May 2025
As we welcome spring in Winnipeg, enjoying the warm weather and the new bursts of green all around campus, I find myself grateful for the growth I observe in our students as well. Every year when we move past Spring Break, I know that the pace will pick up on the run toward the June finish line. Despite what on the surface can look like a flurry of activity, what I see is the cumulation of months of learning, and the fruit of our students’ curiosity and commitment. When I take an even closer look, I am privileged to witness the evidence of MBCI’s Vision and Mission at work as students demonstrate engagement, service, and learning that is rooted in meaning, purpose, and belonging.
Several recent events have provided meaningful encouragement for me in this vision and mission-driven work:
MBCI’s April presentation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical played to four sold out audiences. Beyond the quality and details of the production, which you will read about later in this newsletter, I found myself grateful for the “intangible” outcomes: the relationships; for the confidence bursting forth from our students on stage; and the overwhelming support poured out within our community. All of these experiences outlast the performance itself.
Early in May, our Senior music students had the privilege of joining Fort Garry MB Church for a Sunday worship service. It was a special morning for me watching our student worship team lead us in singing “I Thank God”, with our students in the congregation engaging in obvious enjoyment and freedom as they started the actions that they learned in chapel. While MBCI teacher Tim Taves shared the sermon, which was woven with scripture, I witnessed a student quietly reciting these memorized scriptures along with him. Together with a moving student testimony, the entire morning gave me a glimpse into the growth that is happening from the seeds that we plant with our students.
On the academic front, spring is particularly full of presentations as students demonstrate their investigation and expertise. The multi purpose room is right above the MBCI office and is often used as a space for students to communicate their learning to an audience. The frequent hum of activity drifting down the stairs is music to our ears: it is the sound of hours of research and consulting with experts; of designing solutions to real-world problems; giving and receiving feedback; engaging creatively with the course content and learning to communicate discoveries in memorable and innovative ways.
When we rejoice in new growth we also acknowledge it is generations of planting, nurture, and harvest that have prepared the soil for the work we do today. In this newsletter you will find tributes to alumnus Dr. Henry Friesen and long-serving teacher Mr. Brian Plett, each who have modeled for us how Christ-centered education and a commitment to serving others can have a generational impact in our communities. The Red Gym Refresh project builds on the investment first made in 1959, carrying into the future the legacy of those who envisioned how this facility could serve our students and our community. Our 80th Homecoming celebration in September brings together many of these elements as we celebrate both the planting and the growth that has taken place over many decades.
We hope this edition of The Link provides a glimpse into what life and learning are like at MBCI today and provides moments of remembering your own time here. If you want to talk more or share your stories or updates with us, please get in touch.
