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“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

May you celebrate the Birth of our Savior in this, and every season.

At the annual ceremony on Saturday, December 12, 2015, the Trinity community joined in joyful celebration of the commencement of 95 baccalaureate, Adult Studies, and graduate students.

President Kurt D. Dykstra greeted the crowd that filled the Ozinga Auditorium. The invocation was delivered by Assistant Professor of Nursing, Tina M. Decker, M.S.N.

Rev. Dr. Matthew Waterstone, Senior Pastor of First Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois, and adjunct professor at Trinity, offered the commencement address, “Go to Nineveh.”   He encouraged graduates to follow the call to go to areas of the greatest need to share their gifts and talents, to make a difference in our world.

The Honors Ensemble sang the song of response, Jubilate (O Be Joyful in the Lord). Professor of Communication Arts Craig Mattson, Ph.D. and Kyle Anderson ’15, Special Education LBS I, led the Commencement Litany.

The Counseling Psychology and Special Education LBS I Graduate Studies programs recognized the Master of Arts candidates during the Hooding Ceremony and diplomas were presented to the graduates.

President Dykstra offered a closing message congratulating the graduates on earning their degrees through their hard work and efforts. He reminded them, “This place is always home to you.”

Alumni greetings were delivered by Bill DeRuiter ’09, director of alumni relations, and the benediction was given by Rev. Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D.

Earlier this year, Trinity Christian College Theatre submitted Andorra, its most recent production, to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). The American College Theatre Festival is sponsored by the Kennedy Center to support and promote excellence in college theatre. There are eight regions of the country, and Trinity is in Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin). In Region 3, there were approximately 250 associate productions and 30 participating productions in 2015.

As a “participating production,” Andorra by Max Frisch was attended by our region’s representative and by our state’s representative. They viewed the closing night performance of Andorra and then offered feedback to the cast and crew. The respondents, in collaboration with the director of the production, Associate Professor of Communication Arts Dr. John Sebestyen, nominated three actors to participate in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship auditions and one tech student’s lighting design to be shown at the upcoming regional KCACTF festival in Milwaukee in January.

The students nominated for acting scholarship auditions are William Doyle ’17 of Chicago, Esther Sullivan ’16 of Homewood, Ill., and Emma Darcy ’19 of Morton, Ill. They will each be responsible for preparing two scenes and a monologue and for choosing other Trinity students to be their acting partners at the festival. The students represent a wide range of experiences here on campus. Doyle is majoring in communication arts with theatre and film concentrations, Darcy in psychology, and Sullivan in English and communication arts with a theatre concentration. All three acting students testified to the wonderful community and training they have received as members of Trinity’s theatre program.

Student Matt Mulder ’15 of Zeeland, Michigan has also submitted his light design from Andorra to be part of a showcase of student design work; he will briefly present his design to professionals in the field, who will offer their response to his work. Mulder, who is majoring in music and theology, plans on attending seminary after he graduates from Trinity in the spring, but says he hopes to stay involved with Trinity’s theatre and help design more lighting for productions.

In addition to the design showcase and the acting scholarship auditions, students’ registration for the festival will grant them all-access to many workshops and sessions led by theatre educators and practitioners from around the region (and the country). They will also be invited to several theatrical productions that were selected as the top college plays of our region this year.

Said Sebestyen, “Participating with KCACTF offers our students the opportunity to be recognized for the quality of their work and to connect with other college students from around the region who are doing similar work. Trinity is very excited to be part of this program.” Congratulations to our theatre students!

Families and friends from all around the Trinity community gathered for the 10^th annual Christmastide concert in Trinity’s Ozinga Chapel on Saturday, December 5.  The processional featured soloist Rachel Slager ’15, setting the tone for the festival of music. The Auditorium was filled with nearly 600 people enjoying beautiful music, praying together, and being inspired by scripture and readings incorporating this year’s theme, “Hope of all the earth, Thou art.”

The concert featured many of Trinity’s talented students, including the Concert Choir and Honors Ensemble, directed by Dr. Helen VanWyck.  The Wind Ensemble and Brass Ensemble, directed by Courtney Harris, filled the Auditorium with classic holiday tunes, and the Gospel Choir, directed by Nicole Saint-Victor ’12, delighted the attendees. Dr. Minkyoo Shin shared her talents on piano and organ.

The audience was able to join in singing several carols and hymns, and the concert ended with an amazing rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing sung by the massed choirs and alumni singers.

For a full list of performing ensembles and program participants, please click here for the concert program.

The fall edition of Trinity magazine will be in mailboxes soon, but you can read all the stories about Trinity alumni and students online now!

Featured in this issue:

• Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D.’s inauguration as the eighth president of the College
• What major achievement the nursing department has celebrated
• How Jaclyn Feddes’ internship designed a new opportunity at Christianity Today
• How Hannah Dykstra’s project in art and music are combined to compose a graphic novel
• How every aspect of Kevin Hahn’s Trinity experience led to his career to a global e-commerce marketplace like Groupon
• And many other stories about the excellent academic, services, and professional experiences of Trinity students, faculty and alumni.

In this Season of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s words from 1863:

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

May this Thanksgiving be a joyous time for all associated with Trinity and may we all remember from whom all blessings flow.

Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D.
President

It was not ideal weather conditions for the NCCAA North Central Region, but it was an ideal result for the Trolls who came away the victors.  As the higher seed, Trinity hosted the University of Northwestern (St. Paul, Minnesota) in the final game and shut-out the Eagles with a 3-0 score. With the victory the team will advance to the National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida on November 30-December 5.

In gusty wind conditions and driving rain at times, Trinity and Northwestern met at the Schaaf Athletics Complex for the region final. Trinity did not let the wet weather hinder them as they kept up a steady attack for the 90 minutes. After seven shots that did not score, the Trolls made the eighth one count late in the first period. In the 39th minute Adrianna Puente fed the ball up the middle to Jessica Bianchi who out-manuevered the goalkeeper who came out to play the ball. Bianchi beat the keeper and found the empty net.

The 1-0 score held at the half and through the first 38 minutes of the second period. The Trolls were bound to score again as they fired a total of 17 shots at the goal in the period. They got one to count in the 83rd when Bianchi struck again. This time she received the pass from the middle of the field from Elly Brummel and took it to the goal for the shot.

In the final minute of the game the Trolls made it a 3-0 difference when Brooklyn Celebron took a direct kick from the 18 yards out on the left side. She ball hit off the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and deflected into the net.

For the game the Trolls had 25 shots of which 16 were on goal. Northwestern ended with two shots. Sierra Christopher was in the goal with one save.

The Trolls will join a field of nine teams at the NCCAA National Championship which begins on November 30. The tournament participants, seeds, and game times are yet to be determined.

The Trolls may have entered the CCAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but they came away as the champions.  Trinity captured the conference tournament title with a win over the University of St. Francis (Joliet, Illinois) in the final match.  The Trolls took the Fighting Saints in three straight sets at 25-19, 25-23, and 25-17. With the title, Trinity receives one of the CCAC’s automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on November 21.

Except for a couple of early ties, the Trolls had the lead in the first set. With a four point run with Tori Mantel on the serving line, Trinity took a 13-8 lead. Throughout the rest of the set the team continued to maintain a scoring gap.  Ahead at 23-18, the Trolls gained their final two points on kills by Tina Massey.

The two teams were never separated by more than two points through the entire second set. Tied at 22-22, St. Francis took the lead on a kill. However the Trolls came right back and answered with two kills by Massey anew a final dagger by Kacie Stoll for the win.

The Trolls trailed through the early part of the third match and trailed at 11-9. They were not ready to let the match go and rallied on a 13-to-4 run to post s 22-15 lead. The Trolls reached set point at 24-17 on a kill by Christa Veenstra and ended the set and the match on a block by Stoll and Veenstra.

Overall Trinity ended with 43 kills with a .221 attacking percentage and St. Francis had 36 kills with a .140 percentage. Stoll ended the 11 kills, 10 digs, and four blocks. Massey had 10 kills and the team’s highest hitting percentage at .364. Mantel handed out 31 assists, two aces, and had 13 digs. Michelle Busscheralso had 13 digs. Veenstra led the team in blocks with five.

The Trolls advance to the Opening Round of the NAIA National Championship on November 25. The tournament qualifiers and pairings will be announced Monday, November 15 at 10 am. You can view the live Selection Show at www.NAIANetwork.com

This fall, Trinity’s nursing department celebrated another phenomenal NCLEX-RN pass rate for its nursing graduates of 100 percent.*

This exceeded last year’s notable pass rate of 95 percent, which was significantly higher than the 2014 national average of 82 percent.**

In addition to the extraordinary work of her students, Nursing Department Chair Tina Decker ’06 credits the high pass rate with the nursing program’s dedicated and experienced faculty and the hands-on learning students receive through the department’s simulation lab and the College’s proximity to major Chicago and suburban hospitals.

The exams are taken following graduation from a bachelor’s degree-granting nursing program and administered through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the vehicle through which boards of nursing act and counsel together to provide regulatory excellence for public health, safety, and welfare.

Trinity’s nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

*As of October 1, 2015
**Year to date total 2014; First Time, RN Candidates taking NCLEX Exam

Distinguished guests, delegates from academic institutions and learned societies, alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College filled the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium on Friday, November 6, 2015, to celebrate the inauguration of Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D. as the eighth president of Trinity Christian College.

The voices of Trinity’s Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Helen Van Wyck and musical selections performed by  Minkyoo Shin, D.M., the Brass Quintet, Soprano Soloist Ivy St. John ’18, and Mark Peters, Ph.D. filled the auditorium.

Erick Sierra, Ph.D, associate professor of English, led the invocation. Sharon Robbert, Ph.D., interim provost welcomed everyone.  Past presidents were recognized by Board of Trustees Executive Committee member Felecia Thompson, D.Min. The litany was led by Rev. Dr. Matthew Floding of Duke Divinity School and Vice President for Student Life Becky Starkenburg.

Dykstra was officially introduced to the community by Terry Van Der Aa, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee.  Incoming Chair of the Board of Trustees Robert Buikema, J.D. formally invested President Dykstra and presented him with the medallion symbolizing his new role.

The new president was enthusiastically welcomed by Halie Wisse ’16, president, Student Association, Doug Van Wyngarden ’08, chair of the Staff Council, David Klanderman, Ph.D., vice chair of the Faculty Association, and Bradley Laninga ’89, chair of the Alumni Association.

Dr. James Bultman, president emeritus of Hope College, delivered the inaugural address.

Bultman spoke fondly of Kurt and Leah Dykstra and how their commitment to Trinity and its students will deeply enrich the College. Bultman highlighted that “leadership matters” and expressed his abundant confidence that with President Dykstra leading Trinity, our promising future is filled with opportunity.

Rev. Dr. Trygve D. Johnson, dean of the chapel of Hope College, offered the commissioning prayer. President Dykstra offered his response including his hope that our “burden would be light.”

Nicole Saint-Victor ’12, worship coordinator and conductor, led the Gospel Choir in the Doxology, joined by all attendees.  Dr. Helen Van Wyck led the Concert Choir in the closing anthem and Rev. Dr. Willis Van Groningen, chaplain and dean of spiritual formation, offered the benediction.

The historic and joyous event was preceded earlier this week by an inaugural chapel service in which President Dykstra interviewed one of Trinity’s founders, Dr. George DeJong; a student welcome on Wednesday at the BBC; a special service during Outcry; and an Academic Showcase featuring outstanding student and faculty collaborative work.  On Friday afternoon, faculty members Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, Dr. Abbie Schrotenboer, Dr. John Sebestyen, and Dr. Aron Reppmann hosted a panel discussion of ideas of community and creativity from the perspectives of their disciplines and work.  The panel’s theme was inspired by Wendell Berry’s 2012 Jefferson lecture “It All Turns on Affection.”

The inauguration provided the perfect start to the College’s first-ever Fall Fest Weekend, a wonderful melding of Family Weekend and Homecoming.

For more information about President Kurt D. Dykstra, visit  www.trnty.edu/bio.html.

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