COLLEGE EDITION

MAGAZINE

Five years equals

two degrees
plus outstanding
opportunities.
Increase your job possibiliƟes in our new
educaƟon program
p4

No greater joy than being

uncle to african children.
InvesƟng in the lives of children YOUTH MINISTRY
p6
THAT breaks the mold
Residence director doesn’t p14

leave his work at the curb.

p9

Joya Johnston gets paid to do

what she loves.
p12

COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011 | WWW.BRIERCREST.CA

TABLE OF Briercrest College and Seminary is a community
of rigorous learning that calls students to seek
CONTENTS the kingdom of God, to be shaped profoundly by
18 university-level
the Scriptures, and to be formed spiritually and undergraduate degrees
Five years equals intellectually for lives of service.
two degrees plus and two certificates
outstanding opportunities. ACCREDITATION
p4 Briercrest College and Seminary offers university-level education
that is recognized by the province of Saskatchewan and accredited B.A. Biblical Studies
No greater joy than being
by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. A.A. Biblical Studies
uncle to African children.
p6
TRANSFER AGREEMENTS B.A. Theology
Residence director doesn’t Students who have completed a year or more at our college can B.A./BSE Education New
leave his work at the curb. transfer at least half of their courses to the University of Regina or B.A. Church and Culture
p9 the University of Saskatchewan to a maximum of 60 credit hours. B.A. Christian Ministry
Students moving on to Trinity Western University and the University
Joya Johnston gets paid to B.A. Applied Linguistics: TESOL
of Waterloo receive similar credit, and business students benefit
do what she loves. from our partnership with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied A.A. Applied Linguistics: TESOL
p12 Science and Technology. B.A. Global Studies
Youth Ministry that breaks A.A. Global Studies
the mold. B.A. Worship Arts
p14
B.A. Music
A.A. Music
B.A. Youth Ministry
B.A. Humanities
FACILITIES ARTS OPPORTUNITIES A.A. Humanities
• Nine dorms • Student centre • College Singers • Orchestra A.A. Social Sciences
• Cafeteria • Ice arena • Resonant • Art show
• Hildebrand • Double-court • Refined/ B.A. Business Administration
Chapel gymnasium Undignified Discovery Certificate
• University-level • Fitness centre
library • Recording studio Kaléo Certificate

Call 1-800-667-5199 or email

Students who take a full five classes per admissions@briercrest.ca.
BRIERCREST MAGAZINE
semester can expect to pay just under
Editorial and Design Team
$8,000 per year.
Editorial Director | Rob Schellenberg,
rschellenberg@briercrest.ca
Copywriter, Editor | Julie Cole, jcole@briercrest.ca
Copy Editor | Carla Hoffmann, choffmann@briercrest.ca ANNUAL EVENTS VARSITY SPORTS TEAMS
Visit www.briercrest.ca to find
Writer | Amy Robertson, mrsamyrobertson@gmail.com
Graphic Designer | Valerie Benoit, vbenoit@briercrest.ca
• Christmas • The Briercrest • Men’s hockey (ACAC) The cost of room and board varies, depending on the meal out about partial scholarships
Photographers | Viktor Karklins, viktorkarklins@gmail.com,
Musical Olympics • Men’s and women’s volleyball (ACAC) plan you choose and whether you’d like to share a room or and bursaries.
Rob Schellenberg, rschellenberg@briercrest.ca, Julie Cole, • Youth Quake • Days of Prayer • Men’s and women’s basketball (ACAC) have one to yourself. Expect to pay between $3,000 and
jcole@briercrest.ca, Valerie Benoit, vbenoit@briercrest.ca • Brierstock • World • Men’s and women’s soccer (Club) $5,700 per year. Visit www.briercrest.ca for details.
• Camp Days Awareness Days
2 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011 WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 3
 5=2
• Deadline to apply for the first cohort of students is March 31, 2011. www.briercrest.ca/education
1-800-667-5199
• Classes begin at Briercrest in fall semester 2011.

• Students applying will require separate acceptance from both Briercrest and Minot State.

• Program duration is five years. The student’s first three years are spent at Briercrest and the second two at Minot State.

• Students may choose from five majors: elementary education or English, history, kinesiology, or music at the secondary school level.

• Some MSU courses may be programmed into the three years at Briercrest, and some Briercrest courses
may be programmed into the two years at MSU.

Five years equals two degrees plus

• Of the two years at MSU one will be fully “on campus.” The second year will include a four-month student teaching program.

• Graduates of the program receive two separate degrees—a BA from Briercrest and a BSE from Minot State.

outstanding opportunities. • For the most part, the costs associated with each degree program (BA and BSE) are normal to their home institution
and will be covered by the tuition payments.
By Julie Cole

T
hings are adding up in a big way for
Briercrest College and Seminary
students who desire a degree in
education that also contains the
distinctives of their Christian faith.
A partnership agreement between
Briercrest College and Minot State University
now makes that desire possible.
Students will receive a BA from Briercrest
and a BSE from Minot State in five years. The
first three years are spent at Briercrest and
the remaining two at Minot State.
Wes Olmstead, VP academic of Briercrest
is excited about the partnership.
“It will allow both Canadian and American
students to take advantage of the rich
faculty resources and distinctive strengths
of both institutions. From the first semester
of their studies with us, students will be
making important progress toward a BA from
Briercrest and a BSE from Minot State, while
experiencing the breadth and depth of our
mission.”
Many Briercrest alumni have entered
education programs across the country. As
a result, the desire to find a way to offer an
education degree has been alive for years.
The opportunity to partner with Minot
State began with one conversation at a
college fair.
In 2009, Briercrest recruiter Ken Pike
returned from the fair wondering about a
partnership with Minot State University
after an important discussion with an MSU
recruiter. Pike gave Olmstead the business
card for MSU’s VP academic and asked if a
partnership with the university would ever be
an option.
“I wrote the VP Academic a note and asked
if he’d be interested in getting together to
In addition to the vocational
options open to graduates of
typical education programs,
a Briercrest-Minot State BA/
BSE graduate will have the
advantage in job areas
within the Christian school
system and the church.
talk about it and he responded right away,”
Olmstead recalled.
Olmstead travelled to Minot State that
weekend and met with Neil Nordquist, dean
of education and health sciences at Minot
State. After much planning and many more
such meetings, the Briercrest-Minot State
Concurrent Degrees Program was created
about 14 months later.
Nordquist is also enthusiastic about the
partnership.
“Our agreement with Briercrest College
will attract a lot of good students, students
who are interested in becoming teachers. It’s
a nice fit for both schools and will be a great
relationship for years to come.”
Many students are already excited to
apply for this program.
Chelsea Peters, a senior at Caronport High
School is enthusiastic about the partnership.
Peters wants to be an elementary school
teacher, but also desires to study the Bible
at Briercrest.
“With this program I’d be able to do that
and still get the education I want,” she said.
“I’d get two degrees in a five year period
which is really good. I’d only have to spend a
year and a half away from home and the other
half year doing my practicum in school which
is great because I love hands-on (learning).”
Brian Gobbett, associate academic dean
of Briercrest, says the program has many
benefits.
“Agreements within higher education
that stretch between institutions and
across political boundaries have become
increasingly common in recent years and
with good cause,” he said. “In particular,
students are the beneficiaries of such
agreements as they are afforded a wider
breadth of opportunity, both experientially
and educationally.”
The job market for teaching positions in
many areas is very competitive. In addition
to the vocational options open to graduates
of typical education programs, a Briercrest-
Minot State BA/BSE graduate will have the
advantage in job areas within the Christian
school system and the church.
This greatly increases job possibilities.
Christian elementary and secondary schools
have dramatically grown over the past two
decades. For example, the Association of
Christian Schools International has over 70
schools in the four western provinces, with a
student population approaching 20,000.
More churches are asking for their
children and youth employees to have an
education degree.
As this new partnership begins to take
off, Wes Olmstead knows it will have a
positive impact on Briercrest.
“(Besides) a well-established partnership
at Minot State, (I hope) that another thing that
happens is that Christian students in Canada
and the US think about Briercrest when they
think about a degree in education.”

David Fuller, president of Minot State University, Minot State University campus Minot State University campus Minot State University campus President Uglem and President Fuller signing Chelsea Peters,
and Dwayne Uglem, president of Briercrest College the partnership agreement. Caronport High School student
and Seminary.

4 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011 WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 5

No greater joy than being
‘uncle ’
to African children.
By Amy Robertson
Steve Higgs never thought American Idol
would change his life.
The 23-year-old Moncton, N.B. native is a
bassist, not a singer—and he has no interest
in a record deal. But seeing the African Chil-
dren’s Choir for the first time on the popular
show began a journey that has changed him
forever.
Higgs had always been fascinated by
African music, and a trip to the Democratic
Republic of the Congo with his church one
summer broke his heart for the children who
had so little.
So when he heard the choir was coming
through Moose Jaw during his last year at
6 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011
Briercrest, he knew without a doubt he had
to be there.
“I arrived at the concert late, about half-
way through their program, but I was im-
mediately drawn to the children and to the
stories that they were telling on the stage,”
Higgs wrote in an email while on tour with
the choir in the United Kingdom this fall.
“I had attended the concert with some
friends, and we managed to squeeze into the
packed auditorium just along the back wall.
As soon as I heard the first song, though, my
heart began beating faster than normal …
After hearing a few songs and a few testimo-
nies I was literally incapable of sitting still.
My eyes were filled with tears, and my heart
was filled with excitement.”
Higgs’ time at Briercrest taught him what
a life lived in response to God’s kingdom
should look like. The concert in Moose Jaw
was his invitation.
He stopped by the information table in
the church foyer after the performance and
asked for more information. Within weeks,
he was packing up his car to begin the 45-
hour drive back to New Brunswick, where
he would begin raising support for his tour
with African Children’s Choir number 32 as
a chaperone.
Twenty-two Ugandan and Kenyan children
between the ages of seven and 12 would call
him “uncle” throughout their 15-month tour.
Each child was a victim of “war, disease, and
unfathomable injustices.” Many were or-
phans. But performing with the choir would
provide the funds for schooling and a future.
Before leaving from Montreal for Uganda
to meet “his” children for the first time in
August 2008, Higgs began a blog:
“I have never been a father before, but
the opportunity to invest in and build into
the lives of these children fills me with more
excitement and joy than I can express in
words,” he wrote.
Higgs’ primary role on tour over the last
two and a half years has been managing the
sound and video during the choir’s shows.
But he feels most alive simply being their
uncle.
An almost unspeakable joy has charac-
terized these last three years for Higgs as
he’s toured with three different African Chil-
dren’s Choirs: Joy in the family God has giv-
en him through these children, more laugh-
ter and love than many people experience
in a lifetime, and the profound ability to see
not just what God has done in the past, and
not just what He’ll do in the future, but what
He’s doing today.
After being at home for a few months
following that tour, Higgs realized that be-
ing an uncle was all he really wanted—God
was calling him back. That spring, he joined
choir 33. The following fall, he joined choir
34, and their tour of the United Kingdom
wrapped up in December 2010.
“I love what I am doing with the choir
because I have the incredible privilege of
watching these children grow,” Higgs wrote
just weeks before heading home for Christ-
mas. “While I have the chance to teach
them about life, they have also taught me
so much. So much about living faithfully, so
much about living with a spirit of gratitude,
and so much about the joy of the Lord.
“I love this job because at the end of
each day I put my head down on my pillow
and praise the Lord for delivering these chil-
dren from poverty into reaching their full po-
tential. I love this job because I get to watch
these children develop their confidence in
who they are in Christ over the months we
spend on the road together. Because I get to
watch these little ones transform from hope-
less to hopeful.”
To read more about Higgs’ journey, visit
his blog: stevetheuncle.blogspot.com.
Andrew
Stanley also
knows the joy
of being an
‘uncle’
Steve Higgs wasn’t the only
Briercrest grad involved with the
African Children’s Choir. Andrew
Stanley was Higgs’ classmate and a
fellow member of ELEVATE, one of
Briercrest’s former touring worship
bands. He and Higgs worked together
with choirs 32 and 33.
“It’s only the Lord who put
Andrew and I on the road with the
choir together,” Higgs wrote in
an email. “Our journeys are each
very different, but we have had the
privilege of walking them together.
We didn’t plan on touring together,
and we didn’t even decide to sign up
together. Andrew and I attended the
same concert in Moose Jaw and felt
the same prompting to seek further
information on involvement with the
choir … What an honour to not only
walk with Andrew through our time at
Briercrest (and yes, ELEVATE), but also
to walk with him beyond our years
there and into another season of tour
life with the African Children’s Choir.”
Stanley is currently working at The
Meeting House, a church in southern
Ontario. To read about his travels with
the African Children’s Choir, visit his
blog: andrewithacc.blogspot.com.
- Robertson
Every year, Briercrest College and
Seminary encourages students to
get involved in short-term missions
opportunities.
WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 7
 DORM LIFE
ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF LIFE AT BRIERCREST.
We believe that an education that impacts the whole person includes experiences inside and outside the classroom.
Students who live in dorm live in a community with
people from different backgrounds and experiences, form
lifelong friendships, and grow spiritually. Students and
faculty agree that dorm life is one of the best parts of the
Briercrest experience. Each dorm has a residence director
(RD) and each hall has two or three residence assistants
(RAs). These leaders are there to offer help and support
and encourage spiritual and social development.
8 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011
Residence director
doesn’t leave his
work at the curb
By Amy Robertson
Dan Gabor doesn’t believe in leaving his work at work, and according to
the guys he’s worked with, that’s what makes him extraordinary.
Dan is a residence director at Briercrest College and Seminary, and in
the five years since he began, he’s walked with hundreds of high school
and college students through school work, relationships, confusion, joy, and
faith.
In his first year on the job, in the fall of 2005, he was responsible for 60
young men.
It was exciting—but intimidating. In addition to overseeing an entire
dorm, he had to lead a team of four residence assistants, all of whom the
previous year’s RD had selected.
Within days, Dan’s fears dissipated. Every night, he’d come home en-
ergized instead of exhausted, thinking he had the greatest job in the world.
Dan spends the better part of his day listening and occasionally offering
advice—but he insists he’s not a counsellor.
It’s more like “a spiritual friendship,” he said with a thoughtful smile.
His work involves some administration and some disciplinary action,
but mostly things that make him look forward to getting out of bed in the
morning: listening and caring, walking and praying with people through their
struggles, and watching for God’s hand in their lives.
He calls it “creating space.” By reserving judgement, asking questions,
and offering encouragement rather than easy answers, he helps students
make room for God to speak.
He’s modest about how his actions affect his students. “Not that I do
anything, really—I’m present in those moments, not achieving those mo-
ments.”
He calls those moments—the ones when a student sees a little more of
God’s greatness, or is changed because of His power—the best part of his
job.
j
Dan is always happily surprised at his students’ openness. So many
are willing to share their lives with him, even after they’re no longer his re-
sponsibility. Several of the young men Dan worked with five years ago have
graduated, gotten married, and moved on, and yet they maintain significant
relationships with Dan.
Josh Knowles is one of them. He works on campus while studying in the
seminary, and every so often, he sits in Dan’s office to talk about life, God,
and ministry.
Knowles was one of Dan’s first RAs, and he appreciates Dan’s genuine-
ness and the depth of his care.
Call 1-800-667-5199
or email admissions@briercrest.ca.
WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 9
 Five years.
Two degrees.
“You really get the impression that Dan doesn’t stop thinking about
it when you walk out of the office,” Knowles said. He believes Dan really
listens—and keeps thinking, caring, and praying when his students aren’t
around.
Dan also makes students part of his own life, being real about his strug-
gles and inviting students into his home to spend time with his wife, Penny,
and their six children.
Penny has no trouble with Dan’s work and home life being so inter-
twined.
“When your job is caring for people, it’s hard to go away from work,
but that isn’t a bad thing,” Penny said.
She spends a lot of time praying for his students. “I feel like
we’re called here together.”
A lot of people would have trouble juggling it all but Dan “never,

Outsta
a nding!!
ever seemed too busy,” Knowles said. “If it was important, it didn’t
matter. He wouldn’t hesitate to pull out the (tea) kettle.”
Knowles was inspired, he said, by the fact that Dan was never
willing to give up on anyone. He would never wonder whether a
rebellious, angry student still belonged at Briercrest. Dan would
simply watch for God to work.
He seemed to know exactly when to be frank and honest,
Knowles said. When he did lay it all out for a student, he did so
gently and constructively.
Joshua St. Pierre was another student under Dan’s care Increase your job possibilities in our new education program.
during Dan’s first year in the dorm, and he tells a similar
story. Until St. Pierre and his wife moved to Edmonton this
summer, the two men still met regularly to talk and pray. • Deadline to apply for the first cohort of • Some MSU courses may be programmed
“Dan was great because I can count so many times students is March 31, 2011. into the three years at Briercrest, and some
when he would just come into our rooms and chill,” he said, Briercrest courses may be programmed into
explaining that spending time with people in paid leader- • Classes begin at Briercrest in fall semester the two years at MSU.
ship positions can be awkward because “they have to.” 2011.
With Dan, though, it was “so obvious he actually cared.” • Of the two years at MSU one will be fully “on
St. Pierre appreciates what he learned from Dan about • Students applying will require separate campus.” The second year will include a four-
joy. acceptance from both Briercrest and month student teaching program.
“(Dan) operates out of a spirit of genuine joy about almost Minot State.
everything. I’ve always been impressed by that … because of that, • Graduates of the program receive two
he’s so much fun to be around.” • Program duration is five years. The student’s separate degrees —a BA from Briercrest and a
Dan also taught St. Pierre about grace. “He has a very full and first three years are spent at Briercrest and the BSE from Minot State.
rich understanding of grace—how he dealt with difficult people. He second two at Minot State.
always seemed to know how to respond … • For the most part, the costs associated with
“He understands people in a way I haven’t ever, ever seen • Students may choose from five majors: each degree program (BA and BSE) are
with anyone else. It’s crazy.” elementary education or English, history, normal to their home institution and will be
Dan shaped who St. Pierre was as a leader. Dan hired St. kinesiology, or music at the secondary
Pierre and three others to work for him as RAs in Dan’s second
covered by the tuition payments.
school level.
year, but Dan later had to step into leadership in the high school
dorm, leaving his team to work for a different RD.
St. Pierre didn’t mind much—he knew Dan would remain
a mentor.
“I am who I am today in good part because of Dan.”

Find out more at www.briercrest.ca/education

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Joya
Johnston
gets paid to do
A gifted pianist and vocalist, she lives
her passion by leading people into worship
at Moose Jaw Alliance Church—and thanks
to the training and practice she got at Bri-
ercrest College and Seminary, it’s second
nature.
what she loves. Johnston, 27, has been playing the pia-
no and singing for more than 20 years. She
started piano lessons at six years old and
was singing with her family even before that.
By the time she was ready for college, she
By Amy Robertson knew she wanted to use her music for God’s
glory, and Briercrest seemed like the logical
choice: it had a great reputation, she could
study music, worship, and the Bible, and it
was close to home.
“I really loved my four years there,” said
Johnston, who earned a BA in Worship Minis-
try. “Sometimes I wish I could go back.”
The most significant aspect of her experi-
ence was the two-year period she spent with
a music group called Isaac. It confirmed her
call to be a worship leader.
Isaac, whose name signified the mem-
bers’ sacrifice of praise, was made up of Bri-
ercrest students. They began independently,
but as they practiced, members of the music
faculty saw potential. Before long, the school
asked if they’d like to travel throughout West-
ern Canada to perform, lead worship, and
promote the school. The band members said
yes.
In their second year, Johnston stepped
up as leader.
Erin Julihn (Terris), a friend and former
Isaac member, described her as a gifted,
discerning, and wise worship leader.
“She was the backbone in many ways to
the ministry that we had,” she said.
Johnston selected the music for Isaac’s
engagements. Often, the group had no idea
what the theme of the night would be or what
a speaker might be sharing. But almost al-
ways, Julihn said, the music Johnson chose
12 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011
The BA in Music is designed for
those who are naturally gifted in the
arts (music, drama, etc.) and who desire
to develop these gifts while broadening
their education with courses in Bible and
theology, Christian ministry, and arts and
science.
fit perfectly.
“It’s who she is,” Julihn said.
Johnston believes her time with Isaac is
instrumental to her success at Moose Jaw Alli-
ance. As the group’s contact person, she helped
organize the tours, which gave her the commu-
nication and organizational skills she uses ev-
ery day at work.
She also learned to lead people with differ-
ing backgrounds in worship—Isaac played in a
variety of contexts, from small, traditional coun-
try churches to youth drop-in centres. It pre-
pared her well, she said, to lead at Moose Jaw
Alliance, a large church that’s home to multiple
generations.
The most significant
aspect of her
experience was the
two-year period she
spent with a music
group called Isaac. It
confirmed her call to
be a worship leader.
Johnston credits much of her growth to pro-
fessors like Keith Molberg, who shaped and
mentored her.
Molberg worked closely with Isaac, touring
with the group in their second year and attend-
ing many rehearsals.
“His commitment to excellence was so in-
spiring to me, and it made me want to dedicate
myself to a life of learning,” Johnston wrote in
an email.
Students can participate in a variety
of school music groups that perform
on campus, in area churches, and on tours
across the country. Contact us for more
information.
Molberg was impressed with Johnston’s
leadership skills, especially considering the size
of the group—there were nine members the year
Johnston led.
She and the rest of the group weren’t just
phenomenal musicians, he said. They under-
stood worship ministry and what Briercrest
wanted them to accomplish through it, and they
took it seriously.
Three years after Johnston graduated, in
2005, the worship director’s position became
available. Her pastor, Keith Gonyou, had noticed
her talent and knew she’d studied at Briercrest.
He encouraged her to apply.
“Her gifts were obvious,” Gonyou said.
“There’s a real calling there.”
Johnston selects music for each week’s ser-
vice, rehearses with a worship team, works with
several musical ensembles, and helps coordinate
a monthly hymn sing.
Her favourite part of her job, though, is leading
the congregation in worship.
“It’s a really cool thing for me to witness and
be a part of,” she said.
“I get paid to do music, and I love it. It’s a joy.”
Successful graduates of the program
are prepared to become competent
music and worship leaders for churches,
para-church ministries, and mission
organizations. This program lays a solid
foundation for further study at the graduate
or undergraduate level, particularly in the
areas of music or pastoral ministry.
Prof ’s impact goes
beyond Briercrest
One of Joya Johnston’s favourite profes-
sors at Briercrest was Ken Dosso, an ac-
complished teacher, songwriter, and worship
leader who has since moved on to the Evan-
gelical Free Church of Lethbridge to serve as
the director of worship arts.
He “really, really impacted me,” Johnston
said. “He’s so talented.”
In 2008, just five months after accept-
ing a position at Moose Jaw Alliance Church,
Johnston travelled to Lethbridge, Alta., for a
modular course with Dosso called Arranging
for Worship Teams.
Dosso said he’d noticed growth since
Johnston was a student.
It was apparent to him that she “was set-
tling into church life” as she interacted with
how she would apply his course material to
her ministry at Moose Jaw Alliance.
According to Johnston, his observations
were correct:
“His teaching was so practical, and I
learned so much about how to improve the ar-
ranging that I was doing for my praise teams,”
she wrote in an email. “I felt refreshed and
even more determined to do my best to min-
ister to the people at Moose Jaw Alliance
Church and to serve God with the gifts that He
has blessed me with.”
Dosso teaches Briercrest College and
Seminary modular courses regularly. His next
course is Arranging for Worship Teams from
March 7-13 in Lethbridge. The class will have
an opportunity to lead worship at a Sunday
service at the Evangelical Free Church of Le-
thbridge on the last day of class.
For more information, or to register, visit
www.briercrest.ca. – Robertson
WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 13
 YOUTH MINISTRY THAT
of Joe’s Place, a drop-in centre for troubled
youth in Moose Jaw, Sask., nothing makes van
Goch nervous.
He curbs his urges to simply tell hurting kids

breaks
what to do, instead taking every opportunity to
mention his faith.
The tactic has resulted in some “oddly deep,
spiritual conversations,” he said.
One day, a kid made a comment about ani-
mals being just as sacred as humans.
“Last time I checked, I bear God’s image,”
van Goch replied bluntly. It led to a long con-
versation about how and why God set humanity

the mold
apart from the rest of creation.
Another day, a young man was discussing
Christianity with van Goch, insisting there was
no way Christians were “allowed” to consume
alcohol.
Van Goch said it wasn’t as simple as that,
telling the story of the wedding at Cana, where
Jesus turned water into wine for the guests.
The young man didn’t believe him, announcing
By Amy Robertson that he was going home to read the story in
the Bible himself so he could prove van Goch
wrong.
“Did that just happen?!” van Goch thought,
Mike van Goch has always been a different other—hang out in skate parks. laughing to himself. Was it that easy to get kids
kind of youth pastor. Van Goch saw a need, so he picked up a to read their Bibles?
Erik Reimer, a former Briercrest professor, longboard, even though he hadn’t been on one His methods were unconventional but they
noticed that van Goch broke the mold even as in over a decade, and joined them. brought Jesus to the skate park. Without him,
he sat in Reimer’s class at Briercrest College Reimer shared a story about van Goch in a girl who cut might have five peers who could
and Seminary seven years ago. his article: empathize because they had the same problem—
“He sat in the far-right corner of the class, “‘Hey, old man! Why the (expletive deleted) but there was no one to really help her.
close to the exit, seemingly disinterested at do you have a pink and blue ribbon on your Van Goch provided “a stop” for kids’ problems,
times, yet often piping up with the most pro- board?!’ the 12-year-old calls out. His language he said, because he could introduce them to Christ.
found questions that forced me as an instructor and tone may be shocking to many Evangelical Perhaps it’s just as well that the first 52 re-
to think twice before giving a standard answer,” Christians, but Mike van Goch … is anything but sumes he sent came up empty. Maybe the churches
Reimer wrote in a short article about van Goch shocked. Here on the ramps of Vernon’s largest couldn’t imagine a youth pastor who hung out in
years later. skate park, the 26-year-old knows that his title, skate parks instead of church youth rooms—and
The two men worked together at Faith Bap- ‘old man,’ in reality carries enormous respect maybe for van Goch, that wouldn’t work.
tist Church in Vernon, B.C., for three years. among these rough-around-the-edges youth. Or maybe God knew that for a time, the kids
Reimer was the senior pastor, and van Goch “‘It’s in memory of my son, Brody,’ Mike at the skate park needed him more than any youth says they should consider Jesus’ approach to sin: clearly wasn’t going to sit in his office and wait for
worked 40 to 60 hours per week as a flood tech returns. The boy’s sarcastic tone immediately group did. quoting Scripture. youth group to start. He was going to dedicate him-
for a restoration company while volunteering in softens, and the pink and blue ribbon (the in- Late last year, a church in Bow Island, Alta., When two people are having a problem, van self to caring for kids—wherever they were.
the youth group. ternational symbol to honour stillborn children) picked up resume number 53 and decided they Goch asks them to work it out, saying they’ll be “We sensed he really had a heart for today’s
It wasn’t his career of choice. He’d submit- opens up a conversation where Mike is able to wanted a different kind of youth pastor. “stuck” together for eternity—so they’d might as youth,” Roger Lobb, the senior pastor, said.
ted dozens of applications for paid youth min- share how Jesus Christ is his source of strength Van Goch accepted their offer because of how well talk about it now. Van Goch is already thinking about how he
istry positions, but most went nowhere. One or to deal with the incredible loss. the church approached ministry, he said. They be- When church leaders wonder about vision and can find a way to care for the students at the high
two generated offers, just not the right ones. “‘That’s cool,’ the kid replies as the two of lieve everyone should use their gifts for ministry, direction, van Goch insists that the Bible already school nearby. There’s no skate park in Bow Island,
But money didn’t matter to van Goch—hurt- them return to their skateboarding.” and they believe they exist for one reason: to pro- provides it. so van Goch will adapt.
ing kids did. If no one would pay him to work Sometimes van Goch’s approach makes claim Jesus. “We just need to read it more often and go do “I’ll just have to learn to drive a tractor and
full time with teenagers, he’d do it in his spare Evangelicals nervous, but as a six-year veteran He hasn’t scaled back his style—he tells the stuff,” he said simply. shoot things,” he said.
time. truth, even when it doesn’t feel good. And the The church wanted van Goch because of his He took his first combine ride the other day.
The skater culture on the ‘Hey, old man! Why the (expletive deleted) church is okay with that. dedication. Someone who would work 60 hours a
West Coast is huge. Hundreds week in Vernon, spend time with his wife, Julie, and
of kids—many of them in pain,
do you have a pink and blue ribbon on He challenges people to be biblical and not just
practical. Rather than discussing prayer partner- their boys, Marcus and Jackson, and still spend
with no one to listen but one an- your board?!’ the 12-year-old calls out. ships for teens who struggle with gossip, van Goch whatever free time he could in the skate park

14 BRIERCREST MAGAZINE COLLEGE EDITION | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2011 WWW.BRIERCREST.CA 15

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