Page 21 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
NEWS
The Presbyterian College’s Global Student Community
presbyterian.ca
WINTER 2022
PRESBYTERIAN
21
Adapted from The Presbyterian College Newsletter
If you walk into a Wednesday chapel service at The Presby- terian College Montreal, Que., you will find yourself invited into worship and prayer within a vibrant and diverse commu- nity of Christians from all over the world. In the last several years, The Presbyterian College has become an increasingly global community, with many of its students coming to study from outside Canada. The op- por tunity for students to study in a multicultural institution with those of different backgrounds and perspectives is deeply en- riching and invaluable for theo- logical formation. It reflects the reality that we are indeed part of a global church.
Through his time as Principal (2014–2020), the Rev. Dr. Dale Woods took proactive steps to promote a global community at PC. Under his leadership, the Col- lege established the Faith to Faith fund, which provides significant
ChungChih Hong and her family.
financial support to international students who have demonstrated a capacity for church leadership in their own context. In 2015, Dr. Woods visited the Presbyterian Church of the Cameroon, where he met two promising leaders who later came to study at The Presbyterian College.
Current Principal Roland De Vries commented that “Dale’s ministry paved the way for the formation of a truly global student body at the College. Today we continue to build on the legacy as we reach out to, and support, in- ternational students who want to be equipped for service through theological education.”
One of the current international students at the College, George Berberian, comes from an Ar- menian background and grew up in Aleppo, Syria; he was raised in the Orthodox tradition while also attending Protestant Sun- day School. George first felt the call to ministry during his time of mandatory service in the Syrian military. After nearly four years of service, George left the military
to pursue a Bachelor of Theology degree in Beirut. When he had graduated from that program, he then moved to Turkey where he ministered to its Muslim popula- tion, sharing the gospel in Arme- nian, Arabic, Turkish and Persian. In 2021, George completed a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Nyack College and Semi- nary, New York.
Another important member of the College’s international community is ChungChih Hong, who comes from the Indigenous Pinuyumayan tribe in Taitung County, Taiwan. In her home country, ChungChih spent 15 years as a lay leader in the Pres- byterian Church in Taiwan. She also earned her Master of Arts in Theology at YuShan Theological College and Seminary, a semi- nary for Indigenous students in Taiwan. Now, ChungChih is pur- suing a Ph.D. in the School of Religious Studies at McGill with a concentration in Gender and Women Studies and is active in the worshipping community of The Presbyterian College. She is
George Berberian.
particularly interested in exploring her role as an Indigenous woman in the church. ChungChih has spent the last five years living in Montreal with her husband, Looh, and their children.
The continuing diversity of the College also includes those who have longstanding ties to The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Julielee Stitt grew up on a farm in the Ottawa Valley, where she attended the Fort Coulange Pres- byterian Church with her family. She is a current member at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kingston, Ont. Julielee’s educa- tional background is in journal- ism; she has spent the last several years in writing and communica- tions positions in the Ottawa Val- ley, Winnipeg and Kingston. While living in Kingston, Julielee became very involved at St. Andrew’s. Her experience there, along with her love for people and their stories, inspired her to begin a Master of Divinity degree at The Presbyte- rian College this year.
Living and studying together as a diverse and global community
Julielee Stitt.
means paying special attention to who we are, how we speak, and how we listen to each other. We follow the risen Jesus together, and find our unity in him, but we must also attend to our assump- tions about one another and to our assumptions about what dis- cipleship, worship and service “should” look like. This means that intercultural learning is be- coming an increasingly important component of our life together, learning about the dynamics of power and about deeply embed- ded cultural assumptions that influence our relationships. The goal of this is to shape us more authentically as those who belong together as one in Christ.
Gift and challenge—those two words are perhaps always a good way to describe the life we share as God’s people. When the accent is on “gift” we are focusing on the wonderful way God blesses us as a global community. When the accent is on “challenge” we are focusing on what it means to treasure and care for the gift God gives.
New Development in Bradford
HonourKind Properties recently announced that it will be moving forward with a site-plan applica- tion to build a state-of-the-art, family-scale, 42-unit intimate care home for seniors facing cognitive challenges on the south property of The Elden of Bradford, Ont. and St. John’s Presbyterian Church lands.
“We are thrilled and very ex- cited to launch this important project, which focuses on an in- timate, friendly environment for seniors who are facing cognitive challenges like Alzheimer’s to get the care and support they need
in Bradford,” said Dale Beasse, president of HonourKind. “Our team consists of experienced, caring individuals whose passion is to address the growing needs of our seniors to access housing and support.”
“The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury has worked dili- gently to attract seniors hous- ing projects, whether retirement homes, bungalows, apar tments or condos,” said Mayor Rob Keffer. “This new memory-care home will be a fantastic contri- bution to ensuring seniors can get the housing and suppor t they
Pictured (left to right) St. John’s minister, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Scott, Bradford Mayor Rob Keffer, HonourKind Properties president Dale Beasse (holding a photo of project renderings), Deputy Mayor James Leduc and Councillor Ron Orr.
need to continue to age in our community.”
“It’s great news that a new home for seniors with memory challenges is coming to our town. We’re thrilled to launch this new model and for the new jobs that will be created,” said Deputy Mayor James Leduc.
The 42-unit project will be moving forward with a site-plan application in the near future. HonourKind Properties is run by the team that delivered The Elden, and seeks to be the inspiration for integrity, kindness and innovation in quality cognitive care.