A publication for alumni and friends.
Kuyper College equips students with a biblical, Reformed worldview to serve effectively Christ’s church and His world.
Kuyper’s social work
program affirmed
When asked why he had come,
Bill responded: “I went to a health fair
at a church, and they took my blood
pressure. Suddenly, there were a lot of
people around me urging me to go to
see a doctor because my blood pressure
was so high. They told me it was 265
over 150-something. Well, I am afraid
of doctors, so it took me a few days to
get the courage to go to a clinic to have
my blood pressure checked and treated.
When I did, I was told that the soonest
I could be seen was nearly a month
away. I don’t know what my face looked
like when I walked out of that clinic,
but a woman came up to me and said,
‘Are you all right, sir?’ I said, ‘No, I am
not,’ and I told her my story. She said
to get in my car and drive west down
Leonard to a place called Oasis of Hope
Center and that they would help me.”
Since that time, Bill has been a regular
patient of the Center, and today, his
blood pressure is back to normal, his
overall health is stabilized, and he is
beginning to take ownership of his
own well-being.
That is just one of thousands of
stories that serve to describe the Oasis
of Hope Center (OHC), a free medical
clinic located on W. Leonard Street in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. The OHC
lives up to its name by offering help,
health and hope since April of 2007.
Upon very thorough review of the more
than 1,000 page Self-Study developed by
Kuyper College’s social work program faculty
members Judi Ravenhorst-Meerman and
Greg Scott, a site visit and other significant
data, the Council on Social Work Education
gave its highest affirmation for Kuyper’s social
work program—a vote to reaffirm the program’s
accreditation for an additional eight years.
The Council on Social Work Education
—composed of a partnership of educational
and professional institutions, social welfare
agencies and private citizens—is recognized
by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency
for social work education in this country.
According to Professor Scott, Kuyper’s
social work program director, the affirmation
from CSWE is gratifying. “It recognizes the
quality and continuous growth of our program
and the major role our graduates play in
bringing a biblical worldview to the work
to which they’ve been called,” he said.
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Horace our helpful garbage man
Editor’s Note: As a teacher, foreign missionary,
law enforcement official, and even as a former
bed and breakfast owner on the shores of Lake
Michigan, both Shirley (Zwart) Witt, class of
1960, and her husband, Dave, have many stories
to tell about bringing God’s grace into many
cultures. Following is one of those stories.
At Briarcliffe Bed and Breakfast, we
often recount the exciting experiences
we’ve enjoyed while running a B & B.
One of these stories is about Horace, a
gentle and uncomplicated young man
who taught us about living and forgiving
in new and profound ways.
On Lakeshore Drive traffic is slow and
rare. Monday morning usually finds us in
the living room reading the morning paper
as the garbage trucks roar by. There are
three garbage companies that do business
on the lakeshore, and we’ve contracted
with the local company with a maroon
truck. One such Monday, we watched as
the first truck—bright red—passed by.
Next, the yellow truck stopped. The driver
tossed the contents of our can into his
compactor. But, this was not the company
we’d hired to pick up our waste! Finally,
the maroon truck came by. The driver
looked down at our empty container and
drove on.
We got on
the phone to
the yellow truck
company.
They told us
that their
drivers have
clipboards and
addresses right
with them and
know exactly
who should have a pick-up.
After that we were determined to get
things straightened out once and for all!
So a couple of weeks later, on a cold winter
Monday, we asked the yellow truck driver,
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An Oasis
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An Oasis
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