Principal's Message
“To prepare persons for Christian leadership, ordered and lay” is at the core of the mission of St. Andrew’s College. If ever our College was called to serve its mission, it is now.
Our United Church of Canada must call forth and equip a whole new generation of servant leaders for our congregations, our communities, our nation and world. The need for a faithful, well-equipped new generation of women and men in ordained ministry; the need for those who are ready to serve with conviction, with justice, love and understanding, has rarely been more pronounced. At St. Andrew’s we are committed to serve our Church, follow our mission and follow our God in preparing those who enter for roles of Christian leadership.
There is a growing excitement within the College around a new model of preparation for ordination that we have offered the United Church as a pilot project. We have been encouraged by our Church to pursue the dream. Our new model proposes a two year period of solid academic work both through distance education and within the College community followed by two years of resident ministry in a pastoral charge Presbytery appointment with continuing engagement in study and learning circles within the College. Our residency model will deepen the integration of study and practice; will offer greater support and stability to students; will open the possibility of a continuation of the resident ministry into a permanent placement beyond graduation and ordination; and will maintain the opportunity for many of our small and rural pastoral charges to continue offering their ministry of education and preparation. We are excited about the new model and if final approvals of the pilot are provided we anticipate the launch in 2011.
As our national Church decides on the future of the funding for theological education and preparation for ordered ministry, St. Andrew’s has been identified in the recommendation now before our General Council Executive as one of four theological centres in Canada, preparing students for ordination, that will continue to receive national funding. The Colleges recommended to loose their funding will continue to educate and equip students and serve our Church but without the national funding. If the recommendation is accepted St. Andrew’s will become the one funded program for ordination preparation west of Toronto. We are humbled, encouraged and grateful for the opportunity.
Now having almost reached the conclusion of my “first year”, “phase one” back at school, I have witnessed a year of many blessings in the life of St. Andrew’s. The highlight of the year was to present the degrees to and now to see the ordination of some very exceptional graduates who take their place as servant leaders among us. I have seen some exceptional students graduate and others who are preparing to graduate down the road.
We hosted an inspiring and challenging Winter Refresher with Dr. Timothy Beal and welcomed to the College a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ gathering of the world’s ecumenical voices in a public forum. We joined together in fond memory of Dr. Charles Johnston with thanks for all that he gave to this College and many of us. Our Gala Fundraising Dinner in Regina with Dr. Lynda Haverstock and Jack Semple, and our Gala Fundraising Dinner in Saskatoon with Tom Jackson were both evenings to remember. Our students and faculty have been involved in issues beyond the College within the community, nation and globe ranging from support for inner-city community projects, KAIROS, Earth Day and others.
We have established a student recruitment committee, are struggling to maintain a balanced budget and working toward a plan to make our building accessible. Our relationship is strong within the Saskatoon Theological Union and together we are building a relationship with the Horizon Pentecostal College.
Our review and evaluation of our current internship model is now complete and demonstrates overwhelming support and satisfaction from graduates, those involved with the program and the congregations and pastoral charges within whom our graduates now serve in stable ministry. A recent visit by our accrediting body, the Association of Theological Schools, submitted a report with significant affirmations and solid recommendations.
As an Affirming Ministry of the United Church we strive to make our College inclusive and are participating with other Affirming Ministries in joint efforts.
At the end of June we will mark, with much gratitude, the retirement of Rev. Alison West as our Internship Coordinator. Alison has done remarkable work with our interns and our internship pastoral charges and has built solid bridges throughout the three Conferences we serve. As we wish Alison many happy years of retirement we know that she will continue with her love for the College and engagement in our life here.
Finally, I want to thank the many pastoral charges and congregations who have welcomed me and others from the College for College Sundays. Your hospitality has been marvelous! So too are the many gifts our College receives from congregations, individuals, UCW’s, Presbyteries and estates. Your generosity enables the College to continue. For your ongoing support, your prayers, and your efforts to join with us in calling forth a new generation of servant leaders, I thank you.
Blessings,
Lorne Calvert
Principal
