Nazarene chaplain finds inspiration in Saskatchewan Penitentiary

(Saskatoon Star-Phoenix)

Prince George, Saskatchewan-"My life," Deborah Tanasiecuk says, "has life."

And in her work, inspiration.

Schooled at Canadian Nazarene University College in Calgary (bachelor of theology) and the University of Winnipeg (master of divinity), she was ordained in 1995. She and her husband, Don, settled in Melfort, Saskatchewan where Deborah served as pastor of the Melfort Church of the Nazarene until November 2001.

"I came to a career crossroads," says Tanasiecuk, pronounced Tennessee-chuck. "I have a prayer saying: 'Lord, use me here or put me in a place where I can be used.'"

Turns out He sent her to prison. For going on five years, she has been chaplain at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert.

She knew the job was going to be diverse, the days challenging. She needed that. But there was another reason Tanasiecuk wanted to work as a prison chaplain.

"Curiosity," she says. "I wondered what it was like in prison. I'd only ever seen one; I went to Stony Mountain [Institution in Winnipeg] once in college.

"I wanted to find out what life is like in a place like this."

She works behind stone walls and razor wire, in a place where hard intersects with cold. It isn't very pretty in the town without pity.

"What I have learned?" she says. "Wow." She pauses.

"Hmm," she goes, thinking on it longer.

"I've learned that there is life and grace in surprising places."

On entering prison, after the paperwork and the processing are done, the new inmates are met by Tanasiecuk. "Welcome to your future," she tells them.

"I say to the men that if you continue living the way you are now, this will be your future," she says. "These next months or years can be a time of change to create a different future.

"Many of them don't want this (life of crime). They want out. I say 'What can I do to help you so things are different in your life when you go from here?' This is not necessarily about just spiritual life, it's about life.

"People will call me a bleeding heart. Well, no. I believe we need to suffer the consequences for our actions. A bleeding heart would want to short-circuit that. I'm not that way. I tell these men, 'You are an adult. You make choices. You have responsibility and accountability.'

"Are there twisted and broken people in places like this? Hugely. But these are worthwhile people, too, made in the image of God, and I've come to see them as such."

At the prison chapel, they find peace. From the chaplain, hope.

"I think I create a community where there is acceptance, stability, something different than what they generally encounter," Tanasiecuk says. "They are tolerant of one another and this is a place of huge intolerance.

"(With me) they laugh out loud. It's good."

She pauses again, collecting her thoughts.

"There are no easy answers here," she says. "Wisdom is something I pray for every day. A question I get probably every day is 'Can you do me a favor?' It could be paperwork (they have) that needs to be done. Or they want to contact family. I tell them you need to talk with your parole officer about that.

"I had a fellow ask me if he could use my phone book. No. Those are the rules around here. He said 'But you're the chaplain, you're supposed to be nice.'

"You have to be able to say 'yes' and 'no' and mean it," she says of the work as prison chaplain. "It's the old gambler song: You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. I say 'No' more than I say 'Yes.' Most of the men don't appreciate it. I tell them 'There is another way besides me giving in to you.'"

She doesn't candy-coat things for the inmates, but she won't abandon them either. One of the things she offers is a course about making choices, about being responsible. She gives another course as well. "Changes that heal," she calls it.

"I want to help them find a way out of these circumstances, to have a different future," she says. "It sounds trite, but I hope to make a difference."

To help and to serve has been her goal since going into the ministry. She just never fathomed doing that work in this place. She finds it curious, too, that after setting out a career path so different from her father - he was a sheriff and a court clerk - she should come to a related field.

Now she is working toward a doctorate in ministry. She talks about maybe getting into teaching some day, but it won't be any day soon.

"This," she says from her chapel office in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, "has an intensity. This is my God-designed space and I live it with joy and thanksgiving.

"I see myself doing this for a long time to come."
--Bob Florence, Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) Star-Phoenix

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Reports for Faculdade Teologica Nazarena and Brazil Nazarene College

Campinas, Brazil-Under the auspices and direction of the International Board of Education (IBOE) and at the request of the commissioner of education, Jerry Lambert, Gary Streit, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the university at Olivet Nazarene University, led a group of Nazarene educators to Faculdade Teologica Nazarena in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil last month in order to conduct a quality/missional review of the theological seminary. Roger Hahn, dean of the faculty, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and David McCulloch, principal, Nazarene Theological College - Manchester, comprised the three-member review team. Together with several other international participants and observers, including Jorge Julca, regional education coordinator of the South America Region, the team enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of their Brazilian hosts, Geraldo Nunes Filho, president of Faculdade Teologica Nazarena and president-elect of Brazil Nazarene College, and his wife, Waner, along with Steve Hofferbert, and his wife, missionaries and administrators at the seminary.

The missional review team read carefully the self-study responses from the faculty, administrators, and staff that specifically addressed each of the four quality benchmarks as delineated by the IBOE. In addition, Hahn, McCulloch, and Streit interviewed appropriately identified persons and groups within the institution during the two-day focused visit. The team members also invited the visiting observers to participate in the interview sessions indicating that "additional eyes and ears are always helpful." In one such interview session, this observer listened intently as Geraldo Nunes Filho shared his passion for "making a difference in the lives of young people" as Aguiar Valvassoura, pastor of the Central Church of the Nazarene, Campinas, and mentor to Geraldo, "did for me!" He tearfully added that "I can do nothing else but give back that which was given to me."

The missional review team will submit a formal written report, offering a global response as well as indicating specific commendations and recommendations, to Lambert and the IBOE. In addition, during the exit session, each team member provided verbal feedback to the gathered Faculdade Teologica Nazarena personnel. Both seminary strengths and suggested concerns were discussed in the hour-long session; each team member voiced a strong and resounding "Yes!" to the Brazilian educators as to the mission-driven focus of the institution and to their collective commitment to continue to improve the seminary and its services in the education of Latin American young people.

Collaborative workshops held for Brazil Nazarene College

Led by Mike Vail, educational consultant in both curriculum and instruction and faculty development for the Church of the Nazarene, the IBOE team of Gary Streit, Roger Hahn, and David McCulloch, along with other designated international participants, engaged the faculty members presently teaching at the Faculdade Teologica Nazarena and those identified as potential faculty for the proposed Brazil Nazarene College, in two days of collaboration and consultation workshops. In an effort to focus on the needed topics for the workshop sessions, several of the visiting personnel from Point Loma Nazarene University (Bob Brower, Gordon Golson, and George Latter), Eastern Nazarene College (Don Christiansen), and Olivet Nazarene University (Marla Streit) introduced themselves and briefly described their interests and expertise related to their positions in their respective institutions. At the conclusion of introductions from the Brazilian counterparts, workshop groups were identified and the next day's agenda was established.

The second and final day of the collaborative sharing of information among the North and South American educators proved to be informative and enlightening, as noted by all of the participants. The selected workshop topics: a) faculty development, b) student development, c) institutional advancement, and d) technology needs ensured that important information was discussed and examined. Everyone agreed that the two days of presentations, group work, and concrete outcomes was valuable time spent together. The excitement, energy, and enthusiasm, that can only be a result of God-called people responding to His voice in a tangible way to make a difference in the lives of young people, filled the room, and spilled over into the celebratory time at a local restaurant. Geraldo Nunes, president of Faculdade Teologica Nazarena and president-elect of Brazil Nazarene College, expressed everyone's sentiments well when he cited the need not only for leaders with bold, visionary intellect, but for compassionate, servant-oriented hearts.
--Marla Streit, Ed.D., Olivet Nazarene University

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Olivet to offer first doctoral degree

Ed.D. in Ethical Leadership program set for summer 2007 start

Bourbonnais, Illinois-Olivet Nazarene University has announced its intent to offer the doctor of education degree in ethical leadership, making it the first doctoral degree program developed by the nearly 100-year-old university.

Officials were notified in July by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that the university's accreditation has been unconditionally expanded to include the Ed.D.

Classes for the Ed.D. in ethical leadership will begin in the summer of 2007, coinciding with Olivet's centennial celebration. The three-year interdisciplinary program, including the action research dissertation, is broadly designed to appeal to those who are, or aspire to be, in positions of leadership.

"It is only fitting as we celebrate 100 years of ONU that we begin a new chapter in Olivet's academic life," said John C. Bowling, Olivet's president. "Offering a doctorate degree is the perfect introduction to the next 100 years. The Ed.D. in ethical leadership, in particular, is the ideal outgrowth of Olivet's mission to equip men and women for lives of service to God and humanity."

Carol Maxson, dean of Olivet's School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, said the program's focus will be servant leadership. "It is our vision that the legacy of this program will be to provide future generations of ethical leaders."

University provost, Gary Streit, adds that the new program is a testimony to the university's continual pursuit of academic excellence. "The Higher Learning Commission's recognition of Olivet's first doctoral initiative speaks volumes about the academic integrity and rigor that is the hallmark of what Olivet is today and what we aspire to be."
--ONU

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PLNU biology department receives grant based on student's research

San Diego-The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded a grant for $213,740, entitled "Major Instrumentation for Undergraduate Research and Teaching at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU)," to the biology department at the university. The grant will be used to purchase three key pieces of research equipment.

The grant was written as part of an undergraduate senior honors project by Kristin Evenson, who, along with instructors Dawne Page, David Cummings, and Kerry Fulcher, did much of the groundwork and research, and ultimately wrote the grant. Last summer, Evenson's research halted because it became apparent that it would require the use of the research equipment that PLNU did not have.

"Dr. Page approached me with the idea of writing a grant as my honor's project," she said. "This was an amazing opportunity because usually not even graduate students get to write grants, and even when they do, they don't get to interact with their PI's (principal investigators) the way that I got to while writing this grant."

Having previously received funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Department of Biology faculty submitted the grant in hopes that they could help transform PLNU's biology laboratories into research-based labs.

"I was so excited when we found out we got the grant," said Evenson. "Dr. Page and I grew extremely close during the process and she called me right after she found out that we got the grant. She taught me a lot during this time and I can't even put into words how grateful I am to her and to PLNU. I was awarded many experiences that most people my age don't get to do (because of the dedication of the staff here)."

The instruments purchased include a fluorescence microscope, which allows the viewing of small fluorescent animals, like fish; a Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), which allows amplification of DNA sequences and gives precise quantities of how much of a gene is in a certain cell; and a fluorescence activated cell sorter, which allows researchers to differentiate between cells in an organism and quantify them. In addition to research, the equipment will also be utilized in some upper-division biology courses.

The first piece of equipment should be on campus in a few weeks. The grant lasts for two years and became effective on August 1. Now graduated, Evenson works full time as a market research associate at Senomyx, a biotech company in San Diego.
--PLNU

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Former Trevecca baseball player Ricky Holloway killed in motorcycle accident

Nashville-Trevecca Nazarene University received word this week that former student and baseball player Ricky Holloway (2001-02) was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on Saturday evening, August 20 in Nashville. Holloway died as a result of the injuries on Sunday evening.

Prior to Trevecca, Holloway played high school baseball for Maplewood High School. He later played for Middle Tennessee State University and Aquinas College.

Holloway played in 28 games during the 2001-02 Trojan baseball season and started in 9. The outfielder finished second on the team in stolen bases. It was the second season for then head coach Jeff Forehand, and the team won 28 games. In his 2001-02 press guide biography, Holloway listed God as his role model.

Current Trojan baseball coach Chris Collins played his senior year at Trevecca alongside Holloway and remembers him as an important part of the team: "The Trevecca baseball family is deeply saddened by the loss of Ricky Holloway. He was a tremendous young man, with an unbelievably bright future. Ricky was the best friend and teammate one could ask for, and had no enemies. He always strove towards perfection and his work ethic was unmatched. Knowing that Ricky put God first in his life helps to ease the pain a little. He is now in the hands of our creator and Lord, and we must trust that the Lord will use Ricky's passing as a way to impact those who may not know Christ. We express our deepest sympathy and best wishes to Ricky's family. He will be missed."
--TNU

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