What a great weekend! For several months now we have anticipated this reunion weekend at CTS. Believe it or not, it is the first alumni reunion that anyone can remember. You see…getting together for our graduates is a bit more challenging at other places. Our students come from farther away than many schools of our size, and after graduation they seem to scatter farther too. From China to Brazil, and from Canada to Congo our students are in ministry around the globe.
So, we were excited when this event was organized by a group of alumni and many were able to make their way back to Brussels for a weekend of reminiscing and refreshing. “Refreshing” turned out to be the unofficial theme of the weekend. The alumni enjoyed the encouragement and fellowship of their “old” friends and making new ones. Chapel times included extended times of worship, seeking God and great messages from two alumni pastors. Saturday workshop topics included: The Impact of my training and my future goals; Overcoming difficulty and disappoinment in ministry; and Women’s Opportunities in Ministry. Finally Sunday finished with a message from our current President Joseph Dimitrov and a time of prayer for one another and also the needs of CTS.
All weekend I was impressed that I was watching “community” in action. Even after several years away – relationships were instantly renewed and continued. Many of our students now live and work in isolated situations with little or no fellowship or support from other Christian leaders. As wonderful as technology can be, it cannot replace to impact of face to face fellowship and interaction with like minded christian leaders. This is a privilege enjoyed often by many…but sometimes nearly impossible for some. Experiences, challenges and hurts were shared and supported in simple yet profoundly meaningful ways. It made me proud as both former and current students came together with faculty and staff to support each other in personal ways, and in this ministry we call CTS.
I love that about this place. No matter who you are or where you come from, the moment you set foot on this campus you become part of the CTS family. Whether a student for just one semester or several years you now have an extended family that spans the globe and you will always have a place to call “home” in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.
