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Previous | Next Annual report on Mennonite Brethren schools
Our schools are changing
Some of our Mennonite Brethren educational institutions are experiencing an increase in enrollment, while others are seeing enrollments holding their own or even declining. With a new millennium approaching, change is inevitable. In the face of these changes, our schools remain committed to the task of teaching strong biblical values. Read about how our schools are coping with these changes.
MB Collegiate Institute
Winnipeg, Man.
Enrollment increases by 35 students
The MBCI Grade 8 outdoor education retreat |
At the opening program Sept. 20, Principal Donald Peters introduced the global education focus for the year by quoting the words of Jesus in John 10:10: “I have come that you might have life and that you might have life abundantly.” This year’s focus will be on the continent of Africa. Referring to some images presented on a screen to 500 parents and students, Peters stated that African Christians have much to teach us about the life Jesus came to bring. The faith stories of the people in Africa inform us that “abundance” in the John text does not refer to financial success, but rather to “wholesomeness that is lived from the inside out.”
As part of the opening celebration, Neil Janzen, moderator of the Manitoba MB Conference, extended words of encouragement to the 47 staff and offered a dedicatory prayer for the MBCI community.
With an increase of 35 students in senior high grades, the school begins this year with a record enrollment of 560 students. In September, a group of 73 grade 8 students and nine teachers went to Red Rock Bible Camp for a three-day outdoor education program that included hiking, canoeing, wall-climbing, archery, mountain biking and group devotions and Bible studies.
Some goals of the staff and the Board for the coming year include long-range planning and implementation of educational technology. With a record enrollment, the school needs to address the issue of classroom space in the future. This is also the year when Concord College facilities next door will become available, and the MBCI Board is exploring the possibility of adding some of that space to the high school campus.
One of the vice-principals, Ralph Wagner, resigned from that position at the end of last year in order to return to full-time classroom teaching. The Board appointed Fred Pauls, a long-time teacher at MBCI, as the teaching vice-principal with administrative duties in the areas of school discipline and finance. Paul Doerksen has returned to full-time teaching after a study leave last year at Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ont. There are seven new staff members this year. – Mary Friesen, vice-principal
Mennonite Educational Institute
Abbotsford, B.C.
MEI at a crossroads
The 56th annual meeting of Mennonite Educational Institute opened with Paul’s affirmation in II Timothy 1:12-14. MEI is at a crossroads in terms of a new vision for what Christian education will look like at the school in the next three-to-five years. The capacity enrollment of 1,300 students in K-12 demands a strategic plan.
The secondary school enrollment is 837 – 20 are from Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Korea. Each grade in the secondary school has over 160 students. There are 463 students in K-7. Presently, 899 students (68%) come from the 14 supporting churches.
MEI’s present teaching staff consists of 64.0 full-time equivalents, 44.3 in the secondary school and 19.7 in the elementary school. In addition, 20 support staff work in accounting, secretarial, custodial, development and teacher assistance.
New teachers are Jim Williams, Lindsay Galbraith and Becky Koenig in the secondary school, and Sara Krauschar, Matt Born, Nikki Kroetsch, Karen Schroeder, Michelle Bredenholler and Marilyn Peters in the elementary school.
The elementary school, built two years ago, has a long waiting list, and plans are in the works to begin a middle school in about seven years.
MEI secondary school has a new curriculum framework for 1999-2000, reducing student workloads from nine to eight courses. This change produced a 20 per cent increase in instructional time, allowing students to participate in extra-curricular activities. MEI has also added new courses in the secondary school, including courses in Mandarin and missions, and offers several technology options.
Thirteen MEI graduates earned provincial scholarships of $1,000 each, based on final examination results.
Last year, nine athletic teams competed in provincials, and the senior girls’ basketball team won the triple A high school championship, a first-time achievement for the school.
MEI performing arts begin in kindergarten with specialized music instruction and carry through to the senior grades with groups such as concert choir, chamber singers and concert and jazz bands. Last year, a new venture called “Faith and Art Festival” was initiated in which former grads showcased their works of art. This year, the event is scheduled for May 5-6, 2000.
The MEI Board, under the leadership of new chair Colin Reimer, is developing a strategic plan for the next three-to-five years that will see new directions for facilities, programs and personnel. – an MEI release
Eden High School
St. Catharines, Ont.
Spiritually vibrant in the midst of change
Two words sum up the beginning of the school year at Eden High School: change and challenge. Although some aspects of school life remain the same, such as a facility that is filled to capacity, students at Eden face a number of changes this year.
There are 11 new staff members, many of whom are recent university graduates. They are part of an enthusiastic, dedicated and hardworking faculty who clearly enjoy being and working together, united in a determination to help students grow physically, intellectually and spiritually.
Following the labour unrest last year, students are again enjoying a rich and varied extra-curricular life. A new activity at Eden is rowing, a sport in which Eden’s athletes have already attained regional and national championships. The boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams are headed to Cuba in the spring under the guidance of Albino Pereira, athletic department head.
The District School Board of Niagara continues to wrestle with the problem of underutilized facilities. It is expected that Eden’s need for a larger facility will be addressed after other Board decisions are finalized. Another major challenge continues to be transportation. Due to reductions in provincial funding, one-third of students make their own arrangements for transportation.
In the midst of many changes and challenges, Eden’s spiritual life remains vital and strong under the guidance of Laurie-Anne Kavanagh and Ed Heinrichs. Daily chapels, the Bible study program, retreats and short-term mission projects, including one to South America, encourage students to grow in their relationship with Christ. – Ray Smith, principal
Columbia Bible College
Abbotsford, B.C.
Bursting at the seams
It has been an exciting beginning at Columbia Bible College, as the campus is bursting at the seams – the chapel has standing room only, food services are running at full capacity, and nearby townhouse units are rented for overflow housing.
Total enrollment stands at 402 students. Of these, 321 students are full-time, 64 are part-time and 17 are auditing courses. The full-time equivalent is 352, an increase from last year’s 324.
The CBC student life staff |
Of the full-time students, 216 live in the dorms and 105 are commuters. There are 197 first-year students, 68 second-year students, 34 third-year students and 22 fourth-year students.
The largest number of Canadian students are from British Columbia (186); 40 students are from Manitoba, 33 from Alberta and 25 from the rest of Canada. This year, there are 51 students from other countries, including 19 from the US and 14 from Korea.
Four staff members joined the student life department this fall. Pictured are (l-r) Misty Koster, Beth Jenion, Jan Peters and Greg Toews. Koster, Jenion and Toews are residence directors and Peters is coordinator of counselling services.
The CBC leadership team |
Koster and Toews are recent graduates of Columbia, and all four bring with them a strong commitment to care for and disciple the students. Their enthusiasm for God is an encouragement to all on campus. – Elly Bargen, constituency relations
Bethany Bible Institute
Hepburn, Sask.
Passion for truth
Schellenberg |
At the fall opening celebration, Bethany celebrated Doug Berg’s contribution as president, 1995-99. Rick Schellenberg, who was installed as president, gave a challenge to students and guests on the year’s theme “Passion for truth: Take it to heart.”
Enrollment remains stable at 145 students this year. This compares with 152 in 1998-99, 168 in 1997-98 and 159 in 1996-97.
Staff changes
Bethany also has had a variety of changes to staff and faculty this past year. Former president Doug Berg continues to teach in the areas of biblical studies and leadership.
| Enrollment |
| Class |
| Freshman |
73 |
| Junior |
54 |
| Senior |
18 |
|
| Gender |
| Female |
70 |
| Male |
75 |
|
| Denomination |
| Mennonite Brethren |
95 |
| Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church |
2 |
| Mennonite |
14 |
| Alliance |
3 |
| Baptist |
9 |
| Evangelical Free |
1 |
| Other |
21 |
|
| Program Status |
| Full-time |
70 |
| Part-time |
75 |
| Full-time equivalent |
70 |
|
| Students by province, 1999-2000 |
| B.C. |
15 |
| Alberta |
26 |
| Saskatchewan |
50 |
| Manitoba |
45 |
| Ontario |
5 |
|
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Jerry Letkeman replaces Ruth Wallace as dean of students. Renee Evashkevich has been appointed as instructor of music and worship. Formerly on staff at Northview Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C., she will be mentoring students in worship bands and small group ministries. Jack Braun has taken over leadership of Beth-any’s resource ministries, in addition to his position as director of development. Derrick Mueller now heads up Bethany’s publishing department. The breakdown of the enrollment is shown in the sidebar.
Mission statement
The Board of Directors of Bethany is recommending that the following be adopted as the mission statement of the college: “To nurture disciples of Jesus Christ in their love for God, their understanding of Scripture, and their ministry in the church and the world. As an evangelical anabaptist college, Bethany is a biblical learning community that prepares students for volunteer and vocational ministries through teaching, mentoring, worshipping and serving.” The Bethany convention on Nov. 6 will make the final decision regarding this statement.
Curriculum changes
During the past academic year, Bethany has been involved in curriculum revision. The revision process involved consultation and feedback from faculty, students and board members, and the review of various surveys from constituency, alumni and students.
Andrew Hershey-Bergen teaches a class |
Key principles include:
- retaining the centrality of biblical studies within the curriculum;
- revising the specialty tracks offered;
- remaining within the accrediting guidelines (Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges) for curriculum balance; and
- integrating an internship program requirement into a new degree program.
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To date the revised diploma of biblical studies and bachelor of Christian ministries degree have been approved by the Board and are being implemented in the 1999-2000 academic year. Faculty are working on the proposed new four-year bachelor of arts degree, including an internship component. All programs retain a major emphasis on biblical studies. Current plans for the new degree program include majors in pastoral ministries, cross-cultural ministries, ministry arts and biblical leadership. It is hoped that these revisions can be implemented by fall 2000. – Carrie Kmiecik, Ben Wohlgemut
Concord College
Winnipeg, Man.
Looking to Jesus
Concord College students were welcomed to the school Sept. 6 with “The Gathering” under the centre tree, a devotional and prayer time. Throughout the day, campus tours, neighbourhood walks, bus tours, a barbecue supper and a splash in a hot tub helped make students feel at home. The first week of classes began with President John Unger addressing the students in the opening chapel.
Concord’s fall retreat |
After a whirlwind of activities in the first week of school, students were able to attend a fall retreat at Camp Arnes. Gerry Ediger focused on the year’s theme “Looking to Jesus as we run the good race,” and Unger baptized four students in the cold waters of Lake Winnipeg.
School of Discipleship
The School of Discipleship (SOD) started off at Camp Arnes and then moved Oct. 11 to Canmore, Alta. Enrollment doubled from last year from 20 to 40 students – 22 female and 18 male. Four are from British Columbia, two from Alberta, three from Saskatchewan, 24 from Manitoba, four from Ontario, and three from Germany. Nineteen students are from MB churches, seven from Mennonite churches, three from Baptist churches and 11 from other denominations.
Of the 176 students in Concord College programs, not including SOD, 58 are full-time and 118 are part-time. Of last year’s 225 students, 61 were full-time and 164 were part-time.
Staff changes
Block |
Dan Block resigned as director of development, after serving six years.
Other staff leaving the College included Harry Olfert, president; David R. Dyck, dean; Antoinette Van Kuik, associate dean; Ian Ritchie, Christian studies; Bert Reimer, business manager; Gayle Hubert, recruitment assistant; Eileen Konrad, administrative assistant; and Rani Schroeder, receptionist.
New staff include John Unger, president; Erwin Warkentin, academic dean; Pierre Gilbert, Christian studies; Elwood Wiebe, finance administrator; Mark Mueller, graphic designer (MCF appointment); Lynnette Regehr, communications and development associate; Kelly Gunter, Andy Notice, Kara Snider and Meagan Notice, School of Discipleship team leaders; Pauline Boldt, recruitment associate; and Melanie Reimer, receptionist. – Lynnette Reghr, communications
Institut Biblique Laval
St-Laurent, Que.
IBL changes name
As part of a development plan for the school, the IBL Board has voted for a change of name. The new name of the school will be École de Théologie Évangélique de Montréal (Montreal Evangelical School of Theology) or ETEM. The new name, effective at the end of 1999, highlights both the location of the school and the fact that it has become an undergraduate institution through its association with the University of Montreal.
Recruitment
This year IBL began recruiting students from outside the province who have learned French through an immersion program. IBL programs are open to students who have completed 13 academic years, which means that students from some provinces may need to complete one year of college before coming to IBL. It is expected that the presence of students from other provinces will create a diversity that will improve the learning environment for both the French-immersion students and the students from Quebec.
Graduates of the certificate program (l-r): Marie-Annite Normil, Bernard Racicot, Julie Royer, Benoît Cloutier and Jean-Voguenarde Démosthène. |
Enrollment
This fall semester there are 46 students enrolled compared to 42 last fall and 40 last winter. Thirty-five students are studying to complete a certificate. Two certificates are offered in cooperation with the University of Montreal: a certificate in religious studies and a certificate in practical theology. Eleven students are studying to complete IBL’s diploma in theological studies. The gender ratio is about 40% female and 60% male, with 18 women and 28 men studying at IBL this fall. IBL has six full-time students compared to four last year. The full-time equivalent is 19.75 this fall, the highest in many years. This signals a continuing increase in enrollment and is encouraging for IBL.
Ministry to the French-speaking world
Genest |
IBL strongly believes in the virtues of a correct interpretation of God’s Word through good exegesis, but also believes that Christians should do the “exegesis” of their lives. Specifically, a method to understand how and why things happen in the course of a ministry must be used. Daniel Genest, a lecturer at IBL, has developed an expertise in a discipline called praxeology, which is the study of how one acts or works. Praxeology helps students combine prayer and theological thinking and observe how they do ministry. Through Urbanus, a partnership of schools, mission agencies and denominations working in the French-speaking world, Genest has been invited to go to western Africa for four months in 2001 to train French-speaking Africans to use praxeology to evaluate and improve their ministry.
New adjunct faculty
French-speaking evangelicals who combine ministry experience with solid academic training are a rare commodity. Pierre Constant has joined IBL this fall. He was co-pastor for 15 years in the Ottawa region. He has an M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Ill., where he is currently completing a Ph.D. – Eric Wingender, president
MB Biblical Seminary
Fresno, Calif.
Enrollment holds steady
Preliminary fall statistics at MB Biblical Seminary show that, despite the largest-ever incoming class of new students (49), overall enrollment held steady.
A total of 179 students (credit and audit) are enrolled at MBBS in California and British Columbia, compared to 176 last year. The number of credit students is down slightly, from 142 compared to 146 last year.
Full-time equivalency (total units divided by 12) is 88.7, down from 89.42 last year. The ratio of part-time to full-time students continues to rise, according to Joyce Warkentin, registrar. Sixty-two per cent of MBBS students in Fresno are part-time, compared to 55 per cent last year. Warkentin also attributed part of the slip in enrollment to a lower number of international students in Fresno. In recent years, MBBS has averaged 13-to-20 full-time international students, many sponsored by MBMS International. Only nine are enrolled this fall, and there are no new MBMSI-sponsored Leadership Scholarships.
Mennonite Brethren make up 42 per cent of the student body in Fresno this fall, compared to 45 per cent in fall 1998. The current student body is made up of 66 per cent men and 34 per cent women; last fall the student body was 68 per cent men. There are 19 Canadian students studying in Fresno, the same as last fall.
MBBS-BC
MBBS-BC is beginning its first semester as a partner of the ACTS seminary consortium at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. Last year’s students were in the B.C. Centre, with offices at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford. Enrollment at MBBS-BC is up slightly from 15 last fall to 16 this fall, and up significantly in FTE (6.75 last year to 11.04 this year).
Founded in 1989, Associated Canadian Theological Schools represent seminaries affiliated with five denominations: Northwest Baptist Seminary (Fellowship Baptist Church), Canadian Baptist Seminary (Conference Baptist Church), Trinity Western Seminary (Evangelical Free Church), Canadian Theological Seminary (Christian and Missionary Alliance Church) and MB Biblical Seminary (Mennonite Brethren Church). The latter two seminaries are new to the consortium. Students enroll through one of the five partner schools, but can access any course. Each school appoints its own faculty and defines its core courses with respect to its denomination’s history, theology and identity.
Kick-off
Baker |
Fall kick-off events at Fresno included a chapel, an all-seminary picnic Sept. 1 and an annual all-seminary retreat Sept. 11-12 at Hartland Christian Camp in the Sierra mountains. MBBS President Henry Schmidt spoke at the President’s Chapel Sept. 8, on the year’s theme from Acts 1:8:
Worship led by Darren Duerksen |
“Empowered for Service.” Speakers at the Hartland retreat were Ray Bystrom, associate professor of pastoral ministry; Jim Westgate, associate professor of practical studies; and MBBS’s newest professor, Mark Baker, assistant professor of mission. – Kent H. Gaston, MBBS, and from a Trinity Western University release
| Enrollment in US Mennonite colleges and seminaries |
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.:
174 students, up from 173 last year. |
Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.:
477, down from 518 last year. |
Bluffton (Ohio) College:
1,015, up from 1,001 from last year. |
Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Va.:
1,294, down from 1,302 last year. |
Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Va.:
99, down from 109 last year. |
Fresno (Calif.) Pacific University:
1,698, up from 1,660 last year. |
Goshen (Ind.) College:
1,084, up from 1,045 last year. |
Hesston (Kan.) College:
432, up from 411 last year. |
Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan.:
540, up from 512 last year. |
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| From Mennonite Weekly Review |
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Last modified November 2, 1999.
© 1999 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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