We are often inclined, as Christmas is upon us, to evaluate the year that has passed and look ahead to what the new year might bring. This year, it鈥檚 hard to ignore that the world is still in a state of waiting; waiting for peace, waiting for 鈥渘ormal鈥 to return.
What do we do with this waiting? How can we be faithful in the longing? God鈥檚 people are not strangers to this question. The very arrival of Jesus in human form, the Messiah, Emmanuel, was the fulfilment of generation after generation waiting on a promise.
We can be encouraged in our waiting by looking back at the care and compassion he has shown us through trials and heartbreak as well as the blessings and fulfilled promises of a good and gracious God. We invite you to taste and see his faithfulness through Redeemer this year.
- First 12 BBA Grads Receive Degrees – The new bachelor of business administration degree, part of Redeemer鈥檚 greater degree-granting authority, will better reflect the calibre and range of courses across multiple business disciplines that are taken by Redeemer鈥檚 business students.
- Enrolment Surpasses 1,000 for the First Time – A strong incoming class in fall 2021 following last year鈥檚 record-setting cohort helps set another record for enrolment at Redeemer. Community life at Redeemer thrived as the province gradually reopened this fall, but even while gathering was restricted earlier in 2021, the Redeemer community was still Encountering God in a Pandemic.
- New Facility Named Charis Live and Learn Centre – The name for the new residence and learning facility, which is also Making Space for Innovation, references God鈥檚 grace to us through Jesus Christ and Redeemer鈥檚 mission which integrates life and learning. Students plan to move into residence or classes early in the new year.
- Redeemer students continued to be shaped and prepared for their careers and callings this year, grateful for the gift of Christian university education. They contributed to meaningful service opportunities in the Hamilton community through core courses, and using learning opportunities to understand their place in the biblical narrative, integrating faith, life and learning.
- The year 2021 saw the arrival of many new faces as we said goodbye to others. In April, we said Farewell to President Graham and in May, we mourned the loss of Redeemer鈥檚 first, long-serving athletic director, Dave Mantel.
- Leaning in to Learn. Forward. – Redeemer鈥檚 2025 Strategic Plan is moving the institution forward by strengthening its roots and investing in student and graduate success, enhanced by A Core Commitment to Liberal Arts and Sciences.
- The Bookstore Relaunches as 21Five – Redeemer鈥檚 campus bookstore premieres its new name and look, and puts Decades of Reformed Scholarship on Display.
- Places of Becoming: The Book of Numbers and COVID-19 – Dr. David Beldman uses the Book of Numbers and Israel鈥檚 wandering through the wilderness as a guide to actively leaning into our challenging circumstances.
- Remembering Those in Prison – Dr. Aaron Griffith, assistant professor of history at Whitworth University and Redeemer鈥檚 2021 Emerging Public Intellectual Award winner, is exploring the connection between evangelical Christianity and the American criminal justice system. Way back in January, Redeemer hosted 2020鈥檚 winner, Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley and his colleague Dr. Vincent Bacote in the online forum, Reading While Black and Reformed.
- The Art of Attachment – Betty Brouwer 鈥88, Redeemer鈥檚 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, reaches Hamilton youth with compassion and creativity. She is joined by Jennifer deVries 鈥00, executive director of Living Rock Ministries, in making a difference in the lives of Hamilton youth.
Are you excited by the mission of Christian higher education at Redeemer? We invite you to prayerfully consider a year-end gift to this important work.