On September 27, 2025, Tyndale University welcomed alumni, current students, faculty and staff to its annual Homecoming event. There were 93 individuals in attendance, including graduates from 1967 to 2025.
Homecoming 2025 consisted of a special Chapel and time of worship. The worship team was comprised of current music program students and alumni under the leadership of Dr. Ken Michell, Director of the Music and Worship Arts program. Dr. Ken spotlighted the “good gift” that it is “to celebrate God’s faithfulness through Tyndale [and] the many iterations that Tyndale has been.”
It was “a day to reconnect, reunite with old classmates, and a time to meet new friends,” said Dr. Marjory Kerr, President and Vice Chancellor of Tyndale in her address to the crowd.
Keynote speaker Zohrab Sarkissian (MDiv 2025), encouraged current and past Tyndale students with this assertion: “We are the ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. What an identity, what a high, heavenly, holy calling it is... We are ambassadors of the King of kings, the Lord of lords: our Saviour Jesus Christ. That has been your story for 50 years and more—or less—and my story; and that’s our story, all together.”
The day continued with a buffet-style luncheon and saw the newest Distinguished Alumni honoured for their achievements. This year also marked the 50-year anniversary of the graduating Class of 1975. Seven Ontario Bible College graduates were celebrated. Among the alumni returning for the event were Gordon Abraham, Phillip Bruce, Dan Cover, Alice Fraser McAlpine, Dean Mullin, Sonia Ostler-Wells, and James (Jim) Paul.
Dean Mullin reminisced and reflected on the years of “typing papers on a mechanical typewriter.” He noted that his experience at Tyndale “grounded his faith” and gave “good and sufficient reason to integrate faith into the adult world [albeit] complicated world.” Dean encouraged the crowd to “press on, finish well, to keep the true mission of loving God and ourselves and our neighbour.”
In his prayer for the Class of 1975, Kevin Kirk, Senior Vice President of External Relations, thanked God for “lives lived with purpose and passion.”
The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards recipients were introduced by Dr. Paul Franks, Vice President Academic and Dean of Undergraduate Studies; and Dr. Michael Krause, Vice President Academic and Interim Dean of Seminary & Graduate Studies. There were four honourees, three in attendance.
The recipients, who “represent what Tyndale hopes for its graduates,” are as follows:
- Dr. Tat-Ying Wong, M.D., MTS 1990, MDiv 1993 (Lifetime Impact Award)
- Dr. Tat-Kwan Wong M.D., MTS 1991 (Lifetime Impact Award)
- Kaitlyn Ranasinghearachchige, BA 2018 (Horizon Award: Undergraduate)
- Rev. Dr. Christopher Payk, MDiv 2008, ThM 2009 (Global Impact Award)
Meaningful connections emerged among attendees as the tables brimmed with stories of profound impact in “serving the church and the world for the glory of God,” a key tenet of Tyndale University.
Paul Bucknam, the class president of the Class of 1975, wrote in their yearbook, “I am always impressed with those dear saints of our Lord who can look back without regret on the full lives in which God has played and continues to play an active part. I'm reminded of what an exciting thing it is to serve the true and living God...” That is a remarkable sentiment.
Tyndale extends a special thank you to Deeks Insurance, our event sponsor, and to all who attended this year’s Homecoming and are building a legacy of faith and applied knowledge in the spaces they occupy and beyond.
For those who missed the event, the livestream can be found on Tyndale Chapel’s YouTube channel: Tyndale Chapel - YouTube
