It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Kaitlyn Roth, a 3A Conrad Grebel University College undergraduate student in the Faculty of Arts. Kaitlyn passed away on April 28, 2022.
Tyler Allen works in the kitchen at Grebel, washing dishes and helping the cooks prepare and serve food. A few weeks ago, we celebrated Tyler’s “One Thousand Days Without Pop” at Grebel.
As we emerge from many months of a global pandemic, the Grebel community is eager for renewal of mind, spirit and direction. Our new strategic plan focuses on a relatively short time frame of three years, and centres on the work we need to do to recover and thrive following the unexpected upheavals of the past two years.
Images reach into our lives in a different way than written text or even music. I remember sitting in church services as a little kid, paging through my Bible and looking for pictures. Children growing up in congregations with the new Voices Together hymnal will be shaped by the artwork they see week after week.
As part of Grebel’s mission to nurture faith in service to church and society, the College has woven many threads of opportunity into its programming. While Grebel students are on diverse career paths, those who want to build church leadership skills find ways to develop those gifts.
It may not be immediately apparent how an academic teaching and research centre like the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC) serves the church. Nevertheless, over the course of more than thirty years, TMTC has consistently been a bridge between the church and the academy.
The Conflict Management Certificate Program operates under the premise that each person can learn how to deal with conflict in a healthy and effective manner. The program and the workshops provide an opportunity to explore new ideas and train participants to work effectively with others.
In an effort to resource churches, schools, and civil society, Grebel is introducing Grebel to-go. Through lectures, presentations, workshops, adult and youth education, and sermons, faculty members at Grebel are eager to share their expertise in peace, music, worship, Mennonites, religious studies, theology, and history.
Grebel’s Spirituality and Aging program helps to connect the church with resources. Our Aging and the Spiritual Life course (which accepts auditors), our annual Spirituality and Aging seminar, and ongoing consulting and research, links pastors and the community with opportunities to learn from one another, and from scholars and spiritual care providers around the world.
Grebel’s mission is to “Seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.” After graduation, alumni who desire to serve the church find a multitude of pathways to fulfill this call: in lay leadership roles, in pastoral vocations, or in leading church-inspired non-profits.