Know Jesus

About 200 middle school students from 16 South Central and Western District Mennonite Church USA conference congregations in Kansas descended on campus for the Know Jesus event Jan. 31 to Feb. 1. Participants learned about their Anabaptist faith heritage from Hesston history instructor John Sharp ’73, psychology and youth ministry instructor Kevin Wilder and pastoral ministries alumnus Ron Moyo ’12, Saturday night worship pastor at Whitestone Mennonite Church (Hesston). A weekend highlight was the Anabaptist Game, hosted by Michele (Schrock) ’81 Hershberger and the Bible and Ministry Department.

AVDS

More than 180 participants in the Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series Feb. 13 to 15 explored questions of pursuing nonviolence and the way of Christ in a violence-filled world. The conference, “Overcoming Evil: Ordinary People Making a Difference,” featured Father John Dear, a peace activist and 2008 and 2015 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Dear emphasized nonviolence as the “vision of the heart that sees every human being as your brother and sister.” Breakout session presenters shared about peace in different contexts and from a variety of backgrounds and faith traditions. Ted Swartz and Tim Ruebke ’88 of Ted & Company TheaterWorks presented the satirical drama I’d Like To Buy an Enemy.

Spring break trips

Hesston College students, faculty and staff dispersed around the globe during spring break March 7 to 15. One group, led by Gregg Schroeder ’86 and his wife Cindy, traveled to Russia (March 4 to 17) to learn about the culture, history and their fields of study in a different cultural context. A disaster management team traveled to Pilger, Neb., to help the Mennonite Disaster Service unit stationed there rebuild homes destroyed in a spring 2014 tornado. Faculty members Tony Brown ’69, John Sharp ’73 and alumnus Bruce Rogers ’72 led a group comprised of students, faculty, staff and friends of the college to the Deep South to learn more about the 1960s civil rights movement and retrace the Selma to Montgomery, Ala., march in remembrance of the 50th anniversary. The softball team and coach Andrew Sharp ’99 played three games in Phoenix during the break.