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A Reformed Biweekly
February 13, 2012
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Columnists
Harry Antonides born in Holland, immigrated to Canada in 1948, where he first worked as a farm hand and railway labourer. He spent 13 years working at a chemical plant in Sarnia, Ontario. In 1962, he joined the fledgling Christian Labour Association of Canada, first as a field representative and, after 1970, as director of research and education. Since 1974, he also served in that capacity as a founding member of the Work Research Foundation (now Cardus). From 1964 till 1976, his family lived in Vancouver, B.C.; since then he and his wife Janet have made Willowdale, Ontario, their home base. He retired in December 1997, and has since been involved in volunteer work in church and community. He now also works as a free lance writer with a special interest in the impact of Islam on the West and on the Christian Church. He is the author of many articles and book reviews, as well as two book length studies, dealing with multinational corporations in Canada (1978) and with the history of the Social Gospel in Canada (1985).Back to the top
Emily Cramer grew up in the Toronto area and spent most of her twenties living as a nomad. She completed her English B.A. in New Brunswick (1999), burned through some existential angst in eastern Ontario and in Scotland, and finally wrapped up a Master’s in Christianity & the Arts in British Columbia (2008). She now lives in Barrie, Ontario with her husband, James, where she works as a college Communications teacher and hopes to stay put, at least for awhile. She has been privileged with a number of writing opportunities over the years, from a summer newspaper column on the natural environment to a novella for her graduating thesis, and is now feeling honoured to be able to explore the next leg of her travels - parenting and family life - with the CC.Back to the top
Rudy Eikelboom, a Professor of Psychology, has recently gone to the dark side being elected as Chair of the Psychology Department at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a proud of his two children and three grandchildren. A member of the Waterloo Christian Reformed Church he is chair of the Council. Despite all these activities he still enjoys working with rats.Back to the top
Curt Gesch is a retired school teacher who lives in Quick, British Columbia. He and his wife, Betsey, live on a farm and moose pasture; the farm's name is Eskerhazy. Their children presently are living in Calgary; St. John's, Newfoundland; and Hamilton, Ontario. Curt enjoys music - psalms, hymns, classical, jazz, and blues - playing the piano, gardening, reading about farming, preaching, and reading. Betsey and Curt also enjoy visiting the sick and seniors even older than themselves (both are presently deacons in Telkwa Christian Reformed Church) and working with children. They also love spending quiet days and nights are home with each other.Back to the top
Bert Hielema born in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, just before the depression. Most of my formal education was obtained in that city as well: a total of 14 years of drill and rote learning, which, somehow finally, in my latter days, is paying off, that is to say I now can sometimes successfully, distinguish the real from the phony, an increasingly difficult job. That’s why I write a column: I don’t know what goes on in my mind until I have read what I have written. In Canada since 1951, where I always have been self-employed: successively in insurance, real estate, commercial appraising, columnist, taking courses at McMaster –;; English, Trent –;; Urban Geography, Queen’s - economics, and York - real estate appraising. Obtained the degree of AACI –;; Accredited appraiser. All my active life have been Christian School board member and occupied various church functions as well. Now only a tenor in a church choir.Husband of 56 years –;; and counting –;; and father of 5 children –;; no longer counting - and more than a dozen grandchildren. Neither rich nor poor: the Lord has blessed, far beyond my deserving. Back to the top
Mendelt Hoekstra is a Music Therapist by trade, an entrepreneur at heart, but most of all, a husband and father (of five!). Mendelt and his family go to Jubilee Fellowship CRC in St.Catharines and is heavily involved in several choirs, including the Momentum choir, a highly successful regional choir composed of adults with developmental disabilities. Professionally, Mendelt uses his musical gifts and talents at Bethesda, an organization that supports people in the Spirit of Christ. Seeing the joy and progress that music can bring to his clients is his greatest professional achievement. Mendelt completed his Music Therapy degree at Capilano University in North Vancouver. He now lives in the fruit belt of the Niagara Region, a stone's throw from the house he grew up in, surrounded by grape vines and fruit trees. He enjoys biking, hiking and playing sports. Mendelt has written for Christian Courier since 2005, sharing his passion for life, his experiences with death and all of the beauty and grace that lies in between. mhoekstra@bethesdaservices.comBack to the top
David T. Koyzis was born and grew up near Chicago in a large family, where he was nurtured in the Christian faith from an early age. He now lives in Hamilton, Ontario, where he has taught political science at Redeemer University College since 1987. He is the author of the award-winning book, Political Visions and Illusions, which grew out of one of the courses he teaches. He is currently writing a second book on authority. He is an amateur poet and musician and has been working for 25 years on a project devoted to the Genevan Psalter. He knows the basics of several languages, but is fluent in only one (guess which?). He is married to Dr. Nancy Calvert Koyzis and together they have a daughter Theresa, who is an amateur artist, violinist and ornithologist. The family also includes a bilingual pet budgie named Ollie. They (except for Ollie) are members of Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, a dynamic 170-year-old congregation worshipping in a century-old building.David blogs at Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist and at First Things: Evangel. He has written a column for Christian Courier since 1990.Back to the top
Melissa Kuipers grew up on a chicken farm just outside of Aylmer, Ontario. She graduated from Redeemer University College in 2006 with a major in English and a double minor in Art History and Missions and went to the University of Western Ontario for her Bachelor of Education. She taught English at Beacon Christian High in St. Catharines where where she co-led a club called The Justice League which raises awareness about and funds for social justice issues and organizations. She is now a full-time student completing her Masters of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto. She enjoys travelling, jewellery -making, up-cycling (remaking used items from clothes to books to beads), singing, carpooling and family holidays. Back to the top
Lloyd Rang works in communications and is a member of Rehoboth CRC in Bowmanville. Back to the top
Derek Schuurman studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and completed a Ph.D at MacMaster University. He worked for several years in industry before returning to teach in academia where he is currently an associate professor of Computer Science at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario. Besides his technical work he has also thought and taught about reconciling faith and computer technology. He along with his wife and four children live in Hamilton, Ontario. His website: http://cs.redeemer.ca/derek/Back to the top
Cathy Smith is an involved member of the Wyoming Christian Reformed Church where she is the bulletin editor, mentor to the pastor, church education teacher, and jack-of-all-trades volunteer on a few too many lists.As a retired Christian schoolteacher, she thinks she should have time to indulge in extensive reading, blogging and writing, daily walks in her small town, choir, gardening, DIY projects around the house, family get-togethers and occasional travel. She does not, in fact, have the time to do all these things, but keeps trying anyway. She is both energized and humbled by Christ’s call to apply his name to all these facets of everyday life.Cathy is married to Mark, a carpenter, and together they have raised three children. Presently they are empty-nesters and dotty grandparents to two little munchkins. Mark does not attend church or call himself a Christian. Cathy regards their unusual marriage, tried and tested for over thirty years, as a living and practical metaphor for the challenge of Christian discipleship in a world not yet fully redeemed. She feels privileged to be part of the CC team, participating in this unique community dialogue about following Jesus today in this advent time between the cross and the crown.Cathy blogs at Cathy's Blog - Peripheral Vision (cathysmith001.wordpress.com) and can be contacted at cathysmith001@hotmail.comBack to the top
Maynard prefers his given name, Meindert. He was born in Holland n 1949, immigrated with his family to Canada in 1953 and settled on a farm in Renfrew County in the Ottawa Valley. He downsized his 420 acres and cattle numbers after cattle prices fell drastically in 2003.Maynard enjoys travel. He's been to most European countries, including Russia. He enjoys gardening and reading -no sports. Last year at age 59 he married Helen Mae Waite - a nurse. Mae works a few days a month at a local nursing home. They enjoy quiet times at their cottage at Colton Lake.Maynard served on a number of boards. He was a director of the Renfrew County Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) for 3l years.He writes weekly and monthly columns, which he has done for 2l years. Maynard and Mae attend Hebron Christian Reformed church in Renfrew, Ont.Back to the top
Arlene Van Hove is a therapist, a mother of four adult children and a grandmother to an ever-increasing brood of delightful grandchildren. She also belongs to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, a subsidiary of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which raises funds for grandmothers who are raising the next generation in countries devastated by the Aids epidemic.As a writer Arlene hopes to provide a comforting voice for all those who struggle with the complexity of life. At the same time, she believes one of the roles of a columnist is to unflinchingly challenge 'the map when it no longer fits the ground.' And while she has less advice for others as she herself is aging, she hopes her columns will encourage her readers to develop questions and answers for themselves that continue to be worth asking and answering in the 21st Century. She is a member of the Fleetwood CRC in Surrey, B.Back to the top
Marian Van Til is a former C.C. editor who lived in Canada from 1975-2000. She now freelances for journals and writes books, the second of which, Confessions of a Cataholic, will be released later this month. Marian is also a classical musician and the music director at a Lutheran Church. She and her husband, Ed Cassidy, live in Youngstown, NY. She blogs at http://reformedrevelry.wordpress.com/Back to the top
Heidi VanderSlikke grew up in the Niagara Peninsula with dreams of becoming a writer. But she took a paying job instead. Working as a bookkeeper led to studies in accounting and credit management, all of which proved to be very practical when she married Jack—her Prince Farming—in 1978. They have lived happily ever after (most of the time) on their farm near Harriston, Ontario. They have three grown children and (so far) one incredibly cute grandson.For the last ten years Heidi has been a columnist for Christian Courier, as well as having written short stories, devotionals and articles for other publications. She is a professional member of The Word Guild.She enjoys the outdoors, animals, photography, reading and motorcycles. She and Jack have ridden to Canada’s east coast and through various parts of the US, including the Florida Everglades. They hope to one day take their bikes across Canada to British Columbia. In the meantime, she continues to write about what she loves best—faith, family and farm life. Back to the top
Kenny Warkentin is a full time urban missionary in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He works as the resource programs coordinator for Living Waters Canada Central Region. He is also involved as the Exodus International Canadian Regional Representative. Kenny is passionate about issues regarding gender, sexuality and has written numerous columns on those issues as it pertains to the Body of Christ. He is married to Paula and they have a daughter Phoebe. Paula and Kenny are both avid artists and they have showcased their work in various venues. Paula is a spoken word poet and Kenny is a photography and painter. They also travel and share their testimony throughout North America.Back to the top
