Archives: News Stories
Trinity students, faculty, and staff, along with local community members, were serenaded by the smooth and vibrant vocals of Chicago jazz performer Dee Alexander on September 23, at the College’s annual Black and White Dress-up Night of Jazz.
Named as the 2010 Chicago Jazz Entertainer of the Year, Alexander has performed on countless domestic and international stages in her years of entertainment.
Approximately 200 people attended the event, sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Committee and music department, with some assistance from Student Development. Trinity’s jazz band, under the direction of Dr. Ken Austin, professor of music, opened up for Alexander and the band.
“Since experiencing my first Black and White Jazz Night as a freshman, this event has become one that I always look forward to once the school year starts,” said computer science major Eric Swanson ’12 of DeMotte, Indiana. “Dee Alexander displayed a uniquely refreshing talent that extended to the beginnings of jazz, and hearing Trinity’s jazz band was a great way to begin the evening.”
Students, with mugs in hand, gathered in the theology department on Friday for the first “Locutorium,” hosted by theology professors Drs. Aaron Kuecker, Don Sinnema, Keith Starkenburg, and Yudha Thianto.
What is a locutorium? The word locutorium was the word that medieval monasteries (and some contemporary monasteries) used for the common space where conversation was allowed to take place, especially with visitors.
Students and professors enjoyed coffee, home-baked treats, and fellowship in this informal setting that will be held each Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Vander Velde building, second floor. The event is open to student in all majors.
“I really enjoyed the chance to interact with theology professors outside of the classroom,” said Liz Fiala ’12 of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “To be able to come together with professors in that way is a very unique experience for a college student. I also enjoyed the opportunity to come together with other students.
“These events are great for promoting community among faculty, staff, and students.”
Each semester Trinity students in the College’s traditional program who meet high academic standards are included in the Dean’s List. Students must complete the semester at full-time status to be eligible.
Congratulations to the Spring 2011 semester’s Dean’s List honorees:
A
Mark Aardema
Katie Alberda
Erin Albright
Amy Alheim
Anita Anderson
Megan Anderson
Jacob Andringa
Kathryn Andringa
Tania Anzaldi
Brandilyn Asplund
Gabrielle Assink
Stephanie Azzaline
B
Jessica Babbitt
Clayton Bailye
Taylor Bandstra
Kelsey Barnett
Kailyn Baum
Corinne Beezhold
Jennifer Binkowski
Robert Birkett
Tony Black
Nicole Blamey
Susan Blocker
Andrew Blok
James Blom
Joseph Blom
Joel Boender
Julia Bolkema
Theresa Boone Toolan
Madelyn Boonstra
Rita Bootsma
Adam Borozan
Jonathan Borr
Kara Boss
Kaylyn Bossert
Allison Bouma
Carmen Bousema
Catherine Bozarth
Daniel Bracken
Leah Branderhorst
Monica Brands
Jenna Brandsen
Ryan Brandsen
Susan Bratincevic
Adrian Breems
Elizabeth Brice
Jennifer Brink
Kaitlyn Bruinius
Victoria Bruinsma
Katie Buikema
Heather Bult
Lauren Bultema
Dawn Bulthuis
Matthew Buren
Alexandria Burns
Lauren Burns
Dana Bush
Jodi Busscher
David Byma
Lori Byma
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Allison Cable
Delia Cabrales
Rebecca Calhoun
Amanda Carr
Christine Carter
Aimee Casemier
Abby Christensen
Sharon Chun
Brian Clark
Cynthia Coffey
Errika Comerouski
Melissa Conrad
Rebecca Crawley
James Cummings
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Brady Davidson
Stephanie DeBoer
Kaela DeBruin
Tiffany Deckinga
Joanna DeJong
Joshua DeJong
Stephanie DeJong
Anneke Delport
Melissa DeMaagd
Jennifer DeRuiter
Danielle DeVries
Melinda DeVries
Jenna DeWit
Alyssa DeYoung
Jessica DeYoung
Jonathan DeYoung
Lynne DeYoung
Kristin DiLeonarde
Charles Dobeck
Kimberly Doeseckle
Megan Doorn
Allison Doyle
Kiera Dunaway
Elizabeth Dykstra
Evette Dziedzina
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Velicia Edwards
Bethany Eizenga
Jonathan Engbers
Amanda Evers
Ruth Eygenraam
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Kristen Faber
Kaitlin Feddema
Yasmin Fernandez
Nicole Ferreria
Elizabeth Fiala
Anthony Fiorenzi
Annalise Flier
Margaret Flynn
Alex Folami
Kaitlyn Fondrk
Sarah Force
Amy Franklin
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Michelle Galan
Kelsey Garrison
Stefanie Geer
Jason Genzink
Jacob Gerringer
Anna Gesch
Karl Gesch
Jason Giddings
Nicholas Gierman
Shanda Gilligan
Sara Gleason
Lashaunda Glover
Rebecca Gold
Hannah Gonzales
Geline Vinne Goy
Rachel Grobarcik
Johnathan Groenenboom
Alyssa Guerrin
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Maria Hagen
Kevin Hahn
P. Caleb Hamstra
Kirsten Harms
Amanda Henderson
Nathan Hendrikse
Kristina Herr
Abby Heynen
Jennifer Hill
Nicole Hill
Carrie Hofland
Brian Hofman
Sonia Hollister
Elizabeth Holman
Jamie Hop
Jill Hop
Kathleen Hossink
Kelly Houston
April Houtsma
Bethany Hoving
Samuel Huenink
Aletta Huisman
Megan Huizenga
Emily Hunter
I
Kristin Ipema
Megan Ipema
Galina Ivanova
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Jessica Jager
Brittany Jansma
Eric Jaraczewski
Sarah Jasperse
Kristi Jendrzejak
Eric Jensema
Jacquelyn Jesse
Amy Johnstone
Sarah Jongetjes
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Olive Kahura
Thomas Kakos
Craig Kallemeyn
Allison Karlock
Janelle Katsma
Peter Keep
Lauren Kelley
Melissa Kiel
Ryan Kiesel
Lydia Kijowski
Jay Kim
Jamie King
Rebecca Kischkel
Caroline Klingbell
Heather Kloet
Joseph Koltz
Megan Kooima
Kristine Koopmans
Ashley Krysheld
Steven Krygsheld
Megan Kuiper
Bryan Kunz
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Leah Laky
Jenna Langeland
Caitlyn LaReau
Courtney Larson
Jessica Layman
Katarzyna Ledworuch
Heather Lee
Collette LeMahieu
Karrie Lepper
Erin Long
Calob Lostutter
Titus Lotz
Lissette Lucero
Danae Lyzenga
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Jacob Maatman
Andrea Macejkovic
Lauren Madden
Vasilis Mann
Molly Marcus
Anna Marquez
Dominique Martinelli
Breanne McInnis
Mary Margaret McNicholas
Katerina Meletis
Ryan Melson
Kimberly Merk
Gregory Meyer
Meghan Meyer
Kathy Meyers
Lauryn Meyers
Ashley Miedema
Katherine Milton
Karlie Monsma
Holli Moote
Monica Mott
Alyssa Mulder
Andrew Mulder
Caleb Mulder
Claire Murphy
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Johnathan Nekic
Cassandra Nelson
Kelsey Nelson
Tornu Ngwayah
Valarie Niewenhuis
Audrey Noonan
Vanessa Noonan
Rebecca Norgard
Erin Nykamp
O
Krystle Odonnell
Keli Ooms
Sara Ooms
Janna Ottenhoff
Alice OvandoLopez
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Kristin Paarlberg
Jamie Parise
Tatyana Parker
Matthew Pausma
Joshua Penley
Victoria Penley
Jennifer Penrod
Adam Perez
Ana Perez
Janelle Piers
Julie Plate
Joshua Pollema
Kelly Poortenga
Erika Poortinga
Renae Postema
Stefanie Prince
Eric Pritchard
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Frances Quesada
R
Stephen Radostits
Courtney Randle
Julie Rauwerdink
Rebecca Reed
Megan Regalado
Trisha Rehfeldt
Stephanie Reichert
Jenna Reidenga
Andrew Reidsma
Shelby Reinsch
Jacquelyn Risher
Sarah Rodgers
Kelsey Roller
Laura Roose
Courtney Rozeveld
Brittany Rucin
Hannah Ruckman
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Hannah Schaap
Trevor Schaap
Amanda Scheidt
Raymond Scherrer
Rebecca Schichtel
Kayla Schoneveld
Chelsea Schuen
David Schurman
Chaz Schutt
Kathleen Schutt
Hannah Schwab
Michael Senatore
Diane Serbentas
Chelsea Shankland
Ellen Sheetz
Lindsay Slager
Joseph Slawinski
Amber Slenk
Hannah Snow
Kwangsik Sohn
Ann Solomon
Michael Speelman
Hannah Sprague
Katherine Stackhouse
Baillie Stahl
Amanda StaMaria
Lauren Stegehuis
Brent Steinke
Katie Stephens
Jami Stinson
Victoria Stoklosa
Allison Stoub
Holly Stuursma
Daniel Szalko
Kristin Szydelko
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Sarah Tadia
Javairia Taylor
Michael Taylor
Shaun TenHaken
Daniel Thayer
Jenna Thomforde
Jacob Tiemersma
Elizabeth Timmer
Carrie Timmermans
Jessica Timmermans
Lisa Trepton
Carissa Trotto
Eric Tucker
V
Hannah VanBeek
Anneke VanDam
Rachel VandeKamp
Jacob VanDenBerg
Kelly VandenBerg
Larissa Vanderleest
Amber Vanderley
Lisa VanderMeiden
Kayla VanderMolen
Rebecca Vanderzee
Karley Vandyke
Kelsey VanDyken
Micah VanDyken
Kyle VanEerden
Jenae VanEngen
Brandon VanGroningen
Thomas VanGroningen
Amy VanHal
Emily Vanhoff
Jesse VanMaanen
Andrew VanSoelen
Kimberly VanSpronsen
Samantha Venhuizen
Bethany Verhage
Rebecca Verhage
Joy Verkaik
Alaina Vermeer
Scott Vermeer
Alex VerStraate
Ross VerWys
Ashley Veurink
Brendan Vize
Kristin Vliem
Alyssa Voogt
Allison Voss
Melissa Voss
Michelle Voss
Allyson Vree
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Mark Waller
Alexis Warden
Austin Warner
Natalia Wegrzyniak
Joni Weidenaar
Anna Wessley
Jeremy Wetter
Ashley Wheeler
Allison Wier
Ashley Wierema
Breanna Wigboldy
Brooke Wigboldy
Crystal Williams
Julie Wiltjer
Matthew Wiltjer
Sarah Wishnew
Joseph Wydra
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Lori Yarmoska
Brittany Yonker
Alyse Young
Wai Ling Yung
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Tara Zichterman
Kelly Zuiderveen
Corie Zylstra
Trinity Christian College has once again been ranked among the top Regional Colleges—Midwest by U.S.News & World Report in “America’s Best Colleges” for 2012.
The College, with a ranking of 30, stands among other institutions in the Regional category that offer a wide range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in fields such as business and nursing. A total of 371 colleges are ranked in the Regional category.
The U.S. News rankings are based on several criteria, including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.
Provost Liz Rudenga, Ph.D., on the College’s continued top-tier ranking:
“Signs of Trinity’s quality abound…a parent of a freshman stops to tell me that her daughter feels welcomed and enjoys her classes; a graduate writes to tell of his job, with a ‘thank you’ to professors who played a significant role in his Trinity experience; and as I sit in on one of the classes, I hear three students present a case study that illustrates their research and learning.”
Campus Ethnic Diversity: Regional Colleges—Midwest ranking
Trinity also ranked 13 in the area of Campus Ethnic Diversity: Regional Colleges—Midwest. This ranking speaks to the College’s continued commitment to develop a multi-racial, multi-national, and multi-denominational student body. To determine this ranking, U.S. News factors in the total proportion of minority students (leaving out international students) and the overall mix of groups.
Student Melissa Kwafo ’12 of Naperville, Illinois, has been working alongside Dr. Rose Malinowski, professor of social work, and Nikki Bruna, social work project coordinator, on the planning committee for the To Heal the Heart conference to be held at Moody Church in Chicago, October 6-8.
The conference, To Heal the Heart: Responding to Family Violence in a Community of Faith, will feature keynote speaker Dr. Steven Tracy, author of Mending the Soul: Understanding and Healing Abuse.
“This is a great opportunity for a Trinity student to join with other Christian professionals addressing this issue of family violence,” said Bruna. “Melissa is learning from them and sharing her unique perspective as a college student and social work professional.”
Trinity’s social work department values engaging students in opportunities to work with partners who serve the greater community, helping students gain skills and knowledge that compliment classroom teaching and help them gain confidence and expertise in social work practice.
Kwafo has been working on various collaboration projects with Set Free Ministries at Moody Church for the last two years and has worked on the planning committee over the last year. She was invited to join the planning committee based on her interest in working in the area of family violence and developing strategies to strengthen families. Trinity’s social work department has collaborated with Set Free Ministries for five years in various capacities.
At the conference, Malinowski and Becky Starkenburg, director of Trinity’s First Year Experience, will present “The Heart Hurt of Date Rape.”
Dr. Rose Malinowski
Malinowski graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a master’s of social work and from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a doctoral degree in public health. Areas of clinical expertise include family violence, medical social work, and child welfare. Malinowski has also worked in various capacities as an administrator and educator. Currently she teaches and coordinates the field education program in Trinity’s social work department.
Becky Starkenburg
Starkenburg serves as the director of the First Year Experience at Trinity, where she develops programs to help new students thrive in college. She also volunteers time to coordinate “safe church” efforts at the church she attends with her husband and three young children. She received a Master of Arts in student affairs administration from Michigan State University and has mentored, educated, and served college students for over 15 years.
Getting involved is one of the best ways for students to enhance their Trinity experience. Each year, the Involvement Fair highlights opportunities–both on and off campus– students can participate in.
The fair held on Friday, September 2, welcomed many campus clubs and organizations, as well as local businesses and churches, giving students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with essential services and places of worship in the Palos Heights area.
Student Association Vice President DaMaris King ’14 of Detroit, Michigan, organized the fair this year. “It was very fun getting to know all of the different leaders on campus, and in the midst of that learning, knowing that they all have a similar goal—to inform every student about their passions, but all for the glory of God,” said King.
The College’s 53rd annual Convocation welcomed students and faculty back to campus on Friday, September 2.
Convocation is a service of celebration and commissioning for the upcoming year. The event celebrates Trinity’s mission, community, and identity.
President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D., presented the address titled “Engagement Rules,” his topic based on “beauty and brokenness,” the chapel theme for the academic year. Discussing a history of separateness from the world to which the Dutch once clung and contrasting that with theologian Abraham Kuyper’s challenge to instead engage in the world, Timmermans said, “Silence and separation just doesn’t cut it. Christians must speak-out; they must become engaged in society. For if they remain silent and separate, God’s world is abandoned to Satan’s awful ways. Brokenness wins.”
Timmermans moved from the story of the Dutch people participating in healing a world devastated by World War II to a story from his own life, illustrating why Christians need to engage. He then shared guidelines for that engagement.
The story begins with the millions of children in Africa orphaned because of AIDS and, for him and his wife Dr. Barbara Timmermans, continues with the adoption of two orphaned brothers from Ethiopia. Convocation day at Trinity marked the one-year anniversary of the day the Timmermans brought Getenet and Fekadu home to Palos Heights.
From this experience, Timmermans shared three guidelines for engagement:
- In pursuing God’s call to engage a broken world, make sure you’re listening to Christian friends, for God will speak to you through them.
- Look for signs of God’s presence—and once found, join in his work.
- Expect God’s goodness, which isn’t the same as a good time.
“Whether your past story is one of separateness or involvement, it’s time to turn your story toward engagement as you prepare for a calling,” said Timmermans, “just as the tradition that has shaped Trinity Christian College changed from seeking to be separate from the world to one of engaging the world in and through the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Prior to the benediction by Chaplain Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D., three students offered prayers for the community:
Brian Hofman ’13 of Waupun, Wisconsin, the leader of Sunday Night Worship—prayer reflecting on the educational mission to which God has called Trinity
Lette Huisman ’14 of Hudsonville, Michigan, a resident assistant—prayer with a focus on our call to be a Christian community of learners
Brenda Romo ’12 of Chicago, a Prayer Ministry leader—offering the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish
Engagement Rules
Convocation Address: September 2, 2011
President Steven Timmermans, Ph.D.
Welcome to Convocation, 2011. And a particularly warm welcome to the class of 2015 as you begin your journey here.
My theme this morning arises from the chapel theme of this year: Beauty and Brokenness.Throughout this year, on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10 a.m., you’ll have the opportunity to worship as the messages will take note, in a variety of ways, that beauty and brokenness are all around and in us. God’s gift and call to us in Christ both allows us and compels us to address all of it–with great hope and tension.
This morning I will share with you two stories as a way to help you begin your journey here–as you begin to write your story—in and for a world filled with beauty and brokeness. The first story relates to the tradition in which this College has been founded; the second story is more personal.
The Reformed tradition in which this College was founded is a tradition shaped by Biblical understandings as well as influenced by sociological and cultural factors. It’s a sometimes healthy but at times unhealthy pairing that happens with many traditions: Swedish Covenanters, German Lutherans, African-American Baptists, Scottish Presbyterians, and the like. You see, the Reformed tradition of which this College is a part was originally carried to America by Dutch immigrants. Check out many of our buildings: Tibstra Hall, Molenhouse Center, Huizenga Library, Ozinga Chapel, and even the new DeVos Gymnasium in the TARC…those are Dutch names. (I’m glad we still have the Mitchell gymnasium!)
Many immigrant communities in the United States, in their early histories, clung to the identity of their home country and remained separate by means of geographical clustering while centering around their faith[1]. The Reformed Dutch in America worked at this separateness and clustering with gusto and careful engineering—sort of like they were building a series of fail-proof social (instead of earthen) dikes in the new world. If you come from one of these communities, you probably see some of this “separation” even today; you can identify it almost immediately in the overuse of the word “our,” the possessive case of the pronoun we, as in “our bakery, our school, our people.” There might even be a specific funeral home for “our people” in your community.
Let me quickly point out that Reformed Dutch Americans are not the only ones to engage in such behavior. Often times, groups draw tightly together, identifying “our neighborhood, our stores” because of the fearfulness that accompanies an immigrant. Sometimes, however, this dynamic occurs because of discrimination or persecution groups have felt in their history; think with me of African-Americans, Native Americans, and Jewish-Americans. While they may long for full integration in society, for a variety of reasons, they remain separated due to lack of access or for reasons of self-survival.
But back to Reformed Dutch Americans—a legacy of separateness due to immigrant, sociological factors. And, for a time, this separation was also rooted in Biblical understandings. They read the parts of the Bible that pulled them out of the world. The world was a bad place, so faithfulness required no movies, no card playing, and no dancing. If you couldn’t play cards, it was pretty hard to socialize with your more American neighbors, and if you didn’t see the latest Grace Kelly or John Wayne movie, it was pretty hard to chat about the latest movie with your more American fellow students. So it was easy to remain separate…and justify it on Biblical grounds.
Maybe you come from a home or community where it still feels this way. Or maybe you find this bit of history wild and crazy—and nearly impossible to fully understand since you are fully involved in contemporary life—its music, its dress, its values. Either way, or somewhere in between, stick with me, for there’s more to the story.
After the end of World War II, now two or three generations or more past immigration, the Reformed Dutch American community had some new people arrive on the scene: a new wave of Dutch immigrants who had left the Netherlands after Hitler’s troops had ravaged their country. With them, they carried some new understandings, shaped by a number of factors. I’ll mention just two. First, a handful of decades before World War II, they had a prime minister in their country who was also a theologian. Rather than leading both believers and the country into separatism, he spoke of engagement—engaging the world because the world is God’s. His name is Abraham Kuyper, and you’ll hear his name and ideas around here from time to time. Anyhow, this new wave of Dutch immigrants brought a rallying cry of “participate or engage in the world” and they based it on sound Biblical principles. I think, too, there was a second reason for their differing perspective. They had seen the bad—the very bad—the bad that meant hunger, loss of dignity, and shipment of their Jewish friends to mass extermination in the concentration camps. In the face of such terrible things, one has to be honest with oneself and one’s Biblical interpretation. Silence and separation just doesn’t cut it. Christians must speak-out; they must become engaged in society. For if they remain silent and separate, God’s world is abandoned to Satan’s awful ways. Brokenness wins.
That, in a nutshell, is some of the historical story that gives rise to Trinity—a story that includes a community initially defined by being separate, but in the decade just prior to the College’s actual founding, a community that began to understand that Christians must engage the world. And today, we offer dozens of majors and programs to help you do just that.
Now, my second story, a more personal story, I tell to help illustrate both the extent to which we need to engage the world and the guidelines needed in doing so. I hope, too, in this story, you’ll begin to understand that the title of this talk, Engagement Rules, is not a series of guidelines for buying a diamond and popping the question, but rather it is advice for stepping into the messiness of this broken world—yet a world that is God’s.
I already mentioned Hitler this morning. The destruction and brokenness caused by this one person is nearly unimaginable. But we would be sadly mistaken if we thought large scale brokenness and misery was absent from the contemporary scene. Let me bring our attention to just one corner of the world: the Horn of Africa, with the countries of Ethiopia, Somali, and Eretria. Before startling new reports arrived this summer about a new concern in the Horn of Africa, you maybe didn’t know the earlier concern: For example, that the country of Ethiopia has thousands, and some say more than a million, of children left orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. Just to wrap our heads around that, let’s say they were all going to come to Chicago because new families were waiting for them. It would take 23,000 school buses just to pick them up at O’hare’s international terminal! That’s how many kids are parentless just in one country alone! And now, due to both avoidable factors and unavoidable factors, the country of Somalia is suffering from a terrible drought. The World Food Program estimates that 10 million people already need humanitarian aid. The U.N. Children’s Fund estimates that more than two million children are malnourished and in need of lifesaving action.
We cannot hide our faces from these kinds of problems. Certainly, the reason you’re at Trinity is to prepare to become engaged in addressing the brokenness of God’s world, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to help bring about God’s goodness and rule. While there are many ways to do this, my wife—Nursing Professor Barb Timmermans—and I sought the pathway of adoption. And let me quickly add that while the story I’m going to tell is our story, many share in similar stories: Basketball coach Brandon Nichols and his wife adopted a child from Ethiopia a year and a half ago; Registrar Chris Huang and his wife are waiting to go to Ethiopia and adopt into their home an Ethiopian child. But back to our story.
We brought our boys—brothers Getenet and Fekadu—home a year ago TODAY. In the days and months leading up to the adoption, we asked ourselves more than once whether we were crazy. With our four biological kids being between the ages 19 and 26, we were on the verge of being empty nesters—one of two times in life that freedom awaits with joy and anticipation. (The other time, by the way, is going off to college!) But God’s call, in hindsight, was shaped by the Holy Spirit working through the influence of life-long friends and other friends we had met when Barb was in graduate school in New Mexico. Christian friends, friends who knew adoption and knew Ethiopia.
I believe we entered into adoption and have been exceedingly blessed by this adoption because of the way we heard God’s call—through the influence of these Christian friends. The first guideline—or the engagement rule—I offer to you is this: in pursuing God’s call to engage a broken world, make sure you’re listening to Christian friends, for God will speak to you through them. What kind of friends? Friends who know you, your strengths and weaknesses, friends that are in-tune with the Spirit. Where will you find these friends? Here at Trinity; they’ll be with you in your Christian journey for decades ahead. Find them, too, at church. And be a good friend too, a friend that the Holy Spirit uses. If you’re doing this, you’ll avoid the pitfalls: solo decision making, thinking you know God’s will all by yourself. That’s the pathway of self-delusion, a pathway that will pull you away from faithfulness.
A second guideline or rule for engagement is to look for signs of God’s presence—and once found, join in his work. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, says: Find out where God is at work and join Him there.[2] While the battlefield may be littered with destruction, look for evidence of God’s grace and presence, because no matter what you’re called to do, you will need to do it as part of God’s work, not your own. We saw it initially and now even more clearly that by working with Bethany Christian Services and their Ethiopian partner orphanage, Yezelalem Minch, we were stepping into a setting that God already had in his embrace. It truly was God’s good work—his grace—that has allowed this Christian orphanage and the children it cared for to prosper. For the seven years our boys were without parents, they still had family—both in how they were housed in a small family unit by the orphanage and by the loving care they received. Moreover, they had Christian schooling by being part of the orphanage—education that was not only better than the local government school, but education where Christ was central in all of their learning and development. Yes, as you step into the brokenness of God’s world, look for signs of his presence, and jump on board. Like my previous guideline, avoid the temptation to fly solo. It’s far better to join God’s work already begun by God’s people.
A third guideline relates to expectations. Expect God’s goodness, which isn’t the same as a good time. Let me explain. Stepping into the messiness of a broken world can be difficult and discouraging. It can open doors to new problems and resurrect old problems. So don’t expect everything is going to be easy and comfortable. Instead, if you need expectations, set your eyes on God and his things. You’ll experience his presence and peace. Back to our story. Adopting a pre-teen and a teen hasn’t been without challenge. But we try not to make our expectation set focused just there (ask any parent of pre-teens and teens). Instead, it’s the little signs of God’s blessings—sometimes more at the edges than it at the center– that fill us with joy. For example, it was a sign of God’s goodness and blessing when, a few weeks back, we traveled to New Mexico where 20 of the kids, mostly teens now, from the Yezelalem Minch orphanage all traveled with their adoptive parents for a reunion. It was important for the kids—they had a great time—but it was also so very good for us parents, as we talked together, shared stories, and supported each other. While there were just a few tears of frustration, most of the tears were tears of joy. Another example, also just a few weeks ago, when our oldest biological daughter said, somewhat out of the blue, “I know this sounds corny Dad, but with this adoption, if feels like our family is now finally complete.” That wasn’t just her testimony, but the testimony of God’s blessing.
That’s just a little bit of our story. But as this academic year begins, I’d like you to focus on your story—your story already written and yet to be written. Whether your past story is one of separateness or involvement, it’s time to turn your story toward engagement as you prepare for a calling, just as the tradition that has shaped Trinity Christian College changed from seeking to be separate from the world to one of engaging the world in and through the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Remember my engagement rules: listen as God speaks to you through Christian friends, look for signs of God’s presence and then jump in, and don’t expect a good time; instead, expect God’s goodness.
If you and I continue this journey in faithful ways, using these few insights and all of the other things you’ll learn at Trinity, then faithful and Godly engagement will truly rule!
[1] Stepick, A. (2005). God is apparently not dead: The obvious, the emergent, and the still unknown in immigration and religion. In Leonard, K., Stepick, A., Vasquez, M. & Holdaway, J (Eds.) Immigrant Faiths: Transforming religious life in America. New York: Altamira Press.
[2] Blackaby, H, Blackaby, R, & King, C. (2008). Experiencing God: Knowing and doing the will of God (revised). Nashville: LifeWay Church Resources
The Alumni Theater group of Trinity gave another one of its excellent summer performances as it presented the comedy “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward.
Alumnus Jordan Scholten ’10 played cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine who is haunted by the ghost of his late wife Elvira (Trinity senior Julie Wiltjer ’12). As worldly (and otherworldly) personalities clash, Charles’ current wife Ruth (Kate Messier ’09) is killed in an “accident” that Elvira had planned for Charles. Together, the two “blithe spirits” haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.
The play was the directorial debut of Jake Szafranski ’09. As a Trinity student and alumnus, he was involved onstage and behind-the-scenes with seven mainstage shows, three student directed one-act festivals, and the last two alumni theater productions.
“I learned a lot from Dr. John Sebestyen, who also advised me along the way with this show,” he said. “It was a great experience.”
Of his cast and crew Szafranski said, “Everyone went over and above everything we asked of them and made this show spectacular. I am grateful and thankful for all of them and the fact that I can call them fellow artists and friends.”
Director
Jake Szafranski ’09 (technical director, sound designer/operator, scenic designer, and set construction)
Cast
CHARLES CONDOMINE: Jordan Scholten ’10
RUTH CONDOMINE: Kate Messier ’09
ELVIRA CONDOMINE: Julie Wiltjer ’12, current student
MADAME ARCATI: Mary Freeman ’07
DOCTOR GEORGE BRADMAN: Tom Holste ’97
MRS. BRADMAN: Michelle VanderWoude ’09
EDITH: Erika Huizenga ’11
Crew
Gina Ciametti ’13 – hair and makeup design
Bridget Earnshaw ’12 – lighting designer, scenic designer, and set construction
Heather Hernandez ’14 – costume designer
Jenn Johnson ’07 – properties mistress
James Kauzlaric ’09 – production photography
Kate McLaurin ’08 – stage crew
Tom Mullen ’14 – stage crew
Anna Poll ’09 – hair and makeup design and crew
Dan Thayer ’12 – stage manager, set construction
Jess Timmermans ’14 – lights operator and costume crew
Rick Schuler ’08 – scenic designer and poster and program designer
Brooke Wigboldy ’14 – hair and makeup crew
Rachel Van Oort ’05 – production supervisor and house manager
A sold out crowd of 250 Trinity students, alumni, and friends of the College had great seats for the Chicago Fire soccer game at Faith and Family Night on August 27.
Trinity offered a special ticket package that included a Christian concert featuring Stars Go Dim and The Least of These, a tailgate party sponsored by Chick-fil-A, and the Chicago Fire game against the Colorado Rapids.
Prior to the game, the Trinity Troll entertained friends and family members with an original dance number while the bands performed. Everyone enjoyed fellowship and a Chick-fil-A meal as they waited for the game to start. Members of the women’s soccer team staffed information tables and talked with people interested in learning more about the College.
Trinity guests sat near the goal where the Chicago Fire scored the only two goals of the game, defeating Colorado.
“It turned out to be a great night with a full Trinity crowd and was unlike any other Trinity event I’ve been to. Definitely one of a kind,” said Nate Laning ’06, development and web-based marketing manager. “It was cool to see ‘Trinity Christian College’ and the Troll’s face flashing on the electronic banners surrounding the field,” he added.
“We are so pleased to have partnered with the Chicago Fire on this event,” said Pete Hamstra, vice president for admissions and marketing. “With the success of Trinity’s soccer teams, partnering with the Chicago Fire makes sense but particularly on this event with the emphasis on faith and family.”
On Friday, August 26, Trinity’s “move-in crew” welcomed incoming resident students during the College’s official Move-in Day for freshmen.
Shopping carts were stacked high with the essentials and wheeled back and forth between family vehicles and the residence halls as freshmen settled in to their new home away from home.
In the afternoon, resident students joined fellow classmates living off campus for the beginning of First Year Forum (FYF), a program in which first-year students are mentored as they learn more about living in this Christian academic community.
The College also welcomed transfer and returning students moving in on August 29. Classes begin Wednesday, August 31.