Who We Are.

On September 1, 2021, Christian Schools International, a Michigan non-profit corporation and the original sponsor of the Christian Education Health and Pension Plans in Canada (the “Plans”), transferred sponsorship of the Plans to CEBS Society, a non-profit society incorporated in Canada on June 15, 2021 for the specific purpose of serving as the new sponsor of the Plans. The Plans, like most pension and benefit plans, are structured as legal trusts and by law require both a sponsoring entity as the settlor of the trust and a board of trustees that administers the Plans.

The Sponsor Board is made up of Canadian Christian educators, current, and former plan participants as well as former members of Christian School Boards. Each Sponsor Board member is passionate about ensuring that Christian education flourishes in Canada and has relevant experience with the plans and/or skills in accounting, business management, law, and teaching.

Meet the Board


  • Ed passionately believes that Christian education is as relevant and necessary today as it ever has been, and he has spent his career helping Christian schools flourish. If Christian schools are flourishing, then so are their staff members, which is why vibrant benefit and pension plans are so important in this sector.

    Ed is a career educator, having worked in the roles of teacher, vice principal, principal, superintendent, and executive director. He has embraced opportunities to participate in school inspection and policy development work for the British Columbia Ministry of Education both in BC and internationally. He has served on the boards of The King’s University, the Christian Educators of BC, the Federation of Independent Schools Associations of BC, Christian Schools Canada, and Christian Schools International.

    Ed has a BA in Philosophy from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from University of BC in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ed enjoys reading and watching movies. He continues to referee hockey, helping grown men have a safe and enjoyable experience on the ice, and he passionately pursues greater success on the golf course.


  • Gayle Monsma is the Executive Director of the Prairie Centre for Christian Education (PCCE), an organization that partners with Christian schools in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. Prior to this position, Gayle served for 28 years as a teacher and principal at Covenant Christian School in Leduc.

    Seeing Christian schools flourish has been Gayle’s goal throughout her career. She has been involved with the development of Teaching for Transformation from the beginning and is excited by the impact it is making in her community. Gayle has also been involved in the wider Christian school community, with some of her current connections being serving as the chair of Christian Schools Canada, a member of EduDeo board and Walking Together Learning Leader in Zambia, and a facilitator for the Emerging Leaders Development Institute (ELDI).

    Gayle lives in Edmonton and outside of work, she attends The River Community Church, where she is currently the Chair of the Board, and is very involved with the church’s Social Justice Network. She also enjoys travelling, hanging out with family and friends, and exploring the city on her bike.

  • Ken is a partner in the law firm of
    De Jager Volkenant & Company, in Surrey, British Columbia. Called to the British Columbia Bar in 1987, he carries on a solicitor’s practice in the areas of corporate and commercial law, wills and estates, and real estate development. Ken specializes in the area of charity law, incorporating non-profit organizations, charities, and foundations, and assisting organizations with governance matters, restructuring, amalgamations, cooperative ventures, property transactions, and development programs. Ken also advises charities regarding legal risk management, asset protection, planned giving, and fundraising programs.

    Ken is a frequent presenter on topics related to charities and planned giving, and serves on the boards and advisory committees of several non-profit and charitable organizations. Ken resides in Surrey, British Columbia with his wife Sandee who is a passionate teacher. Together they enjoy travel, tennis, golfing, and spending time with their family and grandchildren.

  • Kevin is the Director of Planned Gifts & Investments at the Christian School Foundation (Canada) Inc. The Foundation serves Christian schools and donors across Canada providing bursaries and resources, together expanding the influence of Christ in our culture. Kevin has a passion for Christian education and stewardship and enjoys sharing his passion with people. He is continually amazed at how God uses many faithful people to build His kingdom through Christian education.

    Kevin was educated in elementary and secondary Christian schools and began his post-secondary education at Redeemer University (Ancaster, ON), and graduated from McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce. He obtained his CMA (Certified Management Accountant) designation and worked in public accounting for 14 years in rural southern Ontario—most of those years as a partner in the family accounting firm. Kevin returned to school to enter full-time ministry; at which time he relinquished his CMA designation. He attended both Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, MI) and graduated from McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton, ON) with a Master of Divinity. He enjoyed full-time parish ministry for 15 years, serving Christian Reformed churches in Kingston, ON and Exeter, ON. During that time, he served on several boards including 9 years as a trustee for the Christian Reformed Church Ministers’ Pension Fund.

    Kevin enjoys reading action filled books and watching action filled movies. He loves cooking, and at times uses his skills for fundraising and community events. Kevin currently lives in Exeter. He has been married to Mechele for over 30 years, and enjoys spending time and playing cards with their 4 children and their partners and finding much humour in their 2 joy-filled grand-daughters.

  • Ray is a firm believer in the role of Christian education in the life of the Christian community. He believes that a knowledge of the Word of God, through which a Christian worldview is taught and modeled, is foundational to all activities of the Christian school. Ray Hendriks has been passionate about Christian education throughout his career and delights in being able to speak about Christian day school education.

    Ray served as principal at Rhema Christian School in Peterborough for 23 years and teacher in Drayton prior to that. From 2008-2018, he served as a Director for the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, and as its Executive Director during its final year and a half of operations. He was responsible for board leadership development, by-law and policy advice, leadership search and evaluation, and human resource support. His pastoral heart makes him an encourager and mentor for schools and their leaders. During these years, Ray enjoyed volunteering his time to work with Boards such as Christian School Foundation, Christian Schools Canada, and Christian School International.

    Now retired, Ray remains actively engaged in board work, coaching of school administrators and from time to time some preaching in local churches. Retirement, however, has also allowed Ray to spend more time in activities like gardening, walking, enjoying the front or back porch of their home in Hamilton, and planning for travel. Ray and his wife Marlene share 6 children and their families which also includes 6 grandchildren, bringing great joy to both of them.

FAQs

 

My school is a member of CEBS Society. What does this mean?

Christian education organizations that participate in the Christian Education Benefit Solutions’ Health and/or Pension Plan can contact the Society to voice concerns, receive updates on the financial health of the Plan, or request AGM materials.

What is the role of CEB Solutions Trustees? 

The CEB Solutions Trustees are the “administrator” and fiduciary of the Plan. Their responsibility is to ensure the plans are in the best interest of the participants.

What is the role of CEBS Society?

CEBS Society’s role is to:

  • Appoint the trustees of the Plans

  • Approve plan design changes to the Christian Education Pension Plan

  • Consider appeals related to benefit decisions made under the Plans

  • Regularly review the activities of the Plans and offer advice to the trustees of the Plans regarding the sustainability of strong benefit plans

  • Report to our society members, in cooperation with the trustees of the Plans, regarding the health and growth of the Plans through regular communications and the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

What is the service fee for?

There will be an annual service fee of $250 CAN per participating organization for each Plan to cover the operating costs of Christian Education Benefit Solutions Society.

This includes, but is not limited to,

  • Professional development for board members

  • Communication to members

  • Publication of the annual report

  • Contingency funds for potential future actions

Is CSI membership still required?

Because the plans are now sponsored by CEBS Society, it is no longer necessary to hold CSI membership in order to participate in the pension and health plans.

Why an AGM?

In Canada, every corporation is required to hold an annual general meeting, including not-for-profits such as CEBS Society. The annual general meeting is conducted to ensure accountability to members. This is done through the presentation of the annual financial statements, presentation of the annual report, and potential nominations for board positions.