Celebrating 65 Years and The Inauguration of Trinity’s 9th President
At the heart of Trinity Christian College lies a community rooted in Christian love. This community has been doing this work for 65 years, aiming to equip students to find their calling and purpose in God’s world. As the College embarks on the next step in this journey, the community came together to celebrate God’s unfailing faithfulness to Trinity.
On Thursday, October 3rd, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College gathered in the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium on a beautiful fall afternoon to Celebrate Possibility with the inauguration ceremony of Trinity’s 9th President, Rev. Dr. Aaron J. Kuecker.
Christian Perry ’16 opened the ceremony with a warm welcome and invocation. He reflected on his more than a decade at Trinity, first as a student and now as a member of the Board of Trustees. He proclaimed, “Today is a good day,” as he shared how President Kuecker’s leadership continues Trinity’s longstanding legacy and is shaping its future for good. The invocation was followed by a powerful version of “You are Good” performed by Trinity’s student worship team.
Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus Cal Tameling ’72 took the podium to recognize the past Presidents of Trinity Christian College and reflected on God’s faithfulness over the past 65 years. Tameling also recognized the classes of ’73 and ’74, who were in attendance as they held their 50th reunion on campus to Celebrate Legacy. In introducing President Kuecker, he stated, “[his] confirmation as President of Trinity comes during an exciting time for the College, as Trinity has launched a set of strategies aimed at radically reducing student loan debt while creating innovative approaches to student wellbeing and vocational formation.”
Board of Trustees Chair-Elect Ken Dryfhout, ’03, presented President Kuecker with the Medallion, part of the tradition passed down from the previous presidents. As he placed the Medallion, he said, “Aaron, the presidency at Trinity Christian College requires steadfast faith in Christ, vision of God’s abundant world, generosity of gift, humility for partnership, and wisdom of leadership. We have seen in you God’s gifting and equipping for such a time as this.”
The ceremony’s keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. Victoria White. A writer, pastor, designer, coach, facilitator, and teacher, Dr. White serves as Managing Director of Grants and Awards at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, where she cultivates and supports innovative Christian institutions and their leaders.
Dr. White, a friend of President Kuecker’s, shared stories of their holy friendship throughout the years and how she reacted when he told her that he had accepted the position of President at Trinity Christian College. She talked about how President Kuecker’s humble servant leadership will be a breath of fresh air in higher education and shared stories of how his vastly different view of seeing abundance in the world versus scarcity will set Trinity Christian College on a path to thrive for many years.
Members of the community joined President Kuecker on stage and gave a spirit-filled covering of prayer and commissioning by Cynthia Coffey ’12, Director of Adult and Graduate Admissions; Dr. Mario Guzman, Associate Professor of Psychology; Tyren Brown, class of 2025; and Rev. Chad De Jager, member of the Board of Trustees.
Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Leah Fulton, shared quotes from the community about President Kuecker’s commitment to the College—several spoke of his joyful, hope-filled leadership and making students his work priority. One quote says, “Not only has [Aaron] led careful and strategic thinking about the direction of the college, but he has put the students, staff, and faculty at the center of his forward thinking. Aaron cares deeply for this community. Most importantly, he cares about the ways this community is a picture of Christ and the church working to bring redemption to all areas of creation through our individual and collective work.”
In a touching moment, the Chief of Staff, Jeanine Mozie, presented a commissioned artwork titled “Connection” by senior student Hope McIntosh ’25.
The exquisite artwork was described as a mosaic of Aaron’s leadership, stating, “This painting has many layers, representing the underlying connections and invisible strings that are present yet not always seen. This painting holds a silent image of a tree, which is only seen when sought out. This painting resembles a mosaic or stained-glass window or puzzle, showing that we are all connected to one another. Connection. It surrounds us. We are all connected in God’s perfect Kingdom.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled, President Kuecker took the podium for his inaugural address. He started by saying, “There is a lovely line at the end of the book of John that states, about Jesus, “Jesus did many other things if every one of them were written down, I supposed that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
He added, “I suppose that is how I feel with my gratitude, in this moment, right now. There is so much gratitude and so many people I am grateful for in this moment, and if I spent my time telling you how grateful I am, I would go on too long.”
He continued by sharing his vision for Trinity Christian College, laying out the plan to continue the work that has begun in the Transformative Colleges Initiative, which launched at the start of his leadership in 2022 and focuses on the whole wellbeing of the student and provides access to all who seek to pursue Christian higher education. “My consistent prayer for our community is that we will contribute to a campus in which powerful teaching, a posture of love, and transformed structures work together to bear witness to Jesus and the fullness of God’s kingdom,” stated Kuecker.
At the conclusion of the inaugural address, the concert choir, gospel choir, and student worship team led the congregation in the worship song “Goodness of God.”
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jerome Douglas, offered the benediction before the recessional. Guests were met with a beautiful and bountiful reception catered by Metz Culinary Management in the Grand Lobby, offering the community a unique time of fellowship and connection.
Later in the afternoon, a story-sharing session with neighborhood partners and newly inaugurated President Kuecker in the Chapel Auditorium came together to Celebrate Collaboration. The panel group took questions from the audience and talked about the recently launched collaborations with the College that have positively impacted reducing student debt and enhancing wellbeing.
The day of events capped off with Celebrate Creativity in the second-floor lobby of the Art and Communication Center, where a recent installment of artwork from Calvin and Inés Seerveld’s personal collection was unveiled. Emeriti faculty members John Bakker and Michael Vander Weele hosted the reception, which included talks about the nine works in the original donation.
Professor Calvin Seerveld was a founding faculty member of Trinity Christian College. He taught philosophy from 1959 to 1972 when he and Inés moved to Toronto so he could work at the Institute for Christian Studies. Professor Seerveld’s transformative vision deeply influenced the College, its curriculum, and its students. The show will remain open Monday through Friday through October 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On Friday, October 4th, the community gathered again to Celebrate Faithfulness at Friday’s weekly chapel service. Rev. Chad De Jager delivered the message centered on God’s consistent faithfulness to Trinity Christian College.
Later in the afternoon on Friday, the student’s annual Octrollerfest came together to Celebrate Fun, with events that continued through the weekend with flag football and a tailgate party on Saturday. Throughout the two days, students enjoyed time with outdoor games, activities, a petting zoo, and a bonfire with fellow students to wrap up the celebration. Trinity’s beloved Troll joined the fun with a party in honor of the Troll’s 65th birthday.
As a fitting way to end the two days packed with events celebrating Trinity, members from all over the community came together to Celebrate Wonder at a masquerade-themed evening at Brookfield Zoo. The gala brought together alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College for a night of fun and fellowship that benefited student scholarship. It helped secure the legacy for the next generation of Trinity students by raising over $125,000, showcasing God’s continual goodness to the College.
“We had a beautiful night celebrating 65 years of Trinity,” said Vice President for Advancement, Mackenzi Huyser. “Our student emcees shared incredible stories about their time at Trinity and how significant the scholarship support they received has been to their journeys. Thank you to all who have made the Trinity experience possible for these amazing students.”
Huyser concluded, “The last two days’ events brought so many people to campus to celebrate 65 years of Trinity. It was a joy to see former Presidents, emeriti faculty, staff, community members, and students gathered to mark such an important time in the life of Trinity. As an alum, former faculty member, and now a staff member, I was so incredibly proud to celebrate the history and future of this amazing place.”
The two-day celebrations showcased remarkable events highlighting the institution’s rich history and future potential. Rev. Dr. Aaron Kuecker’s presidential inauguration marked a significant moment of possibility for welcoming new leadership and embracing the vision for the future. As the community gathered to celebrate legacy, collaboration, creativity, faithfulness, fun, and wonder together, these events exemplified a journey of transformation while honoring the institution’s past and securing its future for generations.
Click here to see more photos of the 65th celebration and inauguration events.
Thank you to our Celebrate 65 Sponsors:
