Board Information

Christian Courier is an independent, non-profit, board-run publication. Our board, Reformed Faith Witness (RFW), is made up of volunteers committed to the flourishing of redemptive journalism in Canada.

Reformed Faith Witness Members:

James Dekker

CHAIR
Jim is a retired Christian Reformed pastor and missionary living in St. Catharines, Ontario. He thanks God for the hip and shoulder replacements now enabling him to move those joints painlessly. Jim reads lots of free books that he “pays for” with reviews. He was dragooned into being the President of Christian Courier Board of Directors while on his way to that meeting after an over-long ophthalmologist appointment. As long as God gives his wife Rose and him health, they hope to ride their tandem bike, “Double Dekker 2,” around Niagara and other places in the months, paddle canoes and kayaks, camp in their nifty new-to-them “r-pod” trailer, and visit children and grandchildren in the distant places they live because their parents provided them poor role models for stability of residence.

Shiao Chong

Chong is the Associate Director at Global Scholars Canada and a board member at Christian Courier. He is a Christian thinker, writer and preacher who served for nine years as editor in chief of The Banner, the CRCNA’s magazine. Prior to that, he served for 15 years as a campus pastor at York University in Toronto. He blogs at: 3dchristianity.wordpress.com.

Noah VanBrenk

Noah VanBrenk

Noah is a graduate of Redeemer University and Dalhousie University. He lives and works in Toronto.

Sylvan Gerritsma

Sylvan Gerritsma

VICE-CHAIR
Syl is an old guy who still has youthful enthusiasm for solidly Christian worldviews, particularly as expressed in various distinctively Christian organizations. Before retirement, he operated a small business and now finds fulfillment volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity Restore. Syl loves Christian Courier for the excellent ways it bears witness to the Kingdom of God, which never grows old.

John Bakker

TREASURER
John is a retired accountant and former partner in a CPA accounting firm in Smithers, B.C. He enjoys golf, pickleball, squash and a variety of outdoor activities in the winter. He and his wife Irene have three adult children and five grandchildren who live nearby.

Jaime Spyksma

Jaime Spyksma

Jaime is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but currently lives on the west coast in Tsawwassen, B.C., with her husband, Darren. She is the executive assistant at Abbotsford Christian School. She was first introduced to Christian Courier in the 1990s when her husband was looking for teaching jobs in the classifieds. Now she enjoys reading the various perspectives of the columnists, such as Sara Pot, Katie Munnik and Bob Bruinsma. When she’s not reading CC, she enjoys sitting at the beach, reading, travelling and making handmade cards.

Helen Vreugdehil

Helen Vreugdenhil is Associate Director of Giving at the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, where she works with donors to advance animal welfare through philanthropy and legacy giving. Raised in Ontario’s Dutch Reformed community, she has long appreciated the important role Christian publications play in shaping thoughtful engagement with faith and society. Today she worships in the Anglican tradition and enjoys reading, writing, traveling and opera. Helen regularly teaches African History as an adjunct professor at Redeemer University in Ancaster, ON. She is honoured to serve on the Board of the Christian Courier and support its mission of thoughtful Christian journalism.