Northwestern College Archives - Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Serving During Spring Break

March 6, 2017 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Jordan Stone, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, is among 171 students who will travel across the United States and overseas for the college’s annual Spring Service Projects (SSP) March 4–13.

This year’s teams will serve at 12 sites. International destinations include Ireland, the Netherlands and Nicaragua. In Ireland, students will partner with Dublin Christian Mission, a ministry that works with people who are homeless. In Amsterdam, students will live and work at two Christian youth hostels, sharing their faith with guests from around the world, while those in Nicaragua will do construction work, distribute food and help lead a vacation Bible school in the impoverished area of Bluefields.

Teams in the U.S. will travel to Minnesota, California and throughout the South. A new U.S. partner for Northwestern College is Youthfront in Kansas City, Kan. Students on that SSP team will provide manual labor for Youthfront’s summer camp outside the city, do after-school tutoring, and participate in a feeding ministry at a local park.

In Minnesota, students will help plan and implement a snow camp as part of a youth ministry outreach on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and across the border in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In California, Northwestern’s SSP team will partner with Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount to paint homes, provide manual labor and build relationships in the community of Compton.
Additional U.S. service opportunities include construction, home repair and painting in Annville, Ky.; after-school programs and construction projects in New Orleans; and construction, tutoring and community cleanup in Opelousas, La.

Still other Northwestern students will assist with after-school programs, home visits and a thrift store in Cary, Miss.; volunteer in local schools and after-school programs in Jacksonville, Fla.; and serve with a ministry to ex-prisoners in Lindale, Texas.

Stone is a junior and humanities major at Northwestern College. She is serving with Shelter Youth Hostels in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Stone is the daughter of Dane and Jody Stone of Dell Rapids.

Spring Service Project members raise their own travel funds through their individual families, friends and churches and also through fundraisers on campus and in the community.
Northwestern College is a Christian college of more than 1,250 students in Orange City, Iowa. Rated a top-10 Midwestern college by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Northwestern provides an education committed to academic rigor and a Christ-centered worldview.

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by Anita Cirulis, acirulis@nwciowa.edu, 712-707-7369

Dell Rapids Student to Tour Taiwan

February 24, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Jordan Stone, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, will tour with the college’s a-cappella choir during its spring break tour of Taiwan March 5–14.

The 44-member ensemble will perform at a variety of venues, including public concerts, private events, church worship services, middle schools, high schools, universities and hospitals. “We are partnering with the National Presbyterian Church of Taiwan, which has many existing outreaches and relationships already established in the area,” says Dr. Thomas Holm, professor of music and conductor of the choir. “We are offering our music as an extension of their work.”

The tour will begin and end in the capital city of Taipei. Students will also spend some time in the eastern area of Hualien.

The choir’s repertoire will include a variety of styles, texts and languages. Because the performance venues will vary significantly, Holm is tailoring the concert program to each setting and audience. “We will present sections of sacred music, of spirituals and gospel, and of virtuosic pieces,” says Holm. “We are intentionally showcasing a lot of favorite, high-quality American music, but we are also learning some Taiwanese pieces.” For one concert, the ensemble will rehearse and sing with a local children’s choir. First, they’ll perform a popular Taiwanese love song, followed by a gospel setting of “Amazing Grace.”

“We have been working on our cultural understanding of Taiwan’s history, politics, religion, educational traditions and various ethnic groups,” says Holm. “We are also working on spiritual preparation so we are ready and eager to serve, learn, accept and love. We’re hoping to see God work in and through us.”

Stone is a sophomore and humanities major at Northwestern College. She sings soprano in the choir. Stone is the daughter of Dane and Jody Stone of Dell Rapids.
Northwestern College is a Christian college of more than 1,200 students in Orange City, Iowa. Rated the nation’s seventh-best baccalaureate college by Washington Monthly and a top-10 Midwestern college by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Northwestern provides an education committed to academic rigor and a Christ-centered worldview.
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by Amanda Kundert, amanda.kundert@nwciowa.edu, 712-707-7371

Dell Rapids Student to Tour with Northwestern Choir

March 15, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Jordan Stone, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, is a member of the college’s A cappella Choir and will perform in churches and schools in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota March 26–29.

The three-part concert will begin with sacred selections, including a powerful setting of “Amazing Grace.” The choir will also perform settings from the Psalms and “Prayer,” which was written from a prayer by Mother Teresa.

Section two of the concert will feature virtuosic choral works, including the women performing “Eatnemen Vuelie,” a Norwegian tune from the soundtrack for the Disney movie “Frozen,” and “Blue Tail Fly,” which the men will perform. “Hee-oo-hm-ha” will feature a tenor yodeler, and “Bohemian Highway” is a musical “duel” between the alto section and the rest of the ensemble.

The concert will conclude with a selection of spirituals and gospel music as well as the choir’s traditional final hymn, “Beautiful Savior.”

Stone is a freshman and is majoring in religion at Northwestern College. She sings soprano in the choir. Stone is the daughter of Dane and Jody Stone of Dell Rapids.

The 43-member A cappella Choir is directed by Dr. Thomas Holm, professor of music at Northwestern and conductor of the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus. The ensemble has performed across the U.S. and in Europe.

Northwestern College is a Christian college of more than 1,200 students in Orange City, Iowa. Rated the nation’s eighth-best baccalaureate college by Washington Monthly and a top-10 Midwestern college by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Northwestern provides an education committed to academic rigor and a Christ-centered worldview.

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by Tamara Fynaardt, fynaardt@nwciowa.edu, 712-707-7115

Senior Art Majors to Display Work in Northwestern College Gallery

March 4, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Two senior art/graphic design majors at Northwestern College will display their work March 16–20 in the college’s Te Paske Gallery. “Something Beautiful,” an exhibit by Megan Timmer and Karen Ettleman, will include a public reception Friday, March 20, at 7 p.m.

Flowers are the subject of Timmer’s oil paintings and monotype and collagraph prints. “Each flower is different and unique from each other, yet each one is beautiful,” she says. “This relates to how each one of us is unique, but God created each one of us beautiful in his eyes.”

Timmer is the daughter of Rick and Julie Timmer of Dell Rapids, S.D. Following graduation this May, she plans to work as a graphic designer.

Ettleman’s artwork will include prints, oil paintings on canvas, mixed media, charcoal drawings and ceramics. Several of her pieces will feature horses. “From a very young age, I loved horses and was always drawing them,” she says. “I think they are a wonderful example of one of God’s beautiful creations, and they’re often referred to in the Bible.”

Ettleman will work in Orange City after graduation while her husband, Levi, finishes college and his last football season at NWC. In addition to her art/graphic design major, she has a minor in business and a coaching endorsement. She is the daughter of Kelly and Fran Hutson of Logan, Iowa.

Northwestern’s Te Paske Gallery is located in the Thea G. Korver Visual Arts Center, on Highway 10 at 214 8th Street SW in Orange City. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to midnight Sunday.

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by Anita Cirulis, acirulis@nwciowa.edu , 712-707-7369

Dell Rapids Student to Serve Over Spring Break

February 26, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Megan Timmer is one of 183 students from Northwestern College who will travel across the United States and overseas for the college’s annual Spring Service Projects (SSP) Feb. 28 through March 9.

This year’s teams will serve at 14 sites. International destinations include the Netherlands, Haiti and Nicaragua. In Amsterdam, students will live and work at two Christian youth hostels, sharing their faith with guests from around the world. The team in Haiti will teach children and provide manual labor, while those in Nicaragua will do construction work, distribute food and help lead a vacation Bible school in the impoverished area of Bluefields.

Teams in the U.S. will travel to Minnesota, California and throughout the South. A new U.S. partner for Northwestern College is Mount Olive Ministries, a Christian community development organization in Mount Olive, Miss. Students on that SSP team will serve as classroom, after-school and writing workshop tutors. They will also paint, do manual labor and help with office projects.

In Minnesota, one group will join Urban Ventures in Minneapolis, where they will conduct three health fairs, participate in work projects, serve as tutors, and help with a street patrol ministry and youth events. Another team will travel to the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, where they will interact with community members, and spend time in Duluth, assisting a Habitat for Humanity renovation project.

In California, students will partner with Emmanuel Reformed Church of Paramount, Calif., to paint homes and build relationships in a nearby gang-ridden community.

Additional U.S. service opportunities include tutoring and recreational programs in Jonesboro, Ark.; home repair in the Appalachian community of Annville, Ky.; after-school programs and construction projects in New Orleans; and construction, tutoring and community cleanup in Opelousas, La.

Timmer is a senior and an art/graphic design major at Northwestern College. She will serve with United Christians International in Haiti. Timmer is the daughter of Rick and Julie Timmer of Dell Rapids.

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by Anita Cirulis, acirulis@nwciowa.edu, 712-707-7369