Board of Directors
Loss of a Friend, Gift of a Life
Organizations are about people and the service of one another. Policies, budgets and strategic plans, crucial as they are, are meant only to support people. If they become ends in themselves, then unwittingly the organization has been hollowed out and become empty.
In that light, I want to pay tribute to a dear friend of Shalem: Marten Mol. Marten passed away from brain cancer on March 22, 2010, at the age of 66. He was the Chair of Shalem's Board when he died, a position he had held for three years. In that period he made an enormous contribution to Shalem. His contribution was at many levels--especially the level of vision-casting for the organization. He was a visionary, always with the big picture in view. That was extremely helpful during Marten's tenure at Shalem. Beyond that, however, he was passionate about both Christian mental health and about Shalem as a whole. His passion in both areas came through in every interaction that he had with us and with current or potential Shalem partners. It was this combination of vision and unflagging enthusiasm--right to the very end--that has left such a mark on all of us at Shalem. There were moments of discouragement that Marten would transform into moments of possibility and opportunity.
Let me speak more personally about the gift that Marten was to me. Marten became a true friend. He had a good sense of my strengths and weaknesses, and he was always supportive of me in both areas. He had no hesitation to confront me in areas that I needed confronting, in a direct but always constructive way. That was a true and rare gift. We live in a culture, especially in faith communities, where direct confrontation is often avoided, and when it happens, it is often destructive. Marten did neither: he confronted when needed and was always constructive in doing so. In this way, he was a living example of the values undergirding our FaithCARE program--one of Marten's favourite Shalem programs--which uses restorative justice practices to help faith communities transform conflict into opportunities for healing and growth.
Marten's vision and passion will continue to be an ongoing inspiration to us, and our exciting growth is a direct fruit of Marten's dream. We miss him keenly, but Marten is also in Shalem's "DNA". He was a real witness to Jesus and his redemption, which he experienced deeply. In that respect, we are so grateful to God that death is not the last word.
True friends--ones who both encourage and constructively confront--are such gifts, don't you think? Thank God for Marten and for all true friends.
- Mark Vander Vennen
The Board is a policy board and committed to best practices in governance. In 2008, after a facilitated Board/Staff retreat, the Board unanimously adopted a three-year strategic plan, which came into effect on January 1, 2009 (a copy is available upon request). The plan is ambitious but we believe rightly positioned to meet significant needs and equip communities.
The Board is also served by the establishment of a legal trust and its associated non-profit organization, Kerncliffe Heights. Kerncliffe is an independent project whose aim is to build a Christian seniors retirement complex, whose purpose in part is to financially support the work of Shalem. The complex itself is under development on attractive property located in Waterdown, Ontario. For more information, please contact the Chair of the Kerncliffe Board, Jim Bezemer.
The Board is also served by an independent group of larger donors convened by successful Christian entrepreneur Sidney Harkema. For information about joining this group, please call Sidney at 905-454-2981.
Current Shalem Board Members:
Linda Thompson, Vice-Chair
Peter Dale, Secretary
George Van Dyk, Treasurer
Sidney Harkema
John Lutgendorff
Katie Karsten
Michael Maher
Doug Rowley