TC Posts

TIU Athletics Spotlight: Welcome Coach Wartluft!

Trinity Athletics has announced the recent hire of Laurel Wartluft as the new head women’s basketball coach. Wartluft comes to Trinity with extensive experience as a collegiate basketball coach, having served at Kent State, Moody Bible Institute, and, most recently, at Walsh University, where she was the head women’s basketball coach and assistant athletics director.

“As a highly successful coach at previous institutions, Coach Wartluft has the background and experience necessary to develop a highly successful program at Trinity International University,” said TIU Director of Athletics Dr. Tony Ladd.

She has career coaching achievements that include consecutive trips to the NAIA National Basketball Tournament in 2010 and 2011, as well as a Final Four appearance in 2011. Coach Wartluft is replacing Summer Fine who resigned the position earlier this year.

Trinity’s Online BA in Christian Ministries: Flexible, Global Training

Trinity International University is engaged in training leaders for global kingdom service. One of the many ways this happens is through our online undergraduate degree completion programs, in which students like Karen Edwards have the opportunity to complete their degree in formats that fit their lives.

Karen and her husband are full-time missionaries in Costa Rica. In the midst of training women through life-on-life discipleship, she has been completing an online BA in Christian Ministries (one of three online Bachelor’s completion programs Trinity offers). She also recently spent six months stateside to augment her program with REACH counseling courses on the Deerfield campus, which is where we recently caught up with her.

When asked about her experiences with our online programs, she said, “Overall, it’s been great. My husband and I travel a lot; I can do my work from South America or whatever country I’m in, so that’s awesome.” For Karen, Trinity’s flexibility in delivery and timing provide the perfect educational complement to her full-time vocational pursuits.

Karen is excited about the training she’s received. When asked about how her recent counseling courses will affect her discipleship ministries once she returns to Costa Rica, she laughed and said, “Well, I’m still processing.” She went on to speak about some of the challenges and opportunities facing some of the women she disciples; she is especially excited about how her ministry is beginning to raise up married couples who, after growing in discipleship alongside one another, feel called to become overseas missionaries in Muslim countries. Karen hopes to someday visit and strengthen some of these couples using some of the theological and practical skills gained through her program.

She isn’t sure about what new opportunities will come in the future, but the unique combination of gospel-centeredness and flexibility Karen found in Trinity’s online BA in Christian Ministries degree completion program has given her training that will shape her ministry for years to come.

Race To College Registration

In addition to having the registration process out of the way, benefits include, but are not limited to:

Getting into your required classes
Having your schedule set
Less pressure from employers wanting to know your schedule

Sneak Preview Parking Changes Spring 2013

On Friday, January 18, part of the Mansion parking lot will be blocked off to accommodate guests attending the undergraduate Sneak Preview event. We would like to encourage staff and faculty who typically park in this lot to park in an alternate lot for this day. If you have any questions, or wish to inquire as to where you are authorized to park, please contact Security by email at parking@tiu.edu or at x6400.

Professor, Graduate Student, and Staff Panelists Wanted for TC Forum

Trinity College’s Discipleship Cabinet plans to host 3 forums throughout the year, one in late November and two in the Spring. Each will have four panelists discussing one theme issue. In our panel, we would like to represent a variety of roles at TIU, whether college/graduate professor, graduate student, or staff.

The forum is divided into three parts. (1) A host asks a few questions which the panel is prepared to answer, and the panelists respond to and discuss each question. (2) As these questions are being discussed, the audience submits questions which are filtered by the host. When the starter questions are exhausted, the panel responds to the audience’s filtered questions. (3) The audience then breaks into four smaller discussion groups, each facilitated by one of the panelists.

A panelist is expected to:
- Prepare questions given beforehand
- Answer questions before audience
- Interact with other panelists respectfully
- Facilitate smaller group discussion

Please contact Tony Thomason at zathoma1@tiu.edu or (815) 546-3535 if you are interested in participating as a panelist at a D-Cab Forum. Our first forum in late November will be on The Problem of Evil.

We are grateful for your service to the Trinity community in your teaching and working.

Thank you,

Discipleship Cabinet

TIU Celebrates Latino Heritage Week

Trinity International University (TIU) is celebrating Latino Heritage Festival Week October 15–21, inviting students to discuss and experience Latino culture through chapel services, meals, dancing, a montage event and more.

Founding pastor of Chicago’s La Villita Community Church, Noel Castellanos, will be speaking at the Trinity College chapel services this week. Castellanos has worked in full-time Latino ministry since 1982, serving in youth ministry, church planting and community development in San Francisco, San Jose and Chicago. He is the CEO of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and he established the CCDA Institute. Castellanos was appointed to serve on President Obama’s Council for Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships, and is a sought-after speaker, motivator and mentor.

Castellanos will give a talk entitled, “Making Great Salsa in the Barrios of our Nation,” for a Montage Forum and Discussion on Wednesday in the Lantern Lounge at 9 p.m. Chapel credit will be provided.

TEDS PhD candidate Armida Belmonte-Stephens will be sharing her life experience as a Latina at the TEDS/TGS chapel service on Tuesday, October 16, continuing the faculty series, “God’s Story of Redemption: Christ’s Death.” Castellanos will be sharing at the TEDS/TGS chapel service on Thursday, October 18.

The Multicultural Development Office (MDO) is offering a Latino church experience on Sunday, October 21, by visiting Sonido de Alabanza, led by Pastor Esdras Ferreras. Transportation is provided. Sign up is available at the Info Booth in the Waybright Student Center.

As a prominent piece of Latino culture is dancing, students have the chance to bust a move at the Salsa & Merengue Night at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 19, in Melton Hall.

Each dinner at Hawkins Hall this week features Latin American food prepared at “Taqueria” with the ambiance of festive Latino music.

Throughout the week, Rolfing Library has Latin literature on display in the foyer for students to check out.

Stewardship: Your Job & the Glory of God

September 25–27 marks the beginning of a series of events you will not want to miss. Tom Nelson, pastor of Christ Community Church, will speak in Trinity College and Divinity School chapels on Wednesday and Thursday. He will also join Steve Garber as they jointly dialogue with various student, faculty, and staff groups.

Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson is the author of Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work. Steve Garber is, among other things, the founder and principal of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture.

Steve Garber

Both Tom and Steve have dedicated significant portions of their ministries to articulating a theology of vocation, a biblical vision for stewardship of one’s work that overcomes the oft-assumed divide between “secular” and “sacred” spheres. They are committed to developing church leaders who teach a consistent vision of work as ministry, especially with regard to lines of work that are not often considered “ministry.”

As mentioned above,their presence on campus is the first in a series of events resulting from a grant from the Kern Foundation that has made possible a year-long partnership with the Oikonomia Network, a network of pastors, university leaders, and educators dedicated to teaching a biblical vision of holistic vocation and stewardship. For more information on the Oikonomia Network and other upcoming events resulting from this partnership, please visit www.tiu.edu/stewardship.

Can’t make it to any of the lectures? Then join us for the live stream!