting to watch as the lives of residents and students begin to change.

Syerra Niday ’13 of Corydon, Iowa, described the experience as amazing. “Their testimonies are incredible,” she said.

The relationships formed during the two weeks are “forever relationships,” Colosimo said. The bonds are unforgettable and make possible a better understanding of each student’s call to serve.

“I now have a deeper passion for service. This is only possible through God’s grace,” Niday said, reflecting on the experience.

This opportunity pushes students to step out of their comfort zones and build and honor the lives of the residents at Restoration Ministries. Colosimo encourages her students in this with a saying: “Jesus came to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”

Thirty-two top high school students were finalists for this year’s Founders’ Scholarship. Students and their parents attended a banquet in the Grand Lobby of the Ozinga Chapel on Thursday, February 4, with a variety of activities planned throughout the weekend.

The 2010 Founders’ Scholarship recipients will be announced soon.
The award provides a renewable full-tuition scholarship for two incoming freshmen who have demonstrated consistently high academic achievement and who will perpetuate the mission of Trinity Christian College in thought, word, and deed.

Applicants for the Founders’ Scholarship must rank in the top five percent of their graduating class or achieve a 3.8 grade-point average; score a minimum of 30 on the ACT or 1320 on the SAT; exhibit leadership in their church, school, or community; and display evidence of personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Scholarship candidates spent time off campus having dinner at the Chicago Semester location and enjoying late-night bowling. On campus, students were immersed in life at Trinity, worshipping, dining, and rooming with current Trinity students.  Candidates also participated in a service project at the Children’s Hunger Fund, one of Trinity’s many service opportunities.

What makes a good story?

According to professional storyteller Dan Keding, a good story teaches you to respond to an emotion and causes you to think.

On Tuesday, February 2, Trinity students and faculty gathered to listen as Keding brought life, excitement, and emotion to his stories.

Sharing stories of his childhood, family, other cultures, and folktales from past generations, he kept the audience engaged. Keding’s subtle humor, emotion, and energy propel his stories and touch his audience members.

“He kept our attention from beginning to end,” said Leah Branderhorst ’11, of Holland, Michigan, “and as a future teacher I learned a lot of valuable tips on storytelling.”

With our stories we make an impression, Keding said, they’re pervasive. A story can teach you about a person’s values, their beliefs, or their culture. “Storytelling is in the threads of our life,” Keding said. We constantly tell our story to those around us, at home, in a classroom, or at work.

Keding’s second visit to Trinity, which included an afternoon workshop and evening performance, was sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Committee.