Important Dates
February
15 Installation service for Drs. Michelle Dodson, Max Lee, and Hauna Ondrey
16 Reading Scripture, Being Church, and Telling Our Story as Intercultural Communities: A Faculty Colloquy, 9-12 p.m. CST, Nyvall Hall and Zoom*
20 An Evening in the Torah 6:30-8 p.m. in Olsson Lounge*
TBD Summer Registration Opens
23 January Term Ends
*Requires sign-up here
Community Worship-Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.
Join us in Isaacson Chapel inside Nyvall Hall at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. This week we will celebrate the Installation of Endowed Chairs and Worship Service. Dr. Max Lee, Dr. Hauna Ondrey, and Dr. Michelle Dodson will be installed as endowed faculty chairs. If you can’t make it in person, join us on Zoom here or use Meeting ID: 884 3892 1088 and Passcode: 305205. This week, Dr. Beth Miller will be preaching.
Join us after Community Worship for a Community Dinner in Olsson Lounge! Come and catch up with seminary peers, professors, and staff over a delicious meal!
Join us in celebrating the installation of three endowed faculty chairs whose scholarly work exemplifies our seminary’s vocation to bring the best of the academy to the mission of the church: in multi-racial congregations, intercultural readings of Scripture, and building purposeful narratives. Come get a taste of how your North Park Seminary faculty together seek to discern the past in order to move forward in our complex world, training leaders in the art of telling visionary truth so they can inspire purposeful action—for God’s glory and neighbor’s good.
SCHEDULE
February 15, 4:30pm: Installation of Endowed Chairs and Worship Service, Nyvall Hall, Isaacson Chapel
February 16, 9:00am-12:00pm: Faculty Colloquy, join in-person in Olsson Lounge located in Nyvall Hall on North Park University’s Chicago campus or REGISTER HERE to join the live stream of the lectures.
- 9:00-9:15 Welcome & Opening Remarks | Dr. Dennis R. Edwards, Dean of the Seminary
- 9:15-10:00 Be Loud and Brace for Impact: Anti-Asian Violence, the Model Minority Myth, and the Martyrs of Revelation 7:9-17 | Dr. Max Lee
- 10:00-10:45 Multiracial Churches: Transformative or Status Quo | Dr. Michelle Dodson
- 10:45-11:30 Purposeful Narrative? Covenant History Past, Present, and Future | Dr. Hauna Ondrey
- 11:30 Closing Remarks | Dr. Dennis R. Edwards, Dean of the Seminary
Lectures
Be Loud and Brace for Impact: Anti-Asian Violence, the Model Minority Myth, and the Martyrs of Revelation 7:9-17
Max Lee, Paul W. Brandel Chair of Biblical Studies
The rise in anti-Asian violence since COVID-19 demonstrates that Asian Americans have a shared history of persecution with other ethnic Americans, even as far back as The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Model Minority Myth threatens to silence their prophetic voice and re-write their story. Reading Revelation 7:9-17 interculturally, Max Lee calls for a rejection of the Model Minority Myth, a solidarity with ethnic histories of resistance against injustice, and presents sLambing as the way for God’s people to bear witness to Christ.
Multiracial Churches: Transformative or Status Quo?
Michelle Dodson, Milton B. Engebretson Chair in Evangelism and Justice
Dr. Dodson seeks to better understand the impact of multiracial churches beyond the four walls of the church. This lecture will explore the relationship between a multiracial church’s representation of race through talk, text, and imagery (its racial discourse) and how that church engages with the larger community in which it is situated (its social engagement). It will also explore the efficacy of pastors and other key leaders of multiracial churches in inculcating the stated values of their churches in those who attend.
Purposeful Narrative? Covenant History Past, Present, and Future
Hauna Ondrey, Wilma E. Peterson Chair in Church History
For a small, immigrant-founded denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church has an enormously rich historiography, within which ethnic identity has functioned variously across stages of demographic change. This lecture will trace the evolution of Covenant historiography itself, contextualizing our present discourse regarding purposeful narrative. It will secondly identify corollary priorities that must attend a commitment to purposeful narrative, outlining practical commitments required for an adequate genealogy of the Covenant to be a possibility.
REGISTER FOR THE LIVESTREAM HERE
2024 Black Peace in the City Series
Schedule of Events:
(Today!) 2/12: Family, Immigration, Migration, and Black Success. Hamming Hall
2/19: From Economy of Violence to Economy of Peace. Nyvall Olsson Lounge
2/26: Black Peaceology: How Black Folks Succeed with Low Stress, and High Joy. Hamming Hall
An Evening in the Torah
Tuesday February 20, 6:30-8 p.m.
Nyvall Hall, Olsson Lounge
Join Dr. Nathan Clayton and your classmates for an evening immersed in the Larson-North Park Torah! Come hear a brief history of Hebrew Scripture and writing, learn how to write your name, enjoy coffee, dessert, and discussion over the beauty and mystery of the scroll. We hope to see you there!
RSVP by February 13th here!
Writing Center Application Deadline
The Writing Center will be accepting applications until March 18. If you have interest in becoming a writing advisor or questions, please visit one of the WAs drop-in shift. There is no need to make an appointment; you may physically drop in outside Brandel 123 or virtually drop in by accessing the Writing Advisor schedule posted on our writing center website and sending a message via your NP Outlook email or the MS Teams chat function to one of the WAs on duty: Our drop-in hours are Sunday, 4 pm – 8 pm; Monday-Thursday: 10 am to noon, 1 pm – 5 pm, and 6 pm – 10 pm CT. https://www.northpark.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/academic-assistance/writing-center/
It’s NPU Cares Week!
NPU Cares Week is a week of events promoting holistic wellness and self-care in our community. Students, staff, and faculty will have the opportunity to participate in events centered on mental, physical, spiritual, and social wellness. View the full list of all the exciting and special events—including an opportunity to relax with therapy dogs!
Mental Health First Aid Training- 2/14/24 During NPU Cares Week!
Show some love to yourself and others on 2/14/24 and take Mental Health Frist Aid during NPU Cares Week! Students, faculty, and staff are invited to register for this training opportunity that is designed to teach how to approach, assess, and assist a person who may be experiencing a mental health challenge or in a mental health crisis. North Park generously supports this training opportunity so that it is of no cost to participants. Request training here or visit the Counseling Support Services webpage. Participants must complete self-guided pre-work (approximately 2 hours), as well as attend 5 hours of live instruction to receive the Mental Health First Aid certification, which is good for 3 years. Questions can be directed to counseling@northpark.edu.
Summer 2024 Seminary Classes
Now that the spring semester is officially underway, we want to share the courses planned for summer 2024, including a rich range of electives. We look forward especially to the in-person intensive week (June 10-14) and the opportunity it provides for campus, distance, and Stateville students to share physical classrooms together. Draft syllabi will be available following the spring reading week, closer to summer registration opening.
Spring 2024 Community Events
We are looking forward to community events for Spring 2024! Make sure to add dates to your calendar and register here for the events with asterisks next to them!
Job Highlights
Part-Time Youth Ministry Director at Batavia Covenant Church
The Youth Ministry Director loves God and loves students. They lead the discipleship of students in grades 6-12 at Batavia Covenant Church, equipping the church to be effective in discipling youth (with a particular focus on youth ministry volunteers and parents). They will minister directly with youth, lead programs, and equip people. As a member of the staff, they will collaborate toward the fulfillment of BCC’s mission and advancement of our core values. The Youth Ministry Director is responsible to the Lead Pastor.
For more information visit the Nyvall News Job Page or click here!
Part-Time Worship Team Coordinator at Libertyville Covenant Church
The Worship Team Coordinator at Libertyville Covenant Church provides leadership to a group of volunteer team members, collaborates with staff, and participates in weekly worship with a blended service.
For more information contact Pastor Steve Larson: steve@libcov.org
Spring 2024 Semester Counseling Resources
Counseling Support Services is offering a variety of counseling support options for students this semester free of charge. If you are experiencing unmanageable anxiety, sadness, difficulty adjusting, problems in relationships, or if you are hurting due to the many challenges before us, Counseling can help. We also offer Mental Health First Aid Training so that you can learn how to help friends and family that might be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
Individual Counseling – available to all full-time and degree-seeking part-time students, allows an individual to explore concerns with an objective counselor in order to work toward goals established by the student. Counseling Support Services offers brief counseling, up to 20 sessions, and sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes, primarily on a weekly basis. However, the number and frequency of sessions vary and are determined based on student need and counselor recommendation and availability.
For appointment requests:
Please use the new student health portal at northpark.studenthealthportal.com, click the link below, call us at (773) 244-4897, or visit our office Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at 3317 West Foster Avenue (a few doors west of the campus postal center).
General inquires can be directed via email to counseling@northpark.edu.
Group Counseling-
Practical Ways to Manage Anxiety
Mondays, 10:30am-11:30am, February 12, 2024-April 15, 2024
Do you have trouble letting go of anxious thoughts? Do you feel worried all the time? You are not alone. Join us and learn skills to combat anxiety and navigate life’s daily stressors while connecting with peers who share similar experiences.
Let’s Talk – In collaboration with campus partners, Let’s Talk is an informal, walk-in support service that offers confidential meetings with a North Park counselor free for all NPU students at various locations around campus. Students can drop in (no appointment necessary) to speak with a counselor.
All sessions are from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m M-F at the Health & Counseling office, 3317 W Foster Ave.
Additional information at Let’s Talk
Mental Health First Aid – Students, faculty, and staff are invited to register for this free training opportunity that is designed to teach you how to approach, assess, and assist a person who may be experiencing a mental health challenge
Upcoming training dates include:
Wednesday, February 14, 2024; 10:30am-4:00pm (IN-PERSON)
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 AND Wednesday, April 24, 2024; 2:00pm-4:30pm. (IN-PERSON) (Must attend both days to earn certification)
Click here to register for training!
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