In the News

Hesston College to host screening of Fed documentary

Hesston College will host a screening of the feature-length documentary film Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 on the campus in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. The event is free and open to the public, though an offering will be collected to help cover expenses.

Immediately following the film, business faculty member David LeVan will facilitate a talk-back conversation about the film and the Federal Reserve.

“The film provides a clear introduction to the history and structure of the Fed, while offering praise and criticism for its role during times of economic crisis in our country,” LeVan said. “The film asks viewers important questions about the appropriate role of the Federal Reserve and its use of monetary policy. I hope the film will spark conversations.”

Money for Nothing – which is now playing in select theatres nationwide – was made by a team of American Film Institute, Sundance and Academy Award winners. Written, produced and directed by Jim Bruce, the film aims to explore questions such as “How can the Federal Reserve steer our nation toward a more sustainable path?” and “How can the American people – who the Fed was created to serve – influence an institution whose inner workings they may not understand?”

Community members and business leaders are particularly invited to attend.

Hesston College Community Night features free admission to basketball games

The Hesston College alumni department hosts its annual Community Night during early-season home basketball games on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The teams will face NJCAA Division I Barton Community College (Great Bend, Kan.), with women’s tip off at 6 and the men at 8 p.m. in Yost Center. Admission is free for all.

The evening will include performances from the Hesston High School and Wichita State University dance teams, and pep bands from Hesston High and Hesston College. Free basic haircuts by 2003 Hesston College alumna Christy Pickerill of Snip n’ Clip Hair Shop, Newton, Kan., a pop-a-shot game for kids, halftime contests and henna tattoos will add to the fun.

“We have a great evening of entertainment and athletic competition lined up,” said Director of Alumni and Church Relations Dallas Stutzman. “We hope this free event is a small way to say thanks for the support that is given to the college and its athletic programs from alumni and friends each year.”

In addition, the college’s admissions department will host a Faith and Sports devotional time and pizza supper led by men’s basketball coach Dustin Galyon at 6:30 p.m. in Bontrager Student Center on the Hesston campus. All Hesston area youth are invited, either with their church youth group or individually.

“We are excited to provide this opportunity for local youth,” said vice president of Admissions Rachel Swartzendruber Miller. “We aim to host a unifying, multi-faith event that introduces spiritual life and student life at Hesston College.

Hesston College gears up for annual Thanksgiving Weekend activities

Hesston College will host its 46th annual Thanksgiving Weekend celebration Nov. 28 to 30. The public is invited to attend several events that have become Hesston College traditions.

The weekend lineup includes activities for all ages, including a traditional Thanksgiving meal, the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, a talent show, a student-directed one-act play, men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, a two-mile run/walk and a luminary walk at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains.

“Thanksgiving Weekend is filled with fun events for people of all ages,” said Dallas Stutzman, director of Alumni and Church Relations. “It’s a great time for guests and the community to experience the many gifts and talents of our students.”

Hesston’s Thanksgiving Weekend allows students’ families and prospective students a glimpse at the Hesston Experience and community.

Prospective students are welcome for a full campus visit weekend, including a majors expo on Friday, Nov. 29, campus tour and spending the night in the dorms. Siblings of current students are especially invited to attend.

Weekend events of special interest include the Thanksgiving buffet prepared by Hesston College Food Service and hosted by faculty and staff members. The dinner will be from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 in Bontrager Student Center. Reservations are required. Meal costs are $11 for adults and $8 for children ages 5 to 12.

The opera Amahl and the Night Visitors will be presented twice throughout the weekend – at 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 28 and at 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30, in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The Christmas-themed tale, directed by Rachel Jantzi, is a “children’s opera” telling the story of the three kings searching for a newborn king. The opera features music and theatre students as well as faculty members Tony Brown and Matt Schloneger. Tickets for the performances are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased in the Hesston College Bookstore, by calling 620-327-8105 or at the door prior to the performance.

Students, faculty and staff will display their talents through song, skits and video at a 10 p.m. talent show Nov. 28 at Hesston Mennonite Church. Admission is free.

Seasoned and casual runners and walkers can work off their Thanksgiving feasts during the 22nd annual Howard Hustle two-mile run/walk at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29. An early entry fee of $20 is being offered to registrants before Nov. 21. The fee after Nov. 21 is $25. Entry fees cover t-shirts and a chip timer for each participant. Proceeds will be donated to the Hesston College Wellness Equipment Project. Individuals may donate a gift to the project without participating in the run. Medals will be given to overall and age group winners, and door prizes will be given to winners and participants as well. Registration information can be found online at hesston.edu.

A memorial tribute will be held for former faculty member Al Yoder at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, in Smith Center room 8. Yoder served the college for many years, working with international student and teaching English as a Second Language. He passed away in April 2012.

Former faculty members Sharon Cranford and Dwight Roth will share short reflections on their historical fiction book, “Kinship Concealed: Amish Mennonites and African-American Connection,” and sign copies of the book at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, in Smith Center room 119.

The Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, Chorale, Concert Band and String Ensemble will perform works from their fall repertoire at a 2:30 p.m. concert Friday, Nov. 29 in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.

A student-directed one-act play, “Sister Mary Explains It All for You,” directed by sophomore JD Hershberger (Hesston, Kan.) will be at 4:30 and 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 29, in the Northlawn Studio Theatre. Admission is free.

Weekend guests are invited to the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains’ annual luminary walk from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 30. The candlelit walk will be themed to “The Nutcracker Suite.” Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children 15 and younger.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will host Central Community College (Seward, Neb.), Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.) junior varsity for the Thanksgiving Classic basketball tournament sponsored by Mid America Youth Basketball Nov. 29 and 30.

A complete weekend schedule and registration information can be found on the Hesston College website or by calling the Special Events office at 866-437-7866 or 620-327-8109.

Art gallery features collection pieces

The Hesston College Regier Friesen Gallery is featuring recent acquisitions to the Hesston College Permanent Art Collection until Dec. 13.

Pieces include glass-work, paintings, drawings, photography and wood and clay sculptures purchased from or donated by alumni, student, current and former faculty artists and donors.

The gallery, located in Friesen Center for the Visual Arts on the Hesston College campus, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Photo release - A sister school partnership

Hesston College and Bluffton (Ohio) University perform at "A Celebration of Gospel: Music and Worship in the African-American Tradition" at Hesston College.

A combined choir of Hesston College’s Bel Canto Singers and Chorale and Bluffton (Ohio) University’s Gospel Choir perform under the direction of Bluffton’s Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle during “A Celebration of Gospel: Music and Worship in the African-American Tradition” Oct. 27 on the Hesston College campus. The high-energy evening performance featured each individual choir as well as the combined mass choir with guest composer, arranger and gospel historian Rev. Dr. Raymond Wise (Columbus, Ohio). The Bluffton choir used the trip as a way to connect and collaborate with Hesston College, its Mennonite Church USA sister institution. The mass choir also performed in Hesston’s Monday morning chapel service and Bluffton campus pastor Stephen “Tig” Intagliata shared a short message.

Hesston College students support school for former child soldiers

When Hesston College student leaders discovered a need for fundraising for a Ugandan school for former child soldiers, they rose to the challenge.

Fueled by a passion for service for others, they are recruiting more students, faculty and staff to showcase their talents for the cause.

The Hesston College Peace and Service Club, led by co-chairs sophomores Josh Landis (Sterling, Ill.) and Kendrik Mast (Harrisonburg, Va.), will host a talent showcase featuring Hesston College students, faculty and staff at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. A free-will donation will be collected during the event with proceeds benefitting the Anthony Brown Baritone Comprehensive School in Pader, Uganda in East Africa.

The Anthony Brown Baritone Comprehensive School is named in honor of Hesston College sociology instructor, artist in residence and internationally acclaimed baritone and promoter of peace Anthony “Tony” Brown. The school, run by the Ugandan organization Friends of Orphans, provides a free education for formerly abducted child soldiers, orphans and other vulnerable children in the war-torn country.

Uganda has been devastated by more than 20 years of civil war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the government. The LRA has abducted an estimated 40,000 children to fight, making up 90 percent of LRA soldiers.

For those fortunate enough to escape from the LRA, reintroduction into society is not always easy. The Anthony Brown School has an agricultural component, and local production is part of its income and sustainability plan. Students receive a typical education while also learning agricultural trades that eventually help them secure jobs and support themselves. The school is in need of $2,000 to ensure it can maintain high quality education.

The school operates modestly, but is committed to helping as many troubled youth as possible. The fundraising project is the kind of thing students in the Peace and Service Club are committed to doing. They plan one peace-related activity and one service-related activity each month.

“We wanted to help with this project because it is something practical we can do as college students,” said Landis. “It is a need that we can help satisfy while helping to improve other people’s lives.”

Acts in the talent showcase will include vocal selections by Tony Brown, poetry by President Howard Keim, choral pieces by the Bel Canto Singers and a student magic act among others.

Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts season offers eclectic lineup

The 2013-14 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts season will again feature five varied and exciting musical performances from around the world at Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) venues.

“This year’s HBPA season features something for everyone,” said HBPA director Matt Schloneger. “We’re especially excited to be presenting the Soweto Gospel Choir for the first time since 2006 and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the world’s premiere guitar ensemble, for the first time. We’re also happy to be making use of Krehbiel Auditorium in Bethel College’s newly renovated Fine Arts Center for two of our concerts this season.”

The season kicks off with JazzReach featuring Metta Quintet, a dynamic, nationally recognized New York-based ensemble of some of today’s brightest emerging jazz artists at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, at Bethel College’s Krehbiel Auditorium. JazzReach is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music. Metta Quintet is the organization’s resident ensemble featuring some of the organization’s most esteemed, creative artists.

The Wichita (Kan.) Chamber Chorale, the region’s premiere choral ensemble, will present its annual Christmas program at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5, at Hesston College. The chorale, now in its 36th season and under the direction of Dr. Mark Bartel of Friends University (Wichita, Kan.), is a professionally trained adult vocal ensemble which explores a wide repertoire of musical styles. The chorale will be joined by the Wichita Brass Quintet and will feature Hesston Mennonite Church’s Andover tracker pipe organ.

Acclaimed Broadway singing actress and Bethel College alumna, Rachel de Benedet will perform Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Tell Me on a Sunday” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, in Bethel’s Krehbiel Auditorium. The musical is a one-woman telling of an English woman’s journey to “make it” in America through disillusionment, betrayal and personal victory.

The world-renowned and Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, at Hesston Mennonite Church. The group is made up of four uniquely accomplished musicians who perform concerts with a repertoire ranging from bluegrass to Bach.

The season’s final performance will feature the two-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 28, at Bethel College’s Memorial Hall. The choir celebrates the unique and inspirational power of African Gospel music with a repertoire ranging from the traditional African gospel to Bob Dylan. They have performed on television and for world leaders and entertainers. The Soweto Gospel Choir performance will also be the kick-off event for the month-long “Spring Into the Arts” festival in Harvey County.

HBPA Season tickets are available from $75 to $85 for adults. Single tickets can also be purchased across price ranges for individual performances. Discounts are available for students and senior citizens.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 620-327-8158 (Hesston College) or 316-284-5205 (Bethel College), email hbpa@hesston.edu or visit the HBPA website

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series, now in its 32nd year, is a collaborative effort of Hesston College and Bethel College, presenting five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year. HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the Hesston Community Foundation and area patrons.

Hesston College to host disaster and trauma response professional

Hesston College will host trauma educator and pastor Ruth Yoder Wenger on campus Oct. 29 to 30. The public is invited to hear stories of her work with several national disaster organizations during a 7 p.m. presentation Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center and during an 11 a.m. Hesston College chapel service Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.

Wenger will be joined by Paul Unruh (Hesston, Kan.), a community worker with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), for the Tuesday evening program entitled “Bridging Gaps: Stories of Peace and Hope in a Troubled World.” Hesston Mennonite Church pastor John Murray will serve as moderator.

Wednesday morning’s chapel service will focus on “Finding God in the Midst of Trauma.” Consideration will be given to traumatic incidents that befall students, including anxiety, depression and conflicts with friends.

Wenger (New York, N.Y.) is the director of training for the National Disaster Interfaiths Network (NDIN) where she facilitates disaster chaplain and spiritual care worker trainings. She is co-author of the Interfaith Disaster Chaplain training curriculum.

She also serves as executive vice president of New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS), where she represents MDS on the board of directors and represents NYDIS among its partner organizations. She is a training coordinator for Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) NYC where she trains leaders in the effects of trauma on individuals and communities and the steps towards healing.

Wenger was MDS’s Restoring Hope Project Manager in New York City following 9/11. Prior to the September 11 attacks, she directed community based education programs in the Northwest Bronx. She is also pastor of North Bronx Mennonite Church and moderator of the New York City Council of Mennonite Churches.

“We are pleased to host Ruth Yoder Wenger on campus,” said Russ Gaeddert, director of the Hesston College Disaster Management Program. “Her experience with disasters and working with the people who go through them is beneficial information for students, pastors, disaster response volunteers and leaders of churches or organizations.”

Area singers to join for celebration of gospel music

Hesston College will host a choral festival, “A Celebration of Gospel: Music and Worship in the African-American Tradition” at 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

Led by the Bluffton (Ohio) University Gospel Choir, under the direction of Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle, the concert will feature Bluffton and Hesston’s choirs – the Bel Canto Singers and Chorale – as well as local church choirs. A mass choir comprised of all the choirs and local independent vocalists will also perform three songs composed by Dr. Raymond Wise (Columbus, Ohio), a composer, arranger and gospel historian who will be in attendance.

Along with enjoying the sounds of gospel music, concert attendees will have an opportunity to learn about gospel music’s rich history and connection to other styles of music and worship.