August 20, 2008
Slightly more than $3,500 has been added to the Hesston College Pastoral Ministries Endowment Fund as a result of a golf benefit, Saturday, August 16. The fund provides scholarships for Pastoral Ministries students.
Seventy-two golfers on 18 teams participated in the 22nd annual event, featuring a four-person scramble with handicaps, at the Hesston Golf Park.
Tournament director Charles Hostetler said they were blessed with a beautiful day. “We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather,” he said. “I think everyone had a wonderful time.
“I was pleased with the turnout,” he continued, “given the present economy and gas prices. We’re also grateful for the sponsors and those who donated prizes. Everyone went home with a prize.”
Hostetler also thanked the tournament committee, who participated in various ways. They include Denton Jantzi, Hesston, Kan., a member of the Hesston College Board of Overseers and a 1994 graduate of the Pastoral Ministries program; John Schrock, Hesston; Phyllis Weaver, Hesston College Development associate; Verlene Garber, development assistant and golf coordinator for the college; and Dave Greiser, director of the Pastoral Ministries program.
Hostetler said golfers came from Hesston and the surrounding area, and included Pastoral Ministries graduates. John Burkey from Milford, Neb., traveled the farthest distance. And one unique team was comprised of Michele Hershberger, chair of the Hesston College Bible and Ministry division, with her husband Del, and her parents, John and Phyllis Schrock, all from Hesston.
Greiser, now in his third year as director of the Pastoral Ministries program, enjoys the golf tournament each year. “The tournament is one of my favorite events of the year—for more than just the golf!” he said. “It always moves me to see the number of committed people who support our students by sponsoring and playing in the tournament.
“Our Pastoral Ministries students often have substantial financial needs as they come to Hesston,” he continued. “When they meet the folks who play in this event, they realize what a large pool of generous people stand behind their preparation to be pastors.”
The two-year Pastoral Ministries program, begun in 1985, helps meet an ongoing critical need for qualified pastoral leaders in Mennonite Church USA congregations and beyond.
This fall, ten men and one woman are enrolled in the program, ranging in age from 25 to 60, and coming from Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, and the country of Haiti.
Hesston College Pastoral Ministries Program