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The Trinity Christian College Board of Trustees cordially invites the community, faculty, staff, and students to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Trinity Athletics and Recreation Complex on Wednesday, June 16, at 3:30 p.m.
The ceremony, held on the southeast lawn of the Mitchell Memorial Gymnasium, will be followed by light refreshments. Please RSVP to 708.239.4806 or karen.slager@trnty.edu by Friday, June 11.
This groundbreaking marks the beginning of phase one of the gymnasium expansion project. Phase one includes the building of a new competition gymnasium, new locker rooms, and offices for the athletics department. The main entrance to this new space will be connected to the south side of the Mitchell Memorial Gymnasium.
As part of initiatives to expand educational opportunities to students in the Chicago metropolitan area, Trinity Christian College and St. Augustine College have signed an articulation agreement that allows students who complete an associate of liberal arts and sciences at St. Augustine College to transfer their completed course credits to pursue a bachelor’s degree through Trinity.
“Earning a college degree is becoming more of a necessity for anyone to achieve success. This articulation agreement with Trinity Christian College opens another educational avenue to our students,” said Andrew Sund, president of St. Augustine College.
Dr. Steve Timmermans, president of Trinity Christian College, said, “We are delighted to partner with St. Augustine College to further educational opportunities for students. We are pleased that our Downtown Teacher Education Program can be the next step for St. Augustine students.”
Trinity juniors Jon Borr of Holland, Michigan, and Sam Huenink of Oostburg, Wisconsin, took their research way outside of the classroom in the Marine and Island Ecology of the Bahamas class, taught at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The course, which focuses on the flora and fauna of the Bahamas, is made available through Trinity’s membership in the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA).
The class is divided into four groups, each of which designed their own specific research project. Students spent five Saturdays at the Shedd where they compiled background information on the plant and animal subjects of their research and received some “behind-the-scenes” experience. While studying at the Shedd, students spent time working with and handling some of the animals of the Bahamas, from jellyfish to iguanas.
The conclusion of the course allowed the students to complete their research through a week-long project in the Bahamas. Borr and Huenink spent the week touring the Exumas on the Coral Reef II observing fish in marine protected areas to understand the implications for the inhabiting fish, the focus of their research project. Stoplight Parrotfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Nassau Grouper, and the Caribbean species of sharks and sting rays were the species under observation.
“I really enjoy that you get to carry out the research project constructed in class in the field. Plus it’s in the Bahamas!” said Huenink.
After completing research both inside and outside of the Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park, the students compared the fish of the protected waters with those in unprotected areas, testing their hypotheses.
Ethical Listening
Dr. Annalee Ward’s communication ethics class had a new assignment this year. Students visited with residents of Providence Rest Home to practice ethical listening.
Nine students made at least three visits to an assigned resident with the intent to learn more about each resident’s life and what he or she valued. The opportunity to collaborate with Providence was arranged by the Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning, which is directed by Anna Rosas.
“Reading the students’ journals reminded me that some lessons are best experienced rather than read about or lectured,” said Ward.
What students had to say about their visits with Providence residents…
“I realized that ethical listening here was taking one short hour out of my day to hear her story. To give her a surprise reason to be happy . . . Ethical listening was not for me to listen only for answers so I could complete a class assignment, but to be willing to let go of finding answers to the questions I had prepared and just give her time and attention to be valued. ”
–Lauren Haney ’11 of Monroeville, New Jersey
“This visit taught me not to pass judgments, but instead look for what is good or useful . . . and listen to others as I would want them to listen to me. Overall this experience has been helpful in not only learning how to be a better listener, but also to reflect on what was shared and reevaluate my life and how I’m choosing to live it.”
–Christy Boersma’11 of Grand Rapids, Michigan
“I think that ethical listening is being there with someone, not just physically, but also being there with an intent to listen. It includes being interested in someone else’s life and caring for them, no matter how well you know them or not. It means responding in encouraging ways.”
–Melissa G. Voss ’11 of Chicago Ridge, Illinois
“While I was with her, I was trying not to think about my next question, but really understand what she was trying to tell me. I think that in this situation, to be an ethical listener means taking the time and actually listening to what the other person is saying . . . with our full attention.”
–Elise Schulting ’12 of Richmond, Texas
“Ethics aren’t just about topics or the way we approach them but about the way we approach the people involved.”
–Jez Layman ’12 of Homer Glen, Illinois
Commencement welcomed families of 177 traditional and 53 adult studies graduates to campus on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The speaker for both ceremonies was Trinity alumna Barbara Hoekstra ’89, Ph.D., associate professor of education at Dordt College where she has been on faculty since 1997.
Hoekstra’s address, titled “Border Crossings,” encouraged students to view their life after graduation as a mission they have been sent on by God.
”The idea in the root meaning of ‘mission’ is important to consider, particularly for people at a check point, at a border crossing time in their life,” said Hoekstra. “Are you ready? Because today, you are being commissioned for a new leg of your journey.”
That journey—that mission—she said would start with students “pushing beyond” their present “comfort zones.” Hoekstra encouraged graduates to be willing to grasp “scary new God-given opportunities” and be willing “to cross a few borders.”
Commencement program—Traditional
President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D., greeted Commencement guests. Jeanne de Haan, parent of senior Marissa de Haan of Hanford, California, and current board of trustees member, gave the invocation. The Commencement litany was delivered by Kyle Geenen ’10, student association president. The Honors Ensemble performed under the direction of Dr. Helen Van Wyck, Trinity professor of music and director of choral activities.
The graduates were welcomed to their new alumni status by Kevin Walker ’05, president of the alumni board of directors. The closing prayer was offered by Reverend Jai Mahtani, father of Trinity senior Samuel Mahtani of Grandville, Michigan.
Commencement program—Adult Studies
President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D., greeted Commencement guests. John Hoekstra, Ed.D., director of Adult Studies Education, gave the invocation. The Commencement litany was delivered by Latasha Buchanan ’10 of Chicago. Assistant Professor of Education Mary Webster Moore blessed everyone with song.
The graduates were welcomed to their new alumni status by Travis Bandstra ’06, director of alumni relations. The closing prayer was offered by Rev. Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D., chaplain.
More about the speaker
After her graduation from Trinity, Hoekstra served as a teacher and athletic director at Millbrook Christian School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She received her master’s degree in education leadership from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and her doctorate in adult and higher education from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. Hoekstra has served on various boards, including Trinity’s Alumni Board, the Sioux Center Community Hospital Executive Board, and the Sioux Center Christian School Education Committee.
Traditional Commencement Address – May 15, 2010
Trinity Christian College
Border Crossings.
I am happy and honored to be speaking to you on this momentous day when 177 of you will graduate and launch into the next phase of your life. You have worked hard and accomplished much. Your years here at Trinity have been great basic training, and now you get to practice what your professors have preached – to put into action in a new venue what you wrote in your assignments and exams. Congratulations and God speed!
Some of you are graduating with a degree in business, some in history and some in biology. But, no matter what your degree is, you are ALL being sent out as missionaries. The word “mission” means a sending out or being sent out to perform a task or duty. It can refer to any important duty for which a person is sent, or it can mean a specific task to which one devotes his or her life. The term is often associated with dignitaries being sent to foreign countries, sent to cross borders. The idea in the root meaning of mission is important to consider, particularly for people at a check point, at a border crossing time in their life. Are you ready, because today, you are being commissioned for a new leg of your journey?
You have a special task to do, a mission, and it starts with pushing beyond your present comfort zone. When I graduated from this college, I thought my career would be teaching junior high science. I never imagined that I would be a college faculty member, asked to deliver your graduation speech. Teaching junior high and college, as well as literally hundreds of other careers, are equally worthy missions. But if I had not been willing to risk, to grasp, oftentimes, scary new God-given opportunities, been willing to cross a few borders, I would have missed a lot of joy and fulfillment.
A friend recently reminded me that God’s call is never small. She is right. We must be careful not to measure the size of the mission by the world’s standards, because sometimes what seems insignificant in the eyes of this world is a very big call from God. One border you may have to cross is to get away from how the world measures things. In some cases teaching in a small Christian school few people have heard of in a small town in the middle of nowhere is the amazing call of God on your life. Or maybe it’s managing a business franchise when you thought you had prepared for a different type of ministry.
As you live a border-crossing life, you will be given moments of clarity that will help you know which borders you should cross. The challenge is that you never know when or where you will get the message or be given that clarity. Let me tell you about how one of these moments, encounters, changed me and set the foundation for the thoughts I am sharing with you today.
This past November, my colleague Mark Volkers, an instructor of communication and digital media, and a team of his students shared the work they are doing on a documentary film project about slums. The documentary, still in progress, aims to shine light on the fact that by the year 2030, the number of people living in slums may increase to nearly half of the world’s population.
Throughout the evening, I heard heart-wrenching stories and staggering facts as I watched many disturbing images. One image in particular made a powerful impression on me. If you would ask other viewers of the documentary, they might not even remember the image I have in mind. The photo was of a Filipino man. It was so large; I was able to see the pores on the man’s face and the veins in his eyes. Although the close-up startled me, it was the caption beneath the picture that got my attention–Joetique Lamigo, Missionary.
Upon reading the man’s name and title, I thought to myself, “I am so glad I am not a missionary. I could never be a missionary.” And, in that brief moment, the Lord stopped me short and brought me up close. It was as if He had set me up: as quickly as I said those words to myself, His words entered my head: “You, Barb, are a missionary, too.”
I may or may not be called to cross geographic borders, but I am sent out to perform a wide variety of tasks and duties – to teach, to parent, to serve on committee at my children’s school and at church. My work in each of these areas must point to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, His love, and His redemptive plan for His children and for the world in which we live. I had been carrying around a pretty narrow, probably traditional, definition of missionary: someone who does mission work. But in that brief encounter with Joetique Lamigo, I was challenged to think differently about the word missionary and what it means to be sent. The photo of Joetique Lamigo helped me move past my uncomfortableness with missionaries and instead identify with them and be like them.
You are being sent out on a mission from and for God. You must take what you’ve learned and live and proclaim the “gospel.” You must point to the “good news” of our salvation and the world-wide comprehensive renewal made possible by Christ’s resurrection. As Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, states in his book, Uncommon Decency (38), “Our calling is not to bring the Kingdom of God in its fullness; it is to witness to the power and presence of that kingdom in ways that are made available to us.” You will do this in the work you are called to do, the people you will be called to be, and the relationships you will develop.
As followers of Christ, you are “ordained” to do this – to share in Christ’s world-wide redeeming work in this your exciting and challenging 21st century world. Cornelius Plantinga, President of Calvin Seminary, writes in a book for college freshmen, Engaging God’s World (143), “Christ has come to equip a people–informed, devout, determined people—to lead the way in righting what’s wrong, in transforming what’s corrupted, in doing things that make for peace, expecting that these things will travel across the border from this world to the new heaven and earth.” You, personally and right here today, are called to be these world-changing, border-crossing people.
Don’t think for a minute that God has only a few favorites who will reach this fullness. God desires to accomplish much more than we realize in and through each one of us; but to accomplish this, you will need to search for, and eagerly grasp sometimes scary border crossings. You have been prepared – these people have done their best for you. And now you must be willing to accept dangers and the unknown to follow and fulfill the Lord’s purposes.
As you identify your strengths, the things you’re good at, you are on your way to finding your mission – the special task to which you will devote your life, the special duties and opportunities for which you are being commissioned today. In this growing awareness, you will see new occasions to use and develop your capacity for greater service. Give priority to the things God calls you to do; do not become confused with good things that seem like they need your attention or need to be done. What is important is our willingness to obey God in every area, not just selective areas we choose. Getting comfy, settling in, limits you far more than you should limit your own potential. The world is much bigger than what you’ve experienced up until now. But, you are ready, well equipped, and hopefully eager. You are much bigger and so much more than you can imagine right now.
Different people are good at different things, and different people have larger or smaller comfort zones. Some have more opportunities for growth, but I am convinced that each of us has more growth opportunities than we recognize or are willing to embrace. Playing small doesn’t help you or the kingdom.
As you are given more talent and opportunities (and they do multiply), you will also be given more responsibility – accept this. And as you use more talents you become more capable, more responsible, and more fulfilled. This will make for a very exciting and rewarding life. The well-known parable of the talents describes the reward for growing your God-given talents as simply being given additional responsibilities and the ability to handle them well. When we work for the Lord with all we’ve got, with a willingness to cross borders, He turns the blessing back on us. Greater responsibility equals more growth and joy.
Let me read to you these verses from Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Galatians 5:22-23, “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
Also from Peterson’s contemporary paraphrase, inGalatians 6:4-5, we find a mission statement worth living by. This has been part of my mission statement for years, Paul implores us to “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
You may not know the specifics of your mission, so for now, open your mind, cast a broader vision, live, and find out. Stay close to the Lord through prayer and Bible reading. Stay connected to the body of believers by being an active member of a church and by reading spiritual classics. Stay in the habit of volunteering and serving others. Be ready for your Joetique Lamigo moments. In the process you’ll be pleasantly, and sometimes completely, surprised at all that you can do and become. But you will never know unless you go.
So go, equipped with your basic training from Trinity Christian College. Go boldly! Be willing to embrace every opportunity for life-long learning and personal growth that God provides. At the same time go humbly and expectantly, knowing that your BA or BS degree is only a good start for mastering much more of the world-wide alphabet. Whatever you do, remember that you are missionaries—the God-energized SENT ONES, the ones whom God loves and nurtures. When you cross this platform today, to receive two letters in our 26-letter alphabet – your diploma – remember that stamped on it and on each of you, in bold letters, are these words: I AM A PERSON ON A HUGELY IMPORTANT, SATISFYING, JOYFUL, AND GOD-PLEASING LIFELONG MISSION. GO!
The student organization Sister to Sister held its inaugural Legacy Ball on May 7 to honor the achievements of special women.
The honorees were chosen because of their impact on the campus, their involvement in off-campus activities, and their commitment to diversity, said founder Camille Villegas ’11 of Chicago.
“We will always choose women who embody our organization’s slogan—Leading, Learning, Loving, Ladies,” said Villegas.
Women who were honored for their contributions to the campus and to the community included:
• Dr. Nelvia Brady, former professor of business
• Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo, associate professor of psychology
• Tippi Price, access librarian
• Felecia Thompson, executive director for World Vision US-Chicago
• Dr. Trina Vallone, assistant professor of education
• Mary Webster Moore, assistant professor of education
The Sister of the Year Award was presented to junior Katherine Stackhouse of Chicago, who is majoring in business communications.
History of Sister to Sister
Sister to Sister (S2S) was founded on September 21, 2009, by student Camille Villegas ’11 of Chicago, who was inspired by her mother Regina and her five sisters. With that inspiration and with the help of Dr. Nelvia Brady, professor of business, and Tippi Price, Trinity librarian, Camille founded the student organization. This year S2S has held homework sessions, self esteem discussions, and devotions. The group also visited a worship service called “Bent but Not Broken” at Giant Steps Church in Chicago. With the help of the College, Sister to Sister plans to do even more next year.
Officers:
Camille Villegas, President
Jade Crenshaw, Vice President
Kenyatta Bivens, Treasurer
Tippi Price, Advisor
During a reception on May 13, colleagues officially wished Drs. Mark and Annalee Ward well as they embark on a new path of their professional and personal journey, which now leads them away from their long-time service at Trinity to the life God has called them to at the University of Dubuque.
Mark has accepted a position as vice president for academic affairs at the university, an institution affiliated with Presbyterian Church, USA. Since the late 1990s, the university has pursued a more intentional reformed Christian mission. The result has been a substantial growth in students and programs. His role will be to work with faculty in living out this transforming mission.
Annalee will be in residency at the university, researching Christian tourism and completing various writing projects. She will initially spend time settling in and pursuing the work she had originally planned for her Trinity sabbatical in the spring 2011 semester.
The Trinity years
Mark and Annalee were living in Oak Park, Illinois, before coming to Trinity, Mark employed in the business sector and Annalee working in Chicago and teaching evening classes at DePaul University.
Hearing of an opening for a business professor at Trinity, Mark applied and joined the faculty in 1984. Becoming deeply immersed in the academic community, he came to serve in other roles, including associate provost in 2004 and director of First Year Forum for new students.
“Graduates who take their place in the business world in a faithful approach indicate Mark’s contributions to the business department for over 25 years,” said Provost Liz Rudenga. “In addition, his administrative work in the Provost’s office provided guidance to many.”
After Mark joined the faculty in 1984, Annalee said she “waddled in” to Dr. Burt Rozema’s office, nine months pregnant, and asked if there was a class she could teach. The speech class was available. Her students later petitioned the College to change the two-credit course to be worth three credits. The request was granted, as was Annalee’s proposal for a minor in communication arts. Annalee eventually developed the curriculum for a communication arts major and was hired as a full-time professor in 2000.
The Communication Arts department is what Annalee refers to as “my third child.” Professionally, she said she has felt fulfilled in developing the program into the popular communication arts major it has become. She is thrilled to also have been a part of the planning of the long-envisioned Art and Communication Center.
“Annalee has led with vision as she and her colleagues have shaped the communication arts program to be directed toward faithful engagement,” said President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D.
Beyond the classroom walls
For both Mark and Annalee, personal fulfillment has come through the relationships they’ve formed over the years with colleagues and with students, relationships that have lasted far beyond the end of the semester or even graduation.
They each spent time recalling some of the many interactions with students and fellow professors that were not confined within classroom walls but served to expand their Trinity “family.”
“There are so many, many stories,” said Annalee, “praying with a student in my office, celebrating the marriage of a student, mourning with a colleague over the loss of a family member.”
Recalling a recent, but representative example, Mark spoke of observing his business students interacting with business people in the community during a workshop—“a moment of pride” for him.
Gathering in the ARCC
Although the Wards have been very purposeful in keeping their academic lives separate—from not sitting next to each other at meetings to developing individual circles of friends on campus—they have expressed their shared grief over leaving the community that Annalee calls a “unique family.” The announcement that Mark would be accepting a new position at UD and their pain at saying goodbye was told through tears to students in their classes last week.
At the reception on May 13, held in the Art and Communication Center, colleagues celebrated and honored the Wards’ contributions to the College and the friendships formed during their combined 51 years at Trinity. Words of encouragement and support, as well as touching and humorous memories, were shared by various faculty members.
The following day, the last day of the 2010-11 academic year, the Wards sent a final message of thanks to all: “This community of love and grace has been a gift in our lives, and you will always be a community we pray for and support. It has been wonderful to share our lives with all of you.”
The stained glass windows in the Ozinga Chapel remind students and visitors of the important biblical narrative that frames the lives of Christians: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.
While the window representing the “fall” has not yet been funded, the “restoration” window was recently installed and dedicated. The window was provided through a gift from Edwin and Pat Gabrielse Charitable, in honor of Edwin who passed away in 2008.
At the dedication ceremony on May 2, members of the Trinity family joined those of the Gabrielse family to give thanks for this artistic expression of foundational Christian belief as well as Edwin and Pat’s commitment to the College and Edwin’s service as a board of trustees member from 1980-86.
Marcus Brueggemann, son of Michael and Kathi (Gabrielse) Brueggemann ’80, performed “Amazing Grace” during the ceremony.
Students in Dr. Randy Voorn’s Advertising and Sales Promotion course competed for the 12th annual Trinity Advertising (TRIAD) Award on Tuesday, May 4. Divided into three teams, the students created anti-methamphetamine advertising campaigns that included three print and three television ads.
The 2010 TRIAD award-winning campaign was “People do a lot of stupid things, but meth shouldn’t be one of them.” Using a wittier approach, team members David Tilley ’10 of Rochelle, Illinois; Mike Azzaline ’10 of Orland Park, Illinois; Tarynn Klein ’11 Plainfield, Illinois; and Andrew Humme ’11 of Palos Park, Illinois, used their campaign to reach a young audience with comic and memorable scenarios.
“Developing an effective campaign for an advertising agency is a great experience and provides an inside look at how marketing firms perform their jobs on a regular basis,” Humme said.
Students formed a “big idea” for the focus of each campaign which served as the foundation of the ads. Completing research on previous anti-meth campaigns and affected age groups, the teams chose specific audiences, media channels, and a message to effectively reach their public.
“From this experience I have gained a greater understanding of what advertisers go through when they have to put together an ad campaign,” said Christopher Bosch ’11 of Holland, Michigan.
The competing campaign messages included “People do a lot of stupid things, but meth shouldn’t be one of them,” “Meth Ruins,” and “What does your scoreboard say?”
Trinity graduates Chris Kloet ’91, Melissa Holtrop ’00, and Jeff Dryfhout ’95 served as judges for this year’s competition. Kloet is currently the vice president creative director for Draft/FBC Chicago; Dryfhout is the director of marketing at Sara Lee for the Hillshire Farms brand; and Holtrop works in advertising client management and freelance photography.
“Creating an advertising campaign from start to finish and presenting it to working professionals was a great experience that all of my classmates and I enjoyed to the fullest,” said Humme.
On May 4, senior cyclists donned helmets for the Biking Does the Body Good class taught through Trinity’s SALT program.
But they didn’t hit the bike trails until learning some important safety tips from guest instructor Steve Buchtel of the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA).
The class, the first of three, covered bike safety and maintenance. The entire course also provides guided tours of the surrounding forest preserves.
According to Buchtel, seniors can benefit greatly from cycling’s no-impact aerobic workout, although most seniors haven’t spent their adult years regularly riding bicycles.
“Seniors are choosing to be more physically active than at any other time in American history,” said Buchtel. “Partnering with SALT allows Active Trans to help seniors shake off rusty skills and set up their bikes comfortably so they can ride more often, more safely, and have more fun.”
The remaining two classes are scheduled for May 11 and 18. The May 11th ride starts at 119th Dr. & 76th Avenue in Palos Heights. On May 18, cyclists will be leaving from Cooper’s Hawk Woods (35th St. just east of Ridgeland) on the Tinley trail.