Dear members of the TWU community,
The act of offering or giving thanks to God is often associated with worship and eating together. In the bible, for instance, the Hebrew word often translated as “thanksgiving” is תּוֹדָה, (todah), and perhaps surprisingly, the Greek word εὐχαριστία (eucharistia) becomes the foundation for our celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In this, some of you will hear the presence of the word χάρις (charis), the Greek word for “grace”.
In Luke 24 we find that Cleopas and another man, walking towards the village of Emmaus, are met by the risen Lord. Importantly, they do not recognize Jesus until he sat down with them at a table, broke bread, and gave thanks. This moment is well-captured in a wonderful painting by the Baroque master Caravaggio.
Caravaggio. Supper at Emmaus, 1601, Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1602-3_Caravaggio,Supper_at_Emmaus_National_Gallery,_London.jpg
How wonderful to realize that when we gather with family and friends around our own “thanksgiving tables” we stand in a long tradition of “giving thanks” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō). My prayer is that as you enjoy time away from the pressure of daily work and gather around good food, you will be blessed with the recognition of the presence and gift of Christ.
When we give thanks, we recognize the source of grace, healing, and renewal. In James 1:17, we read, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
At TWU, it is our desire that you may encounter and grow in your knowledge of the source and giver of light, life, and abundant living. Looking back over the past several weeks since the start of the academic year, I have every confidence that this growth is happening all around our campus.
Campus-wide Day of Learning
We are grateful for local Indigenous elders and leaders, including University Siya:m Patti Victor, who led us in a day of learning, remembrance, and reflection on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The sharing of stories from residential school survivors, sharing of personal journeys of walking towards reconciliation, and educational workshops, further deepened our understanding of our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
New C.S. Lewis reading room and collection
We are thankful for the generous gift of a sizeable collection of works by C.S. Lewis and related contemporaries from the Oxford Inklings group. Showcased within a new reading room on the second floor of TWU’s Norma Marion Alloway Library, the books within the Dr. Hans and Colleen Kouwenberg C.S. Lewis and Friends Collections were donated by the Kouwenberg family and includes rare editions and autographed titles. The family have also generously established a Kouwenberg Endowment Scholarship to support the next generation of scholars and Christian thinkers.
The Laurentian Leadership Centre turns 20
This month we mark the 20th anniversary of the Laurentian Leadership Centre (LLC), TWU’s branch campus and leadership program in Ottawa. For two decades, TWU has been preparing the leaders of tomorrow from a faith-based perspective through in-class learning and internship placements in the nation’s capital. Many alumni attest that their semester at LLC was remarkably transformative and meaningful. I am grateful for the way that the LLC continues to be a catalyst for personal and professional development.
As a global Christian university, we recognize that our students come from all over the world. Many join us at great personal sacrifice in the hope of being able to enjoy a bright and safe future.
We have much for which to be thankful, and we are privileged to share in the pursuit of learning and discovery, informed by a growing awareness of God’s good plans and desires for the world.
What a joy it is to be part of a growing, global campus, and to give thanks together during Canadian Thanksgiving.
Grace and peace,
Mark Husbands, Ph.D.
President & Vice-Chancellor
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.