Prayer Letter: September 2016

Thursday, September 1: As per the reminder in our News column on the website, the Board of Trustees is seeking nominations for new Board members. Please ask the Lord to send us the servants we need. And pray also for the meeting of the Board of Trustees this month, on a date yet to be determined.

Friday, September 2: We give thanks to God for sending us Harley Dekker to be our Manager of Finance. Please pray for him as he takes up this vital role, that he will pick up the many matters he will oversee with relative ease and that the on-campus community will surround him with loving support. (Do look at the News item that gives more information about Harley, if you have not already done so.)

Monday, September 5:  Today we observe Labo(u)r Day, in commemoration of the struggle for workers’ rights in the late nineteenth century. Though the significance of this holiday is often overlooked, it should remind us to pray and work for a more just society, in which “labo(u)rers are worthy of their hire”, not only in North America, but globally.

Tuesday, September 6: Today marks the commencement of Orientation Week at ICS. We happily welcome our returning and new Junior Members as they meet with faculty and administration to help chart a course for the academic year. May their conversations be blessed by the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, September 7: We continue to face uncertainties around the lease of our facilities at 229 College, to do with area, expense and length of lease. Please pray with us for a beneficial outcome.

Thursday, September 8:  Today is ICS's Community Fall Retreat. This annual event has traditionally served as a wonderful start to another year of our life together at ICS and we pray that this year will be no exception. We meet once again at St. Andrew’s by the Lake on Toronto Island, a delightful and hospitable venue.

Friday, September 9: You will understand how vital it is to ICS that the sale of the building proceeds expeditiously. This is ultimately in the hands of the Receiver, as we hold a minor share of 229. The Receiver has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the best possible outcome for the many creditors, who have been waiting a long time for redress. We beseech our Lord to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion, for the good of all involved.

Monday, September 12:  The first class of the semester begins today: “Reformational Philosophy” with Bob Sweetman. This is a compulsory foundational course for Junior Members in the MA and PhD programs, drawing on the rich heritage of the tradition that led to the establishment of ICS in 1967. This course is often challenging, as one would expect. Pray for Bob and the Junior Members participating, that they may all grow in love and understanding of the comprehensive call of Jesus to serve him in all areas of life, including the realm of higher education and scholarship more broadly.

Tuesday, September 13:  Courses at ICS address our philosophical and cultural tradition broadly, and specific topics always in depth. Two classes begin today: “Nietzsche, Foucault, and the Genealogical Approach to the History of Philosophy” with Bob Sweetman and “The Aesthetics of Compassion” with Rebekah Smick. We are thankful for the invitation God issues to engage with the breadth of human thought from a biblical perspective.  

Wednesday, September 14:  Our second foundational course, “Biblical Foundations” led by Nik Ansell, nurtures Junior Members in the biblical perspective that we desire to pervade each and every course. Senior Member Emeritus Jim Olthuis -- who just keeps on giving -- leads our Junior Members and others beyond our immediate student body (from the Toronto School of Theology, in particular) in the other course commencing today, “Deconstruction and Hermeneutics”.

Thursday, September 15:  Nik Ansell revels in addressing hard questions in a provocative manner, always rooted in biblical orthodoxy. His course, “Facing the Darkness: The (Human) Nature of Evil”, is no exception (and we hope the same for all our courses, not only Nik’s). “Community, Faith and Judgment: Hannah Arendt and Religious Critique” (Ron Kuipers) is today’s second offering, engaging with significant and pervasive issues and an incisive mind (that of a “secular Jew”) to explore a fundamental conviction of our tradition, the religious rootedness of all intellectual discourse (“criticism” being a matter of digging down to the roots). In this, as in all courses, we pray that God’s voice will be heard, that wisdom will be uncovered in the many voices of creation, especially the voices of those made in the image of God.

Friday, September 16: Junior Member Joonyong Um (PhD candidate in Philosophy of Education) and alumnus Justin Cook (Director of Learning, Ontario Association of Christian Schools) recently conducted a Project Based Learning workshop in Korea. Joonyong served as translator, and reports that “it was a great success, with 150 enthusiastic teachers”. We give praise to God for this opportunity, which we trust will bear much fruit among teachers there.

Monday, September 19:  Three distance education classes begin this week: “Ways of Learning” with Joonyong Um under the supervision of Doug Blomberg,  “Christianity and the Ecological Crisis” with Chris Allers, ABD, and “Vocational Wayfinding” with Gideon Strauss. This course also marks the launch of the Wayfinding concentration in our Master of Worldview Studies.

Tuesday, September 20: The Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics has secured funding for research into how partnerships among faith-based and government-funded settlement organizations can foster better outcomes for newcomers to Canada. Give thanks to God for this provision, and pray that it will bear good fruit. (More detail is provided in our News column on the website.)

Wednesday, September 21: We are continuing our negotiations around the joint development of an MWS in Malawi with Edinburg Theological Seminary, Texas and Marion Medical Missions, Illinois and of an MA in (Educational) Leadership with Redeemer and Tyndale  University Colleges. There are many curricular, personnel and logistical issues to address. Please uphold these discussions in your prayers and ask the Lord to guide all of those involved.

Thursday, September 22: As we pursue our commitment to partner with a kindred higher education institution, we ask you to support our discussions in your prayers. Our heartfelt desire is to see the vision and mission of ICS sustained, and we are open to how the Lord will lead us forward. We believe God has plans to prosper this vision, giving us hope and a future, whatever form this might take. Let us call on the Lord and pray to Him, for He will listen (see Jeremiah 29:11-12).

Friday, September 23: Each year, Junior Members visit our “Library Annex” in Hamilton, where the bulk of our collection is housed. We are very thankful for this cost-saving facility, under the dutiful care of Isabella Guthrie-McNaughton, and for the willingness of St. Stephen on the Mount Anglican Church to host us these past several years. Do pray for Isabella, Manager of Library and Information Services, in her untiring dedication to ensuring the best possible resources and assistance for Junior and Senior Members, and the many who visit the ICS Library, in person and at a distance (through the Institutional Repository and the Faith and Learning Network).

Monday, September 26: Please continue to pray this week for the on-going development of our Wayfinding program which was launched last week with the course Vocational Wayfinding. We have made strong connections with a number of churches and Christian ministries who want to use this program in their adult discipleship or professional development programs. Pray for wisdom as we work out the myriad of details that are part of partnering together in the offering of this type of program.

Tuesday, September 27: We have been undertaking exploratory work in case the need for alternative accommodation arises. Though we hope a move will not be necessary, it is important we are prepared. Please pray for guidance as we investigate various possibilities.

Wednesday, September 28: The Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics is developing a number of further exciting projects. Rebekah Smick is a curator of the “Mystical Landscapes” exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario (Occ 22-Jan 29). A partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival, Imago, Knox Presbyterian and Ryerson University hosts a two-day event entitled “Post-Secular Cinema” in March 2017. And in May, there is a multi-sectoral conference on the theme of religious citizenship in Ottawa. Please pray for Ron Kuipers, Dr. Smick and others involved in the ongoing and naturally complex organisation of these three events.

Thursday, September 29: We offer prayers of thanks for the many people who have presented ICS with gifts of prayer, money and expressions of appreciation these last few months in response to our latest appeal. We are constantly blessed by your interest and support and we pray that God will strengthen our partnership as we work together in the mission field of higher education.

Friday, September 30: Many of our recent graduates have naturally moved into new areas of service. Tricia Van Dyk and Benjamin Groenewold are among them, jointly taking up the position of Professor of Ethics at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Do uphold them, and their children Miriam (9) and Peregrine (5), as they embark on this ministry.

Prayer Letter August 2016

Since August is holiday month for a lot of people, including the folks at ICS, we thought it would be appropriate to lay out our priority concerns needing prayer for this month on the five Mondays of August. Please join with us as we bring these major items before the Lord.

Monday, August 1:
Pray for the work of the Search Committee for a Manager of Finance, which as we announced last month, is necessitated by the departure of Ed Hayley at the end of July. Please pray the Lord will send us just the person we need to fill this vital role and that the committee will have wisdom and discernment as they interview the different candidates. It is critical that we have someone in place before the school year begins September 5th.

Monday, August 8:
Please continue to pray for the negotiations with the Receiver for 229 College concerning the renewal of our lease. The main issue is our decision to reduce the size of our footprint and thus our rental costs, as approved in our budget for this year. Please pray for a way through this that enables us to meet our objectives: primarily, both a quick sale and an affordable lease.

Give thanks with and for Henk Hart, who started working for ICS on this day 50 years ago. His first task was putting stamps on a mailing!

Monday, August 15:
Please pray this week for the development of our Wayfinding program and a successful launch in September. We have made strong connections with several churches and Christian ministries who are interested in partnering with us in a pilot launch of the continuing education option this September. Please pray for the logistical planning and organization that is needed to deliver this program to those who wish to participate.

We also have strong interest from several Christian organizations who see the potential of this program to be a component of their educational programming for staff. Pray for wisdom as we work out those details in the coming months.

Monday, August 22:
Please pray this week for our faculty and administrative staff as they prepare for the beginning of the school year in a couple of weeks. Pray that they will be encouraged, even in the midst of difficult times, by the work that they do. We ask for God’s grace and wisdom as they work together, and for keen discernment in working through the issues facing ICS at this time. And give thanks to God for sending them to serve the Institute’s mission with commitment and dedication.

Monday, August 29:
Next week we welcome our Junior Members, both returning and new. Please pray for all of them as they wrap up their summer projects, academic and otherwise, and settle back into the coming year’s routine. It is a joyous time, as we all start afresh as the ICS community, gathered here in Toronto.

And we do remember also the broader ICS community of supporters and alumni, near and far, which of course includes all who read this. We give thanks to our Lord for you, and for His sustenance in the past and into the future.

Employment Opportunity – Manager of Finance

A tradition of inquiry. A spirit of engagement. The Institute for Christian Studies (ICS) is an accredited, independent graduate school of interdisciplinary philosophy and theology, affiliated with the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto. ICS brings a rich tradition of critical inquiry to the issues shaping our complex world. We are equipping new generations of scholars and leaders to ask the difficult questions and challenge the easy answers. Our Masters and PhD graduates are providing leadership across the globe – in universities, churches and social agencies.

For further information about the Institute for Christian Studies, please visit www.icscanada.edu.

The Position:

ICS is seeking an experienced and organized individual to fill the role of Manager of Finance on a twelve-month contract. This is a 60% of full-time position. Reporting to the President, the Manager of Finance assists in implementing the mission of ICS, with particular responsibility for the financial aspects of the organization.

Areas of Responsibility:

• Working with the Treasurer, prepare the annual budget with input from stakeholders, including preparation of cash flows and multi-year projections
• Supervise work of contract bookkeeper for ICS and Friends of ICS; monitor income and expenses, including payroll; facilitate and supervise annual financial audit
• Prepare regular financial reports for Finance Committee, Board of Trustees and AGM and attend as requested by the President or Board Chair
• Supervise management of investments and restricted funds
• Manage timely and accurate submission of required financial reports, including annual Charity Return (T3010), tax rebate applications, SSHRC grants, etc.
• Manage annual tax reporting for students, staff and faculty – T4s, T2202s, etc.
• Manage financial processes for student tuition, fees and financial awards; serve on Financial Aid Committee
• Prepare staff and faculty contracts, job descriptions and job postings as needed; manage employee benefits program
• Maintain required reporting for changes in Directors, signing authorities etc.;
• Maintain legal documents such as building lease, copier leases, etc.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to ICS mission and readiness to work in a faith-oriented environment
• Appropriate qualifications and experience in finance
• Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word), Google Apps (Gmail, Docs) and QuickBooks.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to take initiative and thrive in a small office environment

Please submit a letter of interest addressed to Dr. Doug Blomberg, President, along with your resume and three references (including contact information) by email to: president@icscanada.edu. All applications are due by 28 July 2016 at 5:00 pm EST.

We thank all applicants in advance; only those invited for interviews will be contacted.

Farewell Ed Hayley, DFA

Ed Hayley, Director of Finance and Administration, has served us expertly for four-and-a-half years. He recently accepted a call to serve as Manager of Finance and Administration at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria BC, and will end his role on July 31. We are very sad indeed to see Ed leave us, but pray wholeheartedly that our Lord will bless him in his new ministry. Not only his competence in the role he is relinquishing, but also his pastoral concern and love for and encouragement to the ICS community, will be sorely missed. Please join us in our prayers for blessings on Ed and Cindy, and fortitude as they address all the challenges and chores such a move entails.

Nominations for Board of Trustees

In November 2016, four vacancies on the Board of Trustees will arise in the following regions: Region 1 (British Columbia and Western United States), Region 3 (the Midwest of the United States and Canada), Region 5 (Southwestern Ontario), and Region 7 (Central Ontario). The Board seeks nominations from among the membership in each of these regions. ICS members in these regions may nominate themselves, or another member with her or his consent. The nomination should consist of two to five paragraphs that include a brief biography of the nominee and the skills or attributes she or he will contribute to the Board. Please email nominations by 5:00 p.m. EST on September 16, 2016 to ICS Board Secretary James van Manen at jamesjvanmanen@gmail.com. Thank you!

Prayer Letter July 2016

Friday, July 1: On this Canada Day, we in Canada offer our thanksgiving to Jesus Christ for his bounteous grace, in this, “our home and native land”. We also pray for fervent commitment to reconciliation between those who were the earliest inhabitants and those who came here more recently, noting most recently refugees from Syria. Our prayer is that justice rolls down on all of us who are neighbours together, in the pursuit of “peace, order and good government”.

Monday, July 4: Today our American supporters celebrate Independence Day, with thanks to God for the blessings that have grown from this over more than two centuries. As in Canada, and many other countries in which colonisation (and slavery) is a large part of our history, we ask for forgiveness for the way we have treated our neighbours and pray for an ever closer bond of love and justice among us all. May Jesus show us the way to honour more faithfully our commitment to love God above all else, and our neighbours as ourselves.

Tuesday, July 5: Faculty meet this morning to review progress in our conversations with potential partner institutions. This is a crucial initiative, mandated by the Board of Trustees. As things unfold, we are confident of maintaining our programs and our Toronto location. The changes that might need to occur are not always easy to contemplate, which is of course the case when we face significant and relatively unknowable events in our personal as well as our institutional lives. Our bottom-line commitment is to sustain the vision and mission of ICS. Please pray with us for our Lord’s guidance and wisdom as we move ahead in dialogue, hopeful all things will work together for good in God’s providence.

Wednesday, July 6: Many of you will have seen on the ICS website our advertisement for a Manager of Finance, necessitated the impending departure of Ed Hayley at the end of this month (see also our prayer request on July 29). Please pray the Lord will send us just the person we need to fill this vital role. And pray also for Ed and his wife Cindy, as they do the myriad things necessary to relocate to Victoria, BC, where Ed will take up a role at Christ Church Cathedral.

Thursday, July 7: As you will have seen in the News announcement, the Board of Trustees is seeking four new regional members. Please do seek the Lord’s wisdom in this if you are an ICS member in BC/Western US, Midwest Canada/US, Southwestern Ontario or Central Ontario. We invite you also to pray for discernment for those in regions where there are vacancies as they consider potential nominees.

Friday, July 8: Arvilla Sipma is halfway through her therapy regime and is handling the treatments well. She covets your continuing prayers.

For some time, we have been in conversation with Dr. John Van Dyk about a Master of Worldview Studies concentration designed for people currently engaged in development work in Malawi (and beyond). These African leaders earnestly desire to build their expertise and formal qualifications; the project will be partially underwritten by Marion Medical Mission, Illinois. There are currently eight applications for admission. ICS has long sought to expand its academic mission into the majority world, and we give thanks to God for bringing us this exciting opportunity to serve and for John’s initiative in this venture. Many of you will know John, a longtime ICS supporter who is now (after retiring from Dordt College), Provost at Edinburg Theological Seminary, Texas. There are many challenges to face as we consider mounting such a program, of course, and we pray for wisdom and the Lord’s guidance as we do so.

Monday, July 11: Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat, for many years Senior Member in Biblical Studies at ICS, today commences her one-week Summer School intensive, “Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire.” We pray for Sylvia as she teaches and for those enrolled in the course, that this be a time of spiritually and intellectually rewarding communal learning.

Tuesday, July 12: Real estate transactions take time. Though we are anticipating the sale of 229 College, as you know, it is prudent for us to have bridging finances in place in case this transaction takes longer than hoped. Please pray that the negotiations around this proceed smoothly and in a timely fashion.

Wednesday, July 13: Doug and Heather Blomberg leave today for Australia, eagerly anticipating a too brief reunion with their children, grandchildren and friends. Other members of our faculty and administrative staff will also be travelling at various times this summer. Please pray for safe and enjoyable trips for all concerned, and that their vacations will bring needed refreshment leading up to the start of the new academic year.

Thursday, July 14: The Receiver for 229 College finally came to us with a lease proposal and a very short time frame – just one month – in which to accept this. There are a number of factors involved. One is that we want to reduce our footprint and thus our rental costs (as budgeted), but he is insisting we keep the current space. He has good reasons to do so, one being that a fully-leased building will attract a buyer more quickly and that we will more than recoup our additional expenses through the subsequent appreciation in the sale price. But this will not work for us. Please pray for a way through this that enables us to meet our objectives: primarily, both a quick sale and a reasonable, economical lease.

Friday, July 15: We are so very grateful for the continued commitment of our supporters and pray God’s abundant blessing on each one. This support means so much to us, especially as we begin the new fiscal year with all its challenges, as explained in the June appeal letter. Pray for sustained grace and strength as we work to achieve the goals set out before us. Pray too for vision and creativity as we move forward with new program initiatives and our partnership development.

Saturday, July 16: Today marks the 50th birthday of alumnus Jon Andreas. Jon has been a faithful supporter over many years, as were his forebears. Despite the fact he is in a California prison, Jon recently celebrated the conferral of the MA degree by Edinburg Theological Seminary, Texas, and also the success of his Comprehensive Examination for the PhD. (Doug Blomberg has been appointed to Jon’s doctoral committee.) Dr. John Van Dyk is Jon’s mentor, as he was at Dordt College. Please do pray for Jon’s well-being as he soldiers on wearing the armour of God, in circumstances one hates even to imagine. He trusts deeply in the reality of God’s forgiveness. May we be among those who visit him in prison, in prayerful solidarity, if not in person.

Monday, July 18: ICS is collaborating with Redeemer University College and Tyndale University College and Seminary to develop an ICS MA in Leadership, initially with a focus on schools but later expanding beyond this context. A Master’s degree enables entry into the Ontario College of Teachers Principal’s Qualification Program, essential for those who are interested in assuming the role of principal. We are currently planning market research to evaluate the level of interest in such a program. We pray Jesus will continue to direct our steps along the pathway of his choosing.

Tuesday, July 19: The Board of Trustees met on June 29 for an update on the sale and lease of the building, the progress of the Wayfinding program, the MA in Leadership and budget implementation. Please pray for all trustees, and particularly for Board officers Ansley Tucker (Chair), John Valk (Vice Chair), James van Manen (Secretary) and Ken Van Wyk (Treasurer).

Wednesday, July 20: It is a month now since the official beginning of Summer, and Junior Members are catching up on their reading, taking Summer jobs, travelling home to visit family and friends and generally just taking time to relax and refresh before classes start once again in September. We ask our Lord to bless them richly, no matter how near or far they may be.

Thursday, July 21: Two months ago today, a number of ICS supporters and others were privileged to gather and celebrate the birthday of Ines Seerveld, a most warm and generous person. As Cal’s life-partner and mother to their children, Ines has been a mainstay in his life for many wonderful years, and we thank God for this relationship and the part she has played and continues to play in their shared ministry, through ICS and in many other venues. Their friend Bea Vandervelde, widow of George (Senior Member in Systematic Theology) was also present. We ask you to uphold these faithful members of the ICS community as they face the challenges common in later life, along with their families, and we give thanks for the people they are.

Friday, July 22: We ask you to remember the Friends of ICS (FICS) as they represent us in the United States and provide essential infrastructure for our financial transactions there. Pray especially for FICS President Morris Greidanus (Acting President at ICS for a time) and Secretary Peter Borgdorff as they provide leadership.

Monday, July 25: Though things are certainly quieter around ICS during summer, with classes in recess and so many people away at one time or another, administrative staff are at their desks on a regular basis, making sure the wheels keep turning. Some of them will take a vacation break here or there, of course; we pray they will be refreshed by this. And we give thanks to God for sending them to serve the Institute’s mission in the diligent manner they do.

Tuesday, July 26: This month we are continuing the development of our Wayfinding program, particularly the work of making connections with churches and Christian ministries who are interested in partnering with us in the continuing education option. There has been strong interest in the use of this program as advanced discipleship training programs in churches and as professional development for campus ministers and teachers. Please pray for the logistical planning and organization for a successful launch in September, and for continued interest and support from potential partners.

Wednesday, July 27: We thank you, our prayerful supporters, for your ongoing commitment to the calling of ICS. As you know, we have taken significant steps to decrease our expenses, and also to increase our earned income. The former has brought with it gracious sacrifices on the part of our staff and faculty. Please uphold each and every one of ICS’s employees as they negotiate this difficult transition.

Thursday, July 28: For several weeks now, Doug Blomberg has been in conversation with Rev. Dr. Tony Kim, Founder and CEO of The Graduate Institute of Christian Philosophy, Baltimore. Kim is a graduate of the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam. He approached ICS with the prospect of gaining support for the further accreditation of GICP degrees, and we are happy to explore this collaboration, remembering as we do with gratitude the importance of our longstanding partnership with the VU on the road to accreditation of our MA and PhD degrees. We ask for a blessing on this venture, if it be God’s will.

Friday, July 29: Ed Hayley, Director of Finance and Administration, has served us expertly for four-and-a-half years. As you will know through other sources by the time this day arrives on your calendar, he has accepted a call to serve as financial officer at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria BC, and this is his last day with us. We are sad to see Ed go, but pray our Lord will bless him in his new ministry. Not only his competence in the role he is leaving, but also his pastoral concern and love for and encouragement to the ICS community, will be sorely missed. Please join us in our prayers for blessings on Ed and Cindy.