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Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer

A massed choir's performance of a song dedicated to a recently deceased classmate added poignancy to the Sabbath worship service at Avondale College's Homecoming (August 28-30).

Conducted by a long-serving former head of music Alan Thrift, members of the Homecoming honour years joined to sing Eugene Butler's arrangement of "O Still, Small Voice of Calm" in memory of Gail (Cover) Valentine. A member of the class of 1969, Gail had been planning to attend Homecoming before her death from cancer in March this year. Earlier in the service, the choir performed an introit in the foyer of Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church before walking down the centre aisle during the processional.

The Avondale College Alumni Association surprised the recipient of its highest award by keeping his name secret until the official presentation during the service. Members of the association's committee voted in February to present the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award to Dr William Johnsson. However, they revealed the name only during the reading of the citation.

The award recognises Bill's service as an educator, publisher and intermediary. His experience includes teaching over 17 years at Spicer College in India, writing more than 20 books and editing the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship journal, Adventist Review, for more than 20 years, and serving in retirement as special assistant to the president of the worldwide church for interfaith relations.

During his acceptance speech, Bill described his decision to study at Avondale as one of the most important of his life, because it gave him a greater vision of the world's needs. "This is a small college," he said, "but an important one."

Eight other alumni, one from each honour year, joined William as award recipients. Receiving citations from their classmates were: retired minister Leslie Coombe (1939); a former director of the church in southern Asia's Health and Temperance Department, Ronald Baird (1949); a former director of the worldwide church's Health Food Department, Eugene Grosser (1959); teacher Helen Schulz (1969); teacher Coralie Fraser (1979); businessman Rodney Long (1984); church planter Loren Pratt (1989); and Avondale lecturer Jason Morton (1999).

Graham Mitchell, a retired accountant and a former head of the Commercial Department at Avondale, presented the annual Alumni Lecture on Friday morning, posing the question, "Business education at a theological college?" Influenced partly by Adventist Church pioneer Ellen White's support for the "adequate control over church finance," Graham criticised the church for showing more interest in cost allocation than in understanding cost behaviour. "We allocate costs . . . as far down the chain as possible, so that we come up with financial statements where the sum of parts equals the whole. It looks good, but we are fooling ourselves with arithmetic."

The alumni association dedicated the lecture to George Laxton, who served the church in various business and educational roles for more than 50 years.

During the annual general meeting following the lecture, members of the association voted Pastor Des Hills as their new president. Outgoing president Jenny Laredo Hilder will serve as vice-president.

The president of Avondale College, Dr Ray Roennfeldt, used a Danoz Direct Swivel Sweeper to illustrate his sermon, which he titled, "And there's more," during the worship service on Saturday. "There's more to life than any of us would want to experience," he said. "But God, though His son, Jesus, promises to work for us not against us."

Former Avondale lecturer Dr Don Hansen spoke at vespers on Friday evening. When we return for Homecoming, are we really coming home? he asked. He compared his home with the Avondale he remembered from his student years-not like home at all, he said. Then, this question: What are we actually celebrating at Homecoming? Until the true Homecoming, which Don described as "our rightful inheritance," Homecoming at Avondale will only ever be a great reunion, he said.

An equal record number of 38 competitors entered the golf classic at the Toronto Country Club on Sunday morning. Jared Kalloway and Jonathan Roennfeldt won the Ambrose format tournament with a three under par 69. Steev Davis and Adrian Timmermans won on handicap.

Caption: Avondale College president Dr Ray Roennfeldt preached the sermon during the worship service at Homecoming. Earlier, the massed choir, conducted by Alan Thrift, dedicated its performance of "O Still, Small Voice of Calm" to Gail Valentine.
Credit: Ann Stafford

Caption: Retired author, editor and educator Dr William Johnsson received the Avondale College Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award.
Credit: Ann Stafford

Caption: Russell Gibbs recalls an interesting story with fellow 1969 classmates.
Credit: Ann Stafford