October 2024
October 2024
From the President
Dear Parents,
Attending the 4th Lausanne Congress on world evangelization in Seoul, Korea was a life highlight for Lisa and me—especially the privilege of worshiping with more than 5000 believers from over 200 countries, in what may have been the most global worship experience since the Day of Pentecost.
We also had the privilege of seeing 23 Wheaton students serve as Congress volunteers. Our beloved Wheaties did whatever was needed: directing traffic, setting up rooms, assisting discussion leaders, taking photos, recording videos, and much, much more. They did it all with a cheerful spirit and a heart of love for the global church. Every day, delegates, staff members, and dozens of alumni we met from all over the world stopped us to say how grateful they were for Wheaton’s student volunteers.
What we witnessed at the Lausanne Congress is what we hope to see in all our students and graduates: a heart for service, with love for the global church. As a truly global community, our campus is a great place to learn these lessons. This fall we welcomed new students from more than 50 (!) countries—all places we pray will be blessed through Wheaton College.
In Christ’s service,
Philip Ryken
President
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Family Weekend: November 1-2
President’s Prayer Time
Parents and grandparents are invited to attend the President’s Prayer Time on Saturday, November 2 from 9:30–10:30 a.m. in Coray Alumni Gymnasium. This special gathering will include a devotional from President Ryken and time for you to pray with fellow parents and grandparents. Coffee, tea, and pastries will be served. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Registration closes on Wednesday, October 23, so we encourage you to register now.
View the full Family Weekend Schedule. Please pay special attention to those events that require advance registration or the purchase of tickets.
Center for Vocation and Career
The Center for Vocation and Career’s Sophomore Series continued this month with parts 2 and 3 of “Voyage!” First, students heard a panel of faculty, staff, and a student leader share their own experiences as they answered questions about career and vocation. Then last night, students attended “Internship Exploration,” where they connected with 25+ student presenters who completed internships last summer. This event offered sophomores networking opportunities, a chance to explore different vocational paths, and faith-based advice from peers and faculty as students navigate their own journeys.
Our Fall Career Fair is Tuesday, October 29th. More than 50 employers will be present and actively hiring, so if your student is a senior (especially a December graduate) or looking for full-time work, encourage them to stop by!
Homecoming Chapel Message
Last weekend was Homecoming and Wheaton hosted nearly 1,000 alumni and their families on campus. Angel McGrath Conner ’04 celebrated her 20th class reunion and shared her personal, painful story of God’s faithfulness in Friday Chapel. We know you will be encouraged by watching this year’s Homecoming Chapel message, Learning to Trust When We Don’t Understand.
Core Book 2024: The Odyssey
Each year, the College selects a "core book” that embodies and illuminates important themes of Wheaton's Christ at the Core general education curriculum. Throughout the year, the Wheaton community, discusses, reflects, and learns together about the book and its themes.
Homer’s Odyssey is this year’s Core Book and you are invited to read along and attend the upcoming campus events.
November 16, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert, Edman Memorial Chapel
Onward: Motion, Momentum, and Motivation in Odysseys of Sound
February 25, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Aesthetics Lecture by Shane McCrae (Columbia University), Blanchard 339
Shane McCrae’s recent book The Many Hundreds of the Scent poetically reimagines figures from The Odyssey.
Ministry and Evangelism
Last month, 23 Wheaton College undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent alumni volunteered at the 4th Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The Wheaton team gratefully served brothers and sisters from more than 200 countries as they supported logistics, assisted Issue Network Catalyst leaders, and captured stories through podcasts, photography, and testimony sharing. As they served throughout the week, they were able attend many sessions and were inspired, encouraged, and challenged with the theme of the congress: to Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together!
Share the Wheaton Experience with Future Parents
As a Wheaton parent, you’ve experienced firsthand how Wheaton nurtures both academic excellence and spiritual growth. We invite you to share this journey with your friends who are searching for the right college for their students. Direct them to our Prospective Parents page to give them a glimpse into the campus life, resources, and promises that Wheaton makes for students and their families.
Equity and Title IX Office
The Equity and Title IX team desires to serve Jesus Christ as Savior and live according to Biblical standards. The goal of campus life at Wheaton College is to live, work, serve and worship together to build the church and benefit society worldwide. Recognizing that we live in a fallen and sinful world, the Equity and Title IX Office seeks to promote an educational environment in which all Wheaton College students, faculty, and staff have equal access to education and activities free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct as prohibited in the Wheaton College Nondiscrimination Policy. This policy has been developed to honor biblical principles, comply with federal and state law, and follow best practices for campus safety. For additional information and to review our complete policy, please visit our website at www.wheaton.edu/equityandtitleix.
The Equity and Title IX team is prepared to work in difficult spaces, often filled with hurt and emotion. With a posture of empathy and compassion, we commit to pray for all parties involved in Equity and Title IX processes and seek resolutions that offer healing, restoration when appropriate, and allow Equity and Title IX staff to both educate and empower all involved parties throughout the process. Our prayer and refrain for the Equity and Title IX space during the 2024-25 academic year is found in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Conservatory of Music, Arts and Communication
As we began this new academic year, Arena Theater once again inspired us, performing Shakespeare’s As You Like It as part of the City of Wheaton’s Shakespeare in the Park event. Many from our Wheaton family and the broader community gathered to enjoy the talent of both alumni and current students. This fall, from November 8-16, Arena Theater will present another beloved Shakespeare work, Love’s Labour’s Lost.
This season also marks the retirement of esteemed professor of art, Gregory Schreck. The Art Department fittingly celebrated his decades of service with a retrospective exhibition featuring over 70 works from his storied career.
Dr. John William Trotter, Concert Choir director, led the choir on their annual fall trip to Chicago, where they worshipped and performed at the Pacific Garden Mission and Apostolic Faith Church (Sunday morning service here). The Concert Choir also had the unique opportunity to partner with Undeceptions (Australia’s No. 1 religious podcast) and faculty member Dr. John Dickson in recreating the sounds of what could be the earliest notated Christian hymns. Found amongst ruins in Egypt, the papyrus manuscript contains both Christian text (in Greek) and musical notation. The Concert Choir spent two days recording this special work and looks forward to the release of The First Hymn Project documentary, scheduled for April 2025.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Wheaton College Artist Series, which we celebrated with a reception and a special performance by Piano Duo Anderson & Kaplan. Later this fall we are thrilled to welcome the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Piano Quartet, among many other remarkable performances. We invite you to attend upcoming events such as the Family Weekend Choral Showcase on November 2 in Armerding Concert Hall and the Wheaton College Christmas Festival on December 6 and 7 in Edman Chapel. For ticket information, please visit tickets.wheaton.edu.
If you cannot join us on campus, please watch Conservatory performances via livestream at wheaton.edu/streaming. Whether in person or online, we hope these events will inspire and uplift you.
How to Pray for Wheaton this Month
- Pray that all students will grow in knowledge, faith, self-understanding, and love for the Body of Christ in all its beauty.
- Pray that President Ryken will experience the love and wisdom of the Holy Spirit as he leads the College community.
- Pray that students will have a restful and safe Fall Break, October 19-23.
With thanks for your involvement and prayers,
The Wheaton College Parent Engagement Team
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