The Kerkhof family鈥檚 ties to Redeemer can be traced back to even before it began.
鈥淢y church at the time was involved in a lot of conversations around starting a new Christian university or college,鈥 says Jack Kerkhof 鈥86. 鈥淓ventually, that idea became a reality, so I first knew about Redeemer a number of years before it got off the ground.鈥
During its early years, Jack Kerkhof attended Redeemer as a mature student, setting off on a trajectory that was emulated by two of his children, siblings David Kerkhof 鈥96 and Julie Coolen 鈥98. Soon after, the same pattern was repeated by David Kerhof鈥檚 daughter, Marisa Kerkhof 鈥20, and Julie Coolen-Kerkhof鈥檚 sons Ethan Coolen 鈥22 and Noah Coolen 鈥24. Their individual choices to attend Redeemer proved to be the cement for an already strong faith foundation.
鈥淢y relationship with Jesus has been my anchor throughout my life,鈥 says Julie Coolen. 鈥淕oing to Redeemer helped lay the foundation to think critically, examine my faith and live it out in all aspects of my life. It was important for me to promote this to my boys.鈥
Redeemer鈥檚 mission played a huge role in affirming the Kerkhof鈥檚 Reformed Christian identity.
鈥淕oing to Redeemer helped lay the foundation to think critically, examine my faith and live it out in all aspects of my life.”
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very strong component of my theology today,鈥 says Jack Kerkhof. 鈥淲hat I got from Redeemer鈥檚 academic community instilled something pretty strong in me that I carried into my life in the ministry.鈥
鈥淧art of Redeemer鈥檚 mission is preparing students to integrate their faith into their future work,鈥 says Ethan Coolen, who graduated this past May. 鈥淕etting my degree in psychology [at Redeemer] gave me a Christian perspective that I can actually use in the field at some point. As I move on to my master鈥檚 program, I think I鈥檓 well equipped to view psychological issues through the lens of faith that Redeemer has helped strengthen.鈥
Many Kerkhof family members have pursued or are pursuing careers geared toward helping others. Jack Kerkhof served as a pastor for many years before retiring, David Kerkhof is a police officer, Julie Coolen works for her local municipality in the Child Care and Early Years Department and Marisa Kerkhof is working toward a career in occupational and physiotherapy. Additionally, Ethan Coolen is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in counselling and Noah Coolen, who鈥檚 still working towards his bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology, is considering post-graduate studies following his Redeemer career.
鈥淎s the world continues to change, Redeemer needs to keep showing students how to live out Christianity in our day-to-day environments.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e all using our faith in our vocations,鈥 says David Kerkhof. 鈥淭he Reformed mindset tells us that the whole world belongs to God, and our responsibility as Christians is to carry out God鈥檚 mission in every role we take on.鈥
For Julie Coolen in particular, the choice to attend Redeemer seemed to come naturally.
鈥淲hen our dad was going to Redeemer, it was still on Beach Boulevard. He鈥檇 work at the bookstore in the summertime, and us kids often got up to no good and ended up having to help the custodian,鈥 she reflects. 鈥淒avid also spent a summer working at the Ancaster campus, so, when we eventually went to Redeemer, it felt very familiar. We can also relate to some of the kids鈥 experiences on campus, and that common thread helps strengthen our bond as a family.鈥
To continue to inspire future families and generations, the Kerkhofs believe that Redeemer needs to hold fast to its original foundation of unapologetic, committed Christian education that prepares graduates to pursue Kingdom-centred lives.
鈥淎s the world continues to change, Redeemer needs to keep showing students how to live out Christianity in our day-to-day environments,鈥 says Marisa Kerkhof.
鈥淚 thank God that my children and their children are going into these kinds of roles,鈥 says Jack Kerkhof. 鈥淭hey can make a difference in the world, and I think we need to give Redeemer some credit for that.鈥
Visit the 40th Anniversary website to view a historical timeline and a special video presentation celebrating 40 years of Redeemer.