Christian Educators' Journal

Meet your virtual neighbors

by The *cino Community

Name: Tricia E. De Kok
State: Illinois
Age: 25
Occupation: Lead Administrative Assistant/Pension Coordinator for The Evangelical Covenant Church
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
I appreciate the large capacity of knowledge, information, opinions, etc. that *cino and the *cino community provide me with as an avid reader (as opposed to an avid contributor) and look forward to the full integration of the greater vision of *cino…

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Name: Jeff DeVries
State: Illinois
Age: 36
Occupation: High School English Teacher
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
1. I enjoy the discussion boards, even if I don’t contribute frequently. My computer craps out on me about two-thirds of the time that I try to. Aargh!
2. I am always looking for new books, new music, new ideas.
3. I enjoy being part of a community of Christians engaged in serious discussion about the intersection of faith and culture. How does one live rightly and righteously before the face of God while sojourning in a foreign land? How does one actively join God in redeeming his creation? Such questions intrigue me, and here is one place where people are discussing those kinds of questions.

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Name: Kris Vos
State: Indiana
Age: 37
Occupation: Pastor
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
Relationships.

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Name: Adam Smit
Province: British Columbia
Age: 23
Occupation: Apprentice actor
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
Reasonable discourse about issues is hard to find anywhere nowadays, much less online. I like the reasonable, well-thought-out opinions that are voiced at this website. Also, having just graduated college I feel isolated sometimes from all the things that made college great: community, intimate friendships, shared experiences, the same type of humor. *CINO keeps me connected, at least a little bit, with such things. The cultural approach to changing society is WAY underrated in Christian circles and it’s refreshing to see a site founded by Christians that is open to other ways of thinking yet insistent on issues like social justice. Oh yeah, and I love to argue.

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Name: Anne Pirlot
State: Wisconsin
Age: 26
Occupation: Mom and freelance Graphic Designer
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
The intellectual Christian perspective is refreshing and intriguing. The discussion board is entertaining and insightful and keeps early Alzheimer’s at bay.

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Name: Carol Vande Kraats
Province: Manitoba
Age: 47
Occupation: Teacher
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
I’ve always been interested in thoughtful discussions and, though kindergarten has a lot more to challenge you than most people think, it is a good break from worrying about why so-and-so doesn’t know her letters or if he is really bullying his cubby partner. I like the broad range of topics from theology to more relaxed “issues” like your 5 favorite albums. I always check out the articles, but spend the most time browsing through the discussions. One other reason I think I keep going back to *cino is that with my kids moving off, I can still get a taste of some of those odd but funny and exiting discussions we were used to having around our dinner table.

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Name: Chris Nonhof
State: Wisconsin
Age: 27
Occupation: High School English Teacher
What keeps me coming back to *cino:
I come back because it’s similar to the community I felt in college. My favorite part of school was discussions with friends and professors that challenged my faith and my ability to make my daily life fit my beliefs. On *cino I can still be a student in a distinctively Christian educational environment.

By the way, I’m the one in the picture with the facial hair.