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Trinity Students at KCACTF

-Kate Meyrick ’17

This January, Trinity Christian College Theatre students, faculty, and staff made their way to Michigan to participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for Region 3. This annual festival and conference series (also known as KCACTF) was established in 1960 to exemplify excellent work at university theater programs across the nation through awards, presentations, workshops, competitions, and performances.

Trinity’s Theatre program was well-represented at the conference. 7 Awards of Merit recognizing acting, production, and design were presented to Jared Peters, MJ Huizenga, Mikey Moore, Jr., Hailey Piorek, Mariel Martin, Morgan Meinders, and Ethan Santema for their excellent contributions to the production of By the Bog of Cats in Fall 2022.

During the Festival events, Hailey Piorek ‘23 presented her Unrealized Scenic Design and Stage Management Prompt Book as part of the Design Technology Management Competition. Mikey Moore, Jr. ‘24 also presented at this competition, focusing on his costume design for By the Bog of Cats. Miles Williams, Carlie Jenkins, Jacob Contreras, Christian Contreras, Abby Tillema, Adriana Klein, and MJ Huizenga all competed in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition, with Adriana Klein advancing to the semi-finals. Miles Williams ‘23 was a first-time attendee at the KCACTF and plans to apply what he observed to his own performances this semester: “I was able to learn how important movements, gestures, and body language really impacts the character being portrayed.”

Katie Oomkes ’18 and Emma Schneider ’19 accompanied students. Oomkes, Area Director for South and West Halls as well as the Technical Director and Theatre Coordinator at Trinity, noted that this is the first festival back in person since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She and the students enjoyed being with other participants and creative artists. “There’s always a lot of energy with theater people,” she says, “so it was fun to be around a group of people who love the art form.” Oomkes was also recognized by the Festival for her work in Scenic Design during the production of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (performed in the spring of 2022).

Schneider, Visiting Assistant Professor of Communications, expressed excitement at the opportunity this conference offers our students: “One of the benefits of it is you get to see such specific things, things that you’re not going to be able to take a class for at Trinity… and you can take that experience back with you.” She is particularly proud of those 7 Merit Awards given to our students, saying that “this is the most we have received” and “is a really great testament to the work our students did… it was beyond my expectations.”

MJ Huizenga ‘24 highlighted some of the other workshops at the Festival that he found helpful, especially as he considers the Spring productions – which include a play that Huizenga wrote and will direct, called A Quiet Night in Suburbia. “I am beyond grateful for the Trinity community for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “I see this production as a gift to the Trinity community.” Huizenga hopes this play will inspire the audience to acknowledge areas of brokenness in their lives and start the process of healing and mending. Trinity Theatre plans to continue this initiative of producing a play written by a Trinity community member in future spring seasons.

Schneider finds great joy in watching students build a community based on trust, generosity, investment, and passion for the art form. “There is a place for everyone here,” she says. “We can find ways for folks to be involved in any way they want to be involved… they work hard, and they see their fingerprints all over the production.” Huizenga, reflecting on the unique composition of Trinity’s program in comparison to bigger universities, said, “where we shine is our community… and our diversity. We are a program made up of students from all kinds of disciplines.”

Williams, reflecting on what the Trinity Theatre community has meant to him this past year, said, “Everyone has welcomed me with open arms, which has helped me find out more of who God has created me to be in ways I didn’t see before joining.”

It is evident to me that the high quality of performance on display in our Trinity Theatre Program is because of the deep friendships and creative partnerships they have nurtured.

We hope you will join us in supporting their upcoming spring productions in 2023: The Fellowship Hall (Feb. 24 and 25; written and directed by Dr. John Sebestyen, Associate Professor of Communications), On a Quiet Night in Suburbia (Mar. 24 and 25; written and directed by MJ Huizenga), and the mainstage production of the comedy Delirium’s Daughters (Apr. 21, 22, 28, and 29). Information and tickets can be found on the Box Office website.

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-Julia Oostema ’23

On January 16, 2023, the Trinity community gathered together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The theme of the celebration was “reset.” Members of the Gospel Choir, Black Student Union (BSU), and Department of Multicultural Engagement coordinated this theme so that as we sang, meditated on Scripture, and read Dr. King’s writings together, we also evaluated our interactions with each other and applied what we learned to our campus.

Prior to the celebration, President Aaron Kuecker sent out an email saying: “We gather on this day to be reminded of the promise and the calling that are before us as we seek justice, flourishing, and belonging for every person and for all peoples.”

This coincides with Trinity’s Commitment to Unity which says: “We affirm in our commitment to work toward greater diversity not only in regard to our racial, ethnic, and cultural demographic but also in regard to acceptance, appreciation, honor, and equality within our campus climate.”

The goal of this celebration was not only to commemorate Dr. King but also to cultivate a culture of acceptance and belonging across Trinity’s campus — to reflect on the past, consider the present, and work toward a better future.

Dr. David Brodnax Sr., Professor of History, was featured as the keynote speaker. After drawing our attention to various aspects of King’s life, he reminded us that his work is not done. “‘Reset’ is thus not returning to how things were in his lifetime but rather to realize the full potential in our Christian faith, in democracy, and in other ideas that have never been fully realized or, in some cases, have been twisted to enrich the comfortable at the expense of the afflicted. This also means that we must reset how we think of King Day itself.” Instead of using this day to pat ourselves on the back or merely remember an important historical figure, we ought to continue King’s work. We ought to serve. In the words of former U.S. representative John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr. Day ought to be “a day on, not a day off…a day of service to our communities.”

At the end of the celebration, Marquis Isom (’25), BSU President, offered some closing remarks. He reminded us that we can’t address the issues in our society without the help of God. As much as we might hope or wish that we can do it on our own, we can’t. We need to be connected to Christ and empowered by the Spirit because “it takes God to give God what God wants.”

In order for change to take place, this mindset can’t be limited to a single day. In the words of Dr. Brodnax, “If we truly aspire to live up to the ideals of Jesus, the statement ‘all are created equal,’ and Dr. King, we must reset what we do each mid-January and year round.”

May God give us the grace to take up this challenge, today and every day.

A group of Trinity students and staff rang in the new year on an airplane en route to Tel Aviv, Israel. Thirteen students from Trinity Christian College traveled with Rev. Ben Snoek, Campus Pastor and Adjunct Professor of Theology, and Erin Pacheco, Director of Campus Worship and Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology. The trip was hosted by Trinity’s Theology Department and led through Passages, a Christian organization that offers trips for college students to engage deeper with the lands of the Bible and the roots of Christian faith.

“I always dreamed of studying abroad in college, but due to academic and athletic responsibilities, I felt that being gone an entire semester would not work for me. When Pastor Ben casually mentioned the idea of a trip to Israel over winter break, I was immediately interested,” said Olivia Andre ’23

During the ten-day trip, students traveled through modern-day Israel and stopped at sites with biblical, historical, and political significance.

Some highlights of the trip include:

  • Hiking a mountain in the deserts of Ein Gedi, where David fled from Saul
  • Floating in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth
  • Tracing Jesus’ ministry around the Sea of Galilee, including the Mount of Beatitudes and Capernaum
  • Following Jesus’ footsteps in Jerusalem during his final week, from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane to Via Dolorosa to the Garden Tomb
  • Wading through the pitch-black water tunnels that King Hezekiah carved during an Assyrian siege of Jerusalem
  • Participating in Communion at the Garden Tomb, a possible site of Jesus’ death and resurrection
  • Visiting holy sites commemorating important biblical events, including the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of the Nativity, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
  • Celebrating and remembering baptisms at the Jordan River, the same waters in which Jesus was baptized

Miles Williams, ’23, recounted, “As I’m still processing all the amazing things we did in Israel, I can’t help but think how blessed I am to be able to experience the Holy Land! I was able to connect with God in a way that I never have before, and that was because I was able to better understand who He is through the places I visited and what impact He made throughout Israel. I was able to see the places Jesus ministered and where He performed miracles.”

In addition to engaging sites of biblical events and Christian significance, students learned about the geopolitics of the Israeli-Palestinian land conflict. Evening sessions were hosted by speakers presenting a range of positions on the Holy Land’s modern political and religious landscape.

Andre continued, “Walking in the footsteps of Jesus made the black and white words written in the Bible become color. In addition, the trip allowed me to experience new cultures, traditions, and religions, while simultaneously deepening my own faith and understanding of the roots of Christianity.”

Click the links here to learn more about The Theology Department and Campus Ministries at Trinity Christian College.

We are excited to announce that this year, we will honor the graduates of Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 at one evening ceremony held off-campus at Ozinga Field with fireworks to cap off the celebration!

  • Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
  • Time: 7 p.m. Ceremony; Doors Open at 6 p.m.
  • Location: Ozinga Field at 14011 Kenton Ave. Crestwood, IL 60418

Save the date for this momentous occasion and check back here to get the latest commencement updates and information.

Tickets will not be required for entry. This event is general admission, and graduates’ guests will not be limited. Seating will be first come, first served. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Rain Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023, 11 a.m. Ceremony; Doors Open at 10 a.m.

At Trinity, we have the opportunity to come together twice a week for in-person Chapel services on Tuesday and Friday mornings at 10:40 am in the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium. A typical Chapel service includes a variety of songs, a brief message, and a time of fellowship and snacks in the Grand Lobby. Our Chapel program strives to represent our campus community’s intercultural and interdenominational voice—all are welcome!

Chapel speakers will focus on “Rooted Faith” throughout the spring semester.

“The vocabulary of Christian faith abounds with royal language. We call Jesus our “king.” We say that we live in the “kingdom of God.” These terms, however, are far from hollow sayings; they are deeply rooted in the Christian story, unfolding with growing precision throughout the pages of the Old and New Testaments,” said Campus Pastor Rev. Ben Snoek.

Snoek will be the speaker for the semester’s first Chapel on Friday, January 13.

The Chapel schedule is always available on the Trinity website, where you can access our Chapel message podcast on Anchor and Spotify.

Interim President Aaron J. Kuecker was featured on Newsy Tonight, which aired on the Newsy Network, discussing the costs of college and, more specifically, what Trinity Christian College is doing to make college costs more transparent for families.

Click here to view the full interview.

May your heart rejoice in the abundant joy that Jesus brings to our world this Christmas.

“The wilderness and the dry
land shall be glad; the desert
shall rejoice and blossom; like
the crocus it shall blossom
abundantly and rejoice with
joy and shouting.”
– Isaiah 35:1-2

On behalf of everyone at Trinity Christian College, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

-Christy Wolf ’10

For more than four decades, Professor John Bakker has been a leader and mentor in Trinity’s art department. From artist to department chair and everything in between, Bakker has seen the art program expand, succeed, and welcome thousands of talented students to grow in their own artistic abilities. What started as a scattering of studio spaces around campus grew into a spacious, creative facility known as the ArCC (Art and Communications Center) – which Bakker was the principle planner of, speaking into the department’s needs.

For years, Bakker’s role included recruiting faculty members. He shares, “My goal in recruiting faculty was to recruit people whose aesthetic commitments were different than mine, and people who I thought were better artists than me. That stance not only stretched my aesthetic, it meant that Trinity art students have studied with consistently superior faculty.”

Graduates from Trinity’s art department have worked with clients like McDonald’s, Crate and Barrel, NASCAR, and the Seattle tram system – to name a few. In the last five years, Bakker’s former students have been accepted into graduate programs at Parsons School of Design (New York City), Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, MD), The Art Institute of Chicago, Otis College of Art and Design (Los Angeles, CA), and other top-tier art schools.

Bakker always enjoys hearing about what his students are up to – whether he comes across their name in the news or they reach out to him directly. Most recently, best friends Abby Christensen ‘11 and Emily Van Hoff ‘11 shared their good news with Bakker. Christensen recently took the position of Public Arts Collection Associate with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. “Her previous position moving million dollar works of art was excellent training for her new position,” Bakker shares.

Van Hoff was featured on a local Chicago news station following an artist residency she held at a boutique hotel in downtown Chicago where she created wall hangings, quilt collages, and quilt patches on denim jackets. Check out the full release here.

“When my colleagues and I talk about student success like this, it seems to us that we are getting the job done. It’s very gratifying,” Bakker shares. “In 1982, I set out to make Trinity the obvious choice for students interested in art. We have a small school’s personal attention; no art student at Trinity falls through the cracks. The faculty knows what each of our students needs to get to the next level. Add to that Chicago’s world-class resources that schools ten times our size would envy.”

When Bakker isn’t investing in students, he’s likely working on his own art projects. One recent example is Art on Sedgwick, which uses “innovative art classes and collaborative events to teach creative reflection and expression, engage our diverse neighborhood, and help individuals and our community to connect with the best part of themselves” (Art on Sedgwick website). Bakker is a founding board member and has provided numerous Trinity alums with the opportunity to contribute to the mission through teaching and mentoring.

When you consider Trinity’s proximity to all Chicago has to offer, students and graduates alike have endless opportunities to grow in their artistic career. “Chicago is one the few 15-20 cities worldwide that can support its own art scene: artists, collectors, museums, critics. It’s a rare thing. We are the only Reformed college in a major metropolitan area that has a world-class art scene. It means that Trinity has been able to recruit artists to teach.”

Bakker goes on to say, “In the hallway outside the art offices there is our ‘Wall of Possible Futures.’ It tells the stories of 30 graduates, but there are dozens more, 70, 80+ stories that we could tell. Kaleb Dean ‘14, who came back to run Trinity’s graphic design program for the last five years, characterized our success in getting students into jobs and grad programs as ‘crazy good!’ He’s actually correct. We get the job done.”

Each year, the world comes together to celebrate generosity on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Giving Tuesday 2022 brought the Trinity community together with generous gifts that support our students, helping them to achieve their goals here at Trinity.

In just 24 hours, more than 76 donors came together to raise $6,726!

These donations help students like Adriana and Amen, who shared their stories about what led them to pursue their dreams at Trinity Christian College.

“A huge, heartfelt thank you to all who contributed this Giving Tuesday,” said Marissa Kunkel, Director of Annual Giving at Trinity. “We remain deeply grateful for the entire Trinity community, who stepped up to answer the call this year.”

If you missed this year’s Giving Tuesday but would still like to give – click here to learn more.

-Julia Oostema ’23

This fall, Trinity staff and students joined together to stage a haunting play titled By the Bog of Cats. The play followed Hester Swane, a woman who was abandoned by her mother at the age of 7 and has remained on the Bog ever since. At the time that the play takes place, Hester has a 7-year-old daughter of her own and is determined to be a good mother. Broken relationships and community tension make this resolution difficult, however, to the point that Hester’s and her daughter’s lives both hang in the balance.

Due to the mature content of this play, Trinity Theatre recommended the production for audience members aged 13 or older. Mental illness, abuse, assault, and more are all mentioned or portrayed, so viewers were advised to attend with caution, and various mental health resources were listed in the program.

Director Emma Schneider chose this play because of its themes of brokenness and reconciliation and the dangers of communal harm. As human beings living in a time of fierce division and disagreement, By the Bog of Cats speaks into our current situation and acts as a “tragic cautionary tale of what happens when we isolate and ostracize those around us.”

Throughout the play, we witness the rejection and mistreatment of Hester compounded by her own trauma and self-isolation. Especially in the second act, it becomes clear that personal healing needs to take place, but taking those steps is incredibly difficult without a loving community.

Although this play was at times difficult to watch, it invites us into an intense, heartbreaking story that prompts us to ask hard questions: “What causes our relationships to fracture? How can this lead to larger communal brokenness? What do we do when mending one relationship means further breaking another? And to where can we turn to truly mend the brokenness we see in our world?”

Despite the play’s serious tone, By the Bog of Cats is not all gloomy. Hester’s daughter is innocent and delightful; Mrs. Kilbride is spectacularly obnoxious; and Catwoman and Father Willow provide much-needed comic relief.

Overall, members of the cast and crew did a wonderful job putting the show together and bringing this story to life. It touched my heart, made me think, and left me wondering: What can I learn from the ending of this play? Who might be the Hesters in my own life? How can I better recognize and love people on the outskirts?

Many thanks to the cast, crew, designers, managers, technicians, and directors who made this production possible. It was truly a job well done.

For more information about upcoming performances and events in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre click here to visit the Trinity Box Office.