In January, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) Co-Founder Kurt Ver Beek participated in Calvin College’s prestigious January lecture series.

Kurt shared from his years of experience working for justice in Honduras with ASJ, and he encouraged other Christians to discover where and how God is calling them, and the church, to fearlessly stand up to local and global injustices.

Too often, fear of oppressors stops us from loving the vulnerable as God commands. Kurt — along with his wife, Jo Ann — has been working for more than two decades to promote justice in Honduras. Seventeen years ago, they helped found ASJ to stand up for victims of violence, land-rights abuses, and government corruption in Honduras.

Calvin College has held the January Series for more than 25 years. The series has been a three-time recipient of the Silver Bowl Award as the “Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A.” by the International Platform Society, with many influential figures having delivered talks.

In addition to helping to lead ASJ, Kurt is a professor with Calvin College and directs its Justice Studies semester in Honduras. Kurt received his B.A. in sociology from Calvin College, his M.A. in human resource development from Azusa Pacific University, and his Ph.D. in development sociology from Cornell University.

Kurt and Jo Ann moved to Honduras in 1988, and in 2001 they moved their family to a particularly marginalized community, where the couple still lives — an experience that has greatly influenced their understanding of how corruption and violence affect the most vulnerable.