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Website Upgrades

The Taylor Seminary website is undergoing some upgrades. Throughout the month of January, upgrades to the software and some of the website features will be made and visitors may experience some some changes to appearance and navigation.

Read more: Website Upgrades

Conservatory Director Sought

Director of the Conservatory of Music at Taylor (part time)

The E P Wahl Centre at Taylor is hiring a part-time conservatory director (6 hours per week average) to give leadership to the Conservatory of Music at Taylor.

Beyond general administrative oversight of the conservatory, particular responsibilities include: budgeting, oversight of student and faculty recitals, scholarship distribution, and administrative support for the Taylor Community Choir. As a program of the E P Wahl Centre for life-long Kingdom Learning, the conservatory director also serves as the liaison with Wahl Centre leadership team and the larger Taylor community. Music teaching is preferred. Proven administrative experience is required.

Applicants must be committed to the evangelical beliefs, mission, and core values of Taylor College and Seminary, which are available here.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Review of applications will begin on January 16, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. Completed application packages, including resume and contact information for references, should be forwarded to:

January Intersession

Taylor Seminary will offer two modular courses during January intersession, with classes starting first thing in the morning on January 2, 2012. Both are three-credit courses, and are taught in a one-week format.

Professor Len Thompson will teach PC 531 Essentials of Pastoral Care, which will be useful for anyone serving in Christian ministry. The second week, Dr. Allan Effa will teach PW 631 Christian Worship, which will explore the heart and focus of Christian worship (Christ) and will include insights and resources in leading the worship life of a congregation; practical assignments will be part of the course for each participant.

Taylor's offices will be closed over the Christmas break, but if you would like more information about these courses, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Also, it is possible to register up until the first day of class, and we look forward to hearing from you.

White Cross Shipment on the Move

A large shipment of relief supplies for Africa has been picked up at the Taylor campus. More than ten tons of donated medical supplies -- mostly hand-made bandages and blankets from NAB churches across Canada -- were packed on a truck on December 16th with the help of almost 20 volunteers. The items will be shipped to Cameroon, where they will help meet some urgent, basic needs at six hospitals (including one in Nigeria) and 65 health centres.

Most of these supplies were created and sent to Taylor by hundreds of volunteers at dozens of Canadian churches, while some other specialty equipment (such as a dialysis unit) was donated to the cause.

The White Cross ministry is a long-standing effort of North American Baptist churches, with roots stretching back to the end of World War I. The NAB churches have long focused their efforts on medical missions in East Africa, and the items being shipped this week will be vitally important for the 5 Baptist hospitals and 65 health centres in Cameroon, as well as a hospital in Nigeria.

In 2011, the NAB denomination handed over the coordination of the White Cross ministry to two related agencies, one in the US and the other in Canada (that being Taylor). White Cross Canada is now officially part of Taylor’s E P Wahl Centre; hundreds of volunteers in dozens of Canadian churches cut and sew bandages, blankets and other supplies for Africa.

Photos from the first day of loading can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.266748863378695.67589.132478983472351&type=3&l=75b0a5bb83

Managing the Master's Money

The Wahl Centre at Taylor is pleased to present a three session course designed for adults between the ages of 40—64 who are interested in dealing with the challenges of their finances. The participants will be provided with practical information and tools to deal with such issues as debt management, reducing taxes, retirement planning and legal issues around Wills and Power of Attorney. We will take a close look at investment principles, products and strategies to reach one’s goals, and we will show how all of this fits within a Christian World view.

A discussion about the course is available as a 7-minute video, hosted on YouTube; click here to view the video.

The course will begin January 25, 2012 and run on three consecutive Wednesdays; it will be held on the Taylor campus (11525 -- 23 Avenue NW, Edmonton AB).

Register here; the cost is just $30 per person, and all participants receive a binder with relevant information.

Taylor Seeks Registrar

Taylor College and Seminary is seeking applications for the position of Registrar. The vacancy was created in the summer of 2011 by the departure of Craig Weston; Dr. Joost Pikkert has been acting as Registrar on an interim basis since that time, as he already very busy with his other duties as Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies.

The Registrar position will be filled on a half-time basis. A job description is included with the employment posting available here.

Please use this Application Form when you contact us (PDF will open in a new window).

The Bridge, Fall 2011

The Fall 2011 edition of The Bridge is hitting the mail and will be delivered to Taylor alumni around the world in the days ahead. The magazine is also available online as a PDF, which you can access by clicking here.

View The Bridge, Fall 2011 Edition

In this edition of The Bridge you can read the dramatic story of Cheryl Shepherd, who is married to Old Testament professor Dr. Jerry Shepherd. Cheryl suffered a serious, life-threatening illness this summer, and the family celebrated her recovery with the Taylor community in November.

You can also read a first-hand report of helping tsunami victims in Japan, a report on the fall meetings of the Board of Trustees, and updates from alumni.

As always, we want to hear from you! Send us news of your life's journey by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Back Issues

Enjoy back issues of The Bridge in our online archive by clicking here.

onWORD Series with Keir Hammer

The Wahl Centre invites you to join us for the November series at onWORD. Beginning November 8th (7 PM) and running for three consecutive Tuesday evenings, Dr. Keir Hammer will be exploring the four gospels, finding similarities and differences in how the account of Jesus' life and ministry were recorded. In particular, he will show the subtle and important distinct emphasis that each writer wove throughout his account.

These insights add a new richness to the text, drawing attention to some of the highlights from the life of Christ that were clearly so important to the evangelists.

Dr. Hammer has served as a pastor and as a university professor; he is a visiting scholar at Taylor Seminary and a long-time Edmonton resident.

onWORD, the weekly series, is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Come, Emmanuel (Advent Concert)

The Taylor Community Choir warmly invites you to join them for their annual Advent Concert performances.  There will be two performances, one on Saturday, December 3 at 7:00 PM, and one on Sunday December 4th at 3:00 PM; both performances will take place at 5:30, at Lendrum Mennonite Brethren Church (11210 59 Ave, Edmonton).

The Taylor Community Choir, directed by Diana Wiens, will be presenting “Come, Emmanuel”, a program of Advent music that includes works by Bach, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, and anthems by contemporary composers. This concert will feature Buxtehude’s Advent Cantata #51, accompanied by brass quintet and organ. Music for the quintet has been composed specially for this event, and it promises to be a wonderful evening focused on the birth of the Savior.

Taylor Alumni Association to Meet on Dec. 10th

The interim leadership of the Taylor Alumni Association has called an official meeting, which will take place the morning of December 10th.

In a letter mailed to over 2,700 former students of Taylor, the past president of the association, Brad Kahler, apologized for the time that has passed since members have heard from the association, and he urged all past members of the Taylor community to participate in the upcoming meeting.

"As a core constituency, it is very important for Taylor Alumni to continue lending wisdom and voice to the future directions of Taylor," he wrote. He also asked alumni to help spread the word about the meeting, and added a final call to prayer:

"As alumni of our deep and far-reaching school heritage, I trust you share our hope and belief that Taylor continues to have an important role in advancing the Kingdom by developing people for ministry in the church and in the world."

Mailed with the letter was a two-page survey that seeks input from members as to the issues to be dealt with at this meeting, but more broadly about the hopes and concerns for Taylor as the institution continues to move forward. That survey can also be filled out online (anonymously, if you wish) - click on the link below to be taken to the survey.

Read the full text of Brad Kahler's letter to Taylor Alumni Association members here.

Take the Taylor Alumni Association survey online by clicking here.