Saturday 30 May 2020

An ICS Update from Ron Kuipers

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the June ICS prayer letter! I hope it reaches you in good health, and that you are finding creative ways to cope with the many interruptions and intrusions the global coronavirus pandemic has introduced into our lives. These are busy days for ICS, as we prepared for our annual meeting of ICS’s Board of Trustees (May 28) and Senate (June 15), and making programming and financial plans for the upcoming year. While we are still in the throes of determining the extent of the adverse impact the pandemic has had on ICS’s financial outlook, we remain hopeful and excited about our strategic plans, including the Educational Leadership stream of our MA program, an exciting initiative that enables ICS to help Christian schools in their efforts to become creative centres of deep and transformative learning.

Even in these dark times, we continue to experience moments of blessing and joy, moments that I have learned to call, following the philosopher Richard Kearney, “epiphanies of the everyday.” Today I was reading an essay by the political thinker Hannah Arendt, whose work I am currently teaching, in which she reminds us that each human being, as an unprecedented creature in the world, has the capacity to make small beginnings with unpredictable and boundless effects. “The smallest act in the most limited circumstances,” she says, “bears the seed of the same boundlessness and unpredictability; one deed, one gesture, one word may suffice to change every constellation.” Our unique actions join a wider web of human interaction which none of us control, a daunting and humbling thought, to be sure, but also a hopeful one, especially when we have become so used to thinking that nothing we say or do can have any effect on the world’s course.

In God’s hands, the smallest human act of kindness can flow through this web in wonderful and unexpected ways. We just don’t know how God will use our work and our action, but our faith tells us that he will. ICS is a very small school, relatively speaking, but that has not stopped God from using it to do very great things, even and especially those things we didn’t always plan for or anticipate. And in this spirit, we trust that God will continue to use ICS into the future.

Thank you for joining us on this—now more than 50-year-old—adventure in “beginning,” for backing this daring project in Christian higher education. We remain deeply grateful for your faithful support, for your constant willingness to pray for us and share your gifts as you can, especially in these times of uncertainty. May these gifts, too, be taken up into God’s economy where they can have boundless effect!

I wish you all God’s blessing and peace. Be well!

Ron Kuipers

P.S. Call for Photos! There is currently a retrospective archival project in the works to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ICS Family Conference in 1970! If you attended any of the Family Conferences in the 70s and 80s, and have photos you would be willing to have included in this project (or know someone who does), please scan and send them to us digitally at ics-communications@icscanada.edu along with written permission to publish them from all individuals depicted in the photos. Thanks!
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During this time, if you would like to make a donation, the best way to do this is to go to our “Donate” page on the ICS website and make a donation online through CanadaHelps. If you’re in the U.S., you can similarly make an online donation through the Friends of ICS website.

You can also find the latest, periodically updated information on the steps ICS is taking to work through the current public health challenges on the News section of our website.
As we continue to roll out courses over the summer, we will make announcements and update our website with the latest information. Currently, you can find details about the three of our courses on this page, with more details coming soon! If you have any questions about current or upcoming courses, please contact our Registrar, Elizabet Aras at academic-registrar@icscanada.edu.



Prayer Letter: June 2020

Monday, June 1 - Friday, June 5:

This week, the Summer Online Learning Initiative will continue with Dr. Gideon Strauss’ course: World-Viewing: An Introduction to Worldview Studies. This touchstone course for the ICS Master of Worldview Studies (MWS) program has been re-imagined for its online format as a highly interactive, self-reflective workshop-style course that invites you to explore how we humans make sense of our lives. Please pray for wisdom for Gideon as he leads this course, and for all the participants that they may benefit greatly from the opportunity to reflect deeply on what it means to find their way in the world, and make culture—and to consider their own vocation in accompanying others in their world-viewing, way-finding, and culture-making.

During the Summer months at ICS/CPRSE, we will continue to recruit participants for our Undergraduate Workshop, “Evil, Resistance, and Judgment: Creating a World Fit for Human Habitation.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made this event available in a hybrid format–with an ongoing virtual mentorship component and a closing gathering in the Fall of 2020. Please pray for the planning team, as well as for the workshop participants, as this wonderful initiative gets underway.

This May, we were able to creatively celebrate the convocation of now-alumna Danielle Yett, who completed her MA Philosophy degree this past year. Danielle wrote and defended her thesis on the dynamics of openness and normativity in the writings of ICS emeritus Calvin Seerveld, placing him in conversation with other contemporary thinkers in aesthetics. Her thesis was titled: “Making Sense: An Expansive Study of Imagination, Structural Metaphor, and Aesthetic Normativity with Calvin Seerveld.” Since her arrival at ICS as a Junior Member, Danielle has contributed to the community, dedicating her time, talent, and expertise to enriching our institutional life—which she now continues to do in her capacity as the ICS Communications Coordinator. Please join us as we pray in thanksgiving for Danielle and in wishing her all the best as she celebrates the completion of her MA program.

Monday, June 8 - Friday, June 12:

As we quickly move toward the end of our fiscal year this month, we would ask that you prayerfully consider sending in your financial support if you have not already done so. We are so grateful for the continued and generous giving of our support community and we pray God’s blessing on each one of you.

One of the impacts of COVID-19 has been the disruption to students’ study schedules. As a result, our students have had to apply for extensions to complete their course work. Please pray for these students that they will find the time and space to be able to finish writing their papers in June. Pray also for the faculty as they work on the assessments of the students in their classes, and for Elizabet Aras, our Registrar, as she processes the final reporting to the students.

Please continue to pray for the planning and execution of our new Summer Online Learning Initiative taking place May through August. Please pray for Gideon Strauss as he leads the academic program, for the staff involved in its administration and promotion, and for the faculty and students who will be teaching and taking the courses.

Monday, June 15 - Friday, June 19:

We had a very special event happen in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis -- one of our PhD students, June Moon got married! The name of her partner is Silvere Gangloff and they are truly thankful and blessed that this could happen even in the midst of this unsettling time. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony was held at a church near their home in Wisconsin with less than five people attending. June will be going back to Korea this month to spend her summer time there. Please join us in prayers and blessings for this happy couple that, despite the separation for a time, they will grow in their relationship and journey together.

On Monday, June 15th, the ICS Senate will convene for an all-day meeting by Zoom in three one and half hour slots. Please pray for wisdom and clarity of mind for the Chair and ICS Chancellor, Dr. Aron Reppmann, as he leads the sessions. Please also pray for all the external and internal senators as they consider the range of issues on the agenda concerning ICS’s academic programs. We also want to pray for both Gideon Strauss and Elizabet Aras as there is a lot to oversee during the meeting, particularly the use of the virtual meeting technology. Pray that all will go smoothly so that the meeting can be as productive as possible.

Also starting this week is our third course in our Summer Online Learning Initiative: Faith in Art: Spirituality and Lived Experience with Dr. Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin. This all-online course will explore the various ways in which art can act as a bridge to transcendence and/or a deep articulation of embodied human experience. Please pray for wisdom for Adrienne as she leads this course, and for all the participants that they might benefit greatly from the opportunity to reflect deeply on the intersection of faith and artistic practice to consider especially the ongoing contemporary relevance of these themes.

Monday, June 22 - Friday, June 26:

As the end of the fiscal year is upon us, we ask God for strength, clarity of mind, and encouragement for Harley Dekker, our Director of Finance and Administration. There is much to do at this time of year, such as preparation for the year end financial audit, getting the books in order for the new budget year, and preparing for the start of the academic year in September. We give thanks for Harley’s unflagging dedication to this work.

Please continue to pray for our dear friend, Henk Hart, as he continues to struggle with the effects of the cancer medications that he is on. Please pray that he will find some relief, especially from the way it affects his sleep and mobility. As well, Henk hopes to be well enough to start chemo again in the second half of June, so we pray that God’s grace will pour down on him with strength and healing

Monday, June 29 - Tuesday, June 30:

The month of June has been busy for faculty as they get caught up on their supervising and mentoring responsibilities and begin to prepare for the new academic year in the fall. Pray for the space and energy in their lives to work with the students in this important way.

Pray for the students who have been accepted into programs for this fall, as well as for those who are still undecided. We ask God to bless them with wisdom as they discern this important step in their life, and pray that God will provide the necessary funding for their studies.

Sunday 3 May 2020

An ICS Update from Ron Kuipers

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you safe and well! Spring is definitely in the air here in Toronto, even while residents are being asked to refrain from public gatherings, such as the annual pilgrimage to High Park to witness the marvelous cherry blossoms exploding there this time of year. I don’t know about you, but after over a month of physical distancing measures, I am finding it difficult to embrace the turn into this new season, a time when our thoughts would otherwise bend toward themes of hope and renewal.

This year, my church’s Easter service came in the form of listening to a pre-recorded audio file, followed by live fellowship in the form of a Zoom meeting that over 60 families attended. While the service was meaningful and the digital gathering afterwards quite lovely, the whole experience made me realize how much I miss being able to gather in person. The traditional ritual at our church on Easter Sunday is for each person to approach a cross at the front of the sanctuary that has been covered in wire mesh, and insert a flower into it. By the end of the ritual this ugly symbol of Roman imperial torture is transformed into a sign of the new life we experience in Christ. I missed participating in that ritual this year, even as many of us made sure to have flowers beside or behind us for our Zoom gathering.

Is there a lesson in this strange Easter experience? I’m not sure. It has been hard for me to celebrate resurrection life when every time I turn on the TV I’m greeted by a mounting tally of disease and death, or when I hear terrible stories about people who are unable to be present for their loved ones’ final moments. Yet at the same time, like the flowers slowly yet steadily populating the cross, stories of resilience and hope also begin to percolate all around me. As I walk my dog through my East York neighbourhood, I begin to notice all the chalk messages inscribed on the sidewalk that my neighbours, and not just the children, are sending to each other. Simple yet profound messages of solidarity and encouragement. And I find myself encouraged.

In the midst of this pandemic, ICS is also continuing to look forward in hope. As we are learning how to host meaningful learning experiences from a physical distance, we are discovering that a powerful thoughtful discussion does not necessarily depend on people gathering in the same room. Could this be a way for students interested in ICS, but who for whatever reason cannot relocate to Toronto, to participate in ICS’s programs?

We have resolved to find out the answer to this question by launching what we are calling the “Summer Online Learning Initiative.” Beginning in May, ICS will be advertising a suite of courses that can be taken from anywhere. The initiative will begin with a six-week adaptation of my course on Hannah Arendt: Evil, Resistance, and Judgment: Hannah Arendt and Religious Critique. These courses will serve current program students as well as, hopefully, new students who would otherwise not be able to join us at ICS.

In these and other ways, we are continuing to pursue the educational mission God has entrusted to us, while striving to remain open to the new possibilities that are emerging all around us, like all the tiny flowers in the cross at my church. Thank you for journeying with us, and for all you do to add flowers of your own.

Wishing you all blessing, health, and peace. Be well, my friends!

Important Notice: Over the last two months, our communications via regular mail have been severely limited due to the physical-distancing policies in place across Canada. Given this reality, we ask that you help us get this communication, and others to follow, into the hands of those ICS supporters in your immediate community who rely on regular mail to get information from us. As you are able and comfortable, please share ICS email communications with them, and encourage them to send us along any email addresses at which we can contact them.

To our faithful donors: If you have recently mailed in a donation and have not received a response from us, please don’t worry! We have not had access to our mail for over six weeks due to physical distancing measures at Knox College. However, we are happy to announce that as of Wednesday, April 29th, the mail has resumed delivery to ICS. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience and ask for your continued prayers as we process this backlog as quickly as possible.

During this time, if you would like to make a donation, the best way to do this is to go to our “Donate” page on the ICS website and make a donation online through CanadaHelps. If you’re in the U.S., you can similarly make an online donation through the Friends of ICS website.

You can also find the latest, periodically updated information on the steps ICS is taking to work through the current public health challenges on the News section of our website.

As we continue to roll out courses over the summer, we will make announcements and update our website with the latest information. Currently, you can find details about the Arendt course on this page, with details about more courses coming soon! If you have any questions about current or upcoming courses, please contact our Registrar, Elizabet Aras at academic-registrar@icscanada.edu.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Prayer Letter: May 2020

Friday, May 1:

For many around the world, the beginning of May is joyously celebrated as the height of spring and the promise of new beginnings. In the midst of this continuing public health crisis, may our eyes be open to the many blessings God bestows on us amid the revival of plant and animal life. And let’s pray for God’s grace, strength and the continued health of our ICS staff and faculty as we continue to live through this COVID-19 crisis.

In the theme of new beginnings, we also give thanks with ICS Junior Member Julia de Boer and her husband Sankalp for the birth of their son Theophil John de Boer-Lal on April 30. Mother and baby are both home resting from a long and stressful labour amid both complications and abnormal public health conditions. We ask for prayers for their continued recovery and Julia and Sankalp’s adjustment to a new pace of life as parents. We are overjoyed at the blessing of new life among the ICS community, and look forward to welcoming this new addition in person at the first possible opportunity.

Monday, May 4 - Friday, May 8:

We want to give thanks this week that we are finally able to receive our mail at ICS. Not being able to receive communications from our friends and supporters has made this time of physical distancing even more difficult. But praise God -- the mail has arrived!

We ask for your continued prayers for the Leadership Team as they work toward finalizing the draft budget for approval at the Board meeting at the end of May. This is proving to be a complicated process as it is difficult to assess the impact of COVID-19 on future revenue and expenses. Pray for grace and insight as we endeavour to make the wisest possible stewardship decisions.

Monday, May 11 - Friday, May 15:

On Tuesday, the Summer Online Learning Initiative will begin with a six-week adaptation of Dr. Ron Kuiper’s course on Hannah Arendt: Evil, Resistance, and Judgment: Hannah Arendt and Religious Critique. Dr. Kuipers will be joined by ICS alum and recent University of Toronto graduate, Dr. Andrew Tebbutt, in the presentation of this summer online course which we trust will attract students and alumni from far and wide. Please pray for wisdom for Ron and Andrew as they lead the course, and for all the participants that they may benefit greatly from the opportunity to reflect deeply on the relevance of Arendt's very timely insights for today’s world.

We also ask for your prayers for the planning and execution of our new Summer Online Learning Initiative taking place May through August. Please pray for Gideon Strauss as he leads the academic program, for the staff involved in its administration and promotion, and for the faculty and students who will be teaching and taking the courses.

On Friday evening this week, the ICS community would have been gathering together for our annual Convocation. However, because of the physical distancing measures in place, Convocation 2020 had to be cancelled. We will greatly miss this time of giving thanks to God for sustaining and guiding us in our mission, and for the achievements of our graduating Junior Members. Despite the fact that we cannot gather together to celebrate in our usual way, we pray that we will remember with gratitude the diligence and insights each of our students has demonstrated these past years, and pray for them in the vocations to which they are called.

Monday, May 18 - Friday, May 22:

Please pray this month for our Junior Members as they wrap up their course papers, with some also working on their theses. It is an intensive period, with diligence and focus required. May God grant them clarity of mind and inspiration as they develop their insights in their writing projects.

Please pray this week and next for all the preparations that need to be made by the staff, Leadership Team, and Board members for the upcoming Board meeting at the end of the month. Please also remember to pray for Gideon Strauss and Elizabet Aras as they continue to prepare for the meeting of the Senate in mid-June.

Monday, May 25 - Friday, May 29:

On Thursday, May 28th, the Board of Trustees will meet virtually in two 90 minute sections, before and after lunch. Please pray for grace and wisdom for our Chair, John Joosse, and all our Board members as they deliberate together on the various matters before them during these unpredictable times. Pray also for ease of use of the virtual meeting technology so that the deliberations go smoothly with little or no disruption.

As we come to the last day of May, we want to express our gratitude to our supporters for all the ways you have encouraged us and blessed us during this difficult time.

Thank you for being there for us!