Calvin News

Calvin’s Student Senate has created a series of events to highlight a long-held institutional value. From Sunday, April 12 through Friday, April 17, Calvin will host its first-ever FEN (From Every Nation) Week. The FEN document is Calvin's comprehensive plan for racial justice, reconciliation, and cross-cultural engagement. The week hopes to celebrate its content, increases its awareness, and explore meaningful ways to bring it to life on campus.

We sat down with Grace Langeland ’27, a junior biology major and one of the student senators responsible for creating FEN Week, to gain greater insight into the purpose of the week and the importance of the values the week promotes.

How did the idea of FEN Week come about?

I first really encountered the document as a student senator and orientation leader. When I dove into it, I was struck by how meaningful it was—and surprised that so many students hadn’t heard of it.

Even seniors who had spent four years at Calvin didn’t know what the document was. Once they learned about it, they said, “I wish I’d known about this sooner.” That made it clear we needed to make this a living document on campus—not just a statement, but something people actually know and live out.

So, FEN Week became a way to celebrate the document and also to educate the community about what it means.

How would you describe the commitments spelled out in the FEN document? 

When you look at the From Every Nation document, it has three main themes.

The first is multicultural citizenship, which is about expanding our cross-cultural experiences and cultivating intercultural sensitivities.

The second is anti-racism and accountability, which is the continuing effort to identify the sin of racism and its effects, and to make structural changes that promote greater accountability and help us escape traps of institutional racism.

And the third theme is reconciliation and restoration, which is to develop a positive vision of shalom and to model shalom in our own community. Those are the three themes highlighted directly in the document—that’s not my own wording.

I think the document paints a really beautiful picture of what it’s trying to do, and what we want to highlight when we celebrate it during FEN Week.

Why should a place like Calvin—especially a place like Calvin—care about the commitments in the FEN document?

For me, it comes from knowing that we are all created in God’s image. At Calvin, we’re here to worship Him, to grow in Him, and to come together as a community.

Revelation 7:9 paints a really powerful picture of worship—people from every nation and every tribe coming together with the purpose of worshiping Christ. Calvin should be a place where you can come from any background, from any country, from anywhere in the world, and feel that you belong because you are part of Christ’s kingdom.

That’s our job—our duty and our biblical calling—to be welcoming, to celebrate that we are all made in the image of Christ, and to love one another because of that shared identity.

How do you see Calvin living out this commitment to From Every Nation?

Some ways we already do this include things like Unlearn Week, worshiping in different languages during chapel, and the work of affinity organizations and the Center for Intercultural Student Development.

We already have strong programming that encourages the themes of the From Every Nation document—celebrating diversity and supporting students, faculty, and staff so that everyone feels a sense of belonging.

What would you hope someone would take away from FEN Week?

I hope they understand the vision of Revelation 7:9—that when we worship, we are a diverse people from every nation and tribe, united in Christ. Differences matter to our identity, but they shouldn’t divide how we love and care for one another.

I also hope FEN Week opens space for honest, thoughtful conversations—where people feel comfortable challenging one another and thinking deeply about our biblical calling in the world.

Where can people find more information and what can they expect?

There’s a From Every Nation Week page on the Student Senate website, and the full FEN document is available online. Events include panels, discussions, worship experiences, and celebrations like Gospel Choir Chapel and World Food Fest at the end of the week.