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In This Issue: Building Cultural Bridges through Song (pg. 4) | Celebration of Service (pg. 7) | Alumni (pg. 10)

Volume 69, Special Issue • Fall 2012

The Advance is a publication for alumni, donors, and friends

of Trinity Lutheran College.

2802 Wetmore Ave. Everett, WA 98201

1.800.843.5659

www.tlc.edu

Service learning: There’s no way around itFeeding the hungry. Coaching soccer. Tutoring junior highers. Helping a non-native speaker navigate the English language. Leading a teen Bible study. Trinity students have pretty much done it all.

And, there’s pretty much no way around it: Students are required to take two semesters of a service learning course, in addition to various volunteering, service learning, or internship opportunities within their chosen major or extra curricular activities.

Celebrating Trinity’s legacy of serviceThis edition of the Advance gives sole attention to Trinity/LBI’s legacy of service.

Enjoy stories of our current students and their involvement in service learning and practical experiences, as well as alumni whose current vocations were shaped in part by their service experiences while a student.

Finally, read about individuals honored at the 2012 Celebration of Service event for their lifelong commitment to service, justice, and living out their vocational calling.

Service Learning Practicum

Called “deputations” during the early days of the Lutheran Bible Institute and, later, LBI (then Trinity) Student Ministries, stu-dents have long been acquainted with the role of service as part of a Trinity education. For the past decade, Service Learning Practicum (SLP) has been the course embedded within the core curriculum required of all stu-dents—alongside classes in biblical studies, theology, and vocational and spiritual formation.

SLP requires 3-5 hours of service per week in a local organization, church, or school. Approximately 60 students participated during the 2011-12 academic year,

accumulating nearly 3,500 hours of service in the community.

Examples of students’ volunteer service last year include:

• leading high school ministries at Bethel Baptist Church

• interacting with children at the Grandview Homes Family Resource Center

• tutoring students at North Middle School

• coaching soccer teams through Legacy Football Club

• providing meaningful activi-ties for teens at The Spot, an afterschool teen drop-in center

• working in Trinity’s rooftop garden

Men’s soccer team members planted flowers as part of an Everett city-wide beautification project in 2010. (Submitted photo)

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Students also participate in a course, held several times each semester, to spend time reflecting on their service experience and to share stories with others. The fall semester course focuses on Christian servanthood modeled by Jesus and servant leadership, while the spring semester class explores the role of service learn-ing in exploring vocation and God’s call.

Service learning across the curriculum

Beyond students’ participation in SLP, most participate in some type of service learning experience while taking courses within their major.

For example, junior Dasha Moore volunteered with the Interfaith Family Shelter several hours a week for the Intercultural Studies Practicum course. Soon after she began, she was presented with an idea that could use her leader-ship: involving shelter residents (including children) in painting two chairs for a benefit auction. “This project gave me a chance to integrate my love of art with my practicum,” she said. The chairs were later auctioned through the Chairs for Charity program to pro-vide modest loans to low-income residents moving into apartments from transitional housing.

Adan Casas, a senior in Communications, organized a food drive last November as a project for the Persuasive Messages and Campaigns class. The course analyzed how written, oral, and digital messages can be used to persuade individuals or groups to action. Casas’ food drive involved a number of other stu-dents who first canvassed several North Everett neighborhoods with flyers, returning a few days later to collect donations for the local

Volunteers of America food bank just prior to Thanksgiving. “Adan’s project is a perfect example of service learning,” said Dr. David Schulz, Professor & Chair of Communications, who taught the course. “He applied what we were learning in class to the community.”

Through her Children, Youth & Family Studies Practicum course, junior Kathryn Schaefer evaluated summer camp curriculum for the Everett Y (formerly the YMCA) to provide clearer learning objec-tives and to offer programming suggestions to align with program goals. The opportunity utilized her extensive outdoor ministry experi-ence and provided a chance to apply learning in lesson planning and program development. In the same class, junior Kimberlie Hanes worked with TeamChild, an advo-cacy group seeking reform within the juvenile justice system. She read case studies and researched

policies concerning public school discipline to help the organization identify public policy priorities for its work in Washington state.

In the end, these service learning experiences are not meant to simply fill time or make for a great resume. Instead, they are utilized as significant learning opportuni-ties for students to combine classroom-based learning with practical experiences, creating a win-win situation for both stu-dents (in terms of their learning) and the community.

Story by Mark Jackson. In addition to serving as Professor & Chair of Children, Youth & Family Studies, he is Director of the Center for Com-munity Engagement, overseeing the Service Learning Practicum program and cultivating partnerships between the college and the surrounding com-munity.

As part of the Intercultural Studies practicum course, Dasha Moore worked with children at the Interfaith Family Shelter to paint chairs for a benefit auction. (Submitted photo)

Building Cultural Bridges through SongSenior completes music internship in Pakistan’s Sindh province

A fi rst-person account by Timothy Olson (’12)

“The fi rst time I heard you sing in my language, I got tears in my eyes. It meant so much that you would take the time to learn our songs.”

I had just completed a four-month internship in Pakistan, and these words were spoken by a local pastor’s wife at a farewell dinner held in my honor. What she said confi rmed something I had been learning for the past three years: that, contrary to popular opinion, music is not a universal language. Every culture has its own instruments, scales, and rhythms, which must be studied just as one would study a language. This can be a challenging process, but it is well worth the eff ort, for music can be a window to the soul and is one of the most eff ective ways of building bridges between cultures. The arts shape society. As the Pakistani poet Iqbal once wrote, “Nations are born in the hearts of poets; they prosper and die in the hands of politicians.”

I transferred to Trinity in fall 2009 to pursue a major in Music. It was during my fi rst year in Everett that I began to discern a calling to ethnomusicology, the study of music in culture. I took a Global Music course during January Term, and through it became aware of how vast and interesting the fi eld can be. Though Trinity’s music program does not have a specifi c emphasis in world music, my professors were more than willing to accommodate my special interest in the subject and allowed me to shape some of my classes in this direction. Best of all, my fi nal semester consisted of a four-month internship in Pakistan, which allowed me to apply what I had learned in a real-life context.

A long-time missionary and family friend invited me to stay with his family in Sindh province and work with him at a ministry which pro-duces music and other resources in the languages of the minority Hindu people. I spent a signifi cant portion of my time in the studio, mixing and mastering songs, and learned a great deal in the process—not only about music production, but also about the culture of the region. I also got to take in a wide variety of cultural events and learn from incredibly experienced mentors.

Photo 1: Timothy Olson dons a shalwar kameez, the tradi-tional Pakistani dress.

Photo 2: Editing vocal parts for a new recording in the Sindhi language.

Photo 3: Performing a song in Gujrati with an ensemble of local musicians.

Photos submitt ed by Timothy Olson.

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Student Spotlight: Rey Miranda

Rey Miranda, a 2012 graduate in Business, Leadership & Management, was one of the first players on the new men’s soccer team and served the past year as Associated Student Body Vice President. In May, he was selected by President John Reed for the Promising

Leader Award, given to a graduating senior who exemplifies the college’s mission and demonstrates potential for future leadership and service.

Advance: What did you appreciate about Trinity’s focus on service as part of your overall education?

RM: I believe it helped me grow as a human being and as a Christian. My goal was to come to Trinity, get my degree, and play soccer. As I began doing service learning projects, I learned the true value of service. The experience at Trinity surpassed my expectations because of the service learning program.

Advance: Which service learning experience was most meaningful to you? What made it so?

RM: The one project that had a great impact on me was the Thanksgiving food drive organized by players on the soccer team my first year. We went out and collected hundreds of pounds of food that people had donated. What made this experience meaningful was actually going to deliver food to those needy families. That is where the reward came. People were so thankful for those boxes of food for their Thanksgiving dinner. I remember one family in particular: a single mother with a child of about 12 years. The mother was sick and could barely afford to pay her bills. The child was so happy to receive these boxes of food that he even jumped up and down a couple of times. I could really see how much they both appreciated this gift.

Advance: What lasting impact do you think these experiences will have on your life?

RM: My parents have always taught me about helping others with their words and have always been a great example to follow. My experience at Trinity has connected my parent’s teachings with the mission of God and the Church—and (in a way) has “tied a bow” on this aspect of my life. Now that I realize how important it is to serve and why, I’m on a new adventure to find what I can do to serve others with all of my gifts and put it all to work.

In Pakistan, I was blessed by warm-hearted hospital-ity and extreme generosity. I was shown grace in moments when I unwittingly broke cultural norms and was met with understanding in my feeble at-tempts to speak the language. My taste-buds were satisfied by the offerings of gifted culinary artists, and my ears delighted in the sounds of tabla and harmonium. I attended all-night musical programs under the stars, learned to dance at tribal weddings, and established deep and lasting friendships.

In my mind, Pakistan ranks as one of the most inter-esting places on Earth. It is a nation of contradictions and extremes, often misrepresented by international media which tends to focus only on its problems. It is a place where camels and Suzukis vie for road space, and ancient rituals take their place alongside televisions and cellphones. Snow-capped mountains in the north stand juxtaposed against the fertile plains and arid deserts of the south. Religious extremists and progressive feminists compete to be heard in the halls of Parliament, while the call to prayer, heard five-times daily, brings order and regularity to an otherwise relaxed existence.

Pakistan brought me to life in a whole new way, and my time there confirmed to me that the vocation I am pursuing is the right one. When you learn a new musical language, you become a part of the culture that invented it in a way that would be impossible otherwise. I have experienced this and know for certain that this is my vocation—to build bridges through song. I am thankful for everything I learned in Pakistan and for Trinity’s flexibility in allowing me to do my internship overseas. The things I learned there will stick with me for a lifetime.

What’s next? This fall, I will begin a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology through Liberty University, and in years to come I will be seeking work in an overseas context. As a recent Trinity graduate, I am excited to join the ranks of the many other alumni of this school who are serving God in various capacities around the world. And, finally, I ask you to pray for me as I continue to seek God’s leading.

For more information about the Music program, visit www.tlc.edu/music.

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When nationally renowned choral con-ductor Weston Noble stepped to the podium after accepting Trinity’s inaugural Vocatio Award at the Celebration of Service banquet in April, he gave the gave the college a warm endorsement.

“I’ve spent the last few days seeing your campus, meeting students, talking with fac-ulty, and rehearsing the festival chorus, and I can say with conviction that Trinity is the real deal,” Noble said.

These words come from a spirited 89-year old Lutheran choral conductor who has spent his life in service to others, living out his vocation of music and the spirituality of conducting.

“God has seen that I would be privileged to work for more than 60 years feeding the spirit side of people,” said Noble, best known for his 57-year tenure as conductor of Luther College’s Nordic Choir.

The annual banquet, created to honor individuals who have achieved recognizable levels of service to others, celebrates the coming together of academic learning with a deep heart for the needs of God’s world. The 2012 event was held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, WA.

Continued on page 8.

Celebration of ServiceTrinity honors four role models of servant leadership

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Celebration of Service, continued from page 6.

In addition to Noble, the Rev. Ruben Duran (’79) received the Alumni Service Award for his tireless efforts in developing new churches and his commitment to justice. Business entrepreneurs John and Eleanor Yackel were given the Kairos Award for their humble, yet remarkable, efforts in promoting peace and justice in multiple aspects of their lives. (See honoree profiles on page 9.)

Each recipient demonstrates a life of service fueled by a deep, abiding faith in God. For Noble, it’s music that speaks so deeply to his spirit. Those in attendance couldn’t miss the deep intercon-nection between Noble’s vocation (choral conducting) and his faith in Christ.

“The great Robert Shaw always said, ‘Music is the voice of the spirit.’ People, I’m here to tell you this is true. Music is the most wonderful, universal thing in the world. It’s what I’ve done, and it’s what I love,” Noble said.

With inspiring words like these, along with hearty endorsements of Trinity by the recipients, the eve-ning illustrated the important role Trinity plays in helping students discern their sense of vocation and call through service. Attendees were given the opportunity to support the college’s continued emphasis on servant leadership, and $45,000 was raised.

Story by Annemarie Russell.

Festival chorus pairs students with world-class conductorAs part of the Celebration of Service events, Weston Noble conducted in a 50-voice festival chorus comprised of college students, staff, alumni, and community members. The concert was held April 21 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, WA, with Trinity faculty Stephen Marshall-Ward and Michael Miller also conducting pieces.

The program included Jeffery Ames’ “In Remembrance,” Roger Emerson’s “Set Down Servant,” and Gilbert Martin’s arrangement of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” one of Noble’s signature pieces.

“Working with Weston Noble was a musically inspiring experience that ultimately brought about spiritual transformation in all of us,” said Marshall-Ward, chair of the Music & Worship program.

The concert and an earlier masterclass gave Trinity students the op-portunity to engage with a world-renowned conductor. “Singing under Weston Noble was life-changing for me, because he had an infectious spirit that breathed joy into the ensemble as he conducted,” said Evan Albright, one of the 22 students in the choir.

The affection was evidently mutual: “I am the newest fan of the music department at Trinity Lutheran College! You have something very special happening here!,” Noble said.

A number of participants were Noble’s former students from Luther College. Grant Trask, a former member of the Nordic Choir, flew to Everett for the sole purpose of participating in the festival chorus. He was thrilled at the opportunity to sing once again with a conductor who brought such a sense of God’s love and spirit to the music and the rehearsals.

“Warm and personable, with humor and anecdote, unfailing patience and kindness, Noble is a humble man who is small in stature but has a big heart. He is someone who early found the gift given by God and has used it to tremendous effect,” Trask said.

Story by Annemarie Russell and Mark Jackson.

Weston Noble rehearses the 50-voice Celebration of Service choir at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, WA. (Photo by Sam Ryden)

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Alumni Service Award: Ruben Duran

The Rev. Ruben Duran, a 1979 graduate of Trinity/LBI, received the 2012 Alumni Service Award, which recog-nizes “one of its own” for exemplary servant leadership on behalf of all God’s people.

Duran currently serves as Director for Development of New Congregations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA). His life and ministry boldly embody Jesus’ great commission to “make disciples of all nations” by encouraging the ELCA to reflect the rainbow of colors in our diverse society.

In accepting the award, Duran spoke at length about the ways his education at Trinity prepared him for his life of ministry. “LBI gave me an evangelical posture with an eye for justice,” he said. “To be a good Lutheran, the Bible is very clear about professing the gospel and being committed to justice every day.”

In addition to nudging him toward issues of social justice, Duran also said his time at Trinity/LBI deepened his faith. “At LBI I learned that God put a comma after my name. I was no longer just ‘Ruben.’ I was ‘Ruben, child of God,’” he said, noting this sense of God’s call and presence has been significant in throughout his life and ministry.

Kairos Award: John and Eleanor Yackel

John and Eleanor Yackel were recipients of the 2012 Kairos Award, established to recognize lives committed to and actively seeking God’s justice and mercy in the world.

The Yackels live the prophet Micah’s call to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” Their commitment to service is exemplified in the company John co-founded, American Guidance Service, which publishes educational materials for students with special needs, and by Eleanor’s service working to promote justice and peace.

Through the Yackel Foundation, they fund programs that “promote peace and justice through cross-cultural education and conflict resolution,” as well as programs promoting sustainable agriculture.

In accepting the award, Eleanor Yackel described her delight in being part of the Celebration of Service, because of the way it brings together leadership with an emphasis on social justice.

“God has been calling people to acts of justice throughout the centuries,” she said, noting that justice is embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. “Jesus was a person who lived his life for nonviolence and justice. ‘Love your enemies,’ he said. This is also what we are doing with our lives—following that same call in caring for those around us,” Yackel said.

Vocatio Award: Weston Noble

Weston Noble was the recipient of the inaugural Vocatio Award for a lifetime of service through vocation. Through a 57-year tenure as conductor of the Nordic Choir at Luther College, Noble’s vocation has led him to the heights of sacred choral music directing in concert halls in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Moscow, and Vienna.

He has also guest directed over 950 music festivals, has received the St. Olav Medal from King Harald of Norway, and was honored with the Robert Lawson Citation from the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He’s the only non-Mormon to have received the LDS Distinguished Service Award and is the namesake for the ACDA’s honor for lifetime achievement in choral conducting.

In addition to receiving the Vocation Award, Noble conducted a choral concert following the banquet (see accompanying story). The evening prior, he led a masterclass on the spirituality of choral music.

Through his rehearsals and teaching, Noble’s passion for spiritual music was evident. Instead of focusing on technical aspects of music, he focused on the imagination that can be found in music, inspiring singers with a sacred text’s meaning.

“The text tells us God’s answers. God’s light is in the very words we sing,” Noble told the masterclass. Through his life of service to the spirituality of choral conducting, Noble has helped bring God’s light to thousands of musicians all around the world.

Profiles by Annemarie Russell. Photos by Anne Reinisch and Sam Ryden.

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God’s HandiworkFor many grads, service and mission experiences are brushstrokes in God’s grand design

Refl ections by Linda Kent (’81)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to devote ourselves to the good deeds for which God has designed us. – Ephesians 2:10 (NEB)

It seems that everywhere I look lately, I see God in the details. It stuns me. Not a stroke is wasted in the painting God uniquely creates in each of our

lives. In alumni relations, we often get in on those details, those unfolding stories, those in-process works of God’s hand, as well as how God has used Trinity to do some of the painting. As part of the Inspiration Initiative, in which we endeavor to mutu-ally encourage each other with our life stories, we share a few vignett es of our alumni, highlighting how their service and ministry experiences while students have impacted their life’s stories further on.

In refl ecting on her Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI) experience, Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud (’82) says, “The ministries at LBI coaxed me out of my introverted shell and made me see that I had God-given gifts that were meant to be shared.” As a Drama Team member, Ruth found the message of Jesus’ love worth a few moments of sheer terror. “Once we got past the stage fright we realized that it was not about us. It was about the Gospel. It’s not about me, it’s about the message.” Just as Ruth shared stories through drama,

part of God’s life-painting today is sharing her gift of story with children. Ruth began off ering children’s sermons at age 8 and has since authored several dynamic “kidsermons books,” available in print and online. Storytelling evidently runs in Ruth’s genes: Her mother, Marlice Gilmore (’96), is a storyteller through her church’s puppet ministry with children.

Like Ruth, the roots of ministry for Elizabeth (Swayze) Markus (’81) began at an early age when she encoun-tered mental illnesses in the lives of friends and family. It was through her two-year LBI Student Ministries experience at Agape Outreach, a home for women with emotional and psychological needs led by alumni Pat Dennis (’76) and Marj Oines (’76), where she felt her gift for being with such individuals emerge, learning what it meant to be a “wounded healer.” Befriending those women “sealed the deal” that Elizabeth would eventually complete her graduate degree in commu-nity psychology. Today, persons “undercover” in their struggles, as well as persons marginalized in society, seek her out where they fi nd not only a compassionate ear, but a compassionate heart.

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Keith Marshall’s (’02) experience was no less strik-ing. As a freshman, his Trinity Student Ministries assignment was with Echo Glen Juvenile Detention facility. Later, Keith and others had regular visits to the Multi-Faith AIDS Project housing, where he vividly remembers what it was like to clean the room of an AIDS patient after they passed away. These brushstrokes have been foundational to Keith’s current service as a youth minister in Lakewood, WA, as well as his future vocation as a parish pastor (he’s now in a seminary program) where he will share his understanding, genuine care, and gifts with others.

Kevin Kraff t (’81), a physiatrist (a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician) in Idaho, spent two years on the Monroe Prison Ministry Team hang-ing out with inmates. Their meetings were called “Yokefellows”—a living out of bearing one another’s burdens. He recalls that roles were often reversed, fi nding that the inmates were ministering to them, the students. Today, Kevin continues to share in the captive pain of others in the name of Christ by build-ing on a foundation of trust, acceptance, and deep care for his patients—just as he did with the prisoners at Monroe.

“Trinity has had the biggest impact on my life,” says Lori Cavender (’09). As a mother of two young children, Lori returned to school to complete her Children, Youth, and Family Studies degree. For her senior project, she teamed up with another student to create Ryan’s House For Youth, a shelter and resource center for homeless teens on Washington’s Whidbey Island. The project became a reality and today

Lori serves as the founder and executive director. Professor Mark Jackson has been a “huge resource and example” to her, even post-graduation, and this fall a CYFS senior intern will join Lori’s budding organization. What’s more, her teenage daughter (who grew up surrounded by the Trinity community) already knows that Trinity will be the home of her college experience. Lori’s painting holds layers and layers of God-initiated details, because of Trinity’s infl uence through service learning experiences.

It’s interesting that in each of these alumni stories, there’s a powerful brushstroke of compassion for others. The opportunity to serve others while a student at Trinity/LBI has been, and continues to be, a tremendous instrument of change that impacts the life-long stories of alumni and those they serve.

What does your canvas look like? Step back. Take a look. Although still a work in progress, see the beauty God has fashioned by its many varied brush-strokes—strokes of joy as well as pain. Recall, refl ect, and see the details, as well as the larger view of God’s handiwork, and share your painting with others.

Linda Kent (’81) joined Trinity as Alumni Relations Coordinator in July 2012. She is also pursuing her B.A. in Biblical Studies, returning 30 years after she completed her associate’s degree here.

Alumni: Send your own stories of the impact of Trinity/LBI’s service learning programs on your life to alumni@tlc.edu. Acrylic painting (page background) by Jennifer Sluke (‘06).

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2802 Wetmore Ave.Everett, WA 98201

ADVANCEADVANCEADVANCESpecial Edition 2012

At spring semester’s closing celebration for Service Learning Practicum, three students were honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for their service to local organizations. The award is given by Trinity on behalf

of the White House and the President’s Council on Service and Community Engagement.

Jackie Afualo was recognized for her stellar work with First Tee, a nonprofi t organization that uses the sport of golf to teach life skills and character development. Afualo is on Trinity’s golf team and is interested in coaching golf in the future.

Elizabeth Vandermeer was honored for completing 278 hours of volunteer service in the past academic year as a youth ministry volunteer at Bethel Baptist Church in Everett .

Finally, Stephanie Carlson was recognized for com-pleting 216 hours with Mill Creek Foursquare Church in Mill Creek, where she’s an assistant program director for the Kids on a Mission program. The

weekly gathering of 2nd-6th graders focuses on both local community service and global outreach.

The students received a personalized certifi cate and congratulatory lett er from President Barack Obama.

Jackie Afualo (far left) with four participants from The First Tee of North Puget Sound, the site of her Service Learning Practicum. (Submitt ed photo)

Students honored for volunteer service