In the News

Promoting peace through story, song and connection

“People are often quick to respond to an act that violates collective peace, but nobody comes just to learn ways that those kinds of situations could be prevented,” mused peace ambassador Tony Brown.

With a recent partnership between Brown’s Peacing It Together Foundation and Hesston College, access to resources that promote peace and social justice will no longer be an excuse for those kinds of educational experiences.

“Over the last few months, we have been exploring a new future for Peacing It Together, and I am proud to announce that the organization will now partner with Hesston College in the work of peace building,” wrote Brown in a December 2019 letter to Peacing It Together supporters.

Brown, an internationally-acclaimed baritone, founded the Peacing It Together Foundation, which served the global community as a resource for peace and social justice, using music and the spoken word to bring people together across the divides of race, culture and religion. In 20 years of travels, Brown saw music transform and heal in countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea, Colombia, Indonesia and more.

In its new joint venture with Hesston College, Peacing It Together will continue to promote peace through the unifying mediums of storytelling and music. Joining Brown, who will continue to resource programming, will be added voices of Hesston College students, faculty and staff members.

“With a long history of being a welcoming place for international students and other diverse groups, Hesston College students naturally bring stories and songs that span divides and help us recognize our common humanity,” said Brown. “With Peacing It Together being part of Hesston College, the institution can extend its unique community and approach to connection with others who also desire a world with more understanding and compassion for all.”

Brown and Hesston College also know each other well, as Brown served full time at Hesston College, his alma mater, from 2000 to 2015 in a variety of roles that met his personal gifts and professional aspirations. He has been artist in residence, sociology faculty member, campus counselor and internal consultant for diversity and inclusion. In 2015, Brown retired from full-time work and moved to his childhood home area of Pittsburgh, Pa., while continuing part-time work for Hesston College. As he coordinates Peacing It Together programming for the college, he will again be serving in a part-time artist in residence role.

Instead of a global focus as Brown had maintained for many years, the first target initiative in the partnership will focus on building relationships and connections locally to Hesston College. A customizable program called Seeing Each Other’s Light will be a space to hear stories and songs that bring more understanding to the diverse people, cultures and faith traditions in which the program is performed. Primarily featuring Hesston College students and Brown, members of the hosting communities will also be invited to share their stories and cultures through music.

Seeing Each Other’s Light will premier on Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m. at the Emanu-El Congregation Reform Synagogue, 7011 East Central Ave., Wichita, Kan.

The program will also be in partnership with the Wichita non-profit Global Faith in Action. The organization works “to help people of differing ideologies and faith practices focus on commonly held beliefs” through respectful dialogue and learning.

“This new program – Seeing Each Other’s Light – is intended to acknowledge the validity of interfaith groups that are part of the Wichita community and other surrounding communities, and show how we’re all part of something bigger – a larger humanity,” said Brown.

Other Peacing It Together programs have been part of Brown’s ongoing repertoire, including Songs and Stories of Peace, Hope and Justice from Around the World, and I Go On Singing: Paul Robeson’s Life in Word and Song, which is a documentary concert experience on the life of the early civil rights advocate.

“This new future for Peacing It Together is the living out of its vision – connecting across divides,” said Brown. “It’s thrilling to me.”

The Queen’s Cartoonists perform for the eyes, ears and funny bone

You might think a group calling itself the Queen’s Cartoonists would be British – and you’d be wrong.

The six members of the ensemble are actually from Queens, New York, which is just the first taste of the plays on words, puns and general hilarity the QC bring to the concert hall.

Cartoons, however – classic to contemporary – are definitely part of the group’s goal to get people of all kinds to enjoy jazz and classical music.

The Queen’s Cartoonists are the fourth event in the 2019-20 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series. They will play in Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center at Bethel College Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The Queen’s Cartoonists’ repertoire comprises music from classic cartoons and contemporary animation, in performances synchronized to video projections of the original films.

The band leads the audience through “a world of virtuosic musicianship, multi-instrumental mayhem and comedy.”

Tying their diverse performances together are comedic anecdotes about the cartoons, artists and composers.

According to the QC website, “The band is on a musical mission of equal parts performance, preservation and education.

“Expect the unexpected from repertoire that includes the Golden Age of animation, cult cartoon classics, modern animation and elements of a musical circus.”

Pianist and piano teacher Joel Pierson founded the Queen’s Cartoonists in 2015 and now serves as the creative director. He has performed on all seven continents (yes, even Antarctica), written music for the 2013 film The Internship and authored two books, You Suck at Piano and 20 Piano Pieces for People with Emotional Problems.

Drummer Rossen Nedelchev is a native of Sofia, Bulgaria. He is the band leader of Alter View and plays drums for singer Jana Mashonee and for the Qualia, in addition to the QC.

Drew Pitcher is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flute and harmonica) and an alumnus of the University of North Texas and the famous One O’Clock Lab Band, and has performed with artists such as the Coasters, the Drifters, the Platters and Wayne Newton.

Trumpeter Greg Hammontree is a professional freelance trumpet player who has a reputation as “a fearless cartoon trumpet master” who will “take on any challenge, no matter how fast, ridiculous or potentially dangerous.”

Mark Phillips was born and raised in Australia and moved to New York in 2011. After starting out studying the classical saxophone, he is now a Selmer Artist on woodwinds and plays clarinet for the QC.

Anchoring the QC on bass is Larry Cook, a native of Columbus, Ohio, who has spent his musical life “steeping in the tea bags of jazz, bluegrass and soul music.”

Since their inception in 2015, the Queen’s Cartoonists have brought their unique sound to performing arts centers in more than 20 states, have opened for the New York Philharmonic and have been featured in numerous major publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and Mashable., and on NPR.

Single tickets for the Queen’s Cartoonists range from $27 to $18 (Bethel and Hesston students get in free) and are for sale at Bethel College’s Thresher Shop, open weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m., the Hesston College bookstore, open weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., or through the HBPA website.

The final event in the 2019-20 season is the Celtic band Goitse, March 9 at Hesston Mennonite Church.

The series started in 1982 as Hesston Performing Arts, then expanded in 1998 when Hesston College joined forces with Bethel College for Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts, to present five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each school year.

HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the North Newton Community Foundation, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, KMUW Wichita Public Radio and KHCC Radio Kansas. Area businesses, such as Hesston Rodeway Inn, and patrons provide additional funding for the HBPA series.

Fall 2019 academic honors

Hesston College announced the names of full-time students whose fall 2019 semester grades earned them a place on the Dean’s List (3.90 to 4.00) and Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.89).

Dean’s List – First-year

Christian Becker, Marion, Kan.
Aidan Boettcher, Benton, Kan.
Jacob Boller, Kalona, Iowa
Sydney Bontrager, Milford, Neb.
Luis Caraccioli, Corpus Christi, Texas
Katelin Keough, Albany, Ore.
Destiny Kessay, McNary, Ariz.
Kureha Kimura, Yokohama, Japan
Natalie Ladd, Hesston, Kan.
Grace Litwiller, Hopedale, Ill.
Kara Longenecker, Rockingham, Va.
Alex Miller, Arlington, Kan.
Kanade Morita, Chigasaki, Japan
Claire Moyer, Thompsontown, Pa.
Yuya Muranaka, Hiroshima, Japan
Caleb Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho
Natalie Paramo, Plumas Lake, Calif.
Erin Peters, Hesston, Kan.
Alexis Silvey, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Alexie Tibbs, Paragould, Ark.
Tanner Unruh, Washington, Ill.
Romina Xhari, Lezhe, Albania

Dean’s List – Sophomores

Gabriella Audrey, Semarang, Indonesia
Willow Baer, Marshallville, Ohio
Jacob Baker, Andover, Kan.
Erin Beachy, Middlebury, Ind.
Sabrina Bellar, Conway Springs, Kan.
Abby Busby, Bandera, Texas
Matthew Byler, Shipshewana, Ind.
Olivia Galbraith, Millersburg, Ohio
Levi Geyer, Oxford, Iowa
Alyssa Hershberger, Wellman, Iowa
Mio Hirata, Kani, Japan
Aya Iseki, Taito, Japan
Monalisa Khim, Wichita, Kan.
Hannah Klusman, Ford, Kan.
Jaden Lais, Grantsville, Md.
Dane Milburn, Lincoln, Neb.
Jessie Miranda, Turlock, Calif.
Michael Mullet, Lagrange, Ind.
Macey Murray, Denver, Colo.
Anna Myers, Sedgwick, Kan.
Reese Nebel, Hesston, Kan.
Dara Ness, Goddard, Kan.
Jonathan Ortiz, Wichita, Kan.
Caitlyn Phillips, Mustang, Okla.
Tobie Plett, East St. Paul, Manitoba, Canada
Raelynn Reeves, Abilene, Kan.
Justus Sneary, Harrisonburg, Va.
Rei Vuksani, Tirana, Albania

Dean’s List- Juniors

Karen Audreyella, Tangerang, Indonesia
Annalys Hanna, Fraser, Colo.
Chris Lichti, Shickley, Neb.
Laura Riehl, Hutchinson, Kan.
Kalissa Walker, McPherson, Kan.

Dean’s List – Seniors

Ashley Call, Wichita, Kan.
Nicole Cutler, Hutchinson, Kan.
Makenzie Farnham, Little River, Kan.
Krystan Friesen, Hutchinson, Kan.
Autumn Gehman, Adams, Tenn.
Arianna Herrick, Moundridge, Kan.
Noah Miller, Hesston, Kan.
Megan Thomason, Independence, Mo.
Sally Wilson, Wichita, Kan.

Honor Roll – First-year

Luke Allison, Hurley, S.D.
Easton Barrier, Benton, Kan.
Caleb Bisterfeldt, Whitewater, Kan.
Kerem De La Cruz, Wichita, Kan.
Gina DeFazio, Wichita, Kan.
Morgan Graybill, Freeport, Ill.
Cristal Guzman, La Vega, Dominican Republic
Shoei Imaizumi, Ota, Japan
Marta Jantzi, Salem, Ore.
Ethan Klassen, Mountain Lake, Minn.
Pin-An Lin, Taipei City, Taiwan
MacKenzie Mordecai, Buffalo, Texas
Jo Anne Mulatre, Hinche, Haiti
Paige Myers, Windfall, Ind.
Mikayla Ognissanti, Rocklin, Calif.
Curtis Ohlmeier, Wellsville, Kan.
Suhyeon Park, Pyeongtaek-si, South Korea
Diane Soguilon, Newton, Kan.
Hannah Williams, Corning, Calif.
Jessica Wilson, Spring, Texas
Tobias Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va.
D’Angelo Young, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Benisa Zogu, Lezhe, Albania
 

Honor Roll – Sophomores

Anyssa Aguilar, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
Jacob Bontrager, Smithville, Ohio
Leah Booton, Lehigh, Kan.
Thomas Brown, Valley Center, Kan.
Muskan Budha Magar, Dang, Nepal
Simone Burgess, Los Angeles, Calif.
Dimitri Giannakopoulos, Cypress, Texas
Trey Greening, Monett, Mo.
Brett Heitschmidt, Lindsborg, Kan.
Emilie Johnson, Canton, Kan.
Sarah Keck, Topeka, Kan.
Ian Lecki, Overland Park, Kan.
Rachel Miller, Freeman, S.D.
Masataka Miyake, Tatebayashi, Japan
Sari Nakazawa, Akiruno-shi, Japan
Emma Prowell, Lenexa, Kan.
Parris Rawls, McKinney, Texas
Maleah Sandy, Girard, Kan.
Jasmine Taylor, Nassau, Bahamas
Navyonny Widyani, Jakarta, Indonesia
Ellie Willinger, Maize, Kan.
Laura Yeboah-Appiah, Kumasi, Ghana
Laurine Yeboah, Appiah, Kumasi, Ghana
Ellie Yoder, Seattle, Wash.
Ejona Zogu, Lezhe, Albania

Honor Roll – Juniors

Gracie Hochstetler, Leesburg, Ind.
D.J. Kintigh, Middlebury, Ind.

Theatre, humor and an auction to raise money for the work and training of disaster relief

Popular theatre company, Ted & Co., which uses humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice, has teamed up with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) for a show that raises awareness, funds and volunteers for MDS. Two evenings of the event, “Boots, Buckets and Barrows,” will be held in south central Kansas, including one hosted by the Hesston College Disaster Management program on Friday, January 31, at 7 p.m., at Hesston Mennonite Church.

In “Boots, Buckets and Barrows,” Ted & Co. presents the original play, The Jesus Stories: Faith, Forks & Fettuccine, which is interrupted twice to auction off buckets filled with baked goods, home items and more. Show admission is free, and proceeds from the auction benefit the continued work of MDS as they help to restore communities, homes and lives ravaged by natural disasters. The Hesston College event will also include Disaster Management students auctioned off in a work auction, and a portion of the evening’s proceeds will go toward Disaster Management student scholarships.

A second showing of “Boots, Buckets and Barrows” will be on Saturday, February 1, at 7 p.m., at Journey Mennonite Church in South Hutchinson (808 S. Poplar).

New ministry program launching for developing church leaders

A new ministry program geared toward pastors and other adult learners who desire more training as church leaders will launch at Hesston College with the fall 2020 semester in August.

Called the Center for Anabaptist Leadership and Learning – or “CALL” – the program will be a hybrid of online and in-person learning that seeks to equip leaders for ministry and discipleship in daily life as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

“CALL focuses on the Missional model of ministry, which equips every follower of Christ to live with sacred purpose by enabling them to do ministry and mission in their daily lives,” said Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg, director of CALL. “Every person has been called by God for a sacred purpose. CALL will focus on looking for sacred opportunities in the secular rather than thinking the secular needs to come to our church buildings to find Christ.”

CALL will operate with a variety of educational experiences. The primary experience will be a hybrid online certificate in missional leadership well-suited for those interested in church leadership education and for pastors with advanced degrees interested in further missional training.

“The Missional Leadership Certificate is an introduction to missional concepts and practices, as well as disciple-making,” said Schrock-Ringenberg. “It’s for those who seek particular emphasis in missional church and missional leadership, and who may not have the luxury of time or resources for general education courses.”

The in-person learning experiences part of the CALL program will be called Learning Labs, and will be short-term, immersive learning opportunities to put missional engagement to action. Learning Labs already in place include a partnership with Myanmar Mission International, a church planting network, to experience cross cultural leadership training and ministry opportunities, and a three-week urban experience in Philadelphia that partners with indigenous church leaders from several ethnic group congregations.

Short-term, non-credit educational opportunities geared toward congregational or other group learning will also be part of CALL through weekend experiences known as Weekend College. Focused on specific topics, Weekend College is launching in January 2020 with a “Bible as Story” offering based on Hesston College’s Biblical Literature (Bib Lit) course.

Other Weekend College topic offerings include “Five-fold Church Leadership” or “5Q” focused on organizing the life and ministries of the church around the Ephesians 4 ministries of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds (Pastors) and Teachers, and “Peacemaking and Justice,” which studies the biblical and theological foundation for nonviolence, peacemaking and justice through a historical Anabaptist perspective.

The CALL program replaces Hesston College’s Pastoral Ministries program, which was discontinued following the 2014 spring semester after 29 years of operation. When the Pastoral Ministries program ended, Hesston College administrators stated that the college would research and explore how best the college could continue to contribute to the pastoral and lay leadership needs of Mennonite Church USA and the wider church. The CALL program is the result of that discernment process.

“We are living in an exciting moment in church history where we are being called to explore new ways of being God’s Church in the world,” said Schrock-Ringenberg. “It is Hesston College’s call to partner with the church as we listen to the Holy Spirit’s direction and experiment together in mission.”

Learn more about CALL.

Financial responsibility and stewardship focus of annual AVDS weekend

Hesston College will partner with Everence Financial for a weekend conference focused on stewardship of finances, resources and hospitality. The annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series conference (AVDS) will be February 21 to 23 with the theme “Living More with More: Redefining the Good Life.”

The weekend’s content will have interest points for all life stages from high school-age youth to retirement, as well as group-focused content relatable to church congregations and other organizations. The cost to attend is $80 for adults with discounts available for groups and members of sponsoring congregations. Clergy can attend at no cost through an Everence grant. The student and youth rate is $30. Registration is available online.

“This year’s AVDS conference will help participants think about their financial resources and philanthropy in terms of personal goals and their faith,” said Dallas Stutzman, Hesston College director of church relations and event organizer. “We’ll grapple with defining ‘the good life’ and church in a way that everyone thrives.”

Seminars and keynote presentations throughout the weekend will focus on understanding one’s personal history with money and resources, careers, hospitality, finances, generosity, trauma and economic injustice, health and wellness, and more. Some seminar tracks are designed specifically for students, pastors, lay leaders and Spanish-speaking participants.

The conference keynote presenters are Leonard Dow and Colin Saxton, both of Everence Financial, and Michele Hershberger, Bible and ministry professor at Hesston College. In addition, other Everence Financial employees and local pastors will serve as seminar presenters.

Dow is a Stewardship and Development Specialist in Philadelphia where he helps individuals and communities in urban areas strengthen, sustain and build financial capacity.

Saxton is a Stewardship Consultant in Oregon, helping individuals, congregations and nonprofits integrate faith and finance through stewardship services and financial resources.

In addition to teaching at Hesston, Hershberger is the author or co-author of several resource books, including one of the conference texts, A Christian View of Hospitality: Expecting Surprises.

See the full weekend schedule and seminar descriptions.

MLK Day celebration to include live documentary stage show honoring early civil rights work

In observance of Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day and the civil rights work of Dr. King and others, Hesston College will host peace ambassador and internationally-acclaimed baritone Tony Brown in his documentary concert experience, I Go On Singing: Paul Robeson’s Life in Word and Song. The show will be on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

Tickets for I Go On Singing are $12 for adults and free for students and children college-age and younger. Tickets can be purchased at the Hesston College Bookstore in Erb Hall or by calling 620-327-8104. They will also be available at the door prior to show time.

Promotion for I Go on Singing states: “Before Rosa Parks. Before Martin Luther King. Before Nelson Mandela. There was Paul Robeson.”

The 90-minute song-filled, multi-media presentation recounts the life and work of Paul Robeson, an influential 20th century figure who was successful and widely known in a variety of arenas. Robeson was an all-American athlete, scholar, champion orator, international recording artist and star of the stage and screen during the 1930’s and 40’s. He was also a social activist and courageous example of integrity and discipline in the service of peace.

The Denver Post praised the show, which has been performed in venues across the country since 2011, saying, “Brown delivers with generous beauty.”

Accompanied by a pianist, photo and video projection and a narrator, I Go On Singing is equal parts historical documentary and live concert experience with Brown depicting Robeson. Using excerpts from Robeson’s autobiography, Here I Stand, and comments from legendary peace activist and artist Pete Seeger, the show traces Robeson’s humble beginnings as a preacher’s son in Princeton, N.J., to his international celebrity and pioneering activism on the world stage.

Serving as narrator for the Hesston show will be Victor Hogstrom, president and CEO of KPTS TV Wichita (PBS).

Brown, who The Seattle Times noted as “a warm and noble baritone,” is an international promoter of peace and Hesston College artist in residence. His work as a musician has taken him to areas of conflict around the world to use music and storytelling for peacebuilding across the divides of race, culture and religion.

The I Go On Singing performance is part of several days of public community events hosted by Hesston College in observance of MLK Day. Other events include:

• Jan. 19, 10:30 a.m., Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, will bring the Sunday morning worship service message at Hesston Mennonite Church
• Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Guyton will present a free community workshop on community-building. Event description: Diversity, equity and inclusion were at the heart of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Join us for a community event focused on translating those principles into a dream for the future that connects with founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The intersection of the American and Dr. King’s vision can help us all grow, increase our productivity and expand the impact of our businesses, civic leaders, private organizations and residents of Hesston and Harvey County. We can do more together, increasing our cultural competence and generating opportunities for our community.

Thank you to Everence for their sponsorship of the show, helping to offset some of the ticket cost.