Evangeline Willms Thiessen, DMin
1990 Master of Arts in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling graduate
Masters in Counseling Clinical Coordinator at Associated Theological Schools in Langley, British Columbia, Canada

After our third child was born I began working part time at Abbotsford Community Services providing services for children and families. I realized I wanted and needed further education to work with families, and the Marriage and Family Therapy program at MB Biblical Seminary seemed an appropriate choice. Once I could convince my spouse and children, we were on our way!

The relocation was significant for me, leaving family, friends and church opened space for me to immerse myself in studies and discovery of new communities, both at seminary and in our neighborhood. The quality of instruction, the freedom to pursue independent thought and areas of educational interest (feminist theology, social justice issues, thesis option, etc.), the integration of social science, therapeutic approaches and a Christian worldview, the relationships with faculty, the warm, sunny climate, introduction to the community on Kerckhoff Street all contributed to a rich and transforming life experience.

I chose MBBS because I value my Anabaptist and Mennonite church heritage. During those years I developed a greater connection between my theological studies, my understanding of scripture, and the practical expression of my faith within a discerning church, College Community Mennonite Brethren, and professional community.
The Seminary provided a safe, yet challenging learning environment where doubts and questions were welcomed. As a result my ethic of care and counseling became strongly rooted in the love and acceptance that Christ offers and that was modeled by faculty members. It is the life of Christ and his teaching that forms the basis of true compassion and active social response and that informs my way of being with clients and counseling students/interns. The communal, relational quality of Anabaptist faith, again both taught and modeled at MBBS, continues to challenge and shape my interpersonal relationships and collaborative learning philosophy.

The MFCC degree gave me a strong theoretical and clinical foundation. It created opportunities for counseling and teaching both in the church and greater community. Adding the thesis component was a helpful factor to my entry into doctoral studies at George Fox University. The discernment process prior to graduation was a very helpful personal activity and communal conversation that influenced my ministry choice. In my role as clinical educator-supervisor at ACTS, it is not uncommon for me to refer back to my particular learning experiences at MBBS, both the theoretical and the practical implementation of ideas and methods.