A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
FALL 2014
The Commons Fresh Energy in the Friendship House It’s not every day that the students, staff and faculty belt out “Father Abraham” in chapel, but when the Friendship House friends help lead the service, anything can happen! This year marks a shift in the integration of Friendship House into the life of the seminary. Deliberate steps are being taken to increase interactions with the friends and to create more opportunities to learn from them. Eighteen seminary students share the Ralph and Cheryl Schregardus Friendship House with six young adults (“friends”) with cognitive disabilities. The residence has six apartment pods and one shared recreation space. When it was built in 2007, it was the first of its kind in the country, and by all accounts it is thriving. “Our kids have grown immensely. They’ve exceeded all testing measured by Hope College’s professors,” says Deb Sterken, speaking on behalf of the friends’ parents. “My son, Rob, is enjoying people and getting out. He is maturing, and his language continues to exceed expectations.” Over the years as the friends have benefited from the arrangement, the seminary students living with them have gained insights into ministering to those with disabilities and to their families. The new director, Melissa Conner, and newly appointed resident advisor Dan DeVries, a third-year student, are bringing fresh energy to Friendship House. Their goal is to expand its impact beyond the 18 seminary students who live there. Melissa is hosting monthly potlucks open to the entire seminary community. Dan has led chapel with the friends and hopes to
Friendship House kicks off the year with a celebration.
Friendship House residents lead the singing of “Father Abraham” in chapel, Oct. 2.
have them participate more. They are inviting professors to enter the friends’ space and lead devotions on Sunday evenings. Friend resident Amanda Kragt is taking Hebrew with Professor Tom Boogaart, and the class dynamic has strengthened since “Lyla” (Amanda’s Hebrew name) joined. “I said to the class ‘aloo!’ (literally ‘go up’) and the students got on their chairs,” Dr. Boogaart explains. “But Lyla is a little unsteady and I thought ‘oh no!’ Yet immediately two of the students took her hand and helped her up onto her chair.” Including Amanda has created a much deeper sense of what it means to be together and do life together. Amanda loves the class and is very proud to call herself a student at WTS. “The role of student is a valued social role, and she knows that,” explains Professor of Discipleship Ben Conner. “It also puts her in
(cont.)
Amanda (“Lyla”) ponders an assignment in Hebrew class.
THE COMMONS, FALL 2014 (Friendship House, cont.)
contact with students in a different way than if she was just what’s happening at Western Seminary—because it gives in Friendship House.” them hope.” Amanda’s presence in the classroom has opened new Sterken is part of an organization working to implement possibilities for the friends. Friend resident Seth VanderBroek Friendship Houses at other interested seminaries. says he would like to take on the teacher role. Former Dean of Students Matt Floding, who was “I would teach respect, and I’m going to explain why,” instrumental in creating the original Friendship House, has says Seth. “I want people to see and feel what it’s like to started a Friendship House in his new position at Duke have Down’s.” Divinity School. Sterken’s old neighbor and former WTS “Many people just aren’t comfortable around people professor, Jaco Hamman, is planning to create one at with disabilities.” explains Ben Conner. “They don’t know Vanderbilt Divinity School, as well. how to relate.” At WTS, Dr. Conner Dr. Conner has and others are working on sought to create shared another creative venture experiences in his in the world of theological “Ministry in Margins” education—a Graduate class, in which he Certificate in Disability takes the students to Ministry. The certificate watch friend resident will include classes like Megan Dalman take “introduction to disability in a horseback riding the church” and even one lesson with Friendship called “Friendship House.” House director Melissa Students will start to think Conner, who also about how people with works as a therapeutic disabilities interact with FH Resident Advisor Dan DeVries with friend, Rob Sterken. riding instructor for Scripture and how the church children and adults with disabilities. can do a better job of including them in the life of faith. “The students learn about opportunities Megan has to In 2015 WTS will host the Institute on Theology and be independent, empowered, and to learn valuable skills,” Disability, which will tie students into the international Melissa explains. conversation surrounding this topic. The friends have a unique opportunity to increase their “As students graduate and receive calls to churches, interactions with peers as they grow older because of their my hope is that if there aren’t people with disabilities there, connection with WTS. Unfortunately, this is not the case for they’ll wonder why—because they’re used to being around many young adults with cognitive impairments. people with disabilities,” Conner says. “Instead of someone Deb Sterken, mother of friend resident Rob, says, “There trying to push the pastor of a church to consider people with is a community that’s very quiet but very present, watching disabilities, it will be the pastor who’s leading the way.”
Available early November
Preparing to Preach through Advent Online discussion with Dr. James Brownson Discuss the passages from the 2014 lectionary. Includes exegesis, preaching and teaching helps, and a message board for interaction. Launching early 2015
Learning Opportunities For questions or to register for any of these events, call Tara Macias at 616-392-8555, x133 or go to www.westernsem.edu/journey
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The Role of Popular Art and Culture in Spiritual Formation
March 13, 2015
Celebrating Women’s Leadership in the Church One day conference at WTS Join women in ministry engaging in dialogue around the unique and challenging aspects of leading congregations and organizations. March 31, 2015
A Discipleship Journey Group with Eric Kuiper
Christianity and Literature
Seek alternatives to common postures of either avoidance or blind consumption of culture. Develop a robust theology of culture that will influence personal discipleship and ministry practice.
Christian Wiman and Dr. J. Todd Billings Wiman and Billings will talk about their shared experience of living under the shadow of a diagnosis of incurable cancer.
westernsem.edu/journey
Welcome New Faculty and Staff Han-luen Kantzer Komline Faculty Fellow
Han-luen Kantzer Komline grew up in New Jersey before attending Wheaton College for undergraduate studies. After graduation, she and her husband, David, taught English in China for a year. “I grew up speaking Chinese because my grandparents lived with us,” she explains. “Being Chinese has always been really important to me.” During her time in China, Hanluen was challenged by the culture gap because she was Chinese, yet also American. However, she loved getting to know her students and learned a lot about life in China, particularly what was happening on the ground with Christianity. Many students were discovering Christ and doing Bible studies with each other. Upon their return, Han-luen earned her M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary and is now finishing her Ph.D. at Notre Dame. Last year she worked on her dissertation in Heidelberg, Germany. In the faculty fellow role, Han-luen teaches a light course load while working to finish her dissertation. She also brings fresh perspective to the faculty and students as a bi-cultural woman. Professor Kantzer Komline’s background is in the history of Christianity, focusing on the early period of Christian Theology. Her dissertation is on Augustine’s view of the human will. She teaches Church History I for both in-residence and distance learning students. She approaches teaching history as if it’s a dinner party. “I’m the host and I’m thrilled to have all these guests here—my students and all these people from the history of the church. My role is to introduce them to each other.” Han-luen is excited to be teaching seminary students about a subject that she really loves.
Suzanne McDonald Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology
Originally from Australia, Suzanne McDonald lived in the U.K. for ten years, earning her Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford, her M.A. from the University of Cambridge, and her Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews. Suzanne was completing her studies in English Literature when she felt the Lord’s call to ministry. She began working toward becoming a pastor, strongly resisting suggestions from friends and colleagues to become a professor instead. But when a beloved theology professor asked if she had thought about teaching, it was as if she heard the question for the first time. In 2007, Dr. McDonald came to Michigan to teach theology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. She taught systematic theology and historical theology with classes on church doctrine, the reformation, John Calvin, eschatology, and the doctrine of election. Suzanne knew Dr. J. Todd Billings as a colleague and had taught as a guest in his classes. Last year she finally explored the possibility of joining the faculty. The more she found out about the mission and vision of Western, the more excited she became to be a part of what the seminary is doing. This fall she teaches Systematic Theology I and the RCA Church Governance class for seniors. She teaches how to make connections between doctrine and ministry. “Wrestling with theological topics is a joy to me and something that nourishes my walk with the Lord,” Suzanne explains. “To be able to introduce students to good ways of doing that—I hope it’s as enriching for them as it is for me.”
A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
As the Friendship House Director, Melissa Conner supports the community of Friendship House, where 18 seminary students live with six young adults with intellectual challenges. She also works to incorporate Friendship House into the life of the seminary. She and her husband, associate professor Ben Conner, live in Holland with their four children, one husky dog, two horses and six cats. As the Administrative Assistant for the Bast Preaching Program Lauren Eisnor assists the Rev. Lindsay Small. She was first introduced to WTS when her father (George Hunsberger) joined the faculty in 1989. Her husband, Dan, is a graduate of WTS. They have three children, and she has taught in the public schools for six years. Maria Emerson is the technical services assistant at Beardslee Library, where she works with acquisitions, serials, and copy cataloging. Maria has a B.A. in Spanish and International Studies and a Masters in Library and Information Science. She and her husband, Lee, and are expecting their first child. Megan Rice is the new “story teller” of WTS. As Communications Assistant, she tells the story of Western through written materials, video, photography and social media. Originally from Pennsylvania, Megan graduated from Cornerstone University, earning a B.S. in Journalism with a visual communications emphasis. She and her musician husband, Erik, live in Holland. After Katy Sundararajan earned her M.Div. from WTS in 2003, she served as a chaplain at Hope College. Later she joined her husband JP as missionaries with the RCA, based at Audio Scripture Ministries. Over the years, her heart has made its home in many places, and Katy feels well suited to her new role as the Th.M. program administrator, welcoming students to the U.S. and assisting them during their time at Western. As the Circulation Supervisor of Beardslee Library, Allison Van Liere is responsible for circulation desk operation, student staff supervision, stack maintenance, and inter-library loans. She is an alumna of Wheaton College with a degree in English Literature, and recently moved back to her native West Michigan from Oregon. As the new full time Receptionist and Administrative Assistant at Western, Cherri Westhouse is the welcoming voice and smiling face at the front desk. Cherri is a graduate of Cornerstone University with a B.S. in Business Management and Ministry Leadership.
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THE COMMONS, FALL 2014
A Missionary to His Own
Boogaart and local pastor Andres Fierro. Students learned that it is impossible to share At the end of the day, I see myself as a “foreign missionary” to the Gospel without also engaging one’s own my own country. —George Hunsberger culture. One of the class texts was the Holland Dr. George Hunsberger has worn many hats at the seminary, gaining Sentinel, followed by discussions about issues admiration as both a professor and a colleague. After 25 years at WTS, the happening around the city. Florida-bred missiology professor is retiring. The first When George was five, he moved from a group of small-town in Pennsylvania to Miami, Florida. students Dr. George Hunsberger His family joined a vibrant Presbyterian church in to take the “then and now” Miami, where George’s faith journey began. course set 1989 & 2014 He attended Belhaven College in Jackson, MS up an allduring the heat of the Civil Rights Movement, seminary and went from Belhaven to Reformed Theological retreat, Seminary, also in Jackson. inviting speakers to talk about poverty and Following seminary, he worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in hunger in West Michigan. With the help of Florida and then as a pastor in Biloxi, MS. During those years George had a passionate students and faculty, WTS started feeling that God would eventually call him overseas. the Community Kitchen just six weeks later. In 1978-1979, George finally found himself in Kenya working with The course was stirring things up. Ugandan refugees. On his return he was called to teach New Testament and From 1989-1994, George directed the missiology at his alma mater, Belhaven College. During the 1980s, George Master of Theology (Th.M.) program. The completed a Ph.D. in missiology and ecumenics at Princeton Theological 40-year-old program at that time only admitted Seminary. international students, who took M.Div. courses In 1989, George and then wrote a thesis. After one dissatisfied responded to a Western South African student asked, “Is this really a George R. Hunsberger Theological Seminary post-graduate program?” it was apparent the Professor of Missiology ad looking for a program was in need of a makeover. George b. Lansdale, PA 1944 missiologist, and the rest, and a team of faculty members developed a Married Katherine Gaynelle Baxter in 1975 as they say, is history. new structure. Children: Lauren, Peter, Anna, and five grandchildren Many students from The next year they recruited eight students, B.A. Belhaven College, Jackson, MS, 1966 the 1990s remember including two North Americans. George and M.Div. Reformed Theol. Sem., Jackson, MS, 1970 Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary, 1987 the “Gospel, Culture, others taught new seminars that engaged and Ministry,” class cross-cultural dimensions in the church’s life. 1966-67 Director of Christian Education, Rivermont Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg, VA which George co-taught During the same time, George played a role 1968-73 Campus Staff Member, InterVarsity with Chris Kaiser, Tom on the seminary’s Program Cabinet that added Christian Fellowship, Mississippi and Florida
At a Glance
1973-78 Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Biloxi, MS 1978-79 Missionary Team Leader, Africa Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya 1984-85 Teaching Fellow, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ 1980-89 Assoc. Prof. of Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries, Belhaven College, Jackson, MS 1989-2014 Professor of Missiology, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI Books: Mission Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (co-authored), 1998 Bearing the Witness of the Spirit: Lesslie Newbigin’s Theology of Cultural Plurality, 1998 Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness (co-authored), 2004 The Story that Chooses Us: A Tapestry of Missional Vision, forthcoming, 2015
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Foundations for Church Planting, Fall 2014
A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
News from WTS intercultural immersion trips to the Church: A Vision for the Sending of Master of Divinity curriculum. the Church in North America. In 1990, George invited The Gospel and Our Culture renowned mission theologian Network, housed at Western, sent Lesslie Newbigin to present the out newsletters that helped inspire Osterhaven Lectures at WTS. Chuck DeGroat and Scot Sherman to George had met Newbigin during start the Newbigin House of Studies his Ph.D. studies and had written in San Francisco. his dissertation on Newbigin’s “Quite a few of us were theology. Newbigin had been a impacted by the writings of the long-time missionary to India who GOCN in the late 1990s,” says Chuck wrote several significant books DeGroat, now a professor at WTS. after he returned to England and “The work informed a generation of discovered the loss of the Gospel’s church planters and planted seeds for influence on Western culture. visionary ideas like Newbigin House.” Newbigin spoke to packed houses In 2002, President Dennis Voskuil at WTS, and his appointed George as the Dr. Hunsberger has a deep Osterhaven lectures Dean for the Center of passion for Christ and a deep became the book, the Continuing Education commitment to empowerTruth to Tell: The of the Church (later ing the church to live out its "Kingdom nature" in the Gospel as Public renamed Journey Center world. He also has down-toTruth. for Learning). George earth wisdom. This and his In April of that expanded continuing personal encouragement to me and my small congregasame academic education by focusing on tion have been rocks in the year, South African the whole church with foundation of our ministries. Thank you George! missiologist David a special emphasis on —Laurie Hartzell ’10 Bosch, author of mentoring. Transforming Mission: From 2007-2013, Paradigm Shifts in Theology of George took the reins of the Doctor Mission, came to WTS to give six of Ministry program. He especially lectures. enjoyed the in-depth individual work “To many folks those names with each D.Min. student. wouldn’t mean a lot, but to a George says his fondest memory missiologist it was the cream of the of WTS is his relationships with other crop, twice over,” George says with faculty: “There is always a sense of a large grin. collegiality, a common heartbeat.” Bosch died in a motor accident In retirement, George and his one year later. He was succeeded in wife, Katherine, plan to spend his role at the University of South quality time with their children Africa by Sam Maluleke—the same and grandchildren. In addition student whose complaints had to speaking engagements and convinced WTS to revamp the Th.M. seminar leadership, George will be program a few years earlier. writing a book on “Contrast and Concurrent with these lectures, Companionship: the Way of the George served as coordinator of The Church with the World.” This will Gospel and Our Culture Network build upon his forthcoming Eerdmans (GOCN). In 1998, George and five publication, The Story that Chooses other theologians published Missional Us: A Tapestry of Missional Vision.
Jeff Munroe is now Vice President of Operations and Advancement. He supervises Admissions and Journey and is responsible for Human Resources and internal communications. On the advancement side, Jeff remains the point person for fundraising and communications / marketing / public relations. Mike LeFebre has been promoted to Director of Development. Mike has been part of the Advancement department of WTS since the fall of 2008. He is a graduate of Calvin College and prior to WTS he spent 15 years in sales, automotive finance and banking. As reported earlier this year, Lilly Endowment, Inc., granted WTS $250,000 over three years to combat student debt. The problem is widespread, and we are one of 67 seminaries to receive grants. Carla Capotosto, Associate Director of Communications, leads our student debt initiative. We plan to implement programs in personal and congregational financial literacy along with financial counseling. For two weeks in October, Isaac Anderson was our first writerin-residence. He is the author of Economy of Love (with Shane Claiborne) and The Voice Project. Isaac is a teaching pastor, writer and musician at Jacob’s Well Church in Kansas City, MO. He also teaches nonfiction at the university level. While at Western he met with students and faculty, led worship, and taught an intensive class called “Spiritual Writing,” which was filled to capacity. Robert Van Voorst, Professor of New Testament, visited Grossmont College near San Diego, CA, in October. He led a workshop for faculty on textbook writing and gave a lecture to students on the challenges and opportunities that religious diversity in America presents to the study of religion and religious life itself. On October 29-30, Theresa Latini, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, presented two workshops in Indiana on the topic of Transforming Congregational Conflict. These workshops, sponsored by the Center for Congregations, will be taught again next year: March 10 (Evansville, IN) and March 12 (Seymour, IN). Participants learn problem-solving techniques for handling conflict in the congregation and compassionate, effective ways to deal with discord.
YOU ARE INVITED! Come celebrate a lifetime of service as Dr. George Hunsberger presents his Last Lecture, entitled, “Missional is...” on December 2 at 7:00pm in Mulder Chapel.
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THE COMMONS, FALL 2014
More Than He Bargained For A seminary student is thrown into real life as a pastor. The internship that M.Div. student Jeffrey Hubers had at Riverview Reformed Church in Yankton, South Dakota was no summer vacation—but the relationships he made and the ways he experienced God’s love will affect him forever. Jeffrey had been excited about the preaching aspect of his internship but intimidated by the idea of pastoral care. “I was being handed an entire congregation—yes, it was small, 100 people—but suddenly I was responsible for them,” he explains. “I was called to love and serve and give my life to these people—even if it was just for three months—that’s huge. But God is so faithful, and that really is the theme of my summer.” Within those short months, Jeffrey performed two funerals and comforted a family who lost their son in an automobile accident. As challenging as his internship was, Jeffrey says it has given him a passion for pastoral care, which he wouldn’t trade for the world. About three weeks into his time in Yankton, Jeffrey met an elderly woman who was battling cancer. As he was visiting with her and her husband at the hospital, the doctor came in and asked, “Is this a good time?” The couple nodded toward Jeffrey and said, “It’s okay. He’s our pastor.” Then the doctor told them that she had fought hard, but the fight was done. “Everything changed in that moment,” Jeffrey recalls. “I didn’t have any words... No one tells you what it’s like when someone faces death. What do you do? So I read some scripture—I read Psalm 23, and I was crying because my heart was broken.” During those moments, Jeffrey prayed that God would help him to be calm and give him a voice for the people whom he had grown to love, and God answered. “God is not absent from us in our sorrow. God is with us, our Emmanuel, and that was a beautiful thing to experience. It was such a privilege for me to be able to enter this family’s life at such a time,” he says. Jeffrey took on the role of head pastor while Riverview’s pastor was on sabbatical. Because one of the pastor’s
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normal roles was as the chaplain for Yankton’s fire department, Jeffrey served there as well. When a 27-year old man was killed after rolling his car, Jeffrey accompanied the deputy fire chief to break the news to the man’s family. Again, Jeffrey prayed that God would give him the right words to comfort the family. He prayed with them that peace would eventually come into their lives. In addition to some grim periods of the summer, Jeffrey also had a lot of fun. He got to work with the youth group and prepare them for “Rocky Mountain High,” an RCA retreat that takes place in Colorado every three years. He remembers going to the retreat when he was young and the impact it had on his own faith. When the students returned, he asked them to lead worship and share about their experiences in front of the whole church. “These youth, these brothers and sisters in Christ, are not the future of the church—they are the church now. And they are on fire for Christ,” he told the congregation. Now that he’s back in Holland, Jeffrey has returned to serving at North Holland Reformed Church as his teaching church. His experience in Yankton has continued to have an effect on his seminary studies as well as his service at North Holland. “I’ve tasted what it’s like to be loved by people and to be loved by God so completely that I just want that to be the guiding point for where my life will go,” he says. “People died. People got sick. Real life happened. How do I live that out now at North Holland? How do I live out this faith that I’m learning more about? How do I truly profess Christ as Lord of my whole life?” Jeffrey is staying open minded to wherever God calls him. He has a year and a half left in seminary, but says that he’s in “a gray area” when it comes to what’s next. “I could go anywhere because it’s a big world, and I have lived in just a tiny piece of it,” he explains. “I know that wherever I’m at, God is there.”
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A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Onward and Upward! The old baseball manager Casey Stengel once walked up to a player and said, “Nobody knows this yet, but one of us was just traded to Kansas City.” Well, nobody knows this yet, but
Jeff Munroe Vice President of Operations and Advancement
Western Theological Seminary is in the midst of implementing a plan to boost our enrollment to 400. Actually, people inside the seminary do know
On to glory... Harold De Roo ‘48
b. Paterson, NJ 1/14/1925 d. Holland, MI 8/7/2014 Rutgers ’45; WTS ’48; USC ‘50 (1948-49) Assoc, Third, Holland, MI (1949-53) Bethany, Redlands, CA (1953-57) Miraloma Community, San Francisco, CA (1967-77) Good Samaritan, Gahanna, OH (1977-90) Rolling Hills Com, Zellwood, FL Other service to the church: (1957-67) Dir, Div Youth Ed, RCA (1990-97) Dir of Church Relations/Field Ed, Reformed Theo Sem, Orlando, FL (2000-2003) Sr Pas Team, RCA, FL Louis Branning ‘53
b. Ft. Wayne, IN 11/19/1920 d. Bradenton, FL 5/30/2014 Central ’50, WTS ‘53 (1953-58) Ebenezer, Oregon, IL (1958-68) First, Cedar Grove, WI (1968-76) Beverly, Wyoming, MI (1976-82) Fourth, Kalamazoo, MI Eugene VanderWell ‘53
b. Rock Valley, IA 2/14/1929 d. Holland, MI 7/8/2014 Central ‘50; WTS ‘53 (1953-56) New Baltimore, NY (1956-61) Steinway, Long Island City, NY (1961-66) Ivanhoe, Riverdale, IL (1967-83) Good Shepherd, Lynwood, WA (1985-90) Taipei Int’l Ch, Taipei, Taiwan (1992-94) Union Ch, Yokohama, Japan Other service to the church: (1983-85) Chaplain, Overseas Radio/ Television, Taipei, Taiwan (1990-92) Chaplain, Stevens Memorial Hospital, Edmonds, WA
WTS Enrollment
it, but we haven’t started to tell the outside world. That growth goal is just one of several initiatives that are a part of a new strategic plan the seminary developed during the 201314 academic year. The goal to grow to 400 students is particularly ambitious because it belies a national trend. According to the Auburn Center for the Study of Theological Education, seminary enrollment in North America peaked ten years ago and has been declining since. That is not the case at Western. Creative ventures like distance learning, our partnership with the Newbigin House
Thurman Rynbrandt ‘57
b. Grand Rapids, MI 10/24/1932 d. Grand Rapids, MI 10/7/2014 Hope ’54, WTS ’57, Fuller ‘71 (1957-61) Chino Valley, CA (1961-65) Gibbsville, WI (1965-73) First, Grand Haven, WI (1973-77) Bethany, Redlands, CA (1977-90) First, Sioux Center, IZ (1990-98) First, South Holland, IL Louis Benes III ‘58
b. Albany, NY 2/27/1934 d. Holland, MI 7/30/2014 Hope ’55, WTS ’58 (1958-65) English Neighbd., Ridgefield, NJ (1965-75) Unity, Muskegon, MI (1975-86) First, Sheldon, IA (1986-96) Grace, Grand Rapids, MI Louis Harvey, Sr. ‘60
b. Grand Rapids, MI 4/1/1927 d. Grand Rapids, MI 7/25/2014 Hope ’50, WTS ‘60 (1960-64) Falmouth, Moddersville, MI (1965-70) S. Blendon, Hudsonville, MI (1970-79) Emmanuel, Whitby, Ontario, Can (1979-84) sp min, Welland, Ontario, Can (1984-86) Christ Community, Welland, Ontario, Canada (1986-90) First, Cambridge, Ontario, Can (1990-92) Falmouth, MI Joel Bensema ‘62
b. Norwalk, CA 3/28/1932 d. Sioux Center, IA 7/24/2014 Westmont ’56; WTS ‘62 (1959-60) Baptist Ch, Sunnymead, CA (1962-64) Morningside, Sioux City, IA (1965-69) Community, Hopkins, MI (1969-75) Riverside Park, Hammond, IN (1970-72) Woodmar, Hammond, IN (1975-85) Fairview, IL (1985-91) Community, Freeport, IL (1992-94) Newton Zion, Erie, IL
News
2014 of Studies 272 and City 2004 216 Church San 1992 Francisco, 148 our new MA degree, and our partnership with Young Life have helped our enrollment grow while others are in decline. We hope, with God’s help, to continue to expand. Your gifts are vital for us as we prepare men and women called by God to lead the church in mission. Thanks so much for supporting Western. We cannot fulfill our mission without your generosity.
Interested in reading the WTS strategic plan? Go to: westernsem.edu/resources/publications/
AlumLine
Mel Van Hattem ’62 is serving as a specialized transitional minister at Community Church in Warrington Park, NJ. He also continues to research and test developmental resources for ministry with parents and young adults. Robert Dahl ‘70 and his daughter, Rachel, collaborated on a book of Bob’s poetry and stories and Rachel’s art and formatting. The Ten P.M. Walk explores the existential with a hint of the eternal. In August, Mark Kleinheksel ‘04 was installed as the new senior pastor at Hager Park Reformed Church in Jenison, MI. The previous ten years he served as senior pastor at South Blendon Reformed, Hudsonville, MI. In July, Drew & Andrea Poppleton ’05 finished their ministry at Heartland Community Church in Lafayette, IN to move to Pasadena, CA where Drew is pursuing a Ph.D. at Fuller Theological Seminary. Brad Gray ’09 has written his first book, Make Your Mark: Getting Right What Samson Got Wrong. It is about wrestling with our calling in life. Brad is the Teaching Pastor at Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, MI. He leads biblical study trips to Israel and Turkey. www. WalkingTheText.com.
Sandra Nikkel ‘12 is the new pastor of Conklin Reformed Church, Conklin, MI. Sarah Farkas ‘13 is a pastor at Hopkins Community Reformed Church in Hopkins, MI. Sam Gutierrez ‘13 has published Godbirth, a collection of 34 Christmas poems. Sam works as a campus pastor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. On June 15, Jonathan Ytterock ‘13 was ordained in the PC(USA). He and Annie are living in Grottoes, VA, where he serves as pastor of Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church. Scott DeLeeuw ’14 has been commissioned to plant a church in Oceanside, CA. The sending body is Infusion Church, a Reformed church in Escondido, CA. Michael Metten ‘14 is the new pastor of Rejoice Community Church in Le Mars, IA. On Sept 28, Judith Nelson ’14 was ordained as a Specialized Minister to the Ministry of Music and commissioned as a chaplain for Revive, a ministry based in Holland, MI serving those with memory loss and related illnesses, sharing music that revives hope, faith and connection. On June 25, Mark Waterstone ‘14 was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. Mark is serving as a chaplain at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
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WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 101 East 13th Street, Holland, MI 49423-3622
Non-Profit Org. US Postage
PAID
Holland, MI Permit No. 120
A Note from
PRESIDENT TIMOTHY BROWN
I am so pleased to tell you that we have embarked on a new collaboration serving Latino pastors in the Holland area. These pastors are mostly bi-vocational and receive their training in Bible, theology, and pastoral care from The Instituto Biblico Ebenezer of Holland (IBE), a local non-degree-based educational program. For many years, IBE of IBE Administrator Gretchen Torres introduces President Brown Holland has been located in a to Rev. Carmelo Moreno, the Regional Director of IBE and pastor of Christian Pentecostal Center in Schaumburg, IL. church, but the facilities were no longer adequate for the growth of the program. On October 10, the administrator of IBE, Gretchen Torres, and Vice President of Academic Affairs Leanne Van Dyk signed an agreement that will house IBE at Western Theological
Seminary for this academic year. This means that over 40 Latino pastors will be on the seminary campus each Monday night for their classes taught by IBE instructors. In effect, there are now two schools in one building! We kicked off this collaboration October 27 with a celebration and potluck. It was a joy to faculty, staff and students to enjoy a meal with our new friends and colleagues. What’s more, Gretchen, her husband Javier, and their son Luis are all students in our Graduate Certificate in Urban Pastoral Ministry program! I bless the Lord for this opportunity to deepen the friendship of the seminary with the Latino church community.
Fall 2014, Vol. 18, No. 1 Editor & Graphic Designer: Carla Plumert Capotosto, Writer and Photographer: Megan Rice Editorial Council: Dr. Dawn Boelkins, Rev. Jeff Munroe, Dana Daniels. The Commons is published three times a year for alumni/ae and friends of Western Theological Seminary by the Office of Advancement and Communications, Jeff Munroe, vice president, 101 E. 13th Street, Holland, MI 49423. 616-392-8555. Reproduction in whole or in part by permission only. carlap@westernsem.edu