A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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Through the help and connections of Dr. Franca Valdir, an experienced Brazilian pastor who is now Supervisor of RCA Mission in the Americas, a group of Western Theological Seminary students made an intercultural immersion trip to Brazil this past May.

While visiting Brazil with nine fellow students and two professors I was immersed into one country but two different worlds: the city and the forest. We spent our first five days in the city of Manaus, and the last five days traveling by boat on the Rio Negro (black river) into the Amazon forest.

In the city we met several pastors and leaders of the Presbyterian Church of Manaus (IPM) who spoke passionately about their vision for the church and mission. I found myself wanting to learn more about IPM’s emphasis on discipleship and leadership development. We visited family groups and church plants to hear

testimonies of what God has been doing in their congregations and communities. God is very active with the church in the city.

Before I knew it, we were on the J.J. Mesquita slipping through the water under the night sky. I looked up in amazement at the stars.

When morning came, the clouds were so big it seemed like we could reach out and touch them. I had not known what to expect in the Amazon forest. All of creation expressed God’s glory, and each day ended with a marvelous sunset. It was phenomenal.

We traveled with doctors and dentists from IPM. Every day brought us to a different village as people came down to the boat to receive medical and dental assistance. I loved being able to serve alongside our Brazilian brothers and sisters as we engaged with the ribeirinhos—the people who live in the

The Commons

Two Worlds, One Missionby Smirna Lezcano

Smirna Lezcano

Senior year student, Master of Divinity

Program

Smirna hugs Jemely from the Amazon village of Itacuachara.

FALL 2013

villages by the river. In addition to the medical work, we also made home visits and helped with Vacation Bible School.

During home visits I learned many interesting things about life in the forest as the ribeirinhos told us their stories. They were very welcoming and also wanted to know about us. I saw how IPM intentionally builds relationships as the pastor or leader would ask if there was anything they would like us to pray for, and everyone was open to receiving prayer.

I participated in Vacation Bible School with the missionary teachers. The boys and girls from the villages were very sweet and trusted easily. As soon as we approached them to play, they would hold our hands and not want to let go. The teachers dedicated themselves to sharing the love of God with the children.

IPM integrated theology and mission in the city and the forest in a very impactful way. The Holy Spirit united us to Christ and to each other as one team of different cultures serving God and loving the ribeirinhos. I sensed God calling me to go back to Brazil for my summer internship. Amazingly, God provided the way, and after the 10-day intercultural immersion trip, I returned to spend two months in Brazil.

During the summer I felt like I was living an adventure, learning and experiencing things that challenged, stretched and inspired me. I felt so alive sharing my gifts with others. I preached at the English services, participated in worship and family groups, learned to speak Portuguese (which came quickly because I already speak Spanish), and went on trips to the Amazon River villages. Brazil is a very exotic, wild and loving place. The people in every home I visited took me in as a daughter, sister and friend; I experienced the peace of Christ living with the family of God. As they say in Brazil, “muito legal.” (very cool)

My time in Brazil helped me reflect further on my calling for discipleship and mission. It affirmed my passion for God’s kingdom, people and cultures. It affirmed my gifts for preaching, worship and leadership and my desires for adventure, challenges, building relationships, and caring for others in their walk with the Lord. I am looking forward to seeing where else God is leading me to share his love and proclaim his kingdom. —SL

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thanks to Meghan Vanderlee and Smirna Lezcano for photos

Smirna shares her testimony with the ribeirinhos.

WTS student Dan Unekis plays guitar for the children.

Sunday worship at the Presbyterian Church of Manaus (IPM)

Vacation Bible School

Tim Nelson isn’t shocked at all to be going to seminary with his mom.

“A big part of my younger years involved seeing my mom lead in so many ministry contexts, hearing her share what God had done and continued to do in her marriage, kids, and struggles. She was always a leader in the church and ministry groups,” Tim says. “She inspired me, and now we’re both finally doing it—going to seminary!”

Both Tim and his mother, Judy Nelson, had seminary on their minds for years. Tim first got a taste of it in high school while attending a summer leadership program at Fuller Theological Seminary. Around that same time Judy was in the midst of a special education teaching career, but she began to feel her heart was no longer in it and wondered if God had something else for her.

Tim went on to graduate from Hope College, got married, and took a job in Denver in 2008 as an associate pastor. In 2011 an unexpected teaching opportunity for his wife Allison led them back to Michigan, and Tim became the pastor of discipleship and mission at First Reformed Church in Byron Center.

Meanwhile, an early retirement option came along for Judy, and she snapped it up. She sensed God giving her the go-ahead for seminary, and after researching several options, she landed on Western. A wise pastor counseled her that this needed to be a journey for both her and her husband, Chris.

“We knew if we were living outside the seminary community, it would become a solo journey for me, and we didn’t want that,” explains Judy.

So in November of 2010, Judy and Chris sold their house in Saline, MI, packed up 30 years of marriage, and moved it all into a townhouse in Western’s “Red Bricks” complex.

“It’s crowded but comfortable!” she laughs.“It’s awesome for me,” Tim adds. “I can just pop over

there after class and sit down for a cup of coffee with my parents.”

Judy started classes in January of 2011. After high recommendations from his mom, Tim enrolled at Western and started that fall. Their first class together was Greek.

“It was an immersion,” Judy recalls. “It was nice in the sense that we were in this together.”

The two consider themselves to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders….in happy competition, of course. They often read each other’s papers and give helpful hints and critiques. They are also quick to compliment each other.

“Tim is really good at wrapping his mind around what the professors are saying and forming comments that

are insightful, inspirational, and move the class forward, while I’m still sitting there processing,” Judy says.

“My mom engages with the material at a level I really appreciate,” Tim counters, “And she gets better grades…well, most of the time!”

They enjoy being “processing partners” for each other. Judy brings the perspective of a full-time student living on campus, whereas Tim is part-time, off-campus, and in ministry already. (Earlier this year he became Pastor of Families and Young Adults at Christ Memorial Church.)

“My time at seminary has blossomed into a wonderful, rich experience in many different ways,” Tim says. “And a good part of that is due to my mom.”

Judy will be graduating next spring, and Tim will finish in May of 2015.

As for going to school with mom, perhaps Tim’s three brothers say it best: “Oh! That’s cool.”

“I think they’re jealous,” says Judy.

Mom’s Got ClassImagine attending seminary with your mother...

A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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John BroganDean of Formation for Ministry

Chuck DeGroatAssociate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling; Senior Fellow of the Newbigin House of Studies

Welcome New Professors!

John Brogan comes to Holland after 16 years at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where he served as Dean of Stu-dents and Student Life, taught religion classes, led the Religion Department, and held the Marvin and Jerene DeWitt Professor of Religion endowed chair. Dr. Brogan has also taught at Calvin College, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Reformed Theological Seminary (NC), Meredith College, and Regent College in Vancouver, BC.

After working with undergraduates for over 20 years, John is enjoying being with seminary students of all ages. He says, “See-ing students respond to God’s call at various stages in life is a reminder to me that the process of formation is life-long.”

This leads him to ponder how God is forming him today, preparing him for his new role and responsibilities.

“A beautiful biblical image of God form-ing God’s people is the potter and clay,” he notes. “We are never fully ‘formed’ this side of the resurrection, but God continues to mold us into the image of Christ.”

“The older I am, the stiffer this lump of clay has become (like Play-Doh sitting out too long), but thanks be to God, the water of the Spirit can soften even the hardest lump,” he laughs.

Dr. Brogan earned a doctorate in New Testament and Christian Origins from Duke University, an M.Div. from Bethel Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in Modern Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan. He is a published author and has made numerous scholarly presentations in the field of New Testament textual criticism.

The New Testament vision of the diver-sity and justice of God’s kingdom has led him to an abiding interest in racial reconciliation, social justice, and cross-cultural appreciation.

John loves the church and is excited to help form the next generation of Christian leaders through theological education and ministry experiences.

Kristen Deede JohnsonAssociate Professor of Theology and Christian Formation

Chuck DeGroat is committed to spiritual and emotional formation for the sake of mission. His experience is a fluid combination of pastoral ministry and seminary training for nearly 20 years. He has served several church plants as a teaching pastor and has started two church-based clinical counseling centers. Most recently he was a teaching pastor at City Church San Francisco, where he co-founded the Newbigin House of Studies, an urban missional training center.

“When Western started a partnership with City Church San Francisco to offer an M.Div. program, I saw its commitment to move toward the church, engage new and challenging pastoral realities, and to form the whole person for mission,” says Dr. DeGroat.

As a pastor and therapist experienced in secular, missional contexts, he hopes to contribute to the emotional and spiritual intelligence in WTS students that will allow them to interact with skeptics and saints alike. He wants students to be deeply rooted in their identity as God’s beloved and to engage others from that place.

His academic specialization is in the intersection of psychology and the Bible, represented in his book, Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places (Square Inch) —a paradigm for under-standing counseling, care, mission, and formation. He is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America and holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.

Chuck has been married to Sara for nearly 20 years and has two daughters. Regarding his move to the Midwest, Chuck says, “I’ve been surprised that Hol-land is much more culturally, racially, and socioeconomically diverse than I thought and in many respects more progressive. There is a definite ‘city’ vibe here as a college town, and Holland has a lot going for it, including seasons!”

Before joining the WTS faculty, Kristen Deede Johnson founded and directed the Studies in Ministry Minor and the Center for Ministry Studies at Hope College. These programs upheld theological formation, spiritual growth, cultural engagement, and vocational discernment.

Through her teaching and writing, Dr. Johnson seeks to help Christians become in-creasingly aware of the importance of theo-logical formation and cultural discernment.

She has written Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism: Beyond Tolerance and Difference (Cambridge University Press) and an array of articles and book chapters. She is working on a book about justice.

“Christians always live in a particular time and place, shaped by the cultural habits and practices of their location,” she explains. “That is part of the beauty of the gospel, that it can take root in many different places and times, but it is also what requires that we as disciples be discerning.”

Kristen grew up outside of Washing-ton, DC, with a few years spent in Germany and England. She met her husband Trygve in graduate school at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. They have two young children, Trygve and Ella, and a big dog named Whidbey. They are grateful to be able to serve God at home, work and in the community, and to worship God at Pillar Church in downtown Holland.

Dr. Johnson believes that we are formed most significantly through the worshiping life of our local church.

“Being involved in youth and college ministry is what first prompted me to start asking hard questions about Christian discipleship,” she says. “Being part of Pillar Church today helps to form me as a disciple in communion with other disciples and it helps me to think more richly about the intersection of church, grace, faith, and formation.”

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Benjamin ConnerAssociate Professor of Christian Discipleship

Christopher DornVisiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics

Benjamin Conner has been in youth ministry for over 20 years. Most recently he was Area Director for Young Life in Wil-liamsburg, VA. He has served the church in congregations and through Young Life staff and has taught at Memphis Theologi-cal Seminary (Center for Youth Ministry Training) and Union Presbyterian Seminary.

When Ben first visited Western, he noticed that what was taught in the class-rooms was echoed wherever students gath-ered and was reflected outwardly through the Community Kitchen outreach and in The Bridge, Western’s fair trade store. He was delighted to see the deep friendships between professors. Most of all, he was excited about the Friendship House.

“Friendship House is a theological treasure,” Dr. Conner says. “What could be better for our formation in ministry than to share life with people with disabilities for a couple of years? The lessons we learn about communication, conflict resolution, boundaries, compassion, endurance and the variety of gifts of the Spirit are invaluable.”

He recently published Amplifying Our Witness: Giving Voice to Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities (Eerdmans).

With so many people living with some sort of disability, Dr. Conner speaks pas-sionately, “I don’t want anyone to gradu-ate from WTS without having considered not only how to serve this population, but how to incorporate their gifts and insights into our congregational witness.”

Dr. Conner earned his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in Mission, Ecumenics and History of Religions and his Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary. He enjoys teaching and researching practical theology, youth ministry, discipleship and Christian practices, mission studies, evangelism, disability studies and Christian history.

Ben’s wife, Melissa, works in therapeu-tic horsemanship, and together they have four children.

As a 1999 graduate, returning to Hol-land, MI and to Western Theological Seminary has given Christopher Dorn the opportunity to reconnect with classmates and professors.

“I have experienced real continuity be-tween my time as a student then and my time as a professor now,” he says, reflecting how Western is still a warm community intentional about the practices that maintain it, such as daily worship, community prayer time, and the free-flowing conversations among faculty, staff and students.

Dr. Dorn notes that the curriculum is tighter, more structured, as the seminary has adapted new learning models and teaching techniques. Communication technologies have redrawn the boundaries of the seminary community with the addition of the distance learning students. In the classroom, advanced media presentations demand technical sophis-tication from professors.

“Even though I did not graduate that long ago,” Chris remarks, “this is far removed from what I experienced in the classroom, huddled around a table with our books, three-ring binders and legal pads!”

Dr. Dorn wants his students to learn how to ask the right questions. “The teacher has the challenge of re-describing things in such a way that prompt us to ask whether we really know what we thought we knew,” he says, adding, “I want my students to be lifelong learners, and most importantly, wise.”

Christopher Dorn is a member of the Re-formed Church in America and a candidate for ordained ministry. Recently he served as As-sistant to the Executive Secretary of Theology and Communion at the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in Geneva, Swit-zerland. He serves as a member of the WCRC International Network of Theologians and is a participant in the current round of the Re-formed-Roman Catholic ecumenical dialogue at the international level (2011-2017).

Christopher attended Calvin College, Western Theological Seminary, and Marquette University, from which he received a Ph.D. in Religious Studies.

and Staff!Ben Boss is the interim Metadata and Cataloging Librarian in Beardslee Library, hired to help the library staff during the transition to a new director. He balances his

work at WTS with his role as a librarian at the Grand Rapids Public Library.

Rev. Pam Bush is the interim Associate Director of Discipleship in Journey Center for Learning. She oversees learning communities, develops events focused

on youth ministry, discipleship and multiracial and social justice, and supports the Transition into Ministry Summit. Pam is a 2006 graduate of WTS and was most recently a campus chaplain at Grand Valley State University.

Joe DeWeerd is the Custodian/Maintenance Assistant. He has a background in construction, maintenance and cleaning.

Libby Pearson is an Administrative Assistant supporting the work of the president’s office and business office, as well as the seminary’s chapel program.

Jeanette Schipper is an Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. Jeanette assists the Admissions department, supports the faculty, and serves as receptionist.

Rev. Lindsay Small is Associate Director of the Bast Preaching Program. She oversees the Bast Preaching Festival, Summer Preaching Fellowship and Bast Resident

Preacher Program. She earned her M.Div. from North Park Seminary and has served as a pastor for 12 years.

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Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!We needed to take a new picture of our Advancement and

Communications team the other day. On the left is the smiling but serious picture that we will use for seminary publications. Don’t you feel good trusting your money to people like these?

But on the right you see the way we really are. What can I say? We have a lot of fun together and genuinely enjoy working with each other. Let me tell you a little bit about each member of our team (from left to right).

Andrew Bast is our newest team member and heads east for us—New York and New Jersey all the way down to Florida. Andy brings great energy along with solid RCA bloodlines (his grandfather was Henry Bast). He helps with social media like Facebook and Twitter. Even if you’re not really sure what the point of Facebook or Twitter is, don’t worry—Andy has it covered.

Steve VanderMolen covers Northwest Iowa, Canada and some parts of the West Coast. He joined us a little over a year ago after many years as a pastor in Michigan and Iowa. Steve is our director of church relations and also serves as part of the team that leads Ridder Church Renewal. Steve classes the joint up.

Carla Capotosto is our communications coordinator and creates wonderful information pieces like The Commons. She has a great eye for design and also is a very gifted writer. She is thoughtful, caring and has a knack for getting complicated and difficult projects completed.

LuAnne Van Slooten is our administrative assistant. She has great organizational skills and we’d be wandering around lost without her. I don’t want to say she’s been here a long time, but she started working at WTS in another century (1999 to be exact).

Evonne Wernlund is our assistant administrative assistant. I’m not being redundant. She is a new mother and, as you can tell from the picture, brings joy and enthusiasm to our team. She works hard, is very friendly and has fun everywhere she goes.

Mike LeFebre works mostly in the Midwest – Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, along with some Western states like Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas. He focuses on planned giving, is diligent and faithful, and has been at WTS since 2008. None of us hold the fact that Mike was a basketball star at Holland Christian and Calvin College against him.

Dana Daniels covers central Iowa and Southern Michigan. She is from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and is a graduate of Northwestern Col-lege. She coordinates our work with foundations and is considerate, kind and very thorough. She holds her own nicely amongst all the tall trees she works with.

Finally, there is yours truly. I’m giving it the old Eeyore Stink-Eye look in the picture on the right, which is 180 degrees from the way I feel. I am so grateful to God that he’s blessed WTS with such a fun

and talented team, and grateful to all of you for the generous support you so joyfully share with us.

We believe giving is fun, and we’re having a great time talking with you and working with each other. God loves a cheerful giver and a cheerful Advancement team.

*****************One other note—I wanted to report especially to the alumni the

progress on funding the James I. Cook Endowment in Christianity and Literature. As this is going to print, about $20,000 has been received of the $50,000 matching challenge for this endowment. I am grateful to all who have given and encourage all our alumni to consider a gift to honor the legacy of Jim Cook at WTS. To learn more or give a gift, please visit www.westernsem.edu/cook.

Jeff can be reached at 800-392-8554, x111or advancement@westernsem.edu

Jeff MunroeVice President of Advancement and Communications

FALL 2013

Mixin’ it Up in Advancement“You need us to raise HOW much money?!”

Western Theological Seminary is delighted to offer a beautiful new edition of Dr. Cook’s Shared Pain and Sorrow: Confessions of a Secondary Sufferer. Written after the death of his son Paul at a young age, Jim Cook’s reflections have provided comfort and encouragement to count-less “secondary sufferers.” In this edition, Jean Cook writes an afterword about both the loss of their son and the loss of Jim in 2007. Read an excerpt or order yours for $5.95 (quantity dis-counts available) at www.westernsem.edu/cook or stop in and visit The Sacred Page bookstore.

On to glory...Jacob Van Heest ‘47 b. Grand Rapids, MI 7/25/1922 d. Holland, MI 10/1/2013Calvin ‘44; WTS ‘47Reformed churches served:(1947-51) Alsip, IL(1951-59) Home Acres, Grand Rapids, MI(1959-66) Second, Fulton, IL(1966-75) Fellowship, Hudsonville, MI(1975-87) Overisel, MI

Wayne C. Olson ‘58 b. Gary, IN 10/6/1932 d. Bradfort, VT 7/19/2013Hope ‘55; WTS ‘58; Columbia (EdD)Reformed Churches served:(1958-62) Woodstock, NY(1962-69) First, Jamaica, NY(1969-71) Bethel, Passaic, NJ(1971-73) Brighton Hgts, Staten Is., NYOther service:Pastor, United Church of ChristFounder, Indiana AIDS Pastoral Care Network Instructor of Speech at Butler University and Indiana-Purdue University

Paul Robert de Maagd ‘65 b. Grand Rapids, MI 1/17/1936 d. Holland, MI 7/15/2013MI Tech ‘58, (Civil Eng.); WTS ‘6527 years in construction mgmt., Elzinga & Volkers, Holland, MI

George P. Timberlake ‘69 (ThM) b. Steubensville, OH 12/23/1923 d. Gaithersburg, MD 8/27/2013Kenyon ‘47; Bexley Seabury ‘50; WTS ‘69 (ThM)1950-2008 served ten churches and institutions in six Episcopal dioceses Dean D. Wolbrink ‘69 b. Mobridge, SD 5/4/1943 d. Newport News, VA 6/3/2013U of MN ‘65; WTS ‘69; NY Theological Seminary ‘69 (STM); ‘79 (DMin)Reformed churches served:(1969-80) First, Jamaica, NY(1980-86) Second, Tarringtown, NY(1989-2007) Calvary Ref. Comm, Venice, FLOther service to the church:(1967-98) Reserve Chaplain; US Navy(1980-86) Chaplain, Hospice, WA DC(1990-94) Chaplain, Hospice, SW FL(2007-09) Int., Slackwood PC(USA), Trenton, NJ(2011-12) Univ. Catholic, Phoenix, AZ

Don Jay Bekkering ‘64, ‘72 (MRE) b. Grand Rapids, MI 7/3/1939 d. Zeeland, MI 7/10/2013Hope ‘61; WTS ‘64 & ‘72Reformed Churches served:(1964-66) First, Marion, NY(1966-72) Martin, MI(1972-76) Fair Haven, Jenison, MI(1976-79) First, Grand Haven, MI(1991-2005) First, Zeeland, MIOther service to the church:(1979-91) Director of the Bethel Series

AlumLineRick J. Van Haitsma ‘75 b. Grand Rapids, MI 12/5/1948 d. Scottville, MI 7/23/2013Hope ‘71; WTS ‘75Reformed Churches served:(1975-87) Beechwood, Holland, MI(1987-2013) Mason County, Scottville, MI

Don Gordon Bloemendaal ‘76 b. Alton, IA 6/24/1937 d. Luverne, MN 7/9/2013Northwestern ‘73; WTS ‘76Reformed Churches served:(1976-80) First, Alexander, IA(1980-86) First, Rock Valley, IA(1986-96) American, Luverne, MN(1997-2011) call. pas., First, Sheldon, IA

NewsPaul Swets ’67 has released his fourth book, Live It Up! His previous book is Dreaming Big, dreamingbigbook.com.

In January 2013, George Brown, Jr. ’69 led a retreat for United Methodist clergy from Michigan’s Lansing District, and in February he led two sections of a workshop for Christian educators at the annual gathering of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators in Orlando, FL.

After 19 years of service, Jon Norton ’69 retired 5/5/13 as Regional Synod of New York Executive Minister. Prior to

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A PUBLICATION OF WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Michael EdmondsonIntern, Children’s MinistriesCentral Reformed ChurchGrand Rapids, MI

Eric FolkersYouth DirectorVriesland Reformed ChurchZeeland, MI

Louis FordPastorHope Reformed ChurchMontevideo, MN

Sam GutierrezPastor, The WellUniversity of British Columbia Okanagan Kelowna, British Columbia

Vincent HarrisChurch PlantBronx, NY

Steve HarthornSenior PastorBethany Reformed ChurchKalamazoo, MI

Jim Kast-KeatAssoc. Minister of EducationMiddle Collegiate ChurchNew York, NY

Jeremy KreuzePastorWestend Church (CRC)Grand Rapids, MI

Susan LaClearSenior PastorMaranatha CRCFarmington, NM

James LeadleyDirector of Spiritual LifeLife Learning CommunityAnn Arbor, MI

Calls to the Class of 2013 (M.Div.)

that position, Jon spent 25 years serving three churches in New Jersey and New York. He has been married to Gloria Langstract for 46 years, and they have a son, a daughter, and two grandsons.

The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue has published an article by Dorothy Yoder Nyce ’97 (DMin), “The Female Divine Figure within Several World Religions.” See irdialogue.org/journal (issue #9)

On October 27 Karsten Voskuil ’99, ’02 was installed as the pastor of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, MI.

Eric and Miriam (Ippel) Barnes ’08 announce the birth of their daughter, Greta Carolyn, on May 14, 2013. 8 lbs 4 oz, 21” long.

Illustrating the power of the internet to share a message, Nate Pyle ‘08 experienced the phenomenon of his blog post going viral when he wrote about talking to his son about not objectifying women: natepyle.com/seeing-a-woman/ To date the article has been picked up by several internet sites (Huffington Post, The Good Man Project, The Deseret News), was translated into Russian, and received over 2.3 million pageviews on his website alone.

Andrew LickelCampus MinistryUniversity of Wisconsin Stevens Point, WI

Amy Lunde-WhitlerPastorChristian Union ChurchWest Groton, MA

Deborah McCrearyContract PastorHope Church (RCA)Grand Rapids, MI

Bo MirceaDir. of Children’s MinistriesFirst Presbyterian ChurchJoliet, IL

Kevin NolenEvangelist/Church PlanterEvangelical Presbyterian Ch.Reno, NV

Aaron ‘12 & Elsie PuntCo-PastorsFirst Reformed ChurchSlayton, MN

Tom ReynoldsCong. Support MinisterCommunity of ChristGrand Rapids, MI

Stephen & Olga ShafferCo-PastorsStout Reformed ChurchStout, IA

Nate SchipperYouth DirectorThird Reformed ChurchHolland, MI

Brandon & Stephanie SmithAssociate PastorsFirst Reformed ChurchHolland, MI

Josh Van Der Maatengraduate school plans

Cory Van SlotenPastoral Ministry InternLebanon CRCSioux Center, IA

Mark VellingaProf. of Computer ScienceNorthwestern CollegeOrange City, IA

Jonathan Ytterock InternWellshire Presbyterian Ch.Denver, CO

In search process:Sarah FarkasTraci ParkerAndy RogersJoshua ScheidJewel Willis-Thomas

are vital to ministry formation. Intercultural immersion isn’t the only tool we use for their formation, but it is an important one.

Also in this issue you’ll be introduced to our five new faculty members (including our new Dean of Formation for Ministry). I am delighted with the new faculty and the ways they have already jumped headfirst into life here. Each is a gift of God to our community, and already they are making a formational impact on the lives of our students.

Thank you so much for supporting our students and praying for God’s formation for ministry in their lives.

Grace and Peace,

Fall 2013, Vol. 17, No. 1 Editor and Graphic Designer: Carla Plumert Capotosto Editorial Council: Dr. Carol Bechtel, Rev. Jeff Munroe, Dana Daniels. The Commons is published three times a year for alumni/ae and friends of Western Theological Seminary by the Office of Advancement and Communications, Jeff Munroe, vice president, 101 E. 13th Street, Holland, MI 49423. 616-392-8555; fax 616-392-7717. Reproduction in whole or in part by permission only. advancement@westernsem.edu

I want to tell you how serious we are about ministry formation here. My colleagues and I believe that it’s the heart and soul of a seminary education. Formation is more than just transmitting information. Deep discipleship happens at Western Theological Seminary, both inside and outside the classroom.

On the front of this newsletter you will read an article by a bright young student named Smirna about what she experienced in Brazil. Why do we send

students to far off locales like Brazil, India or Chiapas? It’s because walls come down and the Holy Spirit gets at them in ways that don’t happen when they stay close to home. Again and again we see that crossing cultures forces students to deal with all sorts of core issues that

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