Monday, March 1 - Friday, March 5:
Please pray for our Perspective production team as they work hard to finish compiling the content for the spring issue. Pray particularly for Danielle Yett and Héctor Acero Ferrer as they give leadership to the process, ensuring that all runs according to the timeline. We ask God to give the authors creative minds as they write and encouragement as they participate in this project together.
March is a very busy time for the recruitment team as they work to get all the promotional materials for the summer and fall courses created and sent out to our various student populations. This is particularly urgent for our MA-EL courses because they need to be communicated before the March break when teachers and principals tend to make decisions about the courses they will take in the summer and fall semesters. Pray for energy, inspiration and creativity for the whole team.
Our new Critical Faith series on political life in a “post-2020” world begins this week! CPRSE Postdoctoral Research Associate Andrew Tebbutt and the Critical Faith team have been diligently planning and recording episodes with ICS Senior and Junior Members, and special guests. Episodes are set to be released over the next couple of months, so please pray that everyone involved will have fruitful conversations to share over the course of this series.
Monday, March 8 - Friday, March 12:
The Finance Committee will begin the preparations this month for developing the 2020-2021 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.
We ask for prayers for those involved in this semester's Interdisciplinary Seminar: “Meaning/Being/Knowing.” This is an integral part of the academic work shared by the ICS community. We are thankful for the opportunity for Senior and Junior Members to work together in considering this topic, and we ask for prayer for Senior Members Nik Ansell, Bob Sweetman, and Ron Kuipers as they lead this seminar.
The second school visit as part of the new MA-EL course, How to Finance a Vision, will be on March 11th with Knox Christian School in Bowmanville, ON. This part of the course will consist of an interview of the principal, Paul Marcus, by the course instructor, a virtual guided tour of the school, and a moderated Q&A session with questions from the participants for the principal. Again, we would appreciate prayer for all of the participants and leaders of this learning experience, as well as for Paul and his team at Knox Christian School as they host this visit.
Monday, March 15 - Friday, March 19:
Please pray this week for our Board of Trustees as they meet on Wednesday, March 17. We ask for guidance as they discuss the various matters before them, and wisdom in their decision-making. As this is the time of year when they begin to look forward to the next fiscal year and its budget, we ask God to give them clarity and understanding of the operational needs of ICS as it continues to work out its mission.
We have been receiving applications from students wishing to begin various academic programs in the fall. As Elizabet, our Registrar, sends out admission letters to these students, please pray for them as they discern whether they will make ICS their academic home, and as they plan for their immediate and long term futures. Pray too for our Financial Aid Committee as they meet to discuss scholarships and awards for new and current students.
Please pray this month for Elizabet Aras as she begins the planning process for Convocation 2021, which will likely happen in June if we are able to have an in-person event. This is always a special event for ICS and its graduates and families, so please pray that the pandemic restrictions will be lifted enough to make this possible. This year we will be celebrating two graduates from last year, and two, possibly three, for this year.
Monday, March 22 - Friday, March 26:
The last day of classes for the Winter 2020 semester is fast approaching! Please pray for the students as they work hard to complete their assignments and study for their final papers. We especially want to pray for those students who intend to graduate this year, as well as those who are finalizing their theses or preparing for their defenses.
The third and final expert practitioner panels, part of the new course in the MA-EL program, How to Finance a Vision, will take place on March 25th. This three-part panel includes 1) a discussion led by the course instructor around the question: “How do we tell the story of our school with our budget”; 2) an opportunity for course participants to relate their own experience to the introductory discussion; and 3) a Q & A session dealing with the questions that came up in the second part. In addition to individual MA-EL students attending, the opportunity is also being provided to school teams, and the ICS Leadership Team and several ICS Board members will be one of those teams who will be participating in this unique opportunity. Please pray for Gideon Strauss as he leads this learning event
Monday, March 29 - Wednesday, March 31:
After much planning, writing, and editorial work, the festschrift in honour of emeritus Lambert Zuidervaart is set to be released around the end of this month. Seeking Stillness or The Sound of Wings: Works of Art, Truth, and Society in Honour of Lambert Zuidervaart picks up the central concerns of Lambert’s philosophical work and legacy to see what more can be understood about our world in light of that legacy. We thank God for the gift of Lambert’s career and his years spent at ICS, the studious work of the book’s contributors and editors, and for the culmination of this exciting and long-awaited project.
During the month of March, ICS/CPRSE continues its engagement in multiple partnership efforts aiming to offer academic and public outreach events throughout 2021. Currently, our team is collaborating with Emmanuel College, the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, and the Society of Ricoeur Studies in the planning and execution of a number of conferences. Please pray for the success and fruitfulness of these partnerships.
