Crossroads - Summer 2012 - Alumni Magazine of Eastern Mennonite University

CROSSING CULTURES summer 2012

emu... preparing students to serve and lead globally

vol. 93, No. 1

crossroads summer 2012, Vol. 93, No. 1

Crossroads (USPS 174-860) is published three times a year by Eastern Mennonite University for distribution to 14,000 alumni, students, parents and friends.

A leader among faith-based universities, Eastern Mennonite University emphasizes peacebuilding, creation care, experiential learning, and cross-cultural engagement. Founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, EMU offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary degrees that prepare students to serve and lead in a global context.

EMU's mission statement is posted in its entirety at www.emu.edu/mission.

Board of Trustees: Andrew Dula, chair, Lancaster, Pa.; Wilma Bailey, Indianapolis, Ind.; Evon Bergey, Perkasie, Pa.; Myron Blosser, Harrisonburg, Va.; John Bomberger, Harrisonburg, Va.; Herman Bontrager, Akron, Pa.; Shana Peachey Boshart, Wellman, Iowa; Janet Breneman, Lancaster, Pa.; Gerald R. Horst, New Holland, Pa.; Charlotte Hunsberger, Souderton, Pa.; Clyde Kratz, Harrisonburg, Va.; Kevin Longenecker, Harrisonburg, Va.; Kathleen (Kay) Nussbaum, Grant, Minn.; Dannie Otto, Urbana, Ill.; Amy Rush, Harrisonburg, Va.; Jeffrey A. Shank, Sarasota, Fla.; Robert Steury, Goshen, Ind.; Anne Kaufman Weaver, Brownstown, Pa. Associate trustees: Jonathan Bowman, Manheim, Pa.; David Hersh, Line Lexington, Pa.; Chad Lacher, Souderton, Pa.; E. Thomas Murphy, Jr., Harrisonburg, Va.; Judith Trumbo, Broadway, Va. Loren Swartzendruber, president; Fred Kniss, provost; Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement; Andrea Wenger, marketing and communications director.

Bonnie Price Lofton Jon Styer Editor-in-chief Designer/photographer bonnie.lofton@emu.edu jon.styer@emu.edu Paul T. Yoder Mileposts editor paul.t.yoder@emu.edu

Mike Zucconi News bureau director mike.zucconi@emu.edu

Marcy Gineris Danny Yoder Web content manager Web/social media marcy.gineris@emu.edu danny.yoder@emu.edu Lindsey Kolb Carol Lown Photographer/proofreader Mailing list manager lindsey.kolb@emu.edu lownc@emu.edu Heidi Muller Project & office coordinator heidi.muller@emu.edu All EMU personnel can be reached during regular work hours by calling 540-432-4000, or via contact details posted on the university website, www.emu.edu.

Cover: The spring 2012 Middle East group of students on a desert hike to a Bedouin meal. Photo by Jon Styer.

POSTMASTER: Submit address changes to: Crossroads Eastern Mennonite University 1200 Park Road Harrisonburg, VA 22802

Pat and Loren Swartzendruber (seated in second row, third and fourth from left, beside Jim and Ann Hershberger) connected with the Guatemala cross-cultural group in the spring of 2009.

Life-Shaping Cross-Culturals Tim Swartzendruber ’95, one of Pat’s and my four children, recently recalled his crosscultural with these words: When I compare my seven semesters on EMU’s campus to my cross-cultural semester in France and Ivory Coast, it’s like comparing coffee to espresso – both are fantastic, but the latter is doubly intense and stimulating. The intellectual, spiritual, and social growth that I experienced on campus was even more pronounced during (and after) that one semester overseas.

My 27 classmates and I saw Anabaptist values modeled by French Mennonites, learned from our caring host families in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, delved into West African literature, culture, and religion, dramatically improved our French language skills, and laughed and cried together as we experienced varying degrees of culture shock. Two buddies from that group would eventually be groomsmen in my wedding, and several others also became life-long friends. I will always be grateful to Dr. Carroll and Nancy Yoder, our faculty leaders.

Now, living in the Washington D.C. area, I’m friends with alumni of well-known colleges who invariably say to me, “Man, I wish I had that kind of opportunity as a college student!” One of my greatest motivations in working as an EMU advancement officer is to provide a similar opportunity – a life-shaping gift, really – to future EMU students.

I can’t improve on Tim’s testimony, but I can provide a bit of background to it.

When EMU’s faculty voted in 1981 to require cross-cultural study for all undergraduates, they were venturing into uncharted waters. As far as anyone knew, EMU would be the first liberal arts college in North America with such a requirement.

The faculty and staff wondered how they would shuttle off-campus students through sequential courses, when the first level is typically offered in the fall and the second in the spring? And how would EMU’s sports teams be impacted?

Yet the faculty, led by academic dean Al Keim, held that a truly sound education requires us to recognize that we are members of a “global village” and need the insights and empathy necessary for our that village to be sustainable. Time has proven the validity of their bold initiative 30 years ago. When I talk to alumni today they tell me almost without fail that their cross-cultural was the most important part of their EMU experience.

I hope to see you at Homecoming and Parents Weekend in October when we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of our beloved cross-cultural programs.

printed on recycled paper

Cert no. SW-COC-001635

Loren Swartzendruber Class of ’76, MDiv ’79, DMin President

DON'T MISS THE ONLINE EXCLUSIVES SEE PG. 13

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Cross-Cultural Study

7

Albert Keim

8

Calvin Shenk

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Vernon Jantzi

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Ann Hershberger

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Ken J. Nafziger

Five professors' vision of cross-cultural study 30 years ago is now one of the best parts about EMU.

Moving from his Amish boyhood to globe-trotting educator, Keim became an inspiring visionary.

Fourteen years of living in Ethiopia taught Shenk the importance of respecting the "other."

Quadrilingual Jantzi says living in another culture will change you in ways that nothing else can.

"You cannot be an educated citizen if you do not understand the world beyond yourself."

Nafziger finds music enables one to touch and explore the spiritual depth of people everywhere.

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Six Take-Aways

Developing life-long friends is one of the six gains most often mentioned by cross-cultural alumni.

19

Acquiring

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emu.edu/crossroads

In this Issue

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8

9

10

11

14

19

New Lens

Students on their cross-cultural ponder faith, justice, lifestyle and policy in the Middle East.

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 1

1985 // Navajo

2004 // Latin America

1989 // Middle East

2008 // Middle East

2011 // South Africa

2001 // England

2001 // Latin America

1972 // Euro Term

2005 // New Zealand

2003 // Latin America

2002 // Middle East

2011 // Latin America

2008 // Newfoundland

2008 // China

2010 // Spain & Morocco

EMU Leads Way

In Requiring Cross-Cultural Study Cross-cultural study. It began as a “global village curriculum.” From 1972 to professor’s dream for undergraduates 30 1982, Keim and other faculty members years ago and has become one of the best led 10 optional trips to various locations parts about being an EMU alumnus. in Europe as well as two trips to the “It seems pretty odd to me to think Middle East, centering on Jerusalem. that you could prepare someone to serve These 10 trips laid the groundwork for and lead in a global context without hav- the cross-cultural program as it is known ing some kind of international or other at EMU today. Faculty-guided study in a cross-cultural experience,” says President culture different from one’s own became Loren Swartzendruber. “When I talk to mandatory for undergraduate students alumni they tell me almost without fail in 1982. that it was the most important part of their educational experience.”

NONE DO IT LIKE EMU The seeds of EMU’s cross-cultural Requiring cross-cultural study was program can be traced to the late Albert unprecedented among U.S. colleges Keim ’63, a history professor and former 30 years ago. Even today, only two dean. Keim won a grant in the 1970s other colleges – Goucher College that gave EMU the means to develop a in Baltimore, Maryland, and Soka

2 | crossroads | summer 2012

University of America in Aliso Viejo, California – have followed in EMU’s footsteps in integrating a cross-cultural experience into the education of every undergraduate. Instead most U.S. colleges confer credit for optional study in selected educational institutions in other countries. A handful of other liberal arts colleges devote faculty members and full-time staffers to heading foreign study each semester and summer.1 1 One of EMU’s sister institutions, Goshen College in Indiana, has an excellent study-service term in foreign locales that began in 1968, making it one of the earliest college-sponsored study-abroad programs in the United States. About 80 percent of Goshen’s students partake of the opportunity to spend 13 weeks with faculty members in places such as Cambodia, China, Egypt, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal and Tanzania.

cross-cultural 2005 // Latin America

2008 // Lithuania

1984 // Middle East

2009 // India

2007 // Latin America

1983 // Euroterm

2002 // Middle East

2008 // Spain & Morocco

1990 // Chile

1989 // Latin America

1989 // Washington, D.C.

2007 // South Africa

2011 // India

Over the years, EMU students have sojourned in more than 30 foreign locales, including the perennial favorites of Central America and the Holy Land, as well as newer destinations such as Morocco, India and Bulgaria. They have also gone to parts of the United States that would be unfamiliar to the typical EMU student, such as a Navajo reservation or coal-mining community in Kentucky.

For some students, spending a semester or summer at EMU’s Washington Community Scholars’ Center, planted in the nation’s capital 36 years ago, counts as a cross-cultural experience.

“From the earliest years, we stressed having a cross-cultural experience rather than necessarily an international one,” said Vernon Jantzi ’64, who served on the EMU task force that recommended the program three decades ago.

“Cross-cultural awareness could be, and should be, fostered in our own country,” he added. “This may occur by spending time among historically marginalized groups, but it may also result from hav-

2006 // Middle East

2009 // Latin America

ing an urban experience for the first time. “The professors who lead the trips make You don’t have to go far away to engage proposals in advance, detailing where with other cultures, but you need to be they will stay and what they will see, and reflective about your experience no matincorporate their own knowledge and ter where you might go.” expertise about the area as they travel.”

The three-week summer options tend Over the years, mutually reinforcing to be popular with athletes and some stu- ties have developed between EMU and dents in particular career paths – notably the communities visited. Students often pre-med – who feel the need to stick live in local homes, are treated as memwith their usual school-year schedule. bers of the family, and take part in some The majority of EMU students, however, kind of service project, such as seeking go for an entire semester. to ease suffering in refugee camps or Short or long, EMU displays its prefer- working to rebuild homes after a natural ence for building a sense of community disaster. and lasting relationships by arranging One example of a unique home-stay for almost all of its students to do their is the environment students experience cross-cultural as a group, guided by in Lesotho, a kingdom surrounded faculty and staff who are knowledgeable

by South Africa. “The students spend about the destination. time in Lesotho helping to build peace in a post-apartheid world while learnIMPORTANCE OF BONDING ing about daily life in the village,” said The EMU approach “creates bonding Aracena. and a leadership dynamic that you truly These are not mission trips in the cannot create in the classroom,” said sense of imposing religious beliefs from Beth Aracena, who directed the crossthe outside. Instead students are asked cultural program from 2006 to 2012. to humbly learn from others. They are www.emu.edu | crossroads | 3

1985 // Latin America

2008 // China

2004 // Middle East

1983 // Euroterm

2005 // Benin & France

2007 // India

2005 // New Zealand

2000 // Latin America

2010 // Middle East

2009 // South Africa

2006 // Lithuania

2008 // Newfoundland

2007 // Vietnam

2005 // Spain

2011 // India

expected to gain understanding of other remember being in a refugee camp in cultures while modeling their beliefs and Honduras called Mesa Grande and seevalues by being respectful and helpful. ing the people living in this terrible place Aaron Springer of the class of 2013 guarded by soldiers. The refugees started said people he met in the horn of South sharing their faith with us and telling us Africa gave him priceless lessons: “My how happy they were to be alive. I saw family showed me generosity I had never how grateful I should be in my own life seen before. My mother in the home stay and how truly blessed I was. My faith had many children and grandchildren became so much more real to me.” living in an extremely small house, with Several years later Gingerich returned one bed. She gave up her bed for us and to Costa Rica as a relief worker with went and slept on the floor with her Mennonite Central Committee, rebuildgrandchildren. ing homes in a remote mountain region “There were so many things like that of Talamanca after an earthquake. Later, they did for us. They gave us the best of he lived in Costa Rica, writing for an everything even if it meant sacrificing.

English-language magazine and teachOne of the things I took away from the ing in a bilingual school. He married trip was that I wanted to be more like a Costa Rican and ultimately became them and be more generous. It really has an elementary-school administrator in such an impact on the lives of others.”

Michigan, where he has helped establish More than two decades after finishtwo Spanish-language immersion proing EMU, Lloyd Gingerich ’90 says his grams. (His photo and more details on cross-cultural trip to Central America in his life can be found on page 12.)

1988 changed his life path.

“Things had always been easy in my EMU’S CROSS-CULTURAL PIONEERS life,” Gingerich says. “Christ was at the "Al" Keim and his wife Leanna ’68 led center but I was never challenged. I EMU’s first overseas trip in 1972. Not 4 | crossroads | summer 2012

surprisingly, the Keims led students to regions in Switzerland and Germany that were the headwaters of the Mennonite stream of Christianity.

Steve Shenk ’73 and Karen MoshierShenk ’73 were students on that first trip, who later became a married couple. They felt so strongly about the transformative role of that trip that decades later, in 1996, they led an EMU-sponsored summer trip to Japan.

“We definitely saw a difference between the students on our own trip [as undergrads], who were among the more adventurous on campus, and the trip we led years later,” says Karen. “The second time some of the students went mainly because it was required, and they liked that this cross-cultural was shorter and easier. But these students all had a wonderful time, and it was really a lifechanging experience for them.”

Keim, dean of students during the 1970s, was the driving force for making the cross-cultural program integral to EMU’s required curriculum. The idea was not as far-fetched as it might have

cross-cultural 2002 // Latin America

2011 // South Africa

2007 // Spain

2008 // Latin America

1982 // Latin America

2012 // Latin America

2011 // Middle East

2005 // Spain

2010 // Latin America

1989 // Middle East

1978 // Spain

2011 // Middle East

2006 // Latin America

2009 // South Africa

been at another small liberal arts college, between EMU and other programs,” given that the majority of EMU’s faculty recalled Jantzi. “He was adamant that had lived and worked overseas. Among we should not reinforce the patterns bethe 70 percent of faculty with intertween dominant powers of the world and national credentials, religion professor non-dominant powers of the world. He Calvin Shenk ’59, sociology professor wanted to focus on learning and having Vernon Jantzi ’64, nursing profesthe people be our teachers.” sor Ann Hershberger ’76, and music In a study document pertaining to the professor Ken J. Nafziger emerged cross-cultural program, Shenk wrote: as key advocates for the cross-cultural “We must respect all the cultural variaprogram. Shenk had lived in Ethiopia; tions of mankind in an attempt to learn Jantzi in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Peru; from each of them how other men have Hershberger in Nicaragua; and Nafziger dealt with problems.” (Keim, Shenk, in Germany.

Jantzi, Hershberger and Nafziger are each The task force members intended profiled on pages 7 through 11). for the cross-cultural program to foster peace, tolerance and acceptance of peoGETTING FACULTY BUY-IN ple of different backgrounds and cultures. Some of EMU’s old-timers smilingly They saw it as a way of raising awareness say that they and other faculty members of the interconnectedness of the world’s were confined to a hot, stuffy school gym problems, including global hunger, during the summer of 1981 and asked to disease and poverty, and of becoming debate the pros and cons of the program interested in pursuing solutions. before everyone agreed to the idea just to “When Al started looking at how get out of the gym. we could implement a cross-cultural More seriously, though, legitimate program here, there was one thing he objections were raised by some teachers thought should be a major difference of the physical sciences and math about

2006 // Middle East

the loss of momentum and knowledge if their students routinely departed for a semester. Coaches wondered how they could field competitive teams if their players came and went, missing either a sports or training season. And would students be able to graduate in four years?

The task force was charged with creating a program that would allow students to be able to choose a trip that interested them while fitting into their fields of study. A compromise emerged: some students would be permitted to fulfill their cross-cultural requirement with a three-week summer-travel program plus nine hours of cross-cultural coursework, rather than investing a full semester.

“We had a really exhilarating time debating the merits of the program, even though there was disagreement,” says Jantzi.

In a letter arguing for the program, Keim wrote: “Not only will every student at the college encounter this package of studies which incorporates our key values and commitments, but this curriculum...has special focus on biblical www.emu.edu | crossroads | 5

studies...with the notion of world service in the name of Christ.”

By the end of the summer, the faculty concurred that the cross-cultural program should become a part of the general curriculum.

A semester-long trip in the fall of 1982 of nine students to Costa Rica and Mexico marked the first study-tour that was part of the general education program. Sharon Hostetler ’80, then an adjunct faculty member in the social work department, led the group.2 “I was happy to introduce students to the issues of peace, justice, development 2 Sharon Hostetler first went to Costa Rica in 1974 to learn Spanish. She then worked for three years with Rosedale Mennonite Missions in Nicaragua. Joining Witness for Peace 25 years ago, Hostetler started its programs in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. She lives in Nicaragua and holds a master’s degree in social work from Ohio State University.

CROSS-CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND COUNTRIES 1982-2012 ASIA China: 1986, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 Fiji/New Zealand: 2005 India: 2007, 2009, 2011 Japan: 1990, 1992, 1996 New Zealand: 1987, 2010, 2012 (this fall) Vietnam: 2007 NORTH AMERICA Alaska: 1986 Arizona/Navajo Nation: 1985 Civil Rights Trail: 2001 Del-Mar-Va Peninsula: 1993 Harlem: 2005, 2007 Hawaii: 1998, 2003 Kentucky/Appalachia: 1987, 1997 Los Angeles: 1988, 1991 Mississippi: 1984 Montana: 1995 Navajo/Hopi Nations: 1992 Navajo Nation: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Navajo/Pueblo Peoples: 1990 New Orleans: 1992 New York City: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, Newfoundland/Labrador: 2008 Ojibwe/Cree Nations: 2001 Oklahoma/Native American peoples: 1989 Quebec: 1987 Regional transcultural contexts: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 US/Mexico Border: 2012 Washington, DC: annually, 1993-present

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and the role of the U.S. in the histories and development of Costa Rica and Nicaragua,” recalls Hostetler, who is now executive director of Witness for Peace, an organization of nonviolent activists working at the grassroots to change U.S. policies and corporate practices.

TODAY Today EMU’s cross-cultural program is changing and growing but it still reinforces the original goals that the founders put into place more than 30 years ago. The 2012-13 school year features trips to New Zealand, South Africa, Guatemala, Colombia, and the Middle East.

“I think one of the amazing things that is happening in the program today is that we are constantly adding new destinations to our schedule because

EUROPE Albania: 1999 Amsterdam: 1996, 2000 Austria: 2002, 2004 Austria/Germany: 2001 British Isles: 1992 Bulgaria: 2012 England: 1986, 1988, 2001 Europe: 1984 (Mennonite World Conf.), 2000 France: 1989, 2003 France/Benin: 2005 France/Ivory Coast: 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002 Germany: 1985, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2008, 2009 Germany/Austria/Switzerland: 1999 Lithuania: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 London: 1985, 1997 Netherlands: 1996, 2000 Northern Ireland and/or Rep. of Ireland: 1987, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2010 Russia: 1992, 1994, 1997, Soviet Union: 1990 Spain: 1994 Switzerland/Italy: 2004, 2006 AFRICA Benin/France: 2005 Ghana: 1997 Ivory Coast/France: 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002 Kenya: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998 Kenya/Zimbabwe: 2003 (Mennonite World Conf.)

Lesotho: 2000, 2002, 2004 Nigeria: 2009 South Africa/Lesotho: 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 (this fall) Southern Africa: 1988 Tanzania: 1999, 2000 Zambia: 2012

of faculty members who show interest,” says Linda Burkholder, cross-cultural assistant director. “It really offers a vibrancy to the program and it keeps it fresh. It is not the same thing every time.

Every trip is unique.”

The words that students use today to describe their experiences echo those spoken by earlier alumni, such as the Moshier-Shenks and Lloyd Gingerich.

“It is so interesting to see people come back from their cross-cultural experience, because they really aren’t the same person when they return,” says Aaron Springer.

Referring to his fall 2011 South Africa sojourn, “it was a life-changing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”  —Rachael Keshishian (2012 spring intern, marketing and communications) & Bonnie Price Lofton, MA ’04

MIDDLE EAST & MEDITERRANEAN Greece/Turkey: 2005, 2009 Mediterranean: 2007 Middle East: 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 (inc.

Syria), 2012 Morocco: 2010 Spain/Morocco: 2007, 2009, 2011 LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN Argentina: 2006 Bolivia: 1989 Central/Latin America: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (two semester programs), 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Chile: 1990 Costa Rica/Mexico: 1982, 1985, 2005, 2007, 2011 Costa Rica/Nicaragua: 2011 Guatemala/Bolivia: 2005 Guatemala/Mexico: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 Guatemala/Nicaragua: 2006, 2009 Honduras: 2011 Jamaica: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2005 Mexico: 1984, 1988, 1995, 1999 Paraguay/Bolivia: 2009 (Mennonite World Conf.)

Peru: 2005, 2007, 2011 List prepared by Linda Burkholder, assistant director of the cross-cultural program, based on sifting through sometimes-incomplete records. If your trip was not on this list, please let us know at crossroads@emu.edu.

cross-cultural photograph by howard zehr

ALBERT KEIM

Cross-cultural visionary The world is a laboratory for study. It provides alternatives, new possibilities and challenges...it is learning for life. –Al Keim EMU's cross-cultural program may never have come to be, had it not been for the efforts of Albert Keim ’63, dean of students from 1977 to 1984. Keim had a passion for education, service and travel, which he lived out for 35 years at this university.

Keim felt all EMU students should be immersed in a culture different from their own before graduation, yielding life-changing experiences. “We are conceiving of the college as… a place – a village – during this four-year phase of the life of our students,” wrote Keim in a 1982 memo advocating for the program.

The rich tapestry of human villages – humans always live in groups – becomes a means to heighten awareness, enrich the learning experience and prepare students for a service which transcends the village and the nation. …We are reaching for a vision of the world as a sister-brotherhood under the tutelage and guidance of God the Father.

Keim was raised in an Amish community in rural Ohio. “In that tightly knit community I was a child surrounded by grandparents, uncles, aunts and many degrees of cousins,” he wrote in his autobiographical chapter in Making Sense of the Journey: The Geography of Our Faith (2007). “One cannot grow up in an Amish community such as mine without forever being impressed by the benefit of communal mutuality…. Quite frankly I cannot imagine a more desirable environment in which to spend a childhood.”

But he added, “The Amish community is not as good an environment for intellectually ambitious adults.”

At age 20 (1955) Keim was drafted. A conscientious objector, Keim was able to satisfy the draft board by doing two years

Al Keim in 1997, three years before his retirement from EMU

of service as a volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee, helping refugees in war-devastated Europe. This period overseas, which included a month on a kibbutz in Israel, changed his life path.

“I went to Europe Amish, but by the time I returned, it was clear to me that I could not be an Amishman. I had discovered the world was simply too rich and complex to be narrowed down to the relative simplicity of an Amish life.”

After returning to the United States, Keim earned a degree in history from EMU in 1963. He immediately continued his education through a master’s degree in medieval history from the University of Virginia and a PhD in history from Ohio State University Ann Hershberger ’76, a nursing professor who served with Keim on the task force that launched EMU’s cross-cultural program, says she always admired the way he honored his insular, communal past while embracing a broader, more global vision of the world. “He valued his roots and never disrespected them and that was an important lesson for me.

He didn’t choose to live in that community but he never lost contact.”

During a “winter term” in 1972-73 Keim and his wife, Leanna Yoder Keim ’68, led the first EMU-sponsored crosscultural trip to Switzerland and Germany, with time in Rome, Paris, London and Amsterdam. (They took along their child, Melody ’83, then age 11.) This optional

trip focused on history, Keim’s field of expertise, but the group also took in music, art and literature. At times Keim rented cars and let the students drive and explore on their own.

“He was really a trusting man and he gave us the freedom to experience new things and to see the world,” says Karen Moshier-Shenk ’73, one of Keim’s students on that first trip.

Recalls sociology professor Vernon Jantzi ’64, one of Keim's contemporaries: “He was so good at dealing with various opinions and issues that arose and always had a way to find a compromise. He was truly an amazing man.”

Keim’s first wife, Leanna, died in 1998.

Keim retired two years later and married educator Kathy Fisher ’73. They spent 2000-2001, the first year of their marriage, in Saudi Arabia, where she had worked as a teacher for 20 years. After they returned permanently to the United States, he became a founding board member of the Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center in Harrisonburg and otherwise led an active life, until his health deteriorated. He died on June 27, 2008, of complications following a liver transplant. —Rachael Keshishian Learn more about the four task force members who served with Albert Keim on the following pages.

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 7

photograph courtesy of emu archives

Early 1980s undergrads Peter Gabriel '83 and Dale Ressler '84 chat with Calvin Shenk, then professor of church studies.

Calvin Shenk KNOWING JOY AND PAIN AROUND THE GLOBE Calvin Shenk '59 does not have to face the existential question of whether he would be willing to die in a nonviolent act to save the life of another person. He would.

The test came in 1985. Shenk and his wife Marie were leading an EMU group that was staying temporarily in a Palestinian community in the Middle East. Shenk heard an argument outside his apartment door and saw an Israeli soldier put his gun in the face of a Palestinian man. He jumped between the two, and urged the men to go their separate ways. They did.

“Don’t call me brave – it was just the right thing to do,” insists Shenk. “When you see a rifle pointed at a person right outside your door you don’t think, you just do it.”

As a member of EMU’s cross-cultural task force in 1981, Shenk brought 14 years of living in Ethiopia and a passion for the transformative possibilities of immersion in another culture.

In September 1983, Shenk penned an essay justifying the cross-cultural requirement for every EMU undergraduate. “This kind of education will be both painful and enjoyable," he wrote. "The results will not always be predictable. We will experience anger and exhilaration, depression and vision.

“But growth will occur, and that is what college is for.

Such education will make us better citizens of the global village and better members of God’s international kingdom, the church.” (This delightfully readable essay can be found at www.emu.edu/crossroads.)

In his 1985 baccalaureate speech, Shenk stressed the importance of losing one’s narrow-mindedness: Today many people wrap Christ in an American flag.

But we who follow Christ follow him to the world. We are global people. As we experience other cultures our

8 | crossroads | summer 2012

attitudes and values change. This need not be frightening. We develop more world-mindedness and less chauvinism, bigotry and narrow-mindedness ….

As you develop greater understanding for other cultures, you see your own culture from another perspective. This causes you to both appreciate and critique your culture. You have mixed feelings about our democratic system, educational system, technological development, capitalist consumerism and quest for military supremacy. You have begun to see the back side of our culture – aggressiveness, depersonalization, arrogance, individualism. It isn’t possible to feel culturally superior. We can’t assume that our way is right.

Shenk added that it was “false modesty” to fail to share the good news about Christ. “We come to new understandings of Christ as we enter into conversation but it is always consistent with the biblical witness of who Christ is.”

Shenk’s first cross-cultural experience was teaching Bible and world religions and doing other mission work in Ethiopia under Eastern Mennonite Missions for 14 years. (Marie taught bookkeeping and typing there.)

Shenk earned a PhD in religious education from New York University in 1972 and then joined the Bible and religion faculty of EMU in 1976. Marie '59, MA '98 (in religion), was an administrative assistant to the academic dean from 1976 to 1990. The Shenks led their first of four EMU trips in the fall of 1978, taking students to the Middle East.

In 1994 the Shenks began an assignment in Israel and Palestine under Mennonite Board of Missions (a precursor to Mennonite Mission Network), and Mennonite Central Committee. For the next seven years, until 2001, the couple lived six months of every year in Jerusalem, returning to Harrisonburg the remainder of the year where Shenk continued to teach at EMU. In 2002, Shenk retired from EMU. Marie died in 2010. The Shenks raised three children, all graduates of EMU: Doug '86, Duane '90 and Donna (Sensenig) '91. —Rachael Keshishian & Bonnie Price Lofton

cross-cultural

Vernon Jantzi

photograph courtesy of emu archives

VIEWING THE PROGRAM AS A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY EMU’s cross-cultural program is intentionally different from that of almost every college in America, says Vernon Jantzi ’64, who became a faculty member at EMU after earning his PhD in the sociology of development from Cornell University in 1975.

Jantzi, who has held a number of key administrative positions at EMU (and who passed up a chance to work at Harvard to come to EMU), was one of the founding faculty members of EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and served as its second director for seven years, after its founder John Paul Lederach.

“We have slightly different ways of measuring success and what a cross-cultural program gives back to the students than a secular college or university,” explains Jantzi. “Our cross-cultural is not just an education for the intellect but it is a life-changing experience that is spiritual and changes students’ entire educational experience.”

EMU’s aims to improve the communities in which students spend time, while cultivating a sense of humble respect in the students for the wisdom, knowledge, and culture of the people they meet.

“There certainly are benefits in the professional world in doing a cross-cultural," says Jantzi, "but our focus is on how it is going to change your life and outlook. This has been the goal since the program was implemented in 1982.”

As a case in point, Jantzi wrote his master’s thesis on Chile, but had never actually been to that country before leading a cross-cultural trip there in 1990. “I wrote my paper about how the government influences the Pentecostal Church. But when we actually went to Chile I saw a lot of that information in a different way.”

One of Jantzi’s criteria for a successful trip is for students to live within typical households. “I want students to be exposed to the cross-generational experience in that country and the things involved in family life in that country. . . . “[In Chile] some of the students even lived with families who had been tortured or had family members killed by the military. They experienced families with very different political views than they had ever seen before. Some things can’t be learned from a book.”

Jantzi and his wife, Dorothy '62, lived over 12 years in Latin America, notably Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Peru; he has been a consultant on development and restorative justice matters in a number of other countries.

(The Jantzis' son, Terry '87, also earned a PhD from Cornell in international and community development. Fluent in Spanish, he taught full-time at EMU from 1999 to 2010 and co-led, with his wife Elizabeth, a Peru cross-cultural in 2007.

He then moved to international work with World Vision.)

In the mid-1980s, Jantzi spoke wherever he could – in churches, other universities, Congressional hearings – on the disastrous impact of U.S. military support for the “Contra”

Sociologist Vernon Jantzi in an early 1980s photo.

militias in Nicaragua. Alternatively, Jantzi advocated U.S. support for dialogue between the opposing factions and for development efforts to alleviate poverty.

At the time, he expressed amazement at Washington's ignorance about Central America, adding that Mennonite Central Committee volunteers working there at the grassroots seemed to be much better informed than the policymakers were.

Jantzi, who speaks Portuguese and German in addition to Spanish, led a nationwide adult literacy program in Nicaragua in the late 1960s. In the early 1980s in Costa Rica, he was director of Cornell University’s program on workerowned and -managed enterprises in collaboration with the Instituto de Tierras y Colonizacion. In New Zealand in the last decade, Jantzi helped found peace centers at two universities.

In 2009, Jantzi was tapped to coordinate a feasibility study for the now-established Center for Interfaith Engagement, under which EMU invites Christians, Jews, Muslims and others from diverse streams to build relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. He now works as a facilitator for EMU's Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (better known as "STAR").

Reflecting on his early-career decision to pass up a position at the Harvard International Institute of Development, Jantzi says, “It was a struggle, not an easy choice, because there was sacrifice involved.

“But EMU has been good. I estimate that 75 to 80 percent of faculty members have made those same kinds of choices.

We choose to stay because there’s something about EMU that you don’t find anywhere else. It’s worth the sacrifice.”

—Rachael Keshishian & Bonnie Price Lofton

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 9

photograph courtesy of emu archives

Professor of nursing Ann Hershberger (right), with her family (from left) Sara, Jim, Rachel, and Nathan in the mid 1990s.

Ann Hershberger EXPERIENCING THE CAULDRON OF WAR Thirty years have passed since her days as a nurse in a war zone, but Ann Hershberger '76 still has a sense of impending violence when she hears a helicopter over her head.

“I still can’t stand to have a helicopter go over me,” she says. “I remember looking up at them and not feeling scared, but angry. I hated the violence I saw there.”

When Hershberger graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in the mid 1970s, she knew she wanted to use her nursing skills to help those who could not obtain the medical attention they needed. She headed to Nicaragua.

She returned to the United States in the spring of 1980, to teach at EMU and share her experiences with students. A year later she found herself serving, at age 26, as the youngest member of a task force assessing whether EMU should make cross-cultural study a graduation requirement.

“I felt so lucky to be surrounded by all these amazing and wise people. It was so interesting just to hear their stories and their individual experiences in other cultures.”

In 1983 Hershberger returned to Central America with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) where she tended the victims of war for six months.

In 1985, she and her husband, Jim ’82, MA '97, led an EMU-sponsored trip to Central America, toting along their infant daughter Sara ('07). They spent time in Nicaragua and Honduras, both countries in the grip of violent conflict, but the Hershbergers felt that the students needed to understand the dangers that people face in many parts of the world. (Twelve years later Jim became one of EMU’s first master’s in conflict transformation graduates.)

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The Hershbergers spent 1985-1990 working for MCC in Nicaragua, overseeing distribution of aid to persons displaced by civil war, doing education and leadership training with the Mennonite Church, and providing health care in areas where government personnel did not venture.

They returned to the United States with an appreciation for the Nicaraguans’ emphasis on family and community.

“I feel like you cannot be an educated citizen if you do not understand something about the world outside of yourself,” says Ann. “You have to immerse yourself in another culture and become a world citizen.”

Students on the Hershbergers’ 1993 EMU-sponsored trip to Central America recall a gutsy Ann preventing a 737 jet from taking off without some of the students’ belongings.

“Without thinking I stood in front of the plane, shaking my finger at the pilot,” remembers Ann, laughing.

Ann has been a part of five EMU cross-cultural trips, as well as hosted EMU students during her time in Central America with MCC. Two of the Hershbergers’ children— Nathan ’12 and Rachel ’10—were born in Nicaragua (Rachel was adopted). The Hershbergers will be leading a cross-cultural trip to Guatemala and Columbia in the spring of 2013.

Having experienced or witnessed all kinds of student sojourns in Latin America, Ann argues for the benefits of study-trips led by caring, knowledgeable faculty members.

“All of the students are different. Some have different faiths, or experience their cross-cultural journey in a different way, ” says Ann. “We as faculty help the students create meaning from their experiences, and that is why the approach has been so meaningful for me.”

—Rachael Keshishian & Bonnie Price Lofton

cross-cultural

Ken J. Nafziger

photograph courtesy of emu archives

MAKING MUSIC WITH APPRECIATIVE CUBANS When President Bill Clinton cracked a window open to Cuba, permitting scholars to apply for education-centered travel permits to Cuba from 1999 to 2003, EMU music professor Ken J. Nafziger seized the opportunity He brushed off warnings on the U.S. State Department’s website about the possibility of “intense physical and electronic surveillance,” which “may involve detention and interrogation of both Cuban citizens and foreign visitors” and happily made 11 trips to Cuba in just four years, before President George W. Bush closed the window again. (President Obama re-opened it in early 2011.)

Nafziger was indeed “interrogated,” but not by the likes of the secret police, but by talented Cuban musicians eager to collaborate with, teach, and learn from musical artists like Nafziger.

“In my trips to Cuba, when the people sang, played, and listened, I heard an intensity that communicated that they needed singing for the survival of their souls,” recalls Nafziger. He sensed a spiritual depth in Cuba that, ironically, often seems lacking in its far-richer neighbor to the north.

Nafziger’s work in Cuba included major guest conducting appearances with the country’s leading orchestras and choirs, teaching master classes in a variety of musical topics, and participating with musical colleagues in a number of joint projects. In 2001, Nafziger featured Cuban music at his annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. In 2003, he led to Cuba the EMU Chamber Singers, along with a member of the renowned gospel group “Sweet Honey in the Rock,” Ysaye Maria Barnwell.

Long before his forays to Cuba, it was clear that Nafziger was passionate about four things: music, language, travel, and perhaps most of all . . . matters of the spirit, and how the spirit is fed by music-centered worship that unites diverse peoples.

Nafziger began teaching as a music professor at EMU in the fall of 1977. A graduate of Goshen College in Indiana, Nafziger arrived with a doctorate of music from the University of Oregon.

There was a lot of excitement about the cross-cultural program around the time that Ken began teaching at EMU. Nafziger led a group to Poland on his first cross-cultural trip in 1980.

“It was around the time when the Soviet Union was about to collapse and it was a really exciting time to be there,” says Nafziger. “My trips to Poland stand out to me because of the way that the Polish people used art and music. There were so many things that were denied to them—they really enjoyed art and music. It was so significant because they had so little.”

Before teaching at EMU Nafziger had spent time working under a German conductor of music.

Ken Nafziger was music editor for this 1992-issued hymnal.

“From the years that I lived in Germany, the thing that was most rewarding was being able to converse in German,” recalls Nafziger. As a result, Nafizger-led trips have put much emphasis on learning the language of the host country.

Nafziger led two other cross-cultural trips to Munich, Germany, in 1985 and 1990. “On all of my trips, the students have been very different from each other, but through their experiences they really came together.”

In addition to the designated cross-culturals, Nafziger has conducted choral and orchestral programs in various places, including Canada, Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union.

“All of my trips have been exciting,” says Nafziger, who is married to Helen, MA '00 (in counseling), retired director of EMU's career services. “Whether it was language instruction, history, filmmaking, or music, the people were amazing and they really wanted us to experience their culture.”

Asked to articulate the value he places on EMU's crosscultural program, he points to the changes he sees in students. "It makes people different and re-creates them in new ways," he says. "I am astonished the way I am so moved after every trip by what the students have to say when they return. I find myself listening to them with tears running down my face. It truly is an amazing program to be a part of.”

Ken and Helen have three children, Jeremy '91, Kristen (Parmer) '93 and Zachary '01, all of them well-traveled and involved in the arts—doing writing, visual art, graphic design, and/or church music.

—Rachael Keshishian & Bonnie Price Lofton

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LLOYD GINGERICH

photograph courtesy Lloyd Gingerich

God wants us to take risks

Lloyd Gingerich ’90 had never stepped out of the United States before his crosscultural trip to Central America in 1988.

His experiences in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras greatly affected him and changed his faith as well as his life path after graduation.

“In Nicaragua we got the opportunity to put the roof back on a rural schoolhouse that was hit by a hurricane the week before we arrived,” he recalls.

“Traveling out to our remote location, our van was met by Sandinista soldiers at each bridge (guarding against Contra saboteurs) where we were questioned and allowed to pass. At night we slept in hammocks in the local church and heard occasional gunshots coming from the mountains.”

He continues: In Honduras the faith and gratitude of Salvadoran refugees – who lived surround-

ed by barbed wire and heavily armed Honduran soldiers – challenged my own comfortable, easy faith. Once traveling through the country, our bus was stopped and we all sucked in our breath as a young soldier carrying an M16 walked down the aisle looking for anything suspicious.

In El Salvador we met the family members of murdered and mutilated victims of that county's bloody civil war, listened to the stories of government opposition groups, and met with our own

IN THE PREVIOUS ISSUE of Crossroads, we invited alumni to send us “vignettes” regarding their cross-cultural experiences. We picked Lloyd Gingerich’s (’91) story, above, as an example of the life-long impact that a cross-cultural experience might have on a student. Other interesting comments came from: DOLORES MARTIN ’82 // An English teacher and coordinator at Colegio Isaac Martin in Costa Rica, Martin is also the co-pastor, with her husband Martin Matamoros, of Comunidad Cristiana del Nuevo Pacto in Moravia, a Mennonite church in San Jose. Martin was a social work major. She writes: “I first came to Costa Rica in 1982 to do my social work practicum and credits of Spanish to graduate . . . If any EMUers plan to visit Costa Rica, we would love to hear from you!” (Her contact information is available through the EMU alumni office.)

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ambassador to El Salvador.

Guatemala was much more of a vacation for us as we climbed the Mayan ruins of Tikal and sunned on the shore of Lake Atitlan with its three volcanoes at the far end.

Gingerich says his EMU-sponsored travels motivated him to return to Costa Rica as a Mennonite Central Committee relief worker to rebuild earthquakedestroyed homes in a remote mountain region. He evolved into writing for an English-language magazine in Costa Rica and teaching in a bilingual school. He married a native of Costa Rica.

For much of the past 10 years, Gingerich has worked with migrant and bilingual children in schools in southwest Michigan. He is now the principal of an elementary school in Jenison, Michigan, where a Spanish immersion program just began. He hopes to enable children to become fluent in Spanish while gaining an appreciation of Latino cultures.

“There is so much more to gain when you take a risk than if you play it safe,” says Gingerich. “Taking risks in life is part of knowing life fully, and in the way God intends us to. Traveling and having a cross-cultural experience can change you and what you become, if you allow it to do that.”  —Rachael Keshishian

MARIE A. KLINE ’86 // She did an independent crosscultural study under the guidance of former faculty member Orv Gingrich. “My trip to Nigeria was life-career impacting. Since I was the mother of three young children I did not participate in the campus scene, but the modular program allowed me to forge through and meet my career goals. Thank you!” Kline is now a hospice nurse.

JOSEPH P. SHENK, CLASS OF ’87 (’89 GRAD) // On the spring 1985 Euroterm led by Ken J. Nafziger, "I developed my love for Europe, the baroque, cathedrals, organs, old art and architecture, castles, history, languages, the Alps, Johann Sebastian Bach, singing the music of Bach, the clean city of Munich with its wonderful transit systems, traveling, cultural traditions, opera and theater, public gardens and parks, Christian history, learning through experience, being a part of a group, and getting to know the locals."

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EMBRACING THE HOLY LAND THE EMU WAY

EMU began sending groups of students on study-semesters in the Middle East in 1984 and has never stopped sending groups on a near-annual basis, regardless of the prevailing socio-political situation. We know of no university in North America that rivals EMU for sustained number of years in the Middle East and number of students dispatched from the United States (more than 500). In late winter 2012, staff photographer Jon Styer ’07 and freelance writer Andrew Jenner ’04 spent 10 days documenting the study and work being done by EMU students and alumni in the Middle East. Most of the photographs and some of the reporting in this section of Crossroads emerged from Styer's and Jenner's trip. The four stories below are exclusively online at emu.edu/crossroads.

MAKING A GOOD LIVING

IMPRISONED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

After his cross-cultural in the Middle East, Dave Landis ’04 shifted from aspiring to study medicine to popularizing international hiking routes and co-authoring books on the subject. He and his wife, Anna Dintaman Landis ’05 have received coverage in media around the world for their innovative work in respectful, sustainable tourism.

After his Mideast semester in 1998, Nathan Musselman ’00 decided that standing with the oppressed meant non-violently supporting the resistance of Palestinians to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Read more about how that decision landed him in an Israeli prison and shaped the next decade of his life.

ACQUIRING UNCERTAINTY IN THE CONFLICT ZONE

TAKING RISKS, BUT NOT RECKLESSLY

Andrew Jenner ’04, who writes regularly for Crossroads, wanted to go on the Middle East cross-cultural since before he enrolled at EMU. It turned out to be the most formative semester of his college years, in ways he never expected, such as acquiring uncertainty and wondering if he would ever grasp "the truth."

Since 2001, Janet Stutzman, MA ’91 (church leadership), and Linford Stutzman, ’84 MA ’90 (religion), have led eight cross-culturals to the Middle East, including one that coincided with the second Palestinian Intifada in early 2001. The cross-cultural group heard nightly gunfire that winter in the West Bank.

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 13

SIX TAKE-AWAYS

AFTER CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT STUDENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN FEBRUARY 2012, REPORTER ANDREW JENNER ’04 CONTACTED ALUMNI FROM EARLIER EMU-SPONSORED TRIPS TO THE REGION. In comparing the responses of current and former students, Jenner found that the "lessons" assimilated during this cross-cultural do deeply influence them, likely for rest of their lives. Of course, the students also bring home innumerable photographs, souvenirs and memories.

“As I reflect back on my experiences,

14 | crossroads | summer 2012

all of my senses are affected,” says Ellie Barnhart ’11, who studied in the Middle East in 2010.

She remembers the taste of Arabic coffee and fresh pita in Nazareth, the fragrant marketplace in Jerusalem’s Old City, and the smell of the sea from a ferry on the Mediterranean.

She hears the voices speaking in Arabic, English, Hebrew, Italian, and Greek; she recalls the cold, salty water of the Dead Sea on her skin and the smoothness of freshly polished olive wood in Palestine. She can close her eyes and remember the sunset on Mt. Sinai, and Jews praying at the Western Wall while

Muslims knelt for prayer just above them, atop the Temple Mount.

“The experiences from the trip continue to impact me, whether I am reading my Bible, listening to the news, or even just talking with a friend over coffee,” says Barnhart, now working as a nurse in Salem, Oregon. “Sometimes it is in the most unexpected moments when one of my senses is triggered, and I am taken back to the Middle East.”

Thoughts and reflections collected from a dozen alumni of the Middle East cross-cultural over the decades reveal six major ways in which the trip influenced their lives.

cross-cultural photographs by jon styer

FROM THEIR MIDDLE EAST SOJOURNS

1.

Gaining better understanding of the Bible and insights into its relevance.

“Being in the Middle East made reading Scripture much more real,” says Ruth Ellen Dandurand '10. “Now when I read the Bible, I not only have a picture in my mind of what and where it took place but also a deeper understanding of all the realities of each lesson. Each detail the Lord had written in his book was intentional to serve a certain purpose, to give a certain picture that sometimes is only possible to see clearly in the right circumstances of place, heart, mind, and culture."

Eric Trinka ’07 says the trip gave him

exciting opportunities to “re-examine the Word of God in its geographic and historical contexts.” Trinka, who relinquished his job as a middle school geography teacher in Harrisonburg (Va.) to enroll at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in the fall of 2012, has returned to Israel and Palestine four times with a Virginia Mennonite Missions program. In that role, Trinka worked to create a “curriculum for participants interested in studying the life of Jesus in the context of the first century while applying what they learn to the modern PalestinianIsraeli conflict.”

“Each of these opportunities has exposed me to a wealth of information and experiences that have continued to nudge me in the direction of New Testament studies and a career in place-based, Biblical education,” he says.

2.

Experiencing challenges to one’s faith.

An epiphany struck Rus Pyle ’03 as he lagged behind the rest of his group on Mt. Zion one day. “I came away with an understanding … that faith is something real and special and it can be crucial and central to our well-being. The power of belief can heal us in ways where other avenues may fall short.”

Bess Moser ’08 had the opposite reaction: “I was lost in the turmoil of the Holy Land.... Someone had flipped the light switch; there was darkness all around. Rage, anger, and confusion had consumed me….

“I had seen acres and acres of olive tree

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 15

Ben Stauffer ’01

Bess Moser ’08 (left)

Rus Pyle ’03

Erik Trinka ’07

Jill Stoltzfus ’91

Ellie Barnhart ’11 (left)

Ruth Ellen Dandurand '10

David Landis ’04

Joelle Hackney ’07, MA ’10

Tanya Charles Shenk ’93

stumps and could hardly restrain myself to stand with the marginalized, to be from screaming. I had shed countless ‘for’ the poor or disenfranchised without tears. I had stood on a hillside looking being ‘against’ anyone as a person creat a settlement and understood in my ated and loved by God, in the midst of own heart what drives people to violence working and struggling for change that and deep hatred. I felt the weight of the challenges injustice.” world and its suffering on my shoulders.”

“I had a chance to see that in action Moser says she wonders if she will in the West Bank through Palestinian, regain the sense of hope and faith she Israeli, MCC and other peacemakers we lost as a result of what she saw in the met. Such encounters stayed with me as Middle East.

I did peace work and further study after Ruth Ellen Dandurand '10 initially my EMU years.” experienced a similar loss of faith, wondering if prayer had any power to make things better. “The Jews and Muslims Maintaining and Arab Christians there pray! They lifelong ties pray all the time. You can see them prayto people and ing when they’re walking down the street or kneeling on the floor in their shops or places from that time. with their families .… But being there and experiencing just a small taste of “[There’s] no better way to learn to live what they have to live with all the time – in a community than living with the so little has changed.” same people for three months,” says After learning about the mistrust and Tanya Charles Shenk ’93, a nurse in violence that linger in the Middle East Harrisonburg, Virginia. despite so many prayers, Dandurand was Joelle Hackney ’07, MA ’10 (conflict left with “an almost complete disbelief in transformation), still treasures the relathe power of prayer.” tionships she built with her classmates “Thankfully God has since healed that on the trip, “most of whom remain dear, part of my faith and I have no doubt lifelong friends.” that He will continuously walk with us “It has been almost 10 years since my in the joys and trials of life.” trip and I still feel a deep connection to Ed Nyce ’86, media and education that part of the world,” says Rebekah coordinator for Mennonite Central Kratz Brubaker ’04, a social worker in Committee (MCC), recalls the way his Harrisonburg. “I find myself listening experience illustrated lessons he’d learned more intently when I hear news on the growing up and in classes at EMU. As radio or television related to the Palestinan example, he cites “the commitment ian and Israeli conflict.”

3.

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Ben Stauffer '01 says his reading choices reflect his Middle East sojourn.

“I was going through some books in the last month and found Elias Chacour’s Blood Brothers and started to read it again.

Many things I saw and learned about came back to me as I was reading. The people and issues of the Middle East will always have a special place in my heart.”

4.

Grasping the complexity of multiple viewpoints in conflicts.

“[The cross-cultural] really opened my perspective on the world’s complex issues such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” says Ben Stauffer ’01, of North Lawrence, New York.

Jill Stoltzfus ’91 agrees: “From visiting an utterly miserable refugee camp in the Gaza strip to attending a Shabbat dinner at the home of a strongly pro-Israel Jewish family … I learned for the first time in my life how something can be viewed so differently depending on who’s doing the viewing.” Stoltzfus is now the director of the research institute at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

David Landis ’04, co-founder of the Jesus Trail in Israel, says his cross-cultural experience made clear the importance of “determining context within situations that seem black and white.”

cross-cultural

In Beit Sahour, the cross-cultural group met in this classroom to study Arabic and systematically learn about Palestinian issues.

5.

Becoming passionate about crosscultural exchange.

“I learned how to be passionate about the world and its people. Before crosscultural I knew little about the rest of the world and even less about the Middle East,” says Ruth Ellen Dandurand ’10.

“I recognize the world now as one divided community that is in dire need of the love of Jesus to make it whole again.” “[For me], the trip solidified the value of cross-cultural education, and that’s inspired us to stay involved,” says Anna Dintaman ’05 Landis, who helped develop the Jesus Trail with her husband, David, after her experience as a student on the cross-cultural in 2004. The two have since hosted recent EMU student groups on the 40-mile trail in Galilee and co-authored Hiking the Jesus Trail.

At times, the trip has also given participants a taste of the intolerance that persists in the Middle East, says Jill Stoltzfus ’91, whose heritage is Jewish on her mother's side. “The fact that some Palestinian kids threw stones at me while I was walking in Old City Jerusalem one afternoon hammered home my Jewish-

ness in a way nothing else did while I exactly what he meant, until later in the was in the Middle East. I experienced, if cross-cultural,” she says. Then she met a only briefly, what it must feel like to be rabbi who offered similar advice: Be carehated so intensely by an entire group of ful to not make either side a victim or an people.” aggressor in your mind.

The diversity of the people she en“I began to see how desperately those countered in the Middle East left a deep working for peace, for a different way, impression on Joelle Hackney ’07, MA were trying to break out of systemic ’10 (conflict transformation). Ones that identities of victimhood, persecution, stand out in her mind include a doctor’s and violence, imposed upon them by assistant at the clinic who cared for her the outside world and also from within during an illness; a Palestinian woman their own cultures,” Hackney continues. left mute after her home had been de“They were desperately seeking an opstroyed four times; a young Israeli sniper, portunity to re-narrate their own futures, recently released from service and shaken to break a cycle of justification for by his experiences; the Israeli woman violence and for hatred of ‘the Other.’” who reminded her of her mother and Hackney is the program coordinator at had lost her son in a bus bombing; the the Staunton (Va.) Creative Community teenage Palestinian, born and raised in Fund. a refugee camp, dreaming of his grandparents’ land he had never seen; the man at the falafel stand who told her, almost Shifting at the point of tears, “Thank you so direction much for being here. Please, when you in life and career. go home, tell the people in your country, tell your Mr. Bush, what is happening here.”

After finishing his studies at EMU, Rus While attached to an IV in a PalestinPyle ’03 entered the mental health field ian clinic when she was sick, a docand now is a licensed mental health tor told Hackney something that has counselor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. remained with her since: Don’t be too Pyle works with an agency that uses quick to judge people. meditation to address emotional conflict “I had a hard time understanding and addictive behavior. 

6.

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 17

This vista in Beit Sahour is familiar to many alumni who have stayed with host families here.

“We work with an underserved and often ignored population: ex-offenders on probation and parole,” Pyle says. “This integration of spirituality, existentialism, application, and service to a marginalized community, all began while on the cross-cultural, and studying at EMU. Time and time again, I have looked back on the understandings and goals [that] began during my time in the Middle East not only with a sense of fondness, but a with a sense that my studies at EMU could not have been complete without them.

Ben Stauffer ’01, now working on his family’s dairy farm in New York, traces his decision to volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to his cross-cultural. “I realized how rich we are here in the U.S. and I was definitely uncomfortable with that,” he says. “I [went] to Brazil for three years to help build cisterns for catching rain water.”

Ruth Ellen Dandurand ’10's desire to 18 | crossroads | summer 2012

do long-term missionary work intensified during her experience in the Middle East. “Over the last two years, I have continually asked Him for the opportunity to use me somewhere else in the world. And in January the ball started rolling for a year of missionary service in Guinea-Bissau through Eastern Mennonite Missions that, Lord willing, will start in August, 2012. So far there has been a great deal of peace and answers to prayers as He leads me on this incredible journey that began as a child and took form during my experience in the Middle East.”

“I can trace my time with MCC back to that experience [on cross-cultural],” says Ed Nyce ’86, who worked for the organization in Bethlehem and Amman, Jordan, from 1999 to 2007. Several MCC volunteers in the region when he was a student played a significant role in his trip, he says. Nyce later helped facilitate trips for the EMU cross-culturals that

happened while he was with MCC. “My EMU cross-cultural semester, other EMU courses, additional work and study experiences, and MCC assignments have all combined with other factors to help shape my worldview, and led to the many questions that are always banging around inside of me,” Nyce says. “What does it mean to love neighbor and enemy, or two neighbors, when what is experienced as love by one is not automatically understood as love by the other? How does one succeed in standing with that person or group who is disempowered, perhaps especially when my own country plays a significant role in the conflict as it does there, without standing against the humanity of the one in power, yet also without dropping the ball on the need to address real power issues?” — Andrew Jenner '04, whose own reflections on his 2002 Middle East cross-cultural experience can be found online at emu.edu/crossroads.

cross-cultural

ACQUIRING NEW LENSES Students Ponder Faith, Justice, Lifestyle and Policy in the Middle East written by ANDREW JENNER '04 photographs by jon styer '07

SPIRITS WERE HIGH as the 30 EMU students on the 2012 Middle East crosscultural marched merrily into the Judean desert. Guides had assured them of a short and easy stroll from the Mar Saba monastery to a Bedouin encampment, where a feast supposedly awaited. Spirits remained improbably high as the route wound up and down one rocky, barren hillside after another, and then again and yet again, no end in sight.

At last, the weary, hungry group of students crested a final and particularly treacherous slope to arrive at the Bedouin camp, only to discover that the Bedouins had not quite finished cooking.

In fact, they had not even begun; dinner would not be served for some time.

The sun was sinking fast, along with the temperature, and one could easily imagine serious discontent breaking out among the tired and now twice-deceived college students. Yet their moods stayed

Dan Sigmans ’12

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 19

bright while they passed the time until dinner, chattering in small groups, entertaining themselves with complicated word games invented during their long hours of travel over the past weeks, rushing around with their cameras to photograph the haunting orange twilight on the rocky Judean hillsides they’d just straggled across.

There existed a special sort of intimacy in and among the group, a bond already formed through previous quintessential cross-cultural moments like this that can’t really be replicated anywhere back on campus. You have to be tired and sore and famished and stranded in the distant wastes of the Judean desert to experience and grow from this sort of thing – to be confronted with petty hardships, to weigh these against the real and persistent hardships of Palestinian life that you’ve spent the last month observing and participating in – and so to decide to enjoy this unexpected hour with friends before dinner rather than pout about an afternoon that’s gone off script.

And so went the group’s last night in Palestine, roughly at the half-way point of a trip that began in turbulent Cairo and ended in peaceful Rome, with significant focus on Biblical history, early Christianity, Jewish and Arab culture, and the ongoing conflicts in the Holy Land. The following morning would mark a significant transition, when a bus ride of a few short miles would carry them from the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel – on the other side of a tall concrete barrier with a name, purpose and symbolism that depend entirely on who’s talking about them.

BRIDGING THE CONCRETE BARRIER Having spent the previous three weeks living with host families in Beit Sahour, while studying Palestinian culture and issues, the difficulties of life under Israeli occupation loomed large in the students’ minds that night. The existence of suffering in the world was no longer an abstraction; their new Palestinian friends’ determination to celebrate life rather than despair had become an inspiration.

The students acknowledged their ignorance about the region before they 20 | crossroads | summer 2012

Aaron Erb ‘14 (left, facing the camera)

had come to see it for themselves, and wondered how they’d talk about it once they got back home without sounding like “crazy activists.”

“No matter who you get in conversation with [in Palestine], they’ll bring up the occupation and how it affects their life. You can’t talk about any other issues without talking about that issue,” said Dan Sigmans ’12. “You can’t just not talk about it.”

Days earlier, the group had visited Hebron, where Jewish settlements in the heart of the West Bank’s largest city exist as a volatile microcosm of the larger conflict between Jews and Arabs. After touring the city with Christian Peacemaker Teams volunteers, who support non-violent Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation, several students met a Jewish settler studying to become a rabbi, who was eager to share his own very different take on life and purpose and justice in Hebron.

“That was the first time I realized how elusive truth was going to be on this trip,” said Aaron Erb ’14.

Bridgett Brunea ’14 said the rabbinical student’s enthusiasm for sharing his story revealed a human side to the settlers – and cast the conflict between the

two into even more ambiguous light.

“They have lives and families and hopes and dreams,” she said. “But they’re doing these awful things to the Palestinians.”

DID AMERICANS DO THIS TOO? On a different trip to Efrat, another Jewish settlement in the West Bank, the students met with a settler originally from Chicago who confronted them with the disconcerting observation that they too are settlers – isn’t the whole United States built on stolen land?

Unable to offer any sort of reasonable rebuttal, the group had arrived at another waypoint of the Middle East cross-cultural: silent confusion.

“It’s hard for you to comprehend everything. It’s so emotionally draining,” said Hannah Swartz ’14.

There had been many such classic moments, and there would be more. They’d been through the lows, such as the unexpected necessity of crossing the Gulf of Aqaba on a ferry packed with hundreds of men from the region, when divergent cultural assumptions about gender and sexuality left EMU’s females feeling vulnerable. They’d been through the highs: the friendships they’d developed with their host families; the friendships they’d

cross-cultural

Hannah Swartz ‘14

developed with one another; the time in Jordan when they’d sung a song together in a resonant stone chamber carved millennia earlier in the cliffs of Petra.

And they’d experienced the incredible weirdness of cross-cultural exchange: while climbing Mount Sinai, the group happened upon a band of Korean pilgrims singing a Korean rendition of "How Great Thou Art." Several of the students joined them with American-style harmony in the chilly winter air on the slopes of a remote Egyptian mountain.

AIMING FOR RELATIONSHIPS By mid-morning the following day, the bus had dropped the group off along a busy street just below Jaffa Gate and the yellowed stone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. Weighed down with backpacks and suitcases, they shuffled uncertainly down the sidewalk toward Jerusalem University College, where they would spend the next weeks of their trip studying Biblical history and geography. The bus roared off into traffic, the crowds on the sidewalk bustled around and through them, and a new moment had begun.

At this point in the trip it was tempting, said several students, to be judgmental, to not approach the people

Morgan Porter ’13

they’d encounter on this second half of their trip with open hearts and minds.

It would be tempting, but they knew it would be wrong. They’d come to listen and learn, and they had been warned this might not be easy.

“My job isn’t to choose sides right now,” said Morgan Porter ’13, shortly after her arrival in Jerusalem.

As the group settled into their new surroundings, the phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” occurred to Brunea with new meaning and urgency. Jesus would approach “the other side” with love, she said, and she would try to do the same.

“It’s a really awesome challenge for my faith. . . . I’m looking forward to the chance, to hear their stories and to recognize that this [land] is their home, too,” she said.

The group began its stay at Jerusalem University College with morning classes and afternoon tours of the Old City, later traveling throughout Israel to visit other significant Biblical sites. Following a period of free travel, they returned to Jerusalem to begin studying Judaism and contemporary Jewish issues, this time based at the Ecce Homo convent inside the Old City walls. A number of students identified their stay at Ecce

Homo as the highlight of the trip’s second half, when their classes were regularly interrupted by ear-splitting calls to prayer from a nearby minaret. From the convent roof, they could see the grey dome of the Al-Aqsa mosque, perched on Temple Mount directly above the Western Wall, overlooked from the east by the Mount of Olives.

“It’s like no other place in the world,” said Sigmans.

ON THE TRAIL OF JESUS Later stops on the trip included a stay at a kibbutz in the Galilee and a fourday, 40-mile hike along the Jesus Trail (a trail tracing Jesus’ footsteps from Nazareth to Capernaum, co-founded

by David ’04 -- who was on the 2002 Middle East cross-cultural -- and Moaz Inon, an Israeli friend of his). The crosscultural concluded with study of early Christianity in Greece and Italy, before returning to EMU in late April.

As she had expected, Brunea found it difficult at points to sympathize with Israeli perspectives on the conflict. At the same time, she was surprised to encounter numerous Israelis hoping to find a just and peaceable solution to the problem. www.emu.edu | crossroads | 21

Bridgett Brunea ’14

Ellen Roth ’13

“It was really energizing to learn how with broad life implications the students many people there are really working for brought home with them. After looking good change,” she said. down on Jerusalem from the Mount of Looking back on the entire cross-culOlives and hiking from Nazareth to the tural, Swartz recalled her surprise at the Sea of Galilee, and standing on the shore hospitality Palestinians extended to her where Jesus called his first disciples, they as an American, even as they criticized read the Bible with new eyes and a vivid her government’s role in supporting Isunderstanding of its physical setting. rael’s occupation of Palestine. During the Likewise, the region and its place in second half of the trip, she realized that today’s world have come alive. Their ears she also needed to separate individual perk up when a story from the Middle Israelis from the actions of their governEast comes on the radio; they read stories ment and military. in the newspaper with greater interest “People have been willing to forgive my and understanding.

‘American-ness’, so I should be willing to forgive Israelis for what their government WORLDLIER OUTLOOK has done,” said Swartz.

“I feel like I care more about the world in This emphasis on individual relationgeneral,” Swartz said. ships emerged as a major lesson for the A certain jadedness and frustration students on the trip. After their return, also accompanied the group home. The several described newfound appreciaseeming intractability of conflict in the tion for human connections that exist Middle East, and the toll it continues between people and defy stereotypes, to exact on the people who live there, and that create a foundation of respect left the group feeling exhausted, even between people, even when they disagree tempted at times to allow the easy with each other. rhythms of life at home to push their “I may not always like what people do challenging and complicated experience to one another . . . but you have to be from their minds. willing to see the humanness of [every“I don’t want to go back to where I body],” Brunea said. was before I took this trip . . . but at the This was just one of several lessons same time, how do you not feel so emo22 | crossroads | summer 2012

tionally drained?” asked Swartz.

Before Porter spent a semester in the Middle East, she vaguely felt she wanted to be involved in “saving the world.” A few months in a particularly messy and tormented part of the world, though, led her to reevaluate the idea.

“I don’t have to save the world,” Porter said. “I can focus on [saving] one thing and be okay with it.”

Days after the group’s return – a frenzied time of graduations and goodbyes atop the stress of readjustment to life at home after a cross-cultural – Ellen Roth ’13 said she expects the experience will remain a lifelong influence. Seated in the coffee shop on campus, she said she has no idea whether her future life or work will involve her directly with the people and places she visited in the Middle East. She’s certain, though, that broader themes from the trip – appreciation for the simpler lifestyles of the people she met along the way, heightened sensitivity to injustice, new awareness of the effects of American policies elsewhere in the world – will guide her in the future.

“I definitely want it to influence how I conduct my life,” Roth said. “There are so many things [in my life] I want to reconsider.”  — Andrew Jenner '04

photograph by jon styer

mileposts

The spring 2012 Middle East cross-cultural group consisted of: Rachel Bell, Laura Bowman, Bridgett Brunea, Janelle Dean, Aaron Erb, David Everett, Paul Ferguson, Taylor Harrison, Anna Hershey, Emily Hodges, Andrew Hostetter, Ariel Kiser, Crystal Lehman, Karla Martin, Michelle Miller, Rebekah Nofziger, Travis Nyce, Krista Nyce, Katherine Pence, Morgan Porter, Joel Rittenhouse, Ellen Roth, Stephanie Shelly, Dan Sigmans, Linnea Slabaugh, Kierra Stutzman, Taylor Swantz, Hannah Swartz, Hannah Tissue, Chaska Yoder. Of the 30 students in this group, 18 are the children of alumni from classes in the late 1970s through mid-1980s, when cross-cultural study was new at EMU.

Faculty/Staff

Harlan de Brun, instructor in the physical education and recreation department, will lead the South Africa fall 2012 cross-cultural venture during his last semester at EMU. Harlan and his spouse, Claire, will begin a service assignment in Lesotho in January 2013, working with Mennonite Central Committee.

Violet (Vi) Dutcher, professor and department chair of the language and literature department, attended the 63rd Annual Convention of the Conference on College Composition, March 21-24, 2012, in St. Louis, Mo. She chaired an academic writing session entitled “Conflict as Space for Agency,” reviewed a presentation for Kairos Review, and continued as a member of the committee on the status of women in the profession.

Cathy Smeltzer Erb participated in the values-based leadership program at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center in Mt. Pleasant, Pa., Feb. 21-23, 2012. She also served as a state representative on an NCATE/State Board of Examiners team, Feb. 25-28, 2012. In addition, she attended the Teachers of Promise in Richmond, March 23-24, 2012, with EMU’s six nominees: Laura Hershey, Stacy Lehman, Sarah Leland, Camila Pandolfi, Rebecca Peachey, and Julie Young.

David Evans has been named assistant professor of history, mission, intercultural and interfaith studies at the seminary.

David will nurture and push students as they wade into the increasingly diverse

religious contexts of the world. He brings expertise in cultural analysis and interfaith and intercultural mission from a historical perspective. He earned his doctoral degree from Drew University, Madison, N.J., in the history of U.S. religion. His studies provided the context for his dissertation titled “A Methodist Melting Pot: Religion, Race and Nation in America 1909-16.”

Don Tyson, associate professor in the nursing department, successfully defended his PhD dissertation, “The Experience of African Students Studying Nursing in the U.S. in Relation to Their Use of Critical Thinking,” at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., on April 20, 2012.

1930-59

Margaret Lind ’56 Wyse and her husband, Paul, moved to Harrisonburg, Va., in 2005 after serving overseas with Wycliffe Bible Translators for 35 years.

Their two children, Carmen ’84 and Curtis ’88 graduated from EMU.

1960-69

Arthur (Art) Newcomer ’64, Bellefontaine, Ohio, is a retired volunteer in the stewardship ministry of Ohio Mennonite Conference. Prior to retirement, Art worked as a social worker for 20 years assisting needy children. Later, he became involved in real estate activities and worked with Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA), now Everence, for about 20 years.

During this ministry, he was joined by his spouse, Mary Rosenberger ’62

Newcomer. When Art retired from this position, Mary continued to represent MMA.

1970-79

Lois Yoder ’72 Bontrager, North Canton, Ohio, is the volunteer chairperson of the stewardship ministry of Ohio Mennonite Conference. Lois is also the church relations manager for Everence, the mutual aid agency of Mennonite Church USA. Kenton T. Derstine ’72, clinical pastoral education/field education director of EMS, Harrisonburg, Va., received a doctor of ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D. C. Kenton earned his degree in the DMin track. His core project was titled “Seminar in Family and Congregation Relationship Process: Formation Practices for Ministry in Chaotic Times.”

James (Jim) Buller ’75, Goshen, Ind., a 1971 graduate of Bethany Christian Schools of Goshen, has crossed a major milestone in his 33-year career as head coach of the boy’s basketball team, the Bruins, at his alma mater. On Feb. 24, 2012, Jim led the Bruins to defeat Fremont to match the boys basketball record of 364 wins set by John Longfellow in 1948 as the winningest coach in Elkhart County history.

Ann Graber ’76 Hershberger, professor of nursing, gave two presentations, “More with less: Using a developing case study to teach informatics and epidemiology” and “Scarcity

results in Strength: Degree collaboration and interprofessionality,” at the masters conference of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, March 1 & 2, 2012, in San Antonio, Tex. C. Daniel Liechty ’76, Normal, Ill., was promoted to professor in the School of Social Work of Illinois State University in Normal, Ill.

1980-89

Daniel Hooley ’81, Canton, Ohio, is a volunteer in the credentialing ministry of Ohio Mennonite Conference.

Alan F. Knight ’81, Harrisonburg, Va., the Page County High School softball coach, inherited a multi-purpose field in 1988 with only a backstop on it. Improvements began 12 years ago, with a major transformation completed three years ago. On May 2, 2012, Alan was honored with a banner that read, “Panther Softball at Coach Alan Knight Field.” In his 31 season as coach, Alan is the fourth most winningest active softball coach in Virginia, across all classifications. This season, he has guided the Panthers to a 17-0 record. Alan is also a retired fourtime state volleyball coach.

David ’81, MDiv ’92, and Lavonne Weaver ’81 Lehman of Toano, Va., are sinking roots in the Williamsburg area where David is pastor of Williamsburg Mennonite Church. Lavonne has found many ways to be involved with the women of the church as well as volunteering at the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center. They recently purchased

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 23

Library To Host Bible Exhibition

EMU's library was one of 40 in the nation — the only library in the state of Virginia — chosen to host a traveling exhibit on the King James Bible.

The exhibit, “Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible,” celebrates the anniversary of the 400-year-old holy book. It is scheduled to circle around the nation, concluding with an appearance at five midAtlantic libraries, including the EMU library, from January 23 to February 22, 2013.

“We are going to emphasize the variety of ways the King James Bible influenced American society, literature and culture,” said Stephanie Bush, EMU instructional services librarian. “This is a unique opportunity to bring the Harrisonburg community together to discuss one of the most widely read books in the world.”

According to the Manifold Greatness website, the exhibit will include 14 graphic panels that combine narrative text with images of rare books, manuscripts and art that are printed on double-sided banners. Bush says the EMU library has planned a series of programs to appeal to Bible scholars in addition to the general public.

Kevin Seidel, PhD, assistant professor of language and literature at EMU, will lead three of the four programs.

Seidel has given several presentations on the King James Bible and his research has focused on religion, secularism and literature.

“Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible” was organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, with assistance from the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas, to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible.

— Mike Zucconi ’05

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24 | crossr oads | summer 2012 24 | crossroads | fall 2007

a home on three acres of land within five miles of the church.

Donald Shenk ’82, Temple City, Calif., received his ministerial license and was installed as pastor of San Marino Congregational United Church of Christ, San Marino, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2012.

Robin D. Frey ’84, Philadelphia, Pa., continued her education after graduating from EMU through study at the Art Students’ League of New York for almost five years. In the last 10 years, she has been teaching and painting at Incamminati, a realist atelier in Philadelphia founded by the world-renowned artist, Nelson Shanks.

About two years ago, she became involved with a project at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) in Philadelphia called Face to Face. This is designed to help build the esteem of selected children from CHOP with craniofacial disfigurements, through painting their portraits. More info at www. studioincamminati.org/face.php.

Carmen Wyse ’84, a social worker with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, and her spouse, Wayne Gehman ’84, an electronic media specialist at MennoMedia in Harrisonburg, Va., are active in Community Mennonite Church of Harrisonburg. They have two sons – 15-year-old Christian, a rising freshman at Harrisonburg High School, and 12-year-old Nathan, a rising seventh grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

Jeanine Groff ’85 Musselman, who died Mar. 13, 2007, was honored by having a newly drilled well named for her in Haiti. The project started with funds donated at Jeanine’s memorial service. Rather than giving flowers, people were encouraged to donate for digging a well in Haiti. The well was drilled by Water For Life, headed by Willis Miller from Kalona, Iowa. Members of Souderton Mennonite Church and others from the Souderton, Pa. area, went to Haiti to help with the project. The well was dedicated on Feb. 23, 2012, with Jeanine’s spouse, Kendall Musselman ’84 and her father, Larry Groff, present. The well is in the steep mountain region between the villages of Pasbwadom and Cotes de Fer, which are located about 80 miles Southwest of Port au Prince. In addition to Kendall, Jeanine is survived by their son, Miles Musselman ’09.

Gary Yoder ’85, Kalona, Iowa, manages the website of Johnson County, Iowa. The website was named one of best among 6,000 public sites recently evaluated by Sunshine Review, a national non-profit organization dedicated to government transparency. The website received high marks in 11 of 12 categories. Only two other Iowa public entities won similar honors.

Philip (Phil) R. Landes ’87, Bridgewater, Va., became the secondary principal of Eastern Mennonite School (EMS) on July 1, 2012. He assumed the position upon the retirement of Sherman Eberly ’68, who concluded 43 years in education on June 30, 2012, with 15 years served at EMS. Phil brought over 20 years of experience in education and leadership. He is responsible

for leading the students and faculty of both the middle and high school divisions of EMS. Previously, he taught biology and completed an administrative practicum at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Va. Phil founded the Turner Ashby High School varsity boys’ soccer program, which he also coached for 11 years. He completed a master’s of science degree in educational administration from Shenandoah University in June 2012.

Deirdre Longacher ’87 Smeltzer, chair and professor of the mathematical science department, Harrisonburg, Va., will be serving as interim director of crosscultural programs in the undergraduate dean’s office, beginning in August 2012.

Curtis Wyse ’88, Kalona, Iowa, and his spouse, Dawn Wallerich, own and operate JW’s Foods in Kalona. JW Foods is a fullservice grocery store located in the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi River. Curtis and Dawn are active in the Kalona Mennonite Church. More info at http://jwsfoods.com/index_files/AboutUs. htm

1990-99

Jeffrey (Jeff) Gingerich ’90, Norristown, Pa., is the academic dean of Cabrini College, a Catholic college near Philadelphia. He and a colleague, Vonya Steiner ’93 Womack, say they are interested in infusing into Cabrini’s curriculum some of the foci of EMU, notably those pertaining to social justice and the common good.

David Gullman ’91 (biblical studies cert.), MA ’00 (church leadership), Broadway, Va., carried an 8-foot-long wooden cross on his shoulder as he walked slowly up North Main Street of Harrisonburg, Va., on Good Friday. David was part of a group of approximately 100 persons participating in an annual “Stations of the Cross” walk, which began in 1990. This year, the walk featured 10 stations. David was featured in the Daily News Record for carrying the cross from the first station, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, to the second station at the former U.S. Post Office, where he read from the Gospel of Mark about the betrayal of Jesus and his arrest. David is the pastor of Crossroads Mennonite Church in Broadway and of Pleasant View, an adult residential care facility in Harrisonburg.

LaRee Miller ’92 Eby, Woodburn, Ore., her spouse, Andrew, and their children Arizona, Caleb and Eliana, are on an Eastern Mennonite Missions assignment in Honduras through July 2012 to care for children in crisis.

Sean FitzGerald MA ’92 (church leadership), Denver, Colo., is on assignment by Eastern Mennonite Missions in Guinea-Bassau as a medical worker through December 2012.

Vonya Steiner ’93 Womack, Schwenksville, Pa., assistant professor of business administration at Cabrini College near Philadelphia, led a group of social-justice students from Cabrini to San Lucas, Guatemala, where they had an ”immersion” experience at the San Lucas Mission, working

with a dental group going to surrounding villages, sorting coffee beans, building stoves and talking with those who had endured injustice during the civil war. In February 2012, Vonya also spent 20 days in Libya serving with a team from Peace and Prosperity Alliance based in Denver, Colo.

Derick ’95 and his spouse, Jennifer (Jen) Fick Brubaker are serving as physicians and in church relations under Eastern Mennonite Missions in Cusco, Peru.

Corinna Clymer ’97 and her spouse, Doug ClymerOlson, of Burtrum, Minn., have begun three-year assignments in Najile, Kenya, as food security coordinators with Mennonite Central Committee.

Corinna has a master’s in experiential education from Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minn. The ClymerOlsons attended Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul.

Jill E. Gehman ’97, Philadelphia, Pa., has been named a 2012 Nurse Manager Fellow by the American Organization of Nurse Executives. Jill is employed by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia as a nurse manager in the heart and vascular intensive care unit. She was chosen by the American Organization of Nurse Executives to participate in a yearlong fellowship with 30 other nurse managers from across the country. They meet four times throughout the year and have several interactions via teleconference.

Lisa Horst ’99, Lancaster, Pa., president and chief executive officer of The Learning Link, co-owner of City Mansion Investments LLC and a senior distributor and certified trainer with Send Out Cards, was selected as the 2012 Woman of the Year by Lancaster Area Express Network of the American Business Women’s Association.

2000-09

Mark Keller, MDiv ’00, Harrisonburg, Va., was pictured in the April 7, 2012, issue of the Daily News Record, carrying a large cross between two of 10 stations in an annual Good Friday event. For more information on this event, read the entry for David Gullman ’91, who also carried the cross between stations.

Alexandra (Alex) Nunez, ’00, Apopka, Fla., became vice president of public affairs and Caribbean investment at Esperanza International in March 2012. After 11 years in government defense, Alex made a move to this Christian-based micro-finance organization that works in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The mission of Esperanza International is to free children and their families from poverty through initiatives that generate income, education and health, restoring self-worth and dignity to those who have lost hope.

Jesse (Jess) Engle, MDiv ’02, Wauseon, Ohio, led the April 11, 2012, chapel service at EMU on the topic, “Think Differently - Not Try Harder” with reflections from Matthew 5:38-42 and John 20:21-22, plus personal narrative. Jess taught elementary school for 11 years, three in Luray, Va. He is married to Naomi Epp Engle, MA ’02 (pastoral

counseling). They co-pastored at Aurora Mennonite Church in eastern Ohio for seven years and at West Clinton Mennonite in western Ohio the last three years.

Naomi is the volunteer chairperson of the credentialing ministry of Ohio Mennonite Conference. They have three daughters: Anna ’11, who teaches school in Japan, Grace ’12, and Marie, a freshman voice major at Northwestern University near Chicago, Ill. Ali Gohar MA ‘02 is transforming the traditional jirga, a local decision-making process in Pakistan and Afghanistan, to bring conflict transformation and restorative justice to communities. In an article available at www.opendemocracy.net/ opensecurity/ali-gohar/jirga-in-modernday-afghanistan-0, Ali describes how strong local community processes that build peace are needed to support national peace processes. He counsels: “Instead of relying exclusively on official diplomatic methods to address conflicts, a more holistic approach is required. Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without participation at a grassroots level. The complexity of local and regional conflict dynamics in Afghanistan and Pakistan would be well served by the revivification of the Jirga system, the only convincing institutional base through which to build lasting peace.”

Bonnie Price Lofton MA ’04 (conflict transformation), editor-in-chief in EMU's marketing and communications department, has earned a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree from Drew University, a Methodist-rooted institution in Madison, N.J. Her dissertation is titled “On the Survival of Mennonite Community in Modern-Day America: Lessons from History, Communities and Artists.” A PDF version of it can be downloaded from her webpage on the EMU website. Search using her name or go to www.emu.edu/personnel/people/ show/bpl969.

Mark Schloneger, MDiv ’05, Waynesboro, Va. was on campus during the week of March 26-30, 2012, as part of EMU’s visiting pastor program to interact with students, faculty and staff. Mark is currently the pastor of Springdale Mennonite Church in Waynesboro.

Joel Shank ’06, Harrisonburg, Va., is a human resource manager at Dynamic Aviation. He has been with the company for six years in various human resource roles.

The Harrisonburg- Rockingham Chamber of Commerce appointed Joel as one of three new members to its board of directors, beginning Jan. 1, 2012. Joel joins a 27-member board that is the governing body of the Chamber of Commerce.

Laura Bomberger ’08, Lancaster, Pa., became the events coordinator at Global Disciples (GD) in January 2010. Her primary duties include coordinating regional banquets in Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, planning business breakfasts with keynote speakers, and leading the annual Global Partners Summit (GPS). The GPS is an event which brings international businesspeople together to learn more about GD and provides the

Aaron Yoder '01

Taking the Lead in Sustainable Homebuilding

A construction company owned by Aaron and Melinda Yoder, both ’01 grads, took Virginia’s top award in 2012 for building a single-family home in an environmentally friendly manner.

AM Yoder & Co. Inc. was awarded in Virginia’s third annual Sustainable Leadership competition for an EarthCraftcertified home built for retired language professor Carroll Yoder and his wife Nancy.

Their two-level, 2,300-square-foot house, at 1322 Greystone St. in Harrisonburg, was constructed with styrofoam-covered concrete blocks that form energy-conserving walls. Three solar panels on the roof provide most of the hot water needed for the heat that radiates from water-filled tubes in the floor and for washing. The house was oriented to permit passive solar heating, shaded in the summer.

“We really like our house — it is very quiet . . . we have thick walls and no moving hot air,” says Carroll. “Our son (Joel ’97) is now using Aaron to build his house.”

Harrisonburg architect Randy Seitz, class of ’87, commends Aaron for his interest in building “well-crafted, modest-sized houses in existing neighborhoods, rather than another McMansion on former farmland.”

Aaron has been a leader in promoting EarthCraft-certified construction in Virginia since 2006. EarthCraft began in Atlanta, Ga., in 1999 and has been spreading across the nation. From its website: EarthCraft House certifications are determined through a points-based worksheet, which allows builders to select the sustainability measures that are best suited for their project.

Worksheet items address proper site planning, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, resource-efficient building materials, indoor air quality, water conservation and homebuyer education, and all are verified during site visits and inspections.

Aaron says that EarthCraft Virginia has certified over 1,600 homes and 7,000 multifamily dwelling units.

—BPL www.emu.edu | crossroads | 25

opportunity for participants to see what GD does firsthand. The location of the GPS varies each year. The most recent GPS tour to Nepal and India was themed “For the Healing of the Nations.” Visionary possibilities include eradicating poverty through proper education, transforming the Turkana Desert in Kenya into a thriving farming community, and preaching the Gospel no matter what the cost.

R. Todd Weaver ’87 and Jim Smucker

Challenged by Amish Runners

Jim Smucker, PhD (in management), who was scholarin-residence in EMU’s business & economics program this spring, and R. Todd Weaver ’87, a dentist in Souderton, Pa., were featured in a long, contemplative feature in Runner’s World magazine (published 02/27/2012) about discovering superlative runners among the Amish.

The main author, Runner’s World regular Bart Yasso, wrote: Last October I ran with Smucker, some of his Mennonite friends, and about 20 Amish. The Mennonites wore running shorts and running pants, and synthetic tops. The Amish men wore black pants held up with suspenders and long-sleeve, button-down shirts. Most were clean-shaven (Amish don’t grow beards until they marry...). The one woman in the group wore a long dress and a head scarf. I should note that they all wore running shoes. I should also note that we were running by the light of the moon.

Yasso wrote that Weaver started running with a few friends under a full moon in the fall of 2007. Smucker, whose immediate roots are Amish, joined the runs in 2008 and began inviting some Amish to run with the group in 2009, frequenting roads without electrical lines (the better to enjoy the full moon). Those Amish who accepted Smucker’s invitation turned out to be “wondrous” runners, said Yasso.

“The Mennonites were good runners, but the Amish — with their even harder lives, and even stricter rules — were clearly a cut above,” wrote Yasso. “…Man, I wondered, with a little more training, just how good could these guys be?”

Smucker is CEO of the Bird-in-Hand Corporation and former board chair of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce.

In the fall of 2012, he will be teaching organizational behavior in EMU’s master in nursing leadership program.

He is the motivating force behind the annual Bird-inHand Half-Marathon in September. This half-marathon has attracted as many as 1,000 runners.

“Smucker the Mennonite believes that physical fitness and goals are good for everyone,” wrote Yasso, in collaboration with another writer, Steve Friedman.

Yasso and Friedman observed that both Mennonites and Amish “hold fast to the principles of their forebears — hard work, humility, modesty, community togetherness verging on clannishness, self-reliance, and a skeptical view of modernity.” But there are significant differences too, they added: “To make a crude and overly simplistic analogy, Old Order Amish are like Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Mennonites are a more acculturated, reformed branch.”

—BPL

26 | crossr oads | summer 2012 26 | crossroads | fall 2007

Emily Gingrich ’09 spent the last year serving in the Czech Republic in a joint assignment with Eastern Mennonite Missions and Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM). She moved to Lancaster, Pa., in April, hoping to do social work,, the arena of her college degree. Emily wrote in the April 2012 issue of VMM’s Connections that “networking,” defined as “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest,” captures the essence of her year of service.

Rebecca Souder ’09 Gish, Philadelphia, Pa., teaches art at the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) in West Philadelphia charter school. KIPP is a national network of college-preparatory public schools preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. Her spouse, David Gish ’08, is a student at Temple University’s medical school in Philadelphia.

2010-2012

Sara Beachy ’11, Baltic, Ohio, is wrapping up a one-year term of Mennonite Voluntary Service that began in August 2011. She has been a program assistant with Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County in California.

Stephen (Steve) Carpenter, MA ’11 (religion), Harrisonburg, Va., former coordinator of Virginia Mennonite Conference, joined MennoMedia on March 19, 2012 as its first full-time development director. In his conference role from 2003 to 2011, Steve served as business manager, office supervisor, and development director. For five years before moving to Harrisonburg, Steve was the administrator at Washington Community Fellowship, a Mennonite-rooted congregation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He served as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, based in Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1997. At one point he commanded a 15-crew patrol boat. At the end of his career he was chief of quality management and public affairs at the Coast Guard’s National Pollution Funds Center. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Steve earned a master of business administration degree from Tulane University. A prolific writer, Steve was published in The Washington Post under the title “Sorrow and Christian Faith Lead a Military Man to Embrace Pacifism.” For the past eight years he has been a regular media columnist for Mennonite Weekly Review (now Mennonite World Review), publishing more than 50 columns on movies, books, culture, and faith. Steve is a monthly columnist for the Third Way Café website and a regular speaker on the Shaping Families radio program. Menno-

Media, formed in a merger last July, serves Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada.

Megan Grove ‘11, formerly of Greencastle, Pa, moved to New York City in September 2011 to serve a one-year term with Mennonite Voluntary Service as a research and policy associate at the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center. In a March 2012 chapel, Megan reflected on her six-month experience in New York with a talk titled “Seeking the Peace of the City: A Volunteer’s Journey in New York.” Megan presented the value and rewards of her experience in terms of three lessons she learned: (1) service is a privilege, (2) everything comes full circle, and (3) the beauty of displacement. She strongly urged her listeners to engage in voluntary ministry ventures. Megan put her skills to use by writing reports, partnering with community organizations that represent low-income and marginalized New Yorkers, and assisting non-profit attorneys.

Adam Houser, MDiv ’11, Elyria, Ohio, was installed as the pastor of Peace Mennonite Church in Elyria on Jan. 8, 2012. Regional pastor, Ralph Reinford ’78, MA ’ 84 (from the seminary), brought the message.

Stephanie Day Mason ’12, Harrisonburg, Va., was a recent recipient of the Harrisonburg City Public Schools, “Above and Beyond Award.” Stephanie is a guidance counselor at Skyline Middle School in Harrisonburg.

Marriages

Kenneth (Ken) Seitz, Jr. ’60 to Audrey Metz ’62, Jan. 1, 2012.

Rhonda Good ’92 to Randy King, Oct. 22, 2011.

Michelle Kuhns ’03 to Josh Brodesky, March 24, 2012.

Benjamin (Ben) Rosenberger ’04 to Dovanna Zehr ’05, Sept. 24, 2011.

Matthew (Matt) Ruth ’06 to Kara Miller ’07, May 29, 2011.

Lindsay Kisamore ’09 to Michael Horst ’05, July 16, 2011.

Gary LeRoger Parrish ’09 to Anna Smith ’09, Sept. 10, 2011.

Joshua Davis ’11 to Amber Warren, Aug. 6, 2011.

Births

Allison Rohrer ’93 and Mark Kokkoros, Washington, D.C., Viviana Maria, April 18, 2009.

Benjamin (Ben) ’96 and Diane Yu Rutt, Long Island City, N. Y., Jason, Aug. 4, 2011.

Shaun ’99 and Kara Bidden Hackman, Green Lane, Pa., Larkin Elizabeth, Sept. 9, 2011.

Krystal Neuenschwander ’00 and Jason Glick, Harrisonburg, Va., Tessa Loren, Jan. 29, 2012.

Mark ’00 (MDiv ’08) and Sarah

Hawkins ’02 Schoenhals (MDiv ’08), Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, Hannah Lynn, Oct. 7, 2011.

Aaron ’01 and Kristen Weatherlow ’01 Buckwalter, Lancaster, Pa., Izak Nicholas Aaron, Nov. 1, 2011, adopted Dec. 28, 2011.

Sarah Herr ’02 and Greg Davis, Salt Lake City, Utah, Elsie Mae, Nov. 28, 2011.

Simone Bourdon ’03, MA ’10 (education), and Daniel Bergey, Harrisonburg, Va., Nathaniel David, June 26, 2011.

Erica Passmore ’03 and Martin Kalisch, Bad Dürrheim, Germany, Noah Walter, Sept.

14, 2010.

Lisa Bergey ’03 and T. Welby Lehman ’03, Harrisonburg, Va., Grant Dean, Oct. 10, 2011.

Justin ’03 and Veronica Erb Schweitzer, Harrisonburg, Va., Jackson Douglas, Nov. 4, 2011.

Hannah Kratzer ’04 and Darrell Wenger, Harrisonburg, Va., Aaron Glen, Sept. 21, 2011.

Kevin ’05 and Rachel Weaver ’03 Docherty, Baltimore, Md., Eleanor Grace, May 2, 2012.

Cheryl ’07 and Timothy Heatwole Shenk ’07, Camden, N.J., Matteo Justus, Oct. 24, 2011.

Kendal ’07 and Kelsey Wyse ’07 Swartzentruber, Harrisonburg, Va., Karcyn Faythe, Jan. 5, 2012.

Raad, MA ’11 (conflict transformation), and Lauren Amer, Harrisonburg, Va., Jenna Lee, May 9, 2012.

Deaths

Ruth Krady (’39 HS) ’44 Lehman, Harrisonburg, Va., died May 1, 2012, at age 90 at the Oak Lea Nursing Home of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community following a stroke. Ruth graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in 1939 and from junior college at Eastern Mennonite in 1944.

Between those periods of school, she was a stenographer on the staff of Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pa. Ruth married Harold D. Lehman ’36 in 1944. The first years of their married life were spent at Vineland Training School in Vineland, N.J., where Harold was in Civilian Public Service, and Ruth was employed as secretary to a department head. Ruth worked at EMC (now EMU) for 19 years, first as an assistant to the registrar, and then as acquisitions librarian. After her youngest son graduated from college, Ruth returned to complete her college degree at James Madison University (JMU). She was a student in JMU’s first Semester in London in the fall of 1979, and earned a bachelor of general studies in 1981, graduating magna cum laude with distinction in Women’s Studies.

Her thesis study was on “The Status of Women Faculty at Eastern Mennonite College, 1917-1950.” Following her retirement from EMC, Ruth served with her husband in voluntary service between 1986 and 1990 in Birmingham, England, compiling the Turner Collection of Religious Movements, 1492-1992. She was a longtime member of

Park View Mennonite Church, where she was active in Mennonite Women, taught kindergarten Sunday school, and was editor of the church newsletter. With her husband, she coauthored The Laurelville Story, 19431993. She typed many dissertations, studies, and book reviews. She frequently typed papers without charge for international students. Her spouse, Harold, survives.

Elizabeth M. (Mae) Schrock ’45, Wenger, Hindman, Ky., died May 31, 2011, at the age of 91 as the result of a stroke five months earlier. Mae married Wayne J. Wenger, Aug. 12, 1945, while he was in Civilian Public Service. He was ordained in 1946 to pastor a small Mennonite church in Imlay City, Mich. In 1952, Wayne and Mae moved to Caney Creek in Breathitt County, Ky., for a church-planting mission under the IndianaMichigan Mennonite Conference. Later they became members of the Conservative Mennonite Conference, moving to Knox County, Ky., in 1961 and planting another congregation. In this work, they were selfsupporting missionaries.

Ellen Shenk ’46 Peachey, Harrisonburg, Va., died April 26, 2012, at age 88, at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. She had been a teacher of Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) and English as a second language. She and her spouse, Paul Peachey ’45, who survives her, spent 12 years living in Europe and Japan, much of that time under the auspices of Mennonite Central Committee in post-war relief, reconstruction and peace building. Her years abroad led to her interest in Ikebana and working with internationals seeking to learn English. After returning to America, Ellen and Paul moved to Washington, D.C., where they became active in Hyattsville Mennonite Church. Ellen was on the board of the learning center for disadvantaged children; completed a bachelor’s degree in English at the Catholic University of America; and became a founding member along with other Mennonites of the Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community in Charles Town, W.Va. In 1987, the Peacheys were the first members of the community to become permanent residents of the retreat.

John Paul Heatwole ’51, Waynesboro, Va., died Jan. 31, 2012, at Augusta Health at the age of 87. John received his doctor of medicine degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He completed a residency in anesthesia at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He was the first anesthetist at the Waynesboro Community Hospital, where he practiced for 29 years, retiring in 1989. John was a skilled woodworker, carpenter and photographer.

He was very active in the regional district of the Church of the Brethren and in Waynesboro Church of the Brethren, where he was a member.

Ruth Kurtz ’51 Hobbs, Dayton, Va., died at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Feb. 28, 2012, at the age of 87. She taught school in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and these schools in Virginia – Dale Enterprise, Timberville, Beldor and Berea Christian School. At the time of her death, she was employed as a

Front, from left, Lowell Brown, Landon Miller, Doug Friesen, Andy Dula, Sheldon Wenger, Steve Denlinger, Ryan Sauder. Back, Zach King, Ryan Hess, Bruce Balestier, David Sowers, Lynn Longenecker, Sheldon Esch

These Alums Aren’t Wimps

A “Tough Mudder“ endurance competition in Pocono Manor, Pa., in April saw a team largely composed of EMUlinked persons complete the event in three and a half hours.

The individuals were: business executive Andrew “Andy” Dula ’91, chair of EMU’s board of trustees; fundraiser Lowell Brown (married to Lisa White ’99); workforce developer Sheldon Esch ’ 97; psychologist Doug Friesen ’91; supervisor Zack King (married to Laura Hess ’00); business manager Ryan Linder-Hess ’98; educator Lynn Longenecker ’94; family counselor Landon Miller ’97; and college administrator Ryan Sauder (married to M. Janelle Thomas ’95).

“Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie,” declares the Tough Mudder website. Each team is required to navigate 13 miles of obstacles, including mud, fire, swimming through ice-water and jolts of electricity (10,000 volts).

The EMU-linked team trained for 10 weeks under the guidance of Angela Morris Myers ’00, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor based at Empower Training Systems in Lancaster, Pa. Dula said the group entered Tough Mudder as motivation to get into better shape and to enjoy the camaraderie of the training and competition. —BPL

Adventurous Retirement

Cal and Rachel Litwiller, who met and married at EMU as members of the class of ’69, traveled coast-to-coast, with Cal on a bicycle and Rachel in a support SUV during 2011.

Dividing their trip into two segments, they covered 3,650 miles from Cape Flattery, Washington, to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, with Cal averaging 60 miles per day on his semirecumbent three-wheel bicycle.

Cal is a retired high school science teacher and Rachel is a retired interior decorator. They are active members of the Mt. Pleasant Evening Rotary Club.

They have also sojourned for extended periods in southern Africa and Central America since their retirement. —BPL www.emu.edu | crossroads | 27

writer for Christian Light Publications Inc. in Harrisonburg, Va. Richard Stover Moyer ’51, Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 10, 2012, at the Oak Lea unit of VMRC, at the age of 85. While a student at EMU, he met Ruth Gingrich, whom he married in 1950. Richard was licensed for pastoral ministry at a small African-American church in Lambertville, N.J., where he and Ruth served until early 1954. In April 1954, Richard and Ruth made a permanent transition to the Crenshaw community near Brockway, Pa., to provide pastoral ministry in a church planted by Jesse ’51, ThB ’52 and Betty Shirk Byler ’80 in 1951.

Richard served in pastoral ministry at Crenshaw Union Church for over 50 years. Richard was keenly interested in bringing churches in the community together and breaking down walls that prevented Christians from cooperating to serve the people of the Brockway area. Later, he became involved in “Every Home for Christ,” a program whose ultimate goal was to place some form of gospel booklet into every home in the world. Toward this end, Richard made three trips each to Russia and Africa and one to both China and the Fiji Islands.

Richard O. Martin ’52, Harrisonburg, died at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg on Jan. 16, 2012, at the age of 81. He and his spouse, Elizabeth Houser Martin, who survives, lived in West Liberty, Ohio, for many years, where he worked as district manager for DeKalb Seed Corn, served as head of the school board at West Liberty Salem School, was Little League baseball commissioner and head coach for the local men’s fast-pitch team.

Robert (Bob) E. Collins ’54, Falls Church, Va., died at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. on Mar. 12, 2012, at the age of 79. Bob graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va., with a doctor of medicine degree. He was an intern at the Washington Hospital Center beginning in 1958. After a year of general practice in Broadway, Va., and a surgical residency at Medical College of Virginia, he returned to the Washington Hospital Center for his orthopedic surgical residency in 1961. He completed fellowships in children’s orthopedics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, and in cerebral palsy at Johns Hopkins University in 1962 and 1965, respectively. In addition to practicing orthopedics from 1964 until shortly before his death, Bob was: acting chief of orthopedics at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.; chief of orthopedics at the Washington Hospital Center; president of the medical and dental staff of the Washington Hospital Center; chair for the division of surgery and surgery subspecialties for the National Rehabilitation Hospital; and an associate professor in the orthopedic department at Georgetown University. An avid sports fan, Bob had season tickets

28 | crossroads | summer 2012

for the Washington Redskins games from 1965 to 2009 and was the Redskins’ orthopedic surgeon from 1985 to 1990, during the most successful years in the team’s history.

Gwendolyn Wenger ’56 Peachey, Lititz, Pa., died on April 23, 2012, after a six-month illness, at the age of 78. She received a master’s degree in early childhood education from Millersville (Pa.) University in 1982 and was certified as a reading teacher. Her teaching career included one year in Montana, two years at Savage Elementary School in Maryland, and two years at Lampeter (Pa.) Elementary. From 1981 to 1994, she taught third grade at Clay Elementary in the Ephrata Area School District. With their children, Gwen and her husband, Urbane Peachey ’58, lived in Beirut, Lebanon, and Amman, Jordan, from 1970 to 1975, where they served with Mennonite Central Committee. Gwen supervised several kindergartens in Palestinian refugee camps under the United Nations Relief Works Agency, and served as a consultant for various pre-school centers in Jordan. Gwen was an active member of a life writers group and book club. For 16 years, she sang with the Lancaster Chamber Singers, Lancaster/ Franconia Choral Singers, and Berkshire (Mass.) Choral Institute. Gwen was a lifelong member of Akron Mennonite Church and, most recently, Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, where she was on the pastoral team. Gwen is survived by Urbane.

Miriam A. Yoder ’62 Stoltzfus, Lewisburg, Pa., died at the age of 72 on Dec. 16, 2011, at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg. After training in elementary education, Miriam taught at Greenwood Mennonite School in Delaware for two years and later taught arts and crafts at Maranatha Christian School in Turbotville, Pa. She was a member of Buffalo Mennonite Church of Lewisburg, where she did secretarial work for 25 years and taught Sunday school. Taking pleasure in writing, Miriam wrote and published children’s literature. Interested in family genealogy, she also produced directories for the Stoltzfus and Yoder families.

Robert K (Bob) Wert ’63, Goshen, Ind., died March 4, 2012, at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis at the age of 72. After receiving a master’s degree in social work from Howard University, Bob moved to Goshen, Ind., in 1978, where he worked for Oaklawn Psychiatric Center. After 26 years, Bob retired, but did not stop working on behalf of people in need. He worked with the Outreach Commission and Jubilee Fund program at College Mennonite Church where he was a member. He frequently could be found at Goshen College music, drama and sporting events, Lifelong Learning Institute classes, and the Rec-Fitness Center. Bob is survived by his wife, Esther Glick ’63 Wert.

Paul E. Gingerich ’79, formerly of Dalton, Ohio, and more recently of Keezletown, Va., died of lung cancer on March 6, 2012, at the age of 59. Paul taught Spanish and Bible at Central Christian Schools in Kidron, Ohio, for 30 years. A student noted that Paul made use of a Spanish Bible to enhance his Spanish teaching. Paul was a writer and musician. He was active in church work, serving as a Sunday school teacher, elder and caregiver. He was a mentor, friend, brother and companion to many. Paul is survived by his wife Joyce Augsburger ’74 Gingerich, daughter Tabitha ’02, and son Matthew ’05 and daughter-inlaw Sara Hershberger ’07 Gingerich.

Steven Lee Miller ’80 of Harrisonburg, Va., died, Aug. 22, 2011, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg at the age of 52. He had been a resident at Emeritus for the past two and a half years. He was formerly employed by Harrisonburg Travel Center. He was a member of the Mount Crawford United Methodist Church, and a past member of the Mount Crawford Ruritan Club. He was a Cub Scout leader.

Dorothy Eby ’83 Horst, Bealeton, Va., died Mar. 29, 2012, at the age of 83.

Dorothy spent her life teaching others, both in and out of the classroom, at Parkesburg (Pa.) Mennonite School, Paradise Mennonite School in Hagerstown, Md., and Gaithersburg Christian School in Gaithersburg, Md. She was also a missionary.

John Randall (Randy) Benner ’89 of Friedens, Pa, died March 14, 2012, at the age of 44 at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, Pa., as a result of complications related to a brain tumor diagnosed three years earlier. He was the medical director at Siemens Lakeview Manor Estate, Somerset, Pa., for over 10 years, until two months before his death. Randy was a partner physician at Medical Associates of Boswell for 12 years where he also was co-medical director for In-Touch Somerset Hospice. He was also involved, since its inception, both as a volunteer physician and as a board member in the Somerset Community Clinic, a free clinic serving uninsured individuals. Randy and his spouse, Brenda Lehman ’89, MDiv ’06, originally relocated to the Somerset area after Randy graduated from the Ohio State University School of Medicine in 1994 and completed his family practice residency at Forbes Regional Medical Center in the Pittsburgh area.

Randy took his faith journey seriously and was member of New Life Mennonite Church in Listie, Pa. He is survived by Brenda.

Theodore (Theo) Brian Yoder ’12, Kalona, Iowa, died at the age of 22 in his home in rural Kalona on April 12, 2012, after an intermittent 12-year battle with various cancers. Theo grew up on a farm in rural Kalona. He loved spending time working with hogs and helping his father and uncles tend to the crops. During

the summer months, he operated Yoder Quality Lawn Care, which he started at the age of 13. Theo attended high school at Iowa Mennonite School in Kalona. During his high school years he was highly involved in agricultural studies and in the Future Farmers of America.

At EMU, he majored in congregational and youth ministries and held a workstudy job with the athletic events office.

Due to a recurrence of cancer, Theo had to withdraw from his classes at EMU after the first quarter of his junior year in the fall of 2010. He was able to return to EMU the fall of 2011, but was forced to withdraw again. On March 3, 2012, President Loren Swartzendruber, with his wife Pat, visited Theo at his Iowa home and presented him with an honorary bachelor of arts degree. Thirty-one EMU students, plus Byron Peachey (campus pastor), Deanna Durham (professor and counselor to Theo) and Phil Guengerich ’70 (Theo’s work-study supervisor), traveled 18 hours on a bus to attend the funeral. President Swartzendruber was also in attendance.

Correction: The spouse of Alice Ruth Kauffman ’32 Gingerich was misnamed in her obituary in the Fall/Winter/Spring 201112 issue of Crossroads. She was married to Fred Gingerich.

Women Serving at Mental Hospital On page 7 of the spring 2012 Crossroads, three unidentified women “presumably serving under Mennonite Central Committee” were pictured at Cleveland State Mental Hospital in the summer of 1945.

Several people helped us to discover their names and the date of the photo: the woman at left in braids was Gladys Graber Beyler; Mary Ann Hostetter Melchert is in the middle; and Belva Waltner Unruh is at right. (Beyler confirmed this information from her home in Goshen, Ind.) Degree Key CLASS OF - attended as part of the class of a given graduation year.

HS - high school degree from era when high school and college were one MA - master of arts MDiv - master of divinity

retired physician Paul T. Yoder ’50, MAL ’92, wraps up six years of compiling hundreds of mileposts with this issue. his successor, Braydon Hoover '11, can be reached at braydon.hoover@emu.edu or at 540-432-4294. send news directly to braydon or to alumni@emu.edu.

MORE ALUMNI IN MENTAL HEALTH! The previous issue of Crossroads, published in the spring of 2012, covered dozens of alumni working in the mental health field.

Since then, the following alumni sent in updates, which we have compiled into this (still-partial) listing of alumni in the mental health field. EMU is blessed with a wealth of alumni who are working to address mental and relationship problems and to alleviate suffering!

CAROL BRUNK '89 // Resident services manager // Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community // After majoring in social work, Brunk earned a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from VCU. She writes that she has worked in various roles: "First, as an advocate for victims of domestic violence (2 years), then as a child protective services social worker (2 years), then as a rehabilitation counselor for persons with brain injury (10 years)." She has been in her current role for 8 years.

GAYL FRIESEN BRUNK '92 // Executive director // Valley Associates for Independent Living, Inc. // A social work major, Brunk heads a non-profit that serves a five-county and five-city area, with goals of promoting independence among people with disabilities and removing barriers to community life.

SANDRA DRESCHER-LEHMAN '79 // Pastor of Congregational Care and Worship at the Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church // See next entry.

JOHN DRESCHER-LEHMAN, CLASS OF '79 // Spiritual director, counselor // FernRock Retreat Center // John's wife Sandra writes: "John is doing his dream job of being a spiritual director and a counselor in private practice in his office above our garage and as he walks our property or paddles up our creek with clients.

Together, we're realizing our dream of providing a place for overworked, busy professionals like ourselves to have a place of restoration, on the land where we live, which we've developed into FernRock Retreat Center in Green Lane, Pa. " DOUGLAS FRIESEN '91 // Psychologist, pastor // Full-time at Psychological Health Affilates and part-time pastor at Blossom Hill Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa. // In addition to being a full-time psychologist in a group practice, Friesen is a part-time associate pastor of children and youth ministries at his church.

KARLA GINGERICH '86 // Psychologist, special assistant professor // Gingerich has done clinical work with people of various ages. Most recently she has been teaching full time in the psychology department at Colorado State University.

LOIS SNAVELY GRAY '63 // Therapist (LSCW) // Samaritan Counseling Center, Lancaster, Pa. // Gray writes: "Although I'm old enough to retire, I continue to see clients two days a week because I really enjoy my work and can't imagine stopping at this point. I see a lot of Medicare clients and am impressed by the possibilities of growth and change at any age.

My 'boss' is another EMU graduate, Gerald Ressler ('79). He has created a wonderful atmosphere of equality and collaboration among staff. My current job is the healthiest place I've worked since I graduated with my MSSW in 1971."

ALTA LEHMAN LANDIS '72 // Counselor // Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa. // Previously Landis worked many years for Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster, Pa., including serving as its clinical director.

JOHN E. LEHMAN '57 // Counselor // Private practice // Based in Florence, Kan., Lehman is a licensed clinical social worker and an advocate of Immanuel Healing Process, which he said originated with Ed Smith in 1995 and proved beneficial to healing needed by Lehman's son.

MAHLET "MAHI" MEKONNEN '09 // Case worker // Braley & Thompson, Inc., Therapeutic Foster Care // A social work major, Mahi writes from Alexandria, Va., "Couldn't have gone to a better university!!!!"

CHRISTIAN W. MOSEMANN '66 // Psychotherapist (LCSW, MSW) // Mosemann writes: "I'm 70 now but I'm still working because I can't think of a more satisfying way to spend my time. One of my regrets is that the field has not found a significant way to train people for marriage and parenting. My challenge to the university and to the next generation is to consider researching how we can prepare people to choose wisely and to be a wise partner and parent."

Community Services Board // After recovering from anorexia nervosa developed as an undergrad, Reed became a psychiatric nurse. She worked 2007-2011 at Western State Hospital in Staunton, Va., and now works at Arbor House, a crisisstabilization unit. She is also a resource person for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders in the Shenandoah Valley.

TERESA CHRISTNER RICE '04, MA '07 (COUNSELING) // Counselor // Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board // Married to an alumnus (Sheldon '02) and the mother of twin 2-year-olds, Rice is well-rooted in the Valley, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at EMU and employed locally.

program // University of Iowa // Yoder holds a masters in social work from Marywood College, has a social work license, and is a certified addiction counselor.

MORE INFO ON WARTIME MENTAL HOSPITAL SERVICE In the previous issue of Crossroads, we listed 29 alumni whom we believe served in mental health institutions under the Civilian Public Service program in World War II. We asked readers to correct errors and to fill in omissions and are grateful for these responses:

JACQUELINE MARIE SHOCK, MA '08 (CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION) // Psychiatric social worker // Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pa.

 “Please add my dad, WILLIAM J. RHODES (HS CLASS OF ’45), to the list of men who served in a mental health institution [Greystone Park State Hospital (N.J.)] under the Civilian Public Service program.” // From Gene C. Rhodes ’80

DICKSON SOMMERS '93, MA '95 (COUNSELING) // Supervisor of crisis stabilization // Arbor House under Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board // Arbor House is a seven-bed facility with 24hour clinical and nursing supervision, serving individuals who don't require psychiatric hospitalization, but need more support/supervision than they have staying in their home.

 MARY YAKE METZLER ’44 served at the Rhode Island State Hospital for Mental Diseases in the summer of 1945. She ended up being a psychotherapist in Goshen, Ind. // From Mary Jane Hershey, a Mennonite history buff in Harleysville, Pa., who is the wife and business partner of Hiram Hershey, class of ’50. (Mary Jane herself worked in a mental health unit in Skillman, N.J., in the summer of '49.)

SUSANNA STOLTZFUS, CLASS OF '64 // Mental health counselor (retired, 2005) // Beginning in the EMU nursing program, Stoltzfus earned an MA in counseling from Case Western Reserve University and then worked as a manager in community mental health for most of her career. She now is a volunteer with the Georgia State office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

She lives in a large ecologically oriented co-housing community in Decatur, Ga., that has a five-acre organic garden and makes decisions by consensus.

 RICHARD S. WEAVER ’36 (HS), ’53, was an attendant for nine months with patients who were prone to violence in the Harrisburg (Pa.) State Hospital. (In the previous Crossroads Weaver was incorrectly listed as serving in the Philadelphia State Hospital.) He then seized the chance to be a flight instructor with a team of COs working as parachute-jumping firefighters in Montana. In 1946, he married Virginia Grove Weaver ’41, a nurse who worked alongside Richard in his final CO assignments in Indiana and Montana. // From their son, Robert E. Weaver ’08, with additional details from his parents

KATRINA MARTIN SWARTZ '05 // Mental health case manager // Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board // Swartz majored in social work, minored in psychology.

NANCY PINZON, MA '05 (CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION) // Mental health counselor // Children Services of Virginia – Crossroads Counseling in Harrisonburg // Pinzon is a bilingual counselor offering intensive in-home services. She has taught conflict transformation at Bridgewater (Va.) College.

ROBERT "BOB" E. WEAVER '08 // Psychiatric nurse // Western State Hospital // Weaver, whose father served in the Harrisburg (Pa.) Mental Hospital during WWII, loved the mental health issue of Crossroads, but wished EMU's large contingent of psychiatric nurses had received more attention.

ANNETTE ZOOK REED '85 // Clinical specialist // Arbor House under Harrisonburg-Rockingham

D. LOWELL YODER '84 // Assistant director of social services & clinic director of chemical dependency

 EARL M. MAUST ’39 (HS) ‘41 served as a conscientious objector at the Rhode Island State Hospital for Mental Diseases in the city of Howard. // From family members  “The PAUL M. LANDIS (CLASS OF ‘48) pictured on page 12 did not serve in CPS. I knew that Paul; he was born in 1924 and is not listed in the 1951 book, The Franconia Mennonites and War. In the [online] Directory of Civilian Public Service, there is a Paul M. Landis from Bareville, born in 1914, who did serve at the Rhode Island State Hospital.” // From Dan Reinford ’51

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 29

Alumni Award Winners photographs courtest of christina and Vic Buckwalter

Christina Buckwalter

Training doctors and teachers in Kenya VIC & CHRISTINA BUCKWALTER:

ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

by Steve Shenk ’73

Two idealistic young people meet at EMU, earn their degrees in pre-med and education, and spend their entire careers serving others – without fanfare – at home and abroad. Now they get some fanfare from a university that values service and promotes the helping professions.

Vic Buckwalter ’73, originally from Cochranville, Pa., went on to medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Christina Yoder ’73 Buckwalter, from Barberton, Ohio, earned

30 | crossroads | summer 2012

a master’s degree in the psychology of reading from Temple University. Vic’s residency in family medicine was at Lancaster (Pa.) General Hospital.

“I got excellent preparation for medical school at EMU,” said Vic. “I took all the courses I could in anatomy and biology from Dr. Daniel Suter.”

The Buckwalters’ first stop in their careers of service was at the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, where Vic was a medical officer in the Indian Health Service for two years.

Then they went to Tanzania under Eastern Mennonite Missions, serving two terms with a two-year break in between. Vic worked in a hospital and Christina homeschooled their children – Benjamin, Nicholas ’05, and Molly.

After eight years in Africa, the Buckwalter family settled near Harrisonburg, in a house between Massanutten Peak and Keezletown. Christina taught at Waterman and Spotswood elementary schools and Vic practiced family medicine at Carilion Family Medicine in Weyers Cave.

But Africa beckoned again. This time – 2008 – they accepted a four-year term of service in Kenya under Mennonite Central Committee. They lived in Webuye in the western part of the country.

Vic was on the faculty at Moi University in the family medi-

Crossing Borders, Coming Home Homecoming and Family Weekend 2012 DAVID BOSHART, FOR CHURCH-BUILDING

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Vic Buckwalter

cine department. He taught Kenyan physicians who were pursuing post-graduate degrees in family medicine. One day each week they worked in a family medicine clinic.

Another day was devoted to over 400 diabetes patients. Funding from MCC provided a medication subsidy and supported a diabetes laboratory. Vic and his team provided glucose monitoring for some of the most poorly controlled patients requiring insulin therapy.

Christina worked as a reading specialist at the local public school—District Education Board Primary School. She taught small groups of students who needed extra help with reading.

(All students in Kenya are expected to be adept in both English and Swahili.)

Christina also traveled to the capital city, Nairobi, each month to train teachers at two Mennonite schools in impoverished areas.

The Buckwalters returned to their Virginia home in April 2012, where Vic joined the staff of Harrisonburg Community Health Center as a family physician.

So what did they think of being chosen EMU’s alumni of the year? “We were totally shocked,” said Christina. “How can we follow last year’s winner?” (Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, MA ’07.)

Some people dream of a denomination that grows by embracing diverse groups of people. David Boshart '86, MA '87 (religion), is facilitating such growth in his corner of the Mennonite Church USA. Boshart, who is executive conference minister for the denomination’s Central Plains Conference, has worked at better relationships with Hispanic-Mennonite churches.

When told that he had been singled out for an EMU award, Boshart said he was not sure he deserved it and gave credit for thriving Hispanic churches to Ramiro Hernandez, the Hispanic ministries coordinator for Central Plains Conference, and to classes offered in his conference by the Instituto Biblico Anabautista of the Mennonite Church USA. In nominating Boshart for EMU’s Distinguished Service Award, Margie Mejia Caraballo '84, associate pastor of Templo Alabanza, a Mennonite church in Moline, Ill., wrote: David is a forward-thinking leader who has served within the Anglo Mennonite Church in numerous levels of service and responsibility. However, what sets him apart … is that he has demonstrated the ability to also embrace Hispanic Mennonites and to lead us forward alongside our Anglo Mennonite brothers and sisters in love, peace and understanding.

Caraballo, EMU's 1997 Alumna of the Year, stressed the historic impact of Boshart's role: "Twenty or 30 years from now when we Hispanic Mennonites look back at our history, we will certainly include David Boshart as a part of that history."

In Boshart’s words: “We are developing partnerships among the emerging congregations for the purpose of mutual support and collaborative learning. We want to facilitate rich relationships to the enhancement of our collective spiritual vitality.”

An ordained minister for 26 years, Boshart has spent most of that time in Iowa. As moderator of Iowa-Nebraska Conference in the 1990s, he helped navigate its merger with Northern District in 2000 as part of the launch of the newly merged Mennonite Church USA. At the national level, Boshart has served on the executive committee of his denomination’s board and chaired the board of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He is frequently sought out as a speaker and organizer.

Boshart, who lives in Wellman, Iowa, works out of the conference’s ministry office in nearby Kalona.

www.emu.edu | crossroads | 31

Crossing Borders, Coming Home Homecoming and Family Weekend 2012

Join us October 12-14

The homecoming registration desk and Welcome Center are located in the main floor lobby of the Campus Center. On Friday it opens at 3 p.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m. Open hours on Saturday are 7:30 a.m until 2 p.m. Please come to the registration desk for your homecoming packet which will include tickets for your registered events and homecoming information. Tickets will be collected at events and meals, so begin your visit to campus by registering and receiving the necessary tickets and other materials.

“Renew friendships, share memories, and celebrate 30 years of EMU’s cross-cultural program!”

Friday, October 12 Homecoming chapel assembly Lehman Auditorium, 10 a.m.

Chapel program and guest speakers’ presentation will have a crosscultural focus, in keeping with the theme of the weekend. Check website for more information by mid-summer.

Registration and welcome center Campus Center Greeting Hall, 3-8:30 p.m.

Evening meal Dining Hall, 5-6:30 p.m., pay at the door.

Donor appreciation banquet University Commons lower level, 5:30 p.m.

Hosted by President Swartzendruber for members of EMU’s giving societies and Jubilee Friends. By invitation.

EMU theater: No Roosters in the Desert University Commons, Mainstage Theater, 8 p.m.

Please see description and ticket information on inside back cover.

32 | crossroads | summer 2012

Saturday, October 13 Breakfast programs: Business and economics breakfast and program Campus Center, Strite Auditorium, 8 a.m.

“Why Study Leadership?” by Dr. Benjamin Redekop, associate professor and chair, department of leadership and American studies at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Va. Reservations necessary.

Science Center annual breakfast and program Suter Science Center, 8 a.m.

“A Time Bomb in the Brain: Aneurysms of the Central Nervous System” by Dr. Chris Taylor ’91, associate professor and vice chairman of the department of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M. Reservations necessary.

Haverim breakfast and program Seminary foyer, 8 a.m.

Keynote speaker: Jane Hoober Peifer ’75, MDiv ’98, lead pastor of Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, Lancaster, Pa. Reservations necessary.

Nurses’ breakfast Campus Center, 3rd floor nursing department, 8 a.m.

A continental breakfast will be served in the classroom section of the lab. Reservations necessary.

Hall of Honor breakfast and awards University Commons, Court C, 8:30 a.m.

Erik Kratz ’02 will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Honor, along with the 1980 women’s field hockey team. Sponsored by the Loyal Royals and athletics department. Reservations necessary.

Language and literature department reception and program Common Grounds, 9-10 a.m.

(Location in the University Commons, lower level) Poet Chris Longenecker ’82, will read from her book of poetry, “How Trees Must Feel,” published by Cascadia in 2011.

Reservations necessary.

Jesse T. Byler Lecture Series Seminary building, room 123, 9 a.m.

“School of Hospitality” by Ken A. Boyers ’83, principal at Cub Run Elementary School, Harrisonburg, Va. “Help! Testing Has Taken Over My Teaching!” by Sylivia Clymer Helmuth ’79, reading specialist, Peak View Elementary, Harrisonburg.

Please register, no charge.

photographs by JAMES SOUDER

Opening program and festive gathering Lehman Auditorium, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Everyone is invited! Join alumni, friends, faculty and administration and reunite with your classmates in this familiar landmark. Celebrate the 2012 alumni award recipients, view a homecoming video, and enjoy an alumni ensemble. After the program, gather on the lawn for refreshments. Photos, luncheons and reunions are scheduled for class years ending in two and seven.

Please register for your class reunion and lunch.

Youth activities and lunch Grades 6-12, 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., meet at the homecoming registration desk in the Campus Center Come explore EMU! From academics to social life, EMU students and admissions counselors will lead the way. Free pizza lunch.

Reservations necessary.

Children’s activities (ages 4 to grade 5) Campus Center, room 201, 10:15 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Fun-filled activities organized by the EMU Student Education Association. Lunch provided. Reservations necessary.

In addition to the International Marketplace, there will be a few “cluster group reunions” for alumni and students who share a crosscultural “region” in common, such as Latin America or Middle East. Check the EMU website, or watch your e-mail inbox for more information!

EMU Theater: No Roosters in the Desert University Commons, Mainstage Theater, 8 p.m.

See description on back cover.

Sunday, October 14 Homecoming worship service Lehman Auditorium, 10 a.m.

Worship celebration of song and scripture. Alumni of the Year Vic and Christina Buckwalter and Distinguished Service Award recipient David Boshart will be recognized and will participate in the service. For child care, please register.

Lunch Main dining room, Northlawn lower level, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Pay at the door.

Childcare (ages 0-3) Campus Center, room 203, 10:15 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Reservations necessary.

Award recipient dinner (by invitation only) Martin Chapel, 12 p.m.

Celebration of Royals baseball Baseball field, 11:30 a.m.

Alumni vs. varsity game; cookout for alumni, current players, and families. Please register with the athletics office at schlable@emu.edu.

EMU Theater: No Roosters in the Desert University Commons, Mainstage Theater, 3 p.m.

Jubilee alumni luncheon and program Seminary building, Martin Chapel, 12 p.m.

This event is for alumni who attended EMU 50 years ago or more.

The class of 1962 will be honored and inducted into the Jubilee Alumni Association. There will be designated tables for reunion year classes. General seating is available for other Jubilee alumni guests. Reservations necessary.

Intercollegiate games Women’s volleyball vs. Lancaster Bible, 1 p.m.

Women’s soccer vs. Randolph-Macon, 1 p.m.

Field hockey vs. Virginia Wesleyan, 4 p.m.

Men’s soccer vs. Lynchburg, 7:30 p.m.

Encore! dessert reception and program Lehman Auditorium, recital hall, 2 p.m.

Sponsored by EMU’s music department and Encore! alumni support group. Open to anyone, this event features student and faculty talent. Please register, no charge. Donations welcome.

Intensive English Program (IEP) open house Roselawn 1st floor, 3–4 p.m.

Come by and visit the IEP students and faculty in their new location, renovated and opening for 2012-13.

International Market Buffet University Commons, Courts B & C, 5–7:30 p.m.

Please see description on the registration page to the right.

Monday, October 15 Alumni Association annual council meeting 8 a.m.

Registration form

International Market Buffet

List only those attending and indicate how the names should appear on name tags. Please include birth name.

Name ___________________________________Class ___________

Spouse/Guest ____________________________Class ____________

University Commons, Courts B & C, 5–7:30 p.m.

Address _________________________________________________ City _____________________________________________________

Enjoy this buffet as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the cross-cultural program with an evening of international cuisine, performers, musicians, and storytellers. Singing, dancing, and other talents from some of the regions visited

by EMU cross-cultural groups will provide entertainment and bring back memories as we mingle and dine. An opportunity for alumni and students to meet and share common or similar experiences with others who have traveled, or will travel, to the same parts of the world. Meal is included for students with an EMU meal plan.

All are welcome. Reservations highly encouraged.

A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. To ensure your admittance, please register in advance.

Online registration opens August 1st. Conduct registration and payment securely online

by October 8th at midnight at emu.edu/ homecoming or in person in the alumni office; or return this form and payment, with check payable to Eastern Mennonite University,

by October 1.

Any registrations to be conducted after these dates will need to be made upon arrival at the welcome center in the Campus Center on Homecoming Weekend.

Online www.emu.edu/homecoming Mail Alumni Office, EMU, 1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg VA 22802

E-mail __________________________Day Phone _______________ Childcare, under age 5 Name _____________________________________ Age __________ Name _____________________________________ Age __________ Children's activities, ages 5 through grade 5 Name _____________________________________ Age __________ Name _____________________________________ Age __________ TEAR HERE

Registration

State_______________________________Zip___________________

Youth activities, grades 6-12 Name _____________________________________ Age __________ Name _____________________________________ Age __________ Tickets Breakfast programs

No.

Cost

Total

Haverim & seminary alumni breakfast

______ $5.00 ______

Science continental breakfast

______ $4.00 ______

Hall of honor breakfast

______ $8.00 ______

Business & economics breakfast

______ $8.50 ______

Nurses’ breakfast

______ $5.00

______

Language & literature reunion

______ free

______

Encore! reception and program

______ free

______

Jesse T. Byler Lecture Series

______ free

______

Luncheon Programs

Theater tickets are available only through the box office.

Class reunion luncheon

______ $7.00

______

Jubilee alumni lunch

______ $8.50

______

Questions? Please call (540) 432-4245. You may also reach us by fax (540) 432-4444 or e-mail: homecoming@emu.edu

International Market Buffet

Refund policy: To receive a refund, send your cancellation notice by October 5.

Dinners

______ $12.00 ______

Children (5-12) ______ $7.00 ______ Children (0-4) ______ free

______

Total amount enclosed ______

emu.edu/homecoming

Office Use Only ID # ___________ Amt Rec’d $________ Amt Due $____________

emu.edu/homecoming

Hotel Reservations (block room)

Homecoming 12-14, 2012

Callers must mention EMU Homecoming & Family Weekend as code.

Best Western, offering the best deal Tel: (540) 433-6089 Rooms: 20 Lift date: September 12, 2012 Candlewood Suites Tel: (540) 437-1400 Rooms: 15 Lift date: September 1, 2012 Pets allowed.

EMU Guest House Tel: (540) 432-4280 Rooms: all rooms plus availability in local homes.

Lift date: as long as “supplies” last…

Hampton Inn South Tel: (540) 432–1111 Rooms: 15 Lift date: September 1, 2012 Hampton Inn University Tel: (540) 432–1111 Rooms: 15 Lift date: September 1, 2012 Sleep Inn Suites Tel: (540) 433-7100 Rooms: 15 Lift date: September 1, 2012

Pets allowed.

See www.harrisonburgtourism.com for more information

NO ROOSTERS IN THE DESERT a play by Kara Hartzler ’94

EMU Theater: No Roosters in the Desert University Commons, Mainstage Theater 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday This riveting play is written by an award-winning playwright and immigrant rights lawyer, EMU alumnus Kara Hartzler ’94. Based on interviews

by Anna Ochoa O’Leary PhD, four women trek through the desert towards the American dream. On their way, they push the limits of their physical and emotional endurance, as they establish profound connections with each other through the storytelling of the youngest of them, an indigenous woman from Chiapas.

For more information, visit www.emu.edu/box-office or call the EMU box office at (540) 432-4582, Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., beginning September 1.

LinkedIn

Want an opportunity for greater career and professional networking with other EMU alumni?

Create an account and search for Eastern Mennonite University Alumni Association on LinkedIn at www.LinkedIn.com. Additional free online resources are available to alumni at www.emu.edu/careers/alumni.

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A t F o c

EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID Harrisonburg, Virginia

Harrisonburg, VA 22802-2462 Parents: If this is addressed to your son or daughter who has established a separate residence, please give us the new address. Call (540) 432-4294 or e-mail alumni@emu.edu

don’t miss the brochure inside the 200 back cover!

EMU Homecoming 8 Oct. 10 - 12

don’t miss the brochure inside the back cover!

EMU Homecoming 2012

Don’t miss your class reunion!

Reunions for alumni who attended EMU 50 years ago or more will gather at the Jubilee Alumni Luncheon at 11:30 a..m in the Campus Center’s Martin Greeting Hall. All other reunions, for the classes of 1963 and later (grad years ending in 3 or 8) will begin at 3:30 p.m. After meeting in your designated location, each class will also have a space set aside for additional gathering and fellowship at the evening dinner, to be held in the dining hall, first floor of Northlawn. Please register for both your class reunion and the dinner to follow. All Homecoming and Family Weekend guests are welcome to register for this Family and Reunion Dinner. Serving lines will be open 5 – 6:30 p.m.

this event, please contact Kirsten Beachy at 432.4164 • beachyk@emu. edu or Vi Dutcher at 432.4316 • violet.dutcher@emu.edu.

Oakwood Reunion

OCTOBER

12-14

All Alumni who once resided in Oakwood will come together to share memories and refreshments.

See inside for more details of these special reunions and online at www.emu.homecoming

weather vane Reunion

All alumni who were once a part of the Weather Vane staff are welcome to attend a reception hosted by the language and literature department.

Former Weather Vane editors will reminisce about their experiences on EMU’s student newspaper. Advance reservations recommended; no charge. If you were a former editor and want to share your memories at

EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

Crossing Borders, Coming Home

Harrisonburg, VA 22802-2462

Parents: If this is addressed to your son or daughter who has established a separate residence, please give us the new address. Call (540) 432-4294 or e-mail alumni@emu.edu

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID Harrisonburg, Virginia

EMU invites alumni, parents, and families to Homecoming and Family Weekend 2012!

There are activities and events planned for all throughout the entire weekend.

Look inside for more details and registration information and online at emu.edu/homecoming