HOMECOMING 2013: Weekend Schedule
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
OUR ALUMNI HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN KINGDOM-BUILDING WORK SINCE 1935. HOMECOMING 2013: Weekend Schedule Pursuing God in a Christian Environment Presidential Installation Invitation Dr. Barsness to Launch Book at Homecoming Passport Magazine | Fall 2013 Vol. 75 No. 1 A publication for the alumni and friends of Briercrest College and Seminary High School | College | Seminary www.briercrest.ca/passport IN THIS ISSUE Pursing God in a Christian 4 environment Presidential Installation 7 Invitation 8 Homecoming Schedule 12 Take their word for it 13 CHS alumnus gives back 14 Space and margins Seminary student finds her 15 voice and calling at Briercrest COMING EVENTS Dr. Michael B. Pawelke 2819 Mission Conference | President September 23-27, 2013 Briercrest College and Seminary Briercrest Board Reunion | Caronport High School September 26, 2013 Homecoming | September 27-29, 2013 My daily routine begins like many of yours – with a piece of toast, a robust Presidential Installation Ceremony | cup of coffee, and some conversation with my family. But before I launch into September 27, 2013 the work before me, I open my Bible. This practice has been an indispensable Day of Prayer | October 8, 2013 part of my life since I first trusted Jesus as a young teen. Every time I open Experience Briercrest | the Word of God I learn something about God, something about life, and November 27, 2013 invariably, something about me. The response in my spirit is always the same, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Fall Board Meeting | November 27, 2013 God has visited me with such grace. Growing up in a home that was far from God, God broke into my world through a little Gideon New Testament. Christmas in Caronport | November 29-December 1, 2013 I was welcomed into a wonderful church where I was quickly adopted by all kinds of spiritual moms and dads. Though lacking in confidence, I was brimming with vision. I wanted to serve Jesus with my life and so I was encouraged to consider Briercrest. My Briercrest experience would profoundly shape my life. It was here that truth was integrated into life. I grew spiritually, intellectually, and socially. I grew in character and in competence as a leader. PASSPORT STAFF The outcome of this experience was that God gave me a wonderful wife, two incredible children, and thirty years of rich pastoral leadership. I love my wife EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rob Schellenberg and children. I love the church. And I love the transformative power of the Gospel in lives and in our world. EDITOR: Julie Cole God’s grace has continued to this day. I have now entering a new season GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: as Briercrest’s sixth President and God is allowing me the opportunity of Valerie Benoit, Brandon Wiebe having a part in the education of the next generation of followers of Jesus. PHOTOGRAPHERS: Rob Alcock, While I have left the church that I have loved and served for some 19 years, Matt Brown, Julie Cole, Fiona Graham, I am passionate about what Briercrest is called to do. Our mission is to Viktor Karklins, Rob Schellenberg, equip our graduates to be men and women of character and influence. We Miranda Scheller, Dave Clark are producing quality leaders for the home, the church, the marketplace, PROOFREADER: Carla Hoffmann government, and society. CONTRIBUTORS: Chrissy Dennis I thank God for his grace and I thank you for the opportunity to serve in this way. I invite you to join me in this excitement and in this calling. Briercrest’s New President Michael Pawelke’s weekly chapel sessions and messages to employees can be found on the president’s page of our website. www.briercrest.ca/president THERE’S A NEW QUARTERBACK LEADING THE BRIERCREST TEAM. President Michael Pawelke used Canadian audience.” The president is confident in the football as a metaphor to describe the Pawelke knows that these sorts of message he wants to carry about changes that his leadership style may transitions must be done thoughtfully. Briercrest. bring to Briercrest. “You want to seize the opportunity “I certainly want to be reaffirming “There are many ways to to make our core – that Briercrest for 78 years “Our education standards matter get the ball down the field,” and we embrace that responsibility changes, now has been anchored in historical he explained. “When there’s and that opportunity. The message but you orthodoxy and a high view of Scripture,” remains, but the methods are a new quarterback or a new constantly changing.” don’t want he explained. “At the same time we are coach, he’s going to have to move too constantly recalibrating ourselves for our different plays, but we’re still moving the quickly either,” he said. times, so things like degree granting ball down the field. We’re still advancing Part of this careful process of bringing authorization are just part of being the mission of Briercrest and the mission change is to understand the culture. effective in the cultural context and the of Christ.” “I am trying to do a lot of listening,” times we find ourselves.” As the new president “takes the ball” Pawelke stated. “I’m trying to navigate “Credentials matter,” he continued. of leadership, he feels grateful for those the delicate balance of initiating change “Our education standards matter and leaders and their teams that came before and acting as a change agent while we embrace that responsibility and that him. acknowledging that I need to understand opportunity. The message remains, but “I’m very excited and very honoured my context and my setting and move the methods are constantly changing.” to be building on a wonderfully strong, forward wisely and prudently.” solid and meaningful foundation of all our preceding presidents,” he said. “I feel like all the blessings we’re enjoying are certainly the fruit of God’s grace, but they’re also the fruit of the labours of those leaders and their respective teams through the years.” “I think most recently our focus has been on making Briercrest academically strong and satisfying provincial accreditation expectations and quality assurance expectations,” he continued. “So a lot of energy has been inward and appropriately so.” With these things in place, Pawelke now hopes to bring the news about Briercrest to a broader audience. “One of the shifts that people will see is that I will be a little bit more ‘big picture’ and will promote the school on a larger scale,” he explained. “We have a product with which we feel very confident. I want to promote the mission of Briercrest and Michael Pawelke chatting with Heather Terris about her master’s thesis. the quality of our institution to a larger PASSPORT MAGAZINE 3 BY JULIE COLE lthough Heidi Pinno says her ABriercrest years have taught her a lot, she has a word of caution PURSUING for those considering a Christian education. “It can be so easy to come in and feel like just being here will shape you,” she exclaimed. “You can go to classes and read the Word and go to chapel every day, and those things will push you toward the Lord. But if we don’t pursue Christ, it’s like our hearts can become hardened . because we’re not actually listening for the Lord’s voice.” Pursuing God and discerning GOD His voice is something the third year TESOL student says her professor David Catterick has stressed to his students in preparing them to teach IN A CHRISTIAN English around the world. “(He says) ‘This is your professional training, but ultimately in the classroom you’re going to come down to relying ENVIRONMENT on the Holy Spirit,’” she said recalling her professor’s instruction to the class. “’You need to learn what it means to hear the Lord’s voice. You need to learn what it means to know Scripture – to be – poverty stricken places where they “This is your able to discern good and evil.’” wouldn’t get a lot of English teaching,” professional she explained. “I really have a heart for Pinno says the community of training, but Briercrest has helped her to spiritually the poor – potentially India or Southeast stay on track. Asia somewhere. I entered TESOL ultimately in “I feel like on a daily basis you run with the desire and the hope to serve the classroom into different people – people you know overseas eventually for the rest of my you’re going really well or people you haven’t met life. I’m still keeping my ears open for to come down yet – who challenge you in your walk where the Lord might be sending me.” with the Lord,” she explained. “In that As graduation next year draws to relying way it shows you these new depths of closer, and she considers eventually on the Holy the gospel because you see it from so moving overseas, Pinno relishes time Spirit ...” many different angles. with her family who recently moved “The community here is from Vernon, B.C. to Outlook, Sask. phenomenal,” she continued. “I think “I’m thinking for the first couple “[Briercrest] the size is big enough to meet someone of years (after graduation) I’m actually every day that you’ve never met and yet going to stay in Saskatchewan while I gave me a small enough that you feel very much work and pay off my student loans,” she deep desire the community feel and the family feel.” said. “I kind of want to stay in Regina or to continue For her internship, Pinno is going Saskatoon – close enough to come visit to learn and to China this summer.