“Instead of a faint spirit, they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3
Don McNally
Founding Vision
A unique combination of opportunities and need - Why the name? – The Importance of Place – Restoring Great Conversations – Local Roots: Global Reach
Create a space of hospitality and service to the academic community – Cultivate a spirit of curiosity and patience in pursuit of the big questions of meaning and purpose – Seek areas of common interest through a renewed sense of vocation
Through Servant Leadership seek to provide resources and assistance to those working to develop authentic vocations in their academic work & in their world.
Developing a road map to the best in our traditions. Curating and cultivating these recourses in the service of local, national and international communities.
Use a variety of venues and formats to open discussions of
purpose and meaning in community
Our Vision
Our vision includes the establishment of a physical space and digital platforms that can accommodate and make accessible a specialized collection of books and resources in support of serious Christian thinking & conversation in biblical studies, theology, philosophy, science, the social sciences, art and history. We are seeking to foster an organizational network that will support a wide range of ministries locally, in our region, and on a global scale around the deep hospitality and profound relevance of Christian faith.
The Oak Centre seeks to create a structure to foster study and deep conversation on matters of faith, vocation and culture in all its forms.
Active curation of a unique collection of scholarship and learning;
Develop a digital platform and physical home with meeting spaces to carry out the planned functions of the centre
Key Milestones
Completion of Stage One development plan. Creation of
a meeting place, access to resources, and active community.
Inklings Conversations - 2021
Our success in 2020 led to an ambitious schedule for the 2021 Oak Centre Inklings Conversations which has included the following guests and topics:
Inklings Conversations - Spring 2021
Our success in 2020 has led to an ambitious schedule for the 2021 Oak Centre Inklings Conversations so far have included the following guests and topics:
An ambitious program of informative and stimulating
conversations is planned for 2022
See www.oakstudycentre.ca for and details.
Key Persons & Areas of Responsibility
A.J. Boulay; Don McNally Yemi Adediji; Engagement with Creative Data Studio for Social Media and Crowdfunding strategy; Development of collaborative digital strategy with Wishart.net
Ted Beverley; A.J. Boulay; Don McNally; [Hilary Barlow of ICS]
Ned Nedialkov, Associate Director at School Of Computational Science And Engineering, McMaster University; A.J. Boulay, X AI Responsible Artificial Intelligence; Ted Beverley, Curator of the Collection.
Yemi Adediji; Peter Boushy; Don McNally
Don McNally; Justin Cooper; Peter Boushy with the Advisory Board
Storage of books in the history & philosophy of science
Part of the Oak Centre Collection in the corridor between meeting room and office
Oak Centre office & research space
Consolidation of the Collection at 1600-B 21 King St. W (Oct. 2019 – June 2021)
Oak Centre Meeting Room & Study Space – 21 King St. West 1600-B
This section contains the complete works of Eric Voegelin & Kierkegaard
On a more long-term basis St. C’s might prove to be an ideal location to engage with the Trinity Centres Project to turn this location into a major
resource and educational facility in the
community of Westdale operated under the auspices of the Oak Centre. (See https://trinitycentres.org)
While our current space at 21 King St. W works well as a meeting and study space, with excellent database and communications resources, we are still looking to extend our reach with appropriate space in Westdale near McMaster University. One possible location is at St. Cuthbert’s Presbyterian Church at Bond and King.(St. C’s)
This location would offer an ideal space for student and faculty conversations near the University. Sketched below is a rendering of what an Oak Centre reading, and meeting space might look like in the current Sunday school and Adult Education wing of the church
Establishing an Oak Centre Space in Westdale
The Geographical Centrality of Oak Centre – 21 King St. West 1600-B
The regional centrality of Hamilton is highlighted with this map. A large concentration of the Universities in Central Canada are within a 1 to 2-hour drive from the Oak Centre, and most of the major north-eastern centres of research and learning are under a 2hr flight
Although our use of applications like Zoom makes geographical location less relevant in many cases, it is still valuable to have a clear sense of our ‘place’ and natural linkages that are derived from our location. Some thought needs to be given to this factor as we develop our ties to various networks active in this region. This leads to a consideration of place as an important aspect of our ministry.
The Importance of Place
While availing ourselves of all the resources that lie at our digital fingertips, the importance of place and embodied personal interaction cannot be neglected. One of the unique features of our project is that we are bringing these two realms of interaction together in creative way. In our project locality is of prime importance. This point is captured very well in the comments below on Craig Bartholomew’s important study: Where Mortals Dwell: Where Mortals Dwell: A Christian View of Place for Today (2011) by Craig G. Bartholomew. In Bartholomew’s view, place is fundamental to human existence; and it is precisely this sense of place, both geographically and historically that lies at the heart of the malaise where we have lost the very human sense of place in today's postmodern and globalized world. See also McClay and McAllister (eds.), Why Place Matters: Geography, Identify and Civic Life in Modern America (2014) for the broad topic, and John Terpstra. Falling into Place (2002) for a localized reflection on the unique aspects of time and place in that part of Hamilton near to the Oak Centre. In a very real sense, we are engaged in a project of “placemaking” for the roots and heritage we most value.
Next Steps: Expanding our Support Base and Capacity for Growth**
We have reached a point in the development of the Oak Centre where we are ready to expend our support base and prepare for the next stages of growth. Our actual requirements at this stage are quite modest, but they are critical for the future development of the Oak Centre. We have laid these development plans out in a separate document that is available on request. Our strategy over the coming year will focus on securing the space we require to grow the Oak Centre while expanding on all of our current activities.
Our website www.oakstudycentre.ca is currently under development and has a forwarding link to our GoFundMe campaign. We will be using this campaign to lay the organizational and financial foundation of the Oak Centre for sustained growth and wide influence.
For more information please contact: info@oakstudycentre.ca