Matt Brouwerreleases new

CD 7

Scholarship honors Prairie

martyrs6

First of allwe had tod e t e r m i n ewhat was“ re a s o n a b l e ”for Prairie.What is a re a-s o n a b l enumber ofp rograms fora Bible Col-lege of 400 -500 students?What arethose pro-grams andhow shouldthey beg rouped if ourpurpose is toenable theBody of Christto reach the

world with the Gospel of Christ?What is a reasonable line-up of pro-grams that will offer students ac redible educational experience?

p u r p o s es t a t e m e n t ,h o w e v e r, isonly theb e g i n n i n g .The next stepis to shapeoperations sothat the pur-pose canbecome are a l i t y. Thishas been avery excitingp rocess forme. Over thelast sixmonths thefaculty andthe Board ofD i r e c t o r shave joinedme in prayingfor direction, reviewing curre n tp rograms, and recasting our courseo fferings in order to fulfill Prairie’sm i s s i o n .

Amber Edgar and Erika Stokland. Sent out by thelocal Alliance church they are serving under the

d i rection of Y WA MThailand to pro v i d epractical assistanceand rebuild homesand communities inh a rd-hit areas ofsouthern Thailand.

D a r rel Davis(BC‘71), serving withWo r l d Team inSingapore, traveled tonorthern Indonesia inJanuary to offer finan-cial aide and assessthe needs in order toput together a medicaland developmentteam to return in the

coming months. “I was blessed by the vision, wis-dom and commitment of the Indonesians,” recallsDarrel. “They are definitely in it for the long haul.The stories of the survivors were heart-rending. Italked with a young teacher whose wife was anordained pastor. They had taken a meeting onChristmas Day and were traveling to anotherchurch the next morning to lead worship when thetsunami hit. As the waters crashed into them, his wife

THE PRAIRIE HARVESTERBox 4000, Three Hills, AlbertaCanada TOM2NOPrinted in Canada

Return Service Requested

WINTER 2005

he day after Christmas, tragedy of nearglobal proportions was unleashed whenan underwater

earthquake west ofSumatra sent massivewaves hurtling towardtourist resorts andocean-side villagesthroughout the Bay ofBengal and the IndianOcean. Giant walls ofwater left almost totald e s t ruction in theirwake in the elevencountries whose shoresthey touched.

As millions were lefti n j u red or destitute,h o w e v e r, grieving theloss of loved ones,homes and livelihood, another flood was released,one of generosity and compassion. Prairie alumniin many countries have become part of the out-pouring of help flowing in from around the world.Included in a team of young people from the ThreeHills and surrounding area are Jessica Richards(HS‘98), David Richards (HS‘04), Jon Hunt(HS‘01), and Joel McFadden (HS u‘02) as well ascurrent Prairie Bible College students Carla Sharp,

Friday - April 22 @ 7:15 p.m.EVENING OF CELEBRATION

With Class of ‘55 Regraduation 2005Distinguished Alumni

Saturday - April 23 PRAIRIE BIBLE COLLEGE

Baccalaureate @ 10:00 a.m.Commencement @ 2:15 p.m.

June 21ANNUAL PRAIRIE

GOLF TOURNAMENT 2005

July 7-10QUEST CONFERENCE

(AGES 55+)

July 14-August 11VOLLEYBALL & BASKETBALL

CAMPSinfo:pbcathletics@prairie.edu

July 22-23REUNION WEEKEND

CLASSES OF 65, 75, 80, 85 & 95

October 13-15MISSION 2005

Mark Your Calendar!

ince my coming to Prairiein 2003 we as a team havebeen working on a strategic

plan for the future of the BibleCollege. Last year we articulatedour vision in a statement thatdefined Prairie’s purpose as:“Enabling the Body of Christ toreach the world with the Gospel ofC h r i s t . ”

I am thankful for the alumni andfriends who contributed to theshaping of that statement. Morethan anything I am grateful forGod’s wisdom and dire c t i o nt h roughout this process. Creating a

EXCITING NEW PROGRAMS AT PBC

1516205

Dr. Jon Ohlhauser: “I am excited about a program that reaffirms the historic values

upon which Prairie was founded.”

S

N E W S & I N F O R M A T I O N F O R T H E P R A I R I E F A M I L Y

PRAIRIE HARVESTE R

Prairie Alumni Aid in Tsunami Relief Effort s

Wrestling with these issues tookus through a process that re s u l t e din a reduction of the number of pro-grams from 39 to 14 with core studya reas in Ministry, Wo r s h i p ,I n t e rcultural Missions andT h e o l o g y. Additional pro g r a m sexist in Outdoor Leadership, SportMinistry and Christian Studies andstudents can earn one-year certifi-cates in Bible or Wilderness andI n t e rcultural Leadership, or a 2-yearAssociate of Arts degree in Bible.We are presently working toward sc reating a separate educational divi-sion called the Prairie School ofMission Aviation that will house thec u r rent aviation pro g r a m .

The core re q u i rements for eachBible college degree have now beens t a n d a rdized. This will eliminatethe extensive specializations of pre-vious programs that cre a t e dsignificant operational ineff i c i e n-cies. In addition we have recast aset of five courses that are based onthe centrality of Christ and his

T

Ambassadorsback BrianDoerksen 2

Tsunami devastation in Sri Lanka

continued p. 2

continued p. 3

Editor’s Note: In chapel serviceson February 2, 2005 Prairie’sp resident Dr. Jon Ohlhauseraddressed the staff and students ofPrairie Bible College and outlinedthe steps that have been takentoward conforming the school’seducational programs to its statedpurpose:

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2 THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 www.prairie.edu email: alumni@prairie.edu

Built in 1947, Kirk Memorial dormitorydominated the campus’s east side andbecame a home away from home formany of Prairie’s high school and Biblecollege men. Over the years lastingfriendships were formed and younglives grew to maturity within its walls,but by 2004 the aging stru c t u re hadbecome a significant consumer of energyand was badly in need of repair. Sinceoccupancy by then was only around 30%it was not deemed practical to attemptexpensive renovations and in Novemberthe building was demolished. The menare now housed in newer quarters onthe west side of campus in MemorialHall.

his year Prairie’s touringmusic and drama gro u p swill offer a ministry of out-

reach and encouragement andcomfort to the Body of Christthroughout North America and asfar away as Ukraine and Australia.

An exciting opportunity for oneof these groups came at Break ForthCanada 2005, held in Edmonton,Alberta from January 28-30.Bringing together 7000 people for adynamic weekend of learning andinter-denominational worship, thel a rgest conference of its kind inCanada focuses on empowering thechurch to reach the world and wor-ship God with creativity andeffectiveness. This year the openingevening of worship, led by well-known singer/songwriter BrianDoerksen, featured Prairie Bible

College’s Ambassador choir asguest artists. The group gave a 15-minute prelude, which wasreceived enthusiastically by theaudience, and sang back-up for theentire time of praise.

Arlen Salte, leading Canadianre c o rding artist and Director ofNew Creation Ministries, organiz-ers of Break Forth, had this to sayregarding the music of Prairie’s stu-dent ambassadors: “It waswonderful to have the AmbassadorChoir share their gifts at Bre a kForth Canada 2005. Our thousandsof participants were blessed to hearthe choir both on their own and aspart of the Brian Doerksen worshipconcert. You not only representedPrairie Bible College well; you wereexcellent ambassadors for JesusChrist.”

A m bassadors Sing at Break Fo rth 2005

T

In common with many schoolsnation-wide, Prairie experienced anunexpected reduction in enrollmentlast fall. That reality meant a loss ofapproximately $650,000 in tuitionrevenue for the college. Thanks inpart to the generous donations ofPrairie’s supporters, about half ofthis shortfall has already been madeup. We appreciate so much thosewho have given over these pastmonths! Thank you in advance aswell for your help in erasing the bal-ance of this deficit in the remainingmonths of our fiscal year (June 30).May God bless you as you share inthe work of training men and womento serve him.

FIN A NCI A L UPDAT E

B o d y, the Church, which every student in a four-year program will take. These include: God’sMission for the Church; Spiritual Formation andthe Church; The Community and Function of theC h u rch; The Worship of the Church; andMobilizing the Church. These courses aredesigned to help students understand the theolo-gy and importance of the Body of Christ and tobuild a vision for how God is preparing them toserve him through the Church. They are alsointended to develop in each student a desire tolive for Christ through engagement with theBody and the ability to make an effective contri-bution to the life and ministries of the Church.

The new curriculum is slated to begin inSeptember of 2005. However, we are also com-mitted to helping our present students complete

New Programs at PBC, cont’d from p. 1

uilt in the 1970s, the student residence at PrairieBible College was constructed with single panewindows. Over time the seals degraded and

with today’s energy costs the windows hadbecome a serious efficiency issue.

In the spring of 2004 the All We a t h e rWindow company of Edmonton AB came tocampus to quote on the project. After com-pleting its assessment, the companyinformed Prairie that it would cost in excessof half a million dollars to replace the morethan 500 windows in the five storey re s i-dence. Then, in a surprise announcement,Henry Banman of All Weather Wi n d o w sinformed President Jon Ohlhauser that hiscompany had decided to donate all the win-dows re q u i red for the pro j e c t .

The first delivery came in October and witha welcome break in the weather, Prairiec rews were able to begin installation. A l o n g -time friend of the Institute assisted in thehiring of additional staff to help complete thejob before winter.

Surprise Gift Warms HeartsArgon gas between the panes will keep the dorm

warmer in winter and a special Low E coating willkeep it cooler in the summer. The windows have also

been designed with a smalleropening section to pro v i d eincreased safety. As each roomwas refitted students immedi-ately noticed the change. Ahuge “Thank you” card signedby those living in the re s i-dence contained commentslike “My room is no longercold and drafty—thank you somuch!”

The second shipment of win-dows has arrived and iswaiting to be installed. We aregrateful to God for this giftthat has contributed to an esti-mated $25,000 saving inenergy costs and significantlyimproved living conditions forPrairie students.

B

"We want our students to understand the importance of the Body of Christ and to make an effective

contribution to the life of the Church.”

Kirk Memorial Closes DoorsI. Four-Year Degree Programs

Bachelor of Arts in Christian StudiesHistory MinorPhilosophy Minor

Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural StudiesBachelor of Arts in Ministry

Camping MajorOutdoor Leadership MajorPastoral MajorSports Management MajorTeaching MajorYouth Major

Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts & WorshipDrama & Worship MajorMusic & Worship MajorTechnology & Worship MajorCross-disciplinary Major

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

II. Shorter ProgramsAssociate of Arts in General Studies—2 yrsCertificate in Bible--1 yrCertificate in Ministry --1 yr

(Discover, Explore, Sport tracks)Diploma in Music--3 yrs

Prairie’s Ambassador choir and Brian Doerksen leadthe evening of worship at Break Forth 2005.

their current programs if they so desire. I believethe proposed new structure reaffirms the historicvalues upon which Prairie was founded. I amalso convinced that once it is in place we will bewell positioned to fulfill God’s call to move intothe future by enabling the Body of Christ to reachthe world with the Gospel of Christ.

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THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 3email: alumni@prairie.edu www.prairie.edu

and 10-month old baby daughterw e re killed. With information andoversight by the local officials wew e re able to distribute some aide to

him and othersin the are awho neededi m m e d i a t eh e l p . ”

R e c e n tPrairie grad,Ben Reed(BC‘01), joineda team fro mA c t i o nI n t e r n a t i o n a lMinistries totravel to then o r t h e a s t e r ncoast of SriLanka. Theire fforts were inp a r t n e r s h i pwith the

Alliance Development Trust, ano rganization of evangelical churc h e st h roughout the country.

“God is doing mighty things

Working with local believers to provide clean water

Tsunami Relief Effort, continued from p. 1

Soon Comes Sunrise by Chuck Alianzadidn’t re m e m b e r

time going by, theseasons, the years,

all the places wemoved, all the livesthat touched us, thehiding, travelingmostly by night withno thought beyondt o d a y. To m o r ro wmight not be. Ourtravels were notplanned except to gow h e re the enemy wasnot. Sometimes wew e re a step ahead,sometimes behind,ducking into a valleyor across mountains

of agonizing death. Soon ComesS u n r i s e by Chuck Alianza (BC’69)vividly recounts the author’s child-hood in the Philippine junglesduring WW II. His father’s positionas leader of the local resistance andhis mother’s American citizenshipmade them prime targets and thefamily was forced to live on the ru n ,moving constantly from one hidingplace to another in order to avoidenemy patrols. Finally, in a daringescape, the young boy and his moth-er and sister fled the islands on thelast American submarine to bre e c hthe Japanese blockade. They wouldnever see their father again.

Twenty-six years later Chuckreturned to the same locale with his

own young family as a linguist andmedical missionary. There he wouldtranslate portions of the Bible into ap reviously unwritten tribal lan-guage and build a hospital that isstill in operation today. There, too, hewould discover answers to the longburied questions of his life. ChuckAlianza now livesnear Tu c s o n ,Arizona andworks as a cabi-netmaker anda u t h o r. See theenclosed enve-lope to ord e ryour owncopy of thisexciting book.

they had alre a d ys e a rched. It hadbecome the only lifeI knew, a life void ofemotion, of laugh-t e r. Those wereluxuries to beavoided. Theycould kill.”

Sunrise signifiesa new beginning, anend to the darkness.But for some in theterrible days of theJapanese invasionof the Philippines ittwisted into fear,loss of hope, and theall too real pre s e n c e

t h rough his people,” reports Ben.“The Church stepped up andresponded to this tragedy and it wasa privilege to work alongside ourb rothers. Our main purpose was tocounter growing concerns for cleanw a t e r. This we did by pumpingwells to remove the salt waterwashed in by the tsunami, tre a t i n gthem with chlorine and bleach toeliminate disease-causing bacteria,and finally introducing a water fil-t r a t i o n / t reatment system. All thework was done alongside the localc h u rch. Because of this we were notonly able to witness through ouractions in many communities but wepaved the way for our Sri Lankanb rothers to continue sharing thegospel with the many Hindus andBuddhists in that country. ”

Ivan Giesbrecht (HS‘84) agre e s .In Indonesia and Sri Lanka inJanuary to handle media re l a t i o n sfor Samaritan’s Purse, he found theo rganization coming alongside localc h u rches to “support their standingwith the local population so thatafter we leave they will be able toopen new doors of ministry. Theirlocal knowledge and expertise isinvaluable to us.”

Veteran missionaries David(BC‘72) and Judy Phillips had justreturned to Indonesia from Kodiak,Alaska and were living about 1000miles from the affected area when

Senior Steve Davis ignores the snow to catch a few rays of winter sunlight.

the tsunami struck. They have nowrelocated to the coastal town ofBlang Pidie to facilitate long-termrebuilding projects. Dave describedhis impressions in a recent email tofamily: “Pictures on the ground cannever tell the whole story of devasta-tion that goes on mile after endlessmile. It has to be seen to be believed.The quiet is surreal. Only trees andu n d e rg rowth remain in many vil-lages. There are no people, noc h i l d ren playing, no animals. Bits ofclothing caught in a tree hint at theh o r ror that came without warning.The stories break my heart, like thefisherman whose thre e - y e a r-old sonwas torn from his arms by the wave.His wife and four children are goneand he has vowed never to go nearthe sea again.”

As part of the Christian &Missionary Alliance response to thedisaster Dave is conducting a surveyto determine how best to assist fish-ermen in acquiring new boats andfishing equipment to re s t o re theirlivelihoods. His thoughts echo thoseof many in the relief effort: “In themidst of total devastation there areg reat and unprecedented opportuni-ties. (Our challenge) is to know howwe can serve best. I sense a quietnessof spirit from God in these days. As Ihave needed wisdom far beyond mylimited abilities, I have received. Wec a re because HE care s . ”

Chuck Alianza: “We had no thought beyond today.”

QUEST 2005July 7 - 10

A confe rence for ages 55+

Light Your World

Dr. Oz Lorentzen

Dave, Duane & Neal(formerly known as “The Couriers”)Rev. Paul Estabrooks

The Sounds of GraceFor more information call (403) 443-3041

or email ALUMNI@PRAIRIE.EDU

Between Seasons

I

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4 THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 www.prairie.edu email: alumni@prairie.edu

years ago and now live in Fairview,AB where Laurie has his own handy-man business and Joyce handles thebooks and is also waitressing.ljcol@telus.net

Donaldson, Clive and Sharlane(Cressman, BC’79) are involved inchurch planting and evangelism withSEND International in Alaska. TheirSummer Missionary Program sentteams to 25 northern communities.Aksci.shar@juno.com

Glass, Jerry (BC’70) and Linda arec h u rch planting with BiblicalMinistries Worldwide in Uru g u a y,South America. They recently cele-brated the tenth anniversary of theP a rque Batlle Bible Churc h .November marked Jerry and Linda’s28th year of ministry in Uruguay.jglass@biblicalministries.org

H o d g es, David (HS’67, BC’71)and Rosalie (Roberts, BC’71) are Co-Personnel Directors for SIM Ethiopiawhere they work with incoming mis-sionaries and guide them toappropriate areas of service.daverosalie@yahoo.ca

Huffman, Frank (BC’72) and Beth(Gerber, BC’72) are living in Arizonawhere Frank is the pastor of WendenBible Church. Beth works withwomen and children in Sundayschool, Bible clubs, and Bible studies.fbhuffman@tds.net

Klontz, Mike (BC u’73) and Gwen(Ewert, BC u’73) are NTM RegionalR e p resentatives in Spokane, WA .Mike led an NTM missions team toMexico this last summer andrequests prayer for a much-neededminivan for their work.Mike_klontz@ntm.org

Mitchell, Ruth (HS’74) spent 10years as a mis-sionary inA rgentina withCAMA. Since1995 she hasserved as Pastorof Childre n ’ sMinistries atSherwood ParkAlliance Churchand is presentlyPastor of Ele-

mentary Ministries.Ruth.Mitchell@shaw.ca

Mony, Rajamanickam (BC’79) andGlory and their two daughters are inIndia as church planters with GlobalOutreach Mission. Their church hasgrown to a congregation of 650 con-verted Hindus and has four sisterc h u rches in diff e rent places. A“home” is also functioning for poorand needy boys who are given freeeducation and board.vrmony@eth.net

Palmer, Mary (Davenport, HS’74,BC’78) and Loren live in Modesto,CA. Mary was a Director with ChildEvangelism Fellowship from 1978-

tributed Bibles and New Testaments. jwcorey@juno.com

Dauber, Floyd and Amy (Watters,BC’66) have been missionaries inLatin America for over 35 years.

Recently theyc o m m i t t e dthemselves forthe next fiveyears to evan-gelism andc h u rch plant-ing in southernSpain.

dauberf@aol.comDerksen, Dick (BC’64) and Jerry

(Wilkinson, BC’64) live in Germanyw h e re they work at Black Fore s tAcademy with Janz Team Ministries.Jerry is a bookkeeper and Dick servesas Academic Dean and teacher. Dickis also writing the BFA history.dderksen@janzteam.com

Esau, David (HS’59, BC’65) andSharon (Bowdoin, BC’65) work inSpain with Operation Mobilization.They are working on completion of ahome-ministry center and ran a campfor children this summer as a pilotproject. Their goal is to train youngpeople in outreach.sharonesau@wanado.es

O ’ C o n n o r, Bonnie (BC’62) leftPennsylvania inOctober to workin the Philippinesat the A l a b a n gR e s o u rce Center.She is servingwith the A s s o -ciation of Baptistsfor World Evan-gelism.jeandj@loadnsurf.ph.inter.net

Rueck, Helga (Jahn, BC’64) andher husband Heinz now live inSherwood Park, AB. They are repre-sentatives for Mission Possible toHaiti and Dominican Republic.hrueck@telusplanet.net

Wilton, Lyle and Mary (Faulkner,HS’60, BC’64) work with A f r i c a nInland Mission in Bristol, England.Lyle is the Internal Auditor of themission. Mary assists him and caresfor travel details, visa applications,bookings, and communications.Lylemary.wilton@aimint.net

1970sC o l b o r n e, Laurie (BC’79) and

Joyce (Q u e c k, HS’67, BC’71) leftDavid Thompson Bible Camp three

are active in their local church.fullers1@msn.com

G r a d i n, Dwight (BC’59) andBarbara, Colorado Springs, CO, servewith Mission Training International.They started the Program inLanguage Acquisition Te c h n i q u e s(PILAT), which they teach in work-shops worldwide. The focus is oncross-cultural and language learningskills.

H o l z w a r t h, Dorothy (HS’55,BC’59) is retired in Lynnwood, WA.A former missionary to Taiwan, shereturned there last year for a visit.She helps out in a Chinese churchand attends a seniors’ Bible studyand women’s missionary fellowship.dorothyholzwarth@msn.com

J o h n s o n, Lois (D i l l i n g h a m,BC’55) and her husband Vern live inAntioch, CA. They volunteer withCADENCE (formerly OverseasChristian Servicemen’s Centers) andrecently returned from a mission tothe marines based at 29 Palms, CA.loisandvernjohnson@juno.com

Koons, Pauline (Ashley-Cole, BCu’57) lives in Grants, NM. Her hus-band Tom passed away in July of2004. Pauline plans to remain inGrants and requests prayer forstrength and guidance.

L o g e, Melvin (BC’52) pre a c h e soccasionally after planting sevenchurches in Canada and the USAandserving twelve churches as interimpastor after retirement. He lives inAurora, NE.

R a s m u s s e n,John (BC’53) andD o r o t h y(Rickard, BC’53)served with SIMand LAM beforemoving to GoodS a m a r i t a nVillage forre t i rement inKissimmee, FL. John has hadParkinson’s disease for 20 years.jodoras@kua.net

S c h a f e r, Doris (BC’52),Wessington Springs, SD participatesin weekly morning prayer meetings,a cancer support group, and confer-ences and seminars.

Shinen, Dave and Mitzi (Bergen,BC u’52) work with Wycliffe BibleTranslators, Inc. in Gambell, A K .Their focus is the translation andrevision of the Yupik New Testament.

Warkentin, Art and Alice (Wilson,BC’54) live in Vernon, BC where theycontinue to be involved with SIMafter 50 years with the mission. Alicestill maintains her music ministry.

1960sAmmann, George (BC u’68) and

Naomi (K l i n e, BC’68) live inMadison, GA where Naomi workswith Source of Light MinistriesInternational. George has started hisown business sharpening shears andclippers for salon stylists and petgroomers. Gpnea2000@yahoo.com

Corey, John (BC’62) and Jeanette(Hawkinson, BC’62), Troutdale, OR.In February and March John traveledto Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guineawhere he preached in churches, heldBible classes in refugee camps,worked with church leaders, and dis-

1930sBorlase, Howard (BC’35) lives in

Langley, BC where he continues topray for missionaries and for believ-ers in Ethiopia where he served withSIM.howborlase@shaw.ca

1940s Davis, Merrill and Irma (Roberts,

BC u’41), San Juan, TX. Irma has beenin a nursing home for over two years.They served as missionaries withMexican Mission Ministries, showinggospel films throughout Mexico.Christmas Day 2004 marked their62nd wedding anniversary.

Jacobsen, Morris (HS’45, BC’49)and Betty, Minnetonka, MN. Morrisis coordinating house-to-house visi-tation in their community whileBetty helps to conduct monthlylunches for seniors. Both volunteer atBancroft School.Mbjaco1000@aol.com

Johnson, Gordon (HS’46, BC’49)and Grace (To u r i n g, HS u’45, BCu’50) live in Edinburg, TX whereGordon enjoys teaching the studentsat Rio Grande Bible Institute.

Painton, Lillian (Aldrich, BC’46)is Homebound Director for the FirstBaptist church in Poplar Bluff, MO.Her husband Clyde has passed awayand Lillian recently had a stroke, butshe is able to continue in her positionat the church.

Peters, Helena (Dyck, BC u’46),Winnipeg, MB recently re t u r n e dfrom Africa where she helped starttwo feeding centres for orphans.ministryhp@hotmail.com

1950sAdams, Bruce (HS’49, BC’53) and

Betty (Jacobson, BC’54) live in ThreeHills, AB. Bruce is the SIMInternational Translation Coord i -nator. Betty has been typesetting theWolaitta New Testament in Englishletters for young people whoseschool textbooks are in English ratherthan Ethiopic script. adamsbb@telus.net

B a r k l e y,Bill and hiswife, Mary(M c G i n n i s,B C ’ 5 6 )marked 40years of bothmarried lifeand service

in Brazil this last March. They run“Selected Evangelical Publications”.wmbarkley@uol.com.br

Davis, Pat (HS’51, BC’54) traveledto Africa last fall with Wycliffe BibleTranslators for several major literacyp rojects including an intermediateliteracy course in Kenya and work ona reading book series in East Africainvolving nine languages. Her homeis in Duncanville, TX.Pat_davis@sil.org

F u l l e r, Dick and Muriel(Hudspith, HS’51, BC’54) are retiredin Snohomish, WA but continueinvolvement with SIM helping inc o n f e rences and interviewingprospective missionaries. They alsopublish the weekly “Praise andPrayer” bulletin for the mission and

The Barkleys

The Rasmussens

Bonnie O’Connor

Floyd and Amy Dauber

Ruth Mitchell

The Mony Family

BIBLE COLLEGE

CLASS OF '64REUNION

July 9, 2005 on Prairie campus

For more informationcall 403-443-3041 or

e-mailalumni@prairie.edu

HarvesterW05_45.qxd 3/29/05 8:01 AM Page 1

Theological Seminary in May. Shenow teaches German and coord i-nates the Study Abroad Program atGrace College in Winona Lake, IN.Her husband Daniel is a self-employed contractor.schlattermd@kconline.com

2000sBill, Steve (BC’04) and Rhonda

(Freeman, BC’04) are teaching at aprivate school in the Bahamas. Stevetutors and coaches basketball andRhonda leads a youth praise bandand teaches guitar.stevenallanbill@hotmail.com

Fitzgerald, Meghan (BC’00) grad-uated with a BA from Saint ThomasUniversity and plans to start an edu-cation degree in the Fall.megsfizgerald@yahoo.com

McIntyre, Nancy (BC’02) is begin-ning her fourth year with theTakaishi Bible Church in Osaka,Japan. She has found music to be anexcellent tool for connecting with theJapanese people and is curre n t l yworking on a second CD.N_macintyre1973@hotmail.com

M u r r a y, Pat (BC’04) and A l i c eserve in Korea with SIM. They bothteach English and Alice helps in theSIM office. Pat has begun disciple-ship classes and edits letters andother documents. They hope to begina winter EMT camp (EnglishMissions Training).pwmurray@telusplanet.net

THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 5

Calgary, AB. Holly loves her job inthe Calgary Flames Sales office.josh@ensightinfo.com

O t t e n b r e i t, Daryn (GS’95) andTrina (Smith, BC’96) are now resid-ing in Stony Plain, AB where Darynhas been the Director of Finance forFrontiers for the past three years.This assignment is coming to an endand they are seeking God’s leading.Trina has experienced God’s healingfrom severe medical problems.diakonos@3web.net

P e n n e r, Marty (HS’97) and A n d re a(L e e, HS’96) are living in Seattle, WAw h e re A n d rea works for Starbucks,and Marty has been a flight attendantwith Horizon A i r. He is now complet-ing his degree in Communication.They recently visited relatives inManila and Hong Kong.

P e n n e r, Toby (HS’94, BCu’98)lives in Nashville and enjoys creatingmusic in his own home studio. Healso works at a coffee shop.

Roberts, Jeremy(HS’99) graduat-ed with a Bach-elor of Science inBiology degree atSouth DakotaState University,and is nowattending semi-nary at ColumbiaBible College, SC.Jroberts81@hotmail.com

Schlatter, Marla (Rueck, HS’88,BC’92) graduated with an MA i nI n t e rcultural Studies from Grace

again this year.ncarriger@interbaun.com

Nelson, Greg (HS’79, BC’87) andJudi (BC u’85) have moved toBismarck, ND where Greg has beennamed the new administrator forShiloh Christian School.nelsong@shilohchristian.org

S h a w, Ron (BC’89) and Jacqui(BC’89), 150 Mile House, BC, havebeen on sick leave from AIM AIR inKenya since 2001. They have beeninvited to join Moody Aviation intheir A&P school and Jacqui wouldalso serve as an administrative assis-tant.ronandjac@telus.net

Whitbourne, Wayne (BC’84) andOi-Wah (Tong, BC’86) now live inC a l g a r y, AB where Wayne is theCanadian Director of A c t i o nInternational Ministries andPersonnel Coordinator for HinduMinistries. Their twins Charis andNathan-John are 13 years old.waynewhitbourne@actioncanada.net

1990sApeh, Andrew (BC’92) has been

serving in Nigeria with theRedeemed Christian Church of Godas Coordinator of Evangelism andSunday School. He and his wife andtwo children will be leaving the cityand moving back to their own villageto begin full-time rural evangelism.Andrewapeh2002@yahoo.com

G o e r t z e n, Josh and Holly(Penner, HS’98, BC u’99) are living in

Boody, Virginia (HS’75, BC’79) died August 14,2004 after a brief bout with cancer. She had servedwith European Christian Mission as Secretary tothe National Director in Calgary and Vancouver,S e c retary to the International Directory inKandern, Germany and Northampton, England,and as International Treasurer in England.

B o w m a n, George Hodgson (BC’36) passedaway December 15, 2004 in California.

C r a g o e, William (BC u’51) passed awayFebruary 6, 2004. His wife Isabel (Shearer, BCu’51) resides in California.

D u r a n c e, Anna (C a r s o n, BC’42)died of cancer on December 4, 2004.She and her late husband Leon(BC’37) were long-time Prairies t a ff members. She served formany years in care centers for the

elderly and was an active memberof Prairie’s “volunteer” team.

Fister, Jack (HS’67), son of Galeand Elsie Fister (BC’53), went home on May 14,2004, after suffering a major heart attack.

Hartt, Dave (BC u’45) passed away on January8, 2004 in Vancouver, BC. He had suffered fromParkinson’s for four years.

Hartt, David (BC’41), pioneer communications

i n n o v a t o r, joined his wife Erma(A n h o r n, BC’41) in glory onJanuary 8, 2005. They were mis-sionaries in Guadeloupe and inHaiti where Dave establishedRadio Lumiere, one of theworld’s foremost Christian radionetworks. He is survived by hissix sons.

Kunihiro, Ken (BC’54) did not recover fromsurgery and passed away on October 17, 2004. Hisfamily is writing his biography in accordance withhis last wishes.

McKinstry, Olga (Pahl, BC’54) passed away onOctober 14, 2004 in Edmonton atthe age of 76.

Nicolson, Vera (Staff ’66-’94)went to be with the Lord onOctober 22, 2004 at the age of 97.“Mrs. Nic” worked for 28 yearsas “Tea Time Hostess” at Prairie.

P e n n e r, Nancy (BC’42)passed away on October 7, 2004.She spent more than 37 years as a missionary inColombia with GMU (now Avant).

Pulley, Don (Staff ’68-’72) went to be with theLord on April 15, 2004 after a battle with cancer.

His wife Eloise lives in Gilbert, A Z .R o u g e a u, Rob (BC’82) died

September 28, 2004 in a vehicle acci-dent. He was a high school teacherand auxiliary RCMP o fficer untilpoor health forced him to re t i re in1998.

R u l i s o n, Howard (BC u’48) wentto be with the Lord on February 5, 2003. He was alife-long beekeeper and ministered at the local coun-ty jail for many years.

S l o a n, Grace (B a r d w e l l, HS’60, BC’65) passedaway at the end of July, 2004 from cancer.

S u m m e r s, Charles Marlin (BC’46) died on July29, 2004 at 91 years of age.

Tw o r o w, Nick (BC u’57) passedaway on November 30, 2004.

Van Va l k e n b u r g, Walter (BC’62)died on October 1, 2004 inWilliamsport, Pennsylvania.

Wa r k e n t i n, Mary (BC’48) passedaway February 7, 2003. She workedwith the Quichuas in Ecuador as aGMU missionary for 35 years.

Wi l k i n s, Gwendolyn Mary (C o l e m a n, BC’48)met her Savior on January 7, 2004. She was rede-ceased by her husband David (BC’52).

email: alumni@prairie.edu www.prairie.edu

1990. She continues to volunteer withCEF and other ministries. She andL o ren now live in Modesto, CAwhere Loren teaches high school.Thepalmers4@yahoo.com

Prindle, Faye (BC’74) works withAvant Ministries (formerly known asGospel Missionary Union) editingSunday school lessons written byBolivians.

Suzuki, Noriko is with NCEM inSalluit, Quebec, located on theHudson Strait. She is serving theInuit people through weekly Biblestudies and distribution of Christianliterature and is looking for opportu-nities to work with children.Noriko_ncem@hotmail.com

Swenson, Gloria (Bruck, HS’69,BC’74) and Eric live in Kisumu,Kenya, East Africa, where Eric is thesenior pastor of a growing churchand Gloria is superintendent of thechurch’s Christian school.gloriaswenson@swiftkisuma.com

To w n s e n d, Geoff and Shirley(K l i p p e n s t e i n, BC’78) are withAlbanian Evangelical Mission inG reece. Shirley leads a women’sgroup and Geoff is taking theologyby distance education and one-on-one study with a Bible teacher. Theyrecently toured the sites of the sevenchurches of Revelation. gtowns@aep.org.al

Wiens, Maynard (BC’79) works atJ&H Enterprises in Saskatoon, SK inretail sales while Sharon (Kropinske,HS’76, BC’79) is a postmaster atHepburn, SK. Their son Shawn wasmarried in October of 2003.

1980sCarriger, Nancy (HS’76, BC’80) is

a teacher at Sahel Academy in Niger,West Africa. She is also the staff rep-resentative on the Student Council

With the Lord

Anna Durance

Dave HarttRob Rougeau

“Mrs. Nic” Mary Warkentin

Jeremy Roberts

The Palmers

J U L Y 2 2 - 2 3Reunion Weekend '05

Inviting the High School andBible College Classes of

1965, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1995

Reunion Weekend '05J U L Y 2 2 - 2 3

alumni@prairie.edu

HarvesterW05_45.qxd 3/29/05 8:01 AM Page 2

Carlaw, Dan (HS’90, BC’94)and Marilyn (Scarrott, HS’90,BC’94) are thrilled to announcethe arrival of Bre n d a nDouglas, born December 9,2004. They live in McBride, BC,w h e re Dan pastors theEvangelical Free Church.dmcarlaw@telus.net

F o a r d, Roger (BC’97) and Juliewelcomed son A n d rew onAugust 10, 2004 in Kore a .Mother and baby are doing well.rogerfoard@yahoo.com

Foreman, Duane and Carrie(P e t k a u, HS’88,BC’92) and bigbrother Justin arep roud toannounce thearrival of ClairMarlene on March 21, 2004.heycarrief@yahoo.com

F o s t e r, JonathanA n d rew wasborn August 11 ,2003 in ForthWorth, Texas toA n d rew (BC’99)and Charlotte

(J a r d i n e, BC’99) Foster.beaconf@sbcglobal.net

H e w e tt, David (BC u’93) andK a ren (S e e, BC’92) welcomedBethany Graceon April 4, 2004.They have beenhelping to planta church nearP i t t s b u rgh, PAfor the past twoyears. David is the Sr. SystemsAnalyst for a law firm.Karen@hewettfamily.org

Kidd, Chris(BC’04) andIngrid celebrat-ed the birth ofElizabeth A n non April 1, 2004.

kiddc@telusplanet.netO l v e r a, Jonathan (BC’03)

and Trish (Koop,BC’03) arepleased toannounce thearrival of theirson, Aaron Isaacborn, on March 16, 2004.Dawson_21@yahoo.com

R o b b, Valerie (B i e n e r t, BC’86)and David give thanks for thearrival of Natasha Joy, theirsixth child, on June 14, 2004.d.robb@auckland.ac.nz

Vande Kuyt,M i r a n d a( D e J o n g ,BC’99) andG e o f f r e ya n n o u n c e dthe birth of

Landon Gabriel, born August12, 2004.mvandekuyt@yahoo.ca

Victor, Andrew (BC’99) andMelanie (Pearce, BC’98) wel-comed Annelyn Ruby onJanuary 23, 2004 in theChilliwack General Hospital.amvictor@hotmail.com

Watt, Graham (BC’98) andJennifer are pleased toannounce the birth of HannahElisabeth Song-Hui on August23, 2004. “Song-Hui” isChinese for “to sing of Hisgrace.” They are with CampusCrusade for Christ.grahamandjen@aol.com

(’44), Phil Masters (’59), andNorm Tattersall (HS’63). Familymembers of the other honore e salso participated in the service. Priority in the awarding of thescholarship will be given tointernational students, MKs,and students whose care e robjective is cross-cultural min-i s t r y. Any one wishing tocontribute may designate giftsto the “Prairie Martyrs’

Memorial Scholarship Fund” or donate online atw w w.prairie.edu. For further information contactTim MacKenzie at tim.mackenzie@prairie.edu.

Prairie’s fall conference inOctober was the venue forthe announcement of a newscholarship for studentsattending Prairie BibleCollege. Named in memoryof Prairie alumni who havelost their lives in service forChrist, the award was initi-ated by the family of HectorMcMillin (‘40), missionaryto the Congo. His son Dr.Ken McMillin introduced the scholarship atMissions Conference and provided an overviewof the lives of his father and of Chester Burk

Martyrs’ Scholarship Established

Ken McMillin with Phyllis Masters

6 THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 www.prairie.edu email: alumni@prairie.edu

ow often do you think of ourLord Jesus in his role of HighPriest? I am sure that you

think of him gratefully as Saviourand Lord and with David you testify,“The Lord is my Shepherd.” ButHigh Priest? Already you may beturning the page because you do notsee the relevance of reading aboutJesus in that role.

Sadly, we who profess Christ havebeen highly selective in the way weread and study our Bible, especiallythe New Testament, and because ofthis smorgasbord approach we haveseriously neglected some majorteachings of Scripture. Just as certainvitamins are necessary for maintain-ing health and strength, so certaindoctrines are essential if we are togrow in the grace and knowledge ofthe Lord Jesus (see 2 Peter 3:18).

There are obvious reasons for thisgeneral neglect of the high priestlyrole presently exercised by our LordJesus. We could list indifference, for itis possible to “become dull of hear-ing” (Hebrews 5:11) and to “needmilk and not solid food” (Hebrews5:12). It may be that when the subjectof Christ’s priesthood is raised, wesimply respond, “So what?”

But more than likely our igno-rance of the riches and relevance of

this topic is the reason for our tragicneglect. We know little about theoffice of priest, which in turn revealsour ignorance of the Old Testament,and we mentally label any referenceto Christ as priest as of little value tous today. But in this case, as in somany other matters, ignorance is not“bliss,” and certainly not a blessing!

This ignorance is particularly evi-dent when we think of the Letter tothe Hebrews. Most of us know thatMatthew is the Gospel of the King,Mark, the Gospel of the Servant,Luke, the Gospel of the Ideal Man,and John, the Gospel of the Son ofGod. But Hebrews? Few know it wellenough to identify it as the Gospel ofthe great High Priest, the Lord JesusChrist. In Hebrews 8:1 the writersummarizes his argument and hisappeal: “Now this is the mainpoint”—the bottom line, if youwish—“of the things we are saying:We have such a High Priest.” He isidentifying for us the thread thatruns through his letter.

Another reason for our neglectmay be our understanding of thevery term priest. The images it cre-ates in our minds are negative;indeed, we almost cringe when readthat all believers are priests (whendid you last hear a message on the

priesthood of the believer? Disciples?Yes! Soldiers and spiritual warfare?Yes! But priests?) The term suggeststhe Middle Ages with all its dead rit-ualism.

How do we go about remedyingour neglect of this crucial role of theLord Jesus?

Begin by admitting your preju-dice against the term priest andconfess your neglect to the Saviour.He wants you to have an apprecia-tion of all his worth and work so thatyou are not impoverished in yourunderstanding of who he is and whathe does.

Then start studying what theBible says about Christ’s role andresponsibilities as your High Priest.The Letter to the Hebrews is a good

place to begin, especially if you willconsult the cross references to the OldTestament. Ask the Holy Spirit toopen the eyes of your understandingso that you can enter into the wealthof truth involved in Christ’s priest-hood.

With the instruction you derivefrom this wonderful letter focus yourattention on Jesus in Heaven servingright now as your High Priest.Indeed, this is what the writer toH e b rews encourages us to do:“Therefore, holy brethren…considerthe Apostle and High Priest of ourconfession, Christ Jesus” (3:1).Consider, think deeply about, focusyour gaze on, meditate upon the LordJesus as your High Priest.

Use your mind to grasp the truthin all its implications (“We have agreat High Priest who has passedthrough the heavens, Jesus the Son ofGod…”); use your emotions to enterinto the truth that our High Priest, theSon of God, is in a glorified humanbody (“We do not have a High Priestwho cannot sympathize with ourweaknesses…”); and use your will tocome to God through him (“Let ustherefore come boldly to the throne ofgrace…”).

You will be blessed–I guaranteeit–by a fresh and full look at our LordJesus as your great High Priest. Iknow. I have.

–Ted S. Rendall, Chancellor Emeritus

Priest Forever

H

E l f o r d, Jason (BC ’05) andLindsay Hryniw (HS ’01 BC ‘03)were married in July, 2004. Theyare living in Three Hillls whileJason completes his Fine A r t sdegree from PBC.

Eppinger, Anita (BC’70) mar-ried Claude Hess on August 7,

2004. In December she resigned from UFMInternational after 31 years of service.anita@ufm.org

Ewert, Ben (BC’04) and Krista Lee(BC’04) were wed on September 12,2004 in Vancouver, BC where theynow live. Ben works for a land-scaping company and Krista is awaitress. benandkrista@canada.com

Friesen, KariLynn (BC’02) mar-ried Christopher Thiessen on September 4, 2004 in

Banff, AB. They are currently livingin Calgary. ckthiessen@graffiti.net

Jol, Nico (HS’00) and Lora Pratt(HS’00, BC u’01) weremarried onSeptember 4, 2004

and are making theirhome in Edmonton where Nico isapprenticing as a plumber and Lorais employed at Grey PowerInsurance.

Kotlarczyk, Stephanie (BC’04)and William Mejia were marriedon June 5, 2004 in Detroit andnow live in Chicago.Hisstardust@yahoo.com

Meier, Jeffrey (HS’94) tookNicola McFarlane as his bride on

December 30, 2003. They live in Red Deer where Jeffhas his own computer business and Nicola has amassage therapy business.

Pogue, Maureen (BC’93) andWes Blackmon celebrated theirwedding on October 9, 2004 inFlin Flon, Manitoba. They will beserving together in Latvia.

mopogue@latnet.lvStewart, Michelle (BC’89) married Karl

Wilson on May 22, 2004 in Olympia, WA.They are making their home in Beaverton,OR. ksandmlwilson@comcast.net

At the Altar

Clair Foreman

The Hewitt family

In the Nursery

Landon VandeKuyt

Jason & Lindsay Hryniw

The Ewerts

The Thiessens

Nico& Lora Jol

William &Stephanie Mejia

Wes &Maureen Blackmon

The Wilsons Jonathan Foster

Elizabeth Ann Kidd

Aaron Olvera

email: alumni@prairie.edu www.prairie.edu THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 7

The annual Prairie Golf Tournament will be held June 21st at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club.Situated conveniently between Edmonton and Calgary, the club is not only a great location, but also boasts one of the

most challenging courses in Central Alberta.

The tournament begins with a BBQ lunch at 11:30 and ends with a steak supper at6:30 p.m. Banquet tickets for non-golfers may be purchased separately. The anticsof comedian Gery Schubert will keep you entertained through an evening programof prizes and live auction.

For brochures or registration forms contact Vance Neudorf at 3033@prairie.edu

s young students atPrairie Bible College MattB rouwer and his friends

realized that they needed tobecome more personally acquaint-ed with the God they werelearning about in class. None ofthem had experience in leadingworship but as they gathered stu-dents together for a weekly time ofpraise, God poured out his Spirit.

That simple beginning wouldchange the course of Matt’s life.After graduation he accepted theo ffer of a re c o rd deal in Nashville,but the young man from NovaScotia discovered it wasn’t whathe expected: “Everything wasbased on making more money.T h e re was so much traveling, nocommunity and always putting

myself out there so I could talkabout God. He doesn’t need that.In fact, becoming like him meansdying to ourselves. I don’t need aplatform for God to use me.”

When the up-and-coming artistchose to back away from fame andlet his dreams die, God began tobuild something purer and “morerelated to his eternal agenda,” saysMatt. Today he is artist in re s i-dence and assistant worshipleader at Woodlands UnitedMethodist Church in Texas. As anindependent musician sent out bythe church he no longer worriesabout the bottom line or the size ofthe crowd. Matt’s growing intere s tin missions has led to the develop-ment of New BeginningR e s o u rces, Inc. which focuses on

Matt Brouwer: A New Agenda

A Dream Come True

Ahelping impoverished areas withphysical and spiritual relief. ADVD with live footage from hisrecent trip to Guatemala is includ-ed with Matt’s new CD U n l e a r n i n g.“ We need to come apart from this‘buy me’ culture and find a re l a-tionship with God in order to bewhole. God loves us and not muchelse matters beyond the Gre a tCommission, love in our family,and our place in Christ.”

To order a copy ofM a t t ’s new CD“U n l e a r n i n g”please see theenclosed enve -l o p e .“I don’t need a platform for God to use me.”

ANNUAL PRAIRIE GOLF TOURNAMENT 2005

A long-time dre a mcame true inDecember when stu-dents at Prairie BibleCollege celebratedthe opening of theirbrand new lounge.A c c o rding to StudentUnion Pre s i d e n tStephen Philps, oneof the biggest needson campus was for acommon meetingplace that studentscould call their own.

Various locationsw e re discussed as the“Envision” pro j e c tbegan to take shapeand in the end thel a rge banquet ro o mabove the dining hallwas chosen as thesite. Student Union offices were also moved upstairs. Extensive re n o v a-tions by Prairie’s Physical Plant crew turned the area into a modernlounge and meeting room with spacious adjoining quarters for the oper-ations of student government. The lounge boasts a bold contemporarylook with eye-catching décor and beautifully handcrafted benches andcounters. Ongoing plans include a food services counter, more seating,and a movie screen and sound system.

“I had the pleasure of picking up the project begun by Rob Fre e m a nand Derek Taplin,” says Steve, “and seeing it through to its present state.It’s been challenging, but I’ve enjoyed working with the Institute tomake a long-time dream become a reality for the student body. Thepotential here is endless!”

AMBASSADOR CHOIR SPRING TOUR

A place of their own: PBC students enjoying the new lounge.

The Ambassadors will tour BC, Washington and Oregon from April 25-May 10.

April 25 Golden Baptist Church, Golden, BC (pm)April 26 Kamloops EFC, Kamloops, BC (pm)April 27 Abbotsford, BCApril 28 Seattle, WAApril 30 Ev. Chinese Church, Seattle, WA (am/pm)May 1 Ev. Chinese Church, Seattle WA (am)May 2 Salem Academy, Salem, ORMay 3 Canyonville Chr. Academy, Canyonville, ORMay 5 Portland Christian School (am)

Laurelwood Baptist Church, Vancouver, WA (pm)May 6 Kennewick, WAMay 7 Spokane, WAMay 8 Manito Presbyterian Church, Spokane, WAMay 9 Alumni event, Spokane, WA

Visit our website for schedule updates at: www.prairie.edu

brought some changes to my life.I’m a little more careful about whatI eat, for one thing. And what I sayyes to. I’ve decided to find outwho’s going to cry at my funeraland hang out with them. Thismorning I pasted this to my com-

puter monitor: “Sinceeverything around isgoing to melt away,what holy, godly livesyou should be living!” (2Peter 3:11, NLT).

Real life does notbegin until we face ourown mortality, until weshift our complete confi-dence from our selves,or our health, or ourfinances—to God.

While I was writingthis column, the phonerang twice. First my wifeinformed me that thedoctor would like to seeme for something theycall a physical. “I’d

rather see a dentist or a financialplanner,” I told her, but she would-n’t budge. “I’ve given birth to threec h i l d ren,” she said. “You’ll dofine.” A minute later Ron Nickelcalled. Looks like it’s my turn topay for a bran muffin and somesugarless, creamless decaf coffee.

If the waitress gives me a menuI’ll have to hold it with my feet.

Phil Callaway’s (u. ’82) new novel“Wonders Never Cease” will bereleased in July. You can catch his pro -gram “Laughing Matters” everyFriday on 100 Huntley Street. Fortimes, visit www.philcallaway.com

8 THE PRAIRIE HARVESTER WINTER 2005 www.prairie.edu email: alumni@prairie.edu

March3 Chinook Village motivational conference, Medicine

Hat, AB5 Promise Keepers Men's Breakfast, Calgary, AB*5 Canada Olympic Park event, First Church,

Calgary, AB kwyntet@shaw.ca11-13 EFC Men's Retreat17 Promise Keepers, Prince George, BC*18 Promise Keepers, Edmonton, AB*19 Promise Keepers, St. Albert, AB*

*Events are based on Phil's “Who Put My Life On Fast Forward?”For more info, email kjtrick@telus.net

April8-10 Various events, Winnipeg, MB18-19 Pastoral Care Conference, Red Deer, AB

May7 Promise Keepers, Vancouver, BC8 Church in Vancouver, BC (unconfirmed)21 Grande Prairie Christian School fundraiser,

Grande Prairie, AB28 Western School of Funeral Service graduation (kid

you not!), Red Deer, AB

June16-18 Write Canada! Conference, Guelph, ON19 Church in Toronto, ON (unconfirmed)21 Prairie Golf Tournament, Lacombe, AB

Three days passed. I was hold-ing the fridge door open, lookingfor—well, for donuts—when thephone call came. Ron had just hada heart attack.

Shocked, our family gathered inthe living room to pray for God’s

intervention. Things spread fast ina little town, and soon the Prairiefamily was praying too. God heardthose prayers before we askedthem.

If you’re wondering where tohave a heart attack, location iseverything. Just ask Ron. He hadhis fifty yards from an ambu-lance—an ambulance that wascompletely staffed. And just forgood measure, a doctor happenedto be walking by.

Ron’s recovery has been impres-sive. His wife and children laugh athis change of diet, but they could-n’t be happier to have him alive.Me too. Ron’s near-death has

ecently I turned 43. Mywife threw a little cheese-cake party, invited some

friends, and handed me a birthdaycard. On the front it said, “A littlebirdie told me how old you are.”Inside, the “little birdie” was sit-ting by the bedside of a wrinkledold man.

The bird was a vulture. My friends thought this was the

funniest thing they’d seen inweeks. They passed it around ands n i c k e red and snorted. Theylaughed until they could bare l yhang on to their walkers.

The worst thing about turning43 is not the wrinkles or the walk-ers. It’s not the memory loss, thehearing loss, or even the memoryloss. It is the fact that I cannot readthings without holding them inanother area code. If evolutionwere true, our arms would stretchas we age, allowing us to hold doc-uments where we can read them. Ibelieve the overhead was inventedby middle-aged church-going guyswho could no longer read theirhymnals; they needed things pro-jected on the far wall.

This ailment is embarrassing inairports. I have to set the ticket onthe floor to tell which gate I amdeparting from. People look at mefunny. Little kids snicker. I try totrip them with my cane.

The one consolation is that I amaging in a close circle of friends.Ron Nickel, a Prairie grad of ’83, isone of them.

Ron and I worked together formany years on Prairie staff. A tal-ented professional photographer,Ron sometimes joins me when I

travel to speak. On one such trip hetold me a story. Ten years ago adoctor sat Ron down andexplained that his cholesterol counthad soared higher than the price ofoil. Ron was not surprised. Likeme, he loves few things more thana juicy steak followedby a triple-decker cap-puccino cheesecakesmothered in chocolatesauce. Ask Ron if hewould like a little icecream and he’ll say no,he’d like a l o t of icec ream. But the doctorordered him to changehis eating habits and getm o re exercise or hewould be staring downthe barrel of a heartattack ten years downthe road.

But Ron was onlythree years older thanme. He was young.Invincible. Besides, heloves donuts.

On a Tuesday just beforeChristmas Ron and I had a smalldisagreement. The silence betweenus threatened to turn it into some-thing larg e r. On Thursday Roncalled to ask me out for coffee.“Will you pay?” I said. “You bet,”he laughed.

And so we found ourselves in acoffee shop, talking of our familiesand the busyness of middle age.“My father-in-law died a fewweeks ago of heart failure,” Rontold me. “His death was a lesson tokeep short accounts.” We bothchoked back tears as we asked forforgiveness.

Heart of the Matter

Phil & Ron: “Real life does not begin until we face our own mortality. ”

Phil’s Schedule

Norman and Evelyn Chartersurprised the town of ThreeHills with the birth of theirtriplets in 1954. Fifty yearslater Larry, Pat and Ian (allHS grads of ’73 and BC gradsof ’77) celebrated their mutu-al birthdays with friends andfamily at First A l l i a n c eChurch in Calgary, AB.

Larson, Jackie (Vowel, HS’78, BC u’80) has been named editor-in-chief atNow Magazines , a chain of regional community magazines based inCorsicana, Texas. Prior to her appointment, she was managing editor of sev-eral newspapers in the Ennis, Texas area. Jackie lives in Ennis with herhusband, Keith, who is a high school teacher. They have three sons.Jk_larson@hotmail.com

Artists and industry pro f e s s i o n-als gathered in Calgary for theG reat White North MusicC o n f e rence on October 22-23,2004. Leroy (BC’89) and Natalie(B e r g s t r o m, BC’89) H a r d e ro rganized the conference toa d d ress the issues of career orministry as a Christian musicianin Canada. See w w w. g re a t-w h i t e n o r t h m c . c o m to re g i s t e rfor this year’s confere n c e .

Alumni Spotlight

R

Larry, Pat and Ian Charter

Natalie and Leroy Harder