Wednesday 28 February 2018

Prayer Letter : March 2018

Thursday, March 1 - Friday, March 2:

  • We ask for your prayers for Senior Member Rebekah Smick over the next few weeks. Rebekah’s mother passed away on Friday, February 23rd. We ask God for grace and comfort in this time of loss and for strength to carry out the many details that have to be seen to at this time.
  • Our new Registrar and Student Services Coordinator, Elizabet Aras, asks for prayer this month. There is a lot to learn in this new position for her at ICS and as always in this kind of situation, being challenged on a regular basis can cause a lot of stress. As well, she has the added concern of having to get her visa extension completed, and while we don’t believe there will be any issues, we ask for prayer for a smooth sailing in the process so that she can stay in both the city and workplace she has come to love. She asks for prayer that she will see this as a learning experience instead of a struggle as she has to learn something new every day. In the midst of the excitement and stimulation she has been looking for, we pray that a spirit of calmness and faith will pervade her working space each day.

Monday, March 5 - Friday, March 9:
  • Please pray this week for our Junior Members as once again they work hard to bring completion to the articles for the winter issue of Perspective they are putting together. Please pray for them as they write, collaborate and edit. It’s sure to be a delight to read!
  • Please pray this month for one of our MA students, Danielle Yett, as she researches and writes for her thesis in the area of imagination, metaphor, and modal aesthetics. Danielle’s working title for her thesis is: Infinite Finitude: A Study of the Imagination in Calvin Seerveld's Modal Aesthetics. We ask for a creative mind for Danielle and productive interactions with her mentor, Rebekah Smick.


Monday, March 12 - Friday, March 16:


  • The Finance Committee will begin the preparations this month for developing the 2018-19 budget proposal for consideration by the Board at its May meeting. Please pray for each member of the committee, our Director of Finance, Harley Dekker and the rest of the Leadership Team as they plan and forecast for the next year.


  • On March 14, ICS/CPRSE will welcome Matt Bernico, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Greenville University, to lead our Scripture, Faith, and Scholarship Seminar. Please pray for Matt and the ICS community as we engage in dialogue about the many ways our Christian faith shapes and influences our scholarly work.


Monday, March 19 - Friday, March 23:


  • Please bring our administrative staff before the Lord for His encouragement and blessing: Elizabet Aras, Kathy Lynch, Vidya Williams, Harley Dekker, and Pat Webb.


  • Preparations for the meeting of the Senate in early May begin this month. We pray for those diligently at work on the materials necessary for this event, noting especially Registrar Elizabet Aras and Academic Dean Bob Sweetman. We pray also for the Senate itself, as it oversees the academic program of ICS, and for Dr. John Kok in particular as he provides leadership as Senate Chair and Chancellor.


  • Since 2016, CPRSE has been actively involved in the SSHRC-funded research collaboration “Faith and Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants and Canada Up for Success.” Building on the research results, CPRSE and partner organizations will launch a community toolkit and webinar series to further faith and settlement partnerships across the country. Please pray for the success of these events and for the communities involved.


Monday, March 26 - Friday, March 30:


  • Let us give thanks to God for one another, ICS supporters in prayer and financially, for the wonderful response to our Advent Appeal. May God bless and keep all of you, in the various ways you serve in our Lord’s vineyard. Pray with us that God will continue to bless the work of the staff and faculty at ICS for his glory.


  • The Second Annual Undergraduate Workshop is planned to take place in two months time (May 24-26). This year's theme is "Life as/of Storytelling" and applications are now open with a final submit date of April 6th. The workshop is an opportunity for undergraduate students to share their research and receive constructive feedback from ICS Senior and Junior Members. Please pray for the workshop’s planning team, our Junior Members who are organising this event, as they receive the first round of applications and inquiries about his event.