The Beacon - September 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE NO. 1

ACADEMICS MEETS CREATIVITY

with Dr. Soon

TEXAS BRISTOL HOUSE WORSHIP RESIDENCY

by Jilana Daley

THE BEACON

MONCTON’S FIRST “LABOUR DAY”

NO.1

by Alley MacDonald

ADVICE FOR NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS

from upperclassmen

Academics Meets Creativity: An Interview with Isaac Soon

by Mari Kadri For many students, summer is filled with new and fun experiences, even if you’re working the entire time, there is an adventurous spirit that often times comes with the longer days and nice weather.

This is not true only for students, but for professors, too! For those of you who don’t follow your profs on social media, you may not be aware that one of our faculty embarked on a new and exciting adventure himself this past summer. Dr. Isaac Soon, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, released original Christian music this summer, with his first single entitled “Alchemy,” which was then promptly followed up by “Noise.”

Best known for his innovative debate-style classes and inclusive personality, Dr. Soon has quickly become a student favorite over the last two years he’s been at Crandall. I sat down with Dr. Soon to discuss his creative endeavor, as well as how it relates to his day job as a Biblical scholar.

While it may seem odd for a Biblical Studies professor to suddenly release music, Dr. Soon does have a background in music. He is not shy about his past at Hillsong College and some students have even been able to spot him in the background of Hillsong performances on Youtube. Still, this was the first time in 12 years that he released new music. Dr. Soon says that he got his inspiration from one of his former colleagues at Hillsong College who recently came out with new music.

Dr. Soon seeks to write theologically rich music drawing on his research. Showing his academic side, he says that every lyric he writes he seeks to be able to back up with scriptural texts and scholarly research. Dr. Soon commented on how his studies have help him in songwriting: “my theological study gives me an advantage because both in studying the Bible and reflecting on how people have thought about God for over 2000 years, it gives a little more meat to the music that I’m writing.”

He went on to talk about his first single “Alchemy,” in which he draws on the Apostle Paul’s theology as well as early Christian understandings of baptism.

“I don’t talk about baptism in terms that people are normally familiar with. I talk about people becoming living laws, being able to obey God’s commands afterward. Often people just think baptism is… a beautiful symbolic public act. But for a lot of Christians throughout history and today, baptism is this cataclysmic, huge event that… does something to who you are as a person.”

Dr. Soon wrote a total of nine songs, with the plan of releasing one per month leading up to his album release. His next single that is forthcoming is entitled “Genie.” It challenges listeners to not view God as a genie who gives us all our wants, if only we ask correctly, but to recognize his sovereignty. Dr. Soon also just released his new book which is based in the research he did for his doctoral thesis, titled A Disabled Apostle: Impairment and Disability in the Letters of Paul, which is available for purchase online.

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Dr. Soon has been very busy this summer with his many projects. He hopes that through his music people can gain a deeper understanding and be challenged to think more about the lyrics that they are listening to. Dr. Soon is still an educator, though. When asked what he would like people to take away from his music he said, “what we do in biblical studies is not just an academic exercise in writing papers, but it can have practical dimensions in making music, in doing business, and in running your home. So, I wanted to give a tangible demonstration of how theological reflection can create beautiful things.”

Advice for New and Returning Students by upperclassmen Nobody has it all together, but we learn as we go. We asked several upperclassmen what advice they would give to new and returning students.

"Get yourself a group of really, really good friends. People who you share a lot of your classes with.

People who will help you study. People who will encourage you and support you. People who know when to have fun and when to take a break. Start finding good friends early and make great friend groups. All else will fall into place.” – Duncan Schotanus So how do you do this? Others have some advice on that front!

“The first thing that comes to mind is the importance of attending at least a few CSA events to get to know new people and learn your way around the school!” – Abbi Skailing “Go to all the welcome week events! It sounds cliche, but they're designed specifically to help new students meet people and put you out of your comfort zone a little bit. As someone who's naturally more introverted, I had to force myself to put myself out there and meet new people but that's how I met my best friends!” – Kathryn Chase “In your first weeks, make as many friends as possible. With everyone being new, the barrier is thin.

A week’s worth of interactions is worth a degree’s worth of friendships.” – Aiden Hatchard Get off your phone. Get out of your room. – Brogan Ohlhauser I really want to highlight this next piece of advice, because it personally took me a long time to learn – and even longer to put into action!

“I would advise students to schedule time for rest and fun! While it is super important to focus on your studies and get involved within the school, not having a good work/life balance will throw your momentum off and either leave you burned out if you do too much or way behind if you do too little. God gave the seventh day as a time to rest, and that doesn’t mean everyone has to do a full days rest (though it is highly recommended), but there needs to be scheduled time to put away the work and rest. Not only rest, but have fun! What I mean is, do something with friends, get to know the people on campus, get involved in CSA Events as well as clubs within the school!

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One of the best parts of my university experience has been the connections made with people and the relationships that develop from them, but without the time to create these relationships, they won’t be as impactful.” – Ben Wilson Relationships are very important, but so is your education (that’s why we’re here!). Here’s some tips for doing well in your studies!

“Don’t be afraid to have a conversation with your profs about your questions, comments or concerns; they’re not as scary as they seem!” – Elisha Reimer “Also, go to office hours and talk to your profs, they want to get to know you better and it'll make a great impression on them!” – Kathyrn Chase “Talk to your academic advisor about all your issues.” – Noah Miller “Do the work you are given and if you can’t, need help or have an emergency let your profs know they are great at helping and extending deadlines when need be. They really do want you to succeed and are so so helpful.” – Lindsay Fairweather "Find a program you’re passionate about! If you’re not passionate about it, question why it is you’re doing it." – Justin Reimer A bonus piece of advice comes from Moriah Ohlhauser, who is the coordinator of Student Success Services: “Think of at least one question you can ask in each of your classes everyday. And don’t be shy to ask it!” – Moriah Ohlhauser Whether it’s your first or last year at Crandall, we hope you all have an amazing year with lots of learning and lots of memories!

Announcements & etc.

Wanna Save? Check out these deals!

Save 10% on groceries on Tuesdays at Sobeys when you present your student ID to the cashier Save 10% on White Cab or Air Cab taxis when you present your student ID. Make sure to mention that you're a student before the payment screen Paying full price for Amazon or Spotify? Don't! There are student rates for both ;)

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Texas Bristol House Worship Residency

by Jilana Daley Has God ever called you to do something that is out of your comfort zone?

My name is Jilana Daley and God called me out of my comfort zone this past summer.

My greatest passion, and what I believe to be my calling from God, is worship leading.

My lifelong goal is to become a worship pastor and continue on whatever path God leads me.

This past summer, the path God led me on involved me stepping way outside of my comfort zone. In fact, it was something I never would’ve imagined getting the chance to do. I spent my entire summer in Houston, Texas, doing what’s called The Bristol House Worship Residency. Essentially, the point of this residency is to grow as a worship leader through various experiences and training.

This summer allowed me to grow as a person, and in my spiritual life. I was able to heal and process things that I couldn’t have done alone. It gave me the chance to experience so many different sides of ministry. And finally, I left with an amazing new community that I can proudly call family. This worship residency taught me a lot about obedience in Christ, as well as the importance of God’s calling on my life.

What did our days look like?

Every day was different. However, with the Residency being focused on worship, we led worship quite often to gain the experience of worship leading. The Woodlands Methodist Church ran the residency. This church has many different church services all on one campus, including Loft, Harvest, Traditional, Chapel, and Rebel Base.

These ministries all look different, which gives people the chance to explore different venues. Each week we would lead worship at different venues, as well as lead worship for youth group every Wednesday evening. We also had a young adult’s worship night every Tuesday evening called Arch which was an amazing opportunity to spend time with God each week. Other things we would do during the week were, learn instruments, voice lessons, song writing, bible studies, music theory lessons, one on one mentoring, group sessions, and more.

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For the rest of the Residency, we did lots of travelling. First, we spent a week in Nashville where we explored the music industry. While there, we had the chance to meet with various producing/music studios such as Integrity Music, Centricity Music, Paul Mabury’s Studio, and The Speakeasy Studio. While at The Speakeasy Studio, we even got to witness a song being recorded and my team got to be background vocals on their song.

We also went to a young adult’s worship night, called Belonging Co, where Cody Carnes, Kari Job, Natalie Grant, and many more Christian artists led. Finally, we got to meet Cozi Zuehlsdorff and have a conversation with her about what it’s like to be a Christian working in the secular world as an actress.

Next, we went on a mission trip to Costa Rica. During this mission trip we worked with a children’s orphanage and led worship for a Christian School. Finally, we got to travel to various camps where we got the chance to experience what it was like to be a cabin leader along with leading worship for the students. Fun fact: we also got to meet Jeff Fosket from the Beach Boys, and facetime with John Stamos!

As you can see, we did many things this summer that helped me grow in multiple areas. This summer has been more than I ever could have imagined, and that is all because of God’s goodness. If you believe and trust in God; He can do things in your life that you could never imagine.

Through God’s grace, I have gained so much in the past four months. If God is calling you to do something that may seem crazy, or out of your comfort zone, I challenge you to do it because you never know where it will take you. Trust in God. Know that His path for you is laid out perfectly. Go where He wants you to go, and He will always be by your side!

Jilana is a 3rd year Biblical Studies major who is also taking the Bachelor of Theology, the Youth Leadership Certificate, and the Worship Apprenticeship (the editor wonders when she has time to sleep!)

Crandall Mentoring Groups Ratio Christi – Mondays @ 11:30 Contact Cody Guitard – codyguitard@ratiochristi.ca) YLC – Mondays @ 11:30 Contact Tim Carruthers Claystone Mentoring For Claystone Students Only Christianity and Business – Mondays @ 11:30 Contact Robert MacDonald

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"The Knitwits" - Mondays @ 11:30 a "faith in action" group to teach crocheting & knitting to students to create handmade goods for Moncton's housing insecure population (Contact Sarah MacKenzie) The Man in the Mirror Book Study – Time TBA Contact Nathan Weaver The Sanctuary Course - Thursdays @ 11:15 – 12:30 Led by Sarah Cogswell from The Journey Church contact: sarah.cogswell@gmail.com Power in Prayer - Mondays @ 11:30 Contact Mari Kadri

Local Lore: Moncton’s First “Labour Day”

by Alley MacDonald How did you spend your Labour Day? Maybe it included a mad dash of luggage-packing for the move into Colburne or a series of power naps to prepare for the semester ahead. Or maybe, like some of Moncton’s early citizens, you spent it building a nineteenth-century sailing ship and negotiating with your boss down at the riverfront.

Well, perhaps that’s a bit inaccurate—after all, Labour Day wasn’t an official Canadian holiday until 1894. Still, the over four hundred shipbuilders at Joseph Salter’s shipyard in 1853 weren’t about to pass up the opportunity for holiday celebrations—possibly the first in Canada.

One morning on April 11, 1853, eight shipbuilders from the Salter shipyard (at the foot of modern-day Mechanic Street) approached the owner, Joseph Salter, with a request. They explained that at a gathering the previous night, they had decided to campaign for shorter working hours. Six days a week, the employees at Salter’s shipyard were expected to arrive at dawn and work until dark with short breaks for breakfast and lunch. This meant that outside of work, there was little time for anything but sleep. The shipbuilders wanted more time for socializing and community life.

A distinguished Joseph Salter, owner of the Salter shipyard.

Photo courtesy of the Resurgo Place Collection.

Salter was sympathetic to the workers’ complaints, but he also saw a mutually beneficial opportunity. Because his employees got so little socialization during the workday, it was their habit to head down to the local “grog shop” every night for drinks, revelry, and the occasional brawl. The most popular locale was Ann Perrigo’s inn, boarding house, and tavern, located conveniently nearby at the corner of Main and Steadman streets. After an especially late night, it was common for the shipbuilders to skip work or show up in a less-than-suitable state. So, Salter made a deal with his employees—he agreed to shorten the workday to ten hours if they promised to stay out of the taverns on evenings before work. And there were other benefits, too. If the shipbuilders agreed, Salter would grant them access to living quarters and a reading room, simultaneously creating Moncton’s first ever library.

The workers saw this as a fair deal and accepted Salter’s proposition. That night, they gathered some torches and created a makeshift parade, marching across the marsh to the Lewisville shipyard and returning with even more shipbuilders. Their wives joined in the celebration, too, preparing an elaborate community dinner. For the next decade, the shipbuilders celebrated their successful labour bargaining every April 11. These events were very possibly the first “Labour Day” celebrations in what would later become the country of Canada.

So, if you’re looking for better working conditions, don’t be afraid to speak up—you might even get a free library out of it!

Alley is a 3rd year History major who can most often be found drinking herbal tea and reading historical romances!

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Adventure Awaits

by Evan Carr Fall is a time of change and transition. For many, it is a change from the excitement of summer to rainy days at school or work. It is a transition from happy memories around a warm campfire under a starry summer sky to fear of the unknown, stress, and anxiety. Perhaps you fear the unknown, or maybe you are a new student living away from home for the first time and are nervous about the whole university thing. Joshua, one of the Bible’s great leaders, is a great example of how to deal with facing change and entering the unknown.

Firstly, he had to leave the past behind. God tells Joshua that “‘Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people… into the land I am giving you” (Joshua 1:2). Moses was gone, and Joshua was the man to lead the Israelites across the Jordan river into the Promised Land. He needed to live in the present with his eyes on the future. Colossians 3:1 tells us to keep our hearts set on the realities of heaven since we have been raised to new life with Jesus. Joshua was kingdom minded – he needed to keep his gaze fixed on Yahweh (God) and His plan for him. How many times do we let the past control and condemn us, which consequently holds us back?

Scripture assures us that the record of our sins has been cancelled and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Romans 8:1 promises that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. So do not live in your past or let it hold you back but face the future confidently. Think of the time when Peter stepped out of the boat and into the waves where Jesus was causally strolling along. As Peter’s gaze was fixed on Jesus, he was safe. But the moment that he focused on the situation around him (the wind and waves), he began to sink. Let us keep our focus on Jesus this semester so we can flourish and be the person that God called us to be.

Secondly, God tells Joshua in verse 3 that “‘[w]herever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you’”. He goes on to say that no one will be able to stand against Joshua for “‘I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you” (verse 5). God’s blessings were laid out for Joshua, but he had to walk in faith to acquire it. The same goes for us because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). However, to receive these blessings, we need to walk in faith. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:7, we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is not the action of sitting around and waiting for God to act. To have faith is to act while trusting God to pull through. Maybe God is calling you to a ministry this semester. Walk out in faith with confidence as Joshua did with the Israelites. Confidently enter the unknown because the battle belongs to God; he has the final word. Also notice that God tells Joshua that he will never abandon him as he seeks this new adventure. The same goes for us. God will never leave us nor forsake us (Joshua 1:9; Hebrews 13:5).

Finally, receive God’s peace as you navigate this new semester. Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to those who fix their thoughts on Yahweh, and Philippians 4:6-7 promises peace that surpasses understanding. So, leave your past behind and enter this new semester with confidence knowing that God is with you, he has given you victory in Christ, and he is close at hand to reach out and pick you up when you fall just like Jesus did to Peter.

Evan is a third-year Biology major who enjoys getting outdoors and exploring nature. You can find him kayaking, hiking, and biking in the summer months and skiing, snowshoeing, and skating in the winter.

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Academic Chapel

by Mari Kadri Academic Chapel is always a highlight of my semester. And no, not just because it’s funny seeing my professors in brightly colored, funny-looking robes (and even sometimes hats). To me, Academic Chapel has always been an encouraging time as an aspiring academic, giving me and my best friend a chance to rank each university’s regalia and dream about which color combinations would best suit us. Gotta say, I think she would look great in the sky-blue St. Andrew’s robe, but alas, she wants regalia that comes with a hat.

But Academic Chapel is more than that, and it has a long history here at Crandall. Nobody is quite sure just how long Academic Chapel has been around at Crandall, but Dr. Fawcett, the university’s President, says that it was around before he was even a student here in the 1980’s – so at least 40 years!

Traditionally, Academic Chapel is characterized by all of our faculty dressing up in their academic regalia (robes), a chapel service that involves a special address from one of our faculty, as well as singing the university hymn: “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” Academic Chapel is a big event with lots of moving parts. This year, Dr. Steve Watts, Dean of Chapel, is working closely with Dr. Ohlhauser, VP of Academics, in preparation for the Chapel.

Dr. Watts wants to use Academic Chapel to “celebrate integrated academics.” The integration between faith and academics is idea that Crandall is based on, and so Dr. Watts sees it as a meaningful thing to celebrate: “I think any time that any member of the university can talk about the meaningful relationship between faith and learning, the better.”

Crandall University is unique in Canada for its Academic Chapel. Academic Chapel is not a widespread practice, and the length of time that we’ve participated in it certainly sets us apart from those few who do have a similar practice. All the faculty that I spoke to about Academic Chapel were very passionate about the value of it to the Crandall community. Dr. Fawcett sees the value of Academic Chapel “as a twice-yearly reminder that "all truth is God's truth wherever it may be found" and that our research and study is ultimately an opportunity to learn more about the world God has made and our role within it.” Dr. Reimer echoed that sentiment, saying that it “serves as a reminder of why we’re here – to make Christ preeminent in all things [and] that what we’re doing here is a deeply Christian thing. We’re loving God with our whole being, but particularly in an academic setting, we’re loving God with our minds.”

To onlookers in the hallway who don’t venture into Brinton Auditorium, it can look a little strange and pointless, but it’s not. Academic Chapel seeks to show that faith and reason are not opposites, but that God is the God of both. They are not separate spheres of our lives that never meet, but instead they were created to work together to show us a clearer picture of who God is and how we can walk with Him in all aspects of our lives.

I would encourage all of you to come out to Academic Chapel on Wednesday, September 13!

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Film Review: Kung Fu Panda

by Evan Cook Hello there, movie enthusiasts! Crandall Film Club is back with our first review of the year, this time for the classic Kung Fu Panda [SPOILERS AHEAD]: There are no accidents.

Immediately, King Fu Panda wants to subvert all narrative devices that are common in similar stories. Rather than fall into the cliche of death of a mentor as motivation for the protagonist (Rocky III, Star Wars: A New Hope), King Fu Panda decides to use Oogway’s death as a way to force Shifu to reluctantly accept his role of mentor, ultimately giving him the motivation to train Po, which is a much more interesting direction for the story. Shifu is the clear standout, as his grief of losing his master and being denied the title of “Dragon Warrior” propels him to attempt the impossible and train the untrainable. Where King Fu Panda excels is not in its villain: Tai Lung is narratively weak with little to no motivation, and he is a little predictable. However, that’s because he isn’t the main focus of the film. It is more about mentally overcoming challenges, prejudices, and setbacks, rather than out-right antagonists.

While it’s not an original story (who doesn’t love an underdog story), Kung Fu Panda excels in its exploration of grief and living up to potential under duress. It doesn’t hurt that the runtime is a tightly paced 90-minutes, with well choreographed action, and even though the humour isn’t intelligent by any stretch, it’s consistently funny. Not only that, it has great messaging to go with it.

For example, the scene where it is revealed that there’s no secret in the secret ingredient soup is a perfect outlook on the life we lead. There is nothing that needs to be different or new or added to it for it to be special, it’s all a mindset.

I am simply at peace. Finally.

Keep your eye out for @crandallfilmclub on Instagram for news about our first movie night! We look forward to watching movies with you this year!

Sports: Grace Fahnbulleh For those of you who have been around Crandall for a bit, you probably know that we take boxing seriously. Our boxing team is the only university-level boxing team in Canada, and so we attract very good boxers.

Last year, Grace Fahnbulleh, a female boxer originally from Liberia joined our university and our boxing team. Just this past weekend, Grace found out that she was invited to a boxing competition in Senegal. If she takes home the gold or silver in that competition later this month, she will secure her spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics!

Let’s all cheer her on as she takes this huge step towards competing on an international level!

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SHALLNOT a place for creativity

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SHALLNOT a place for art

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