In the News

Photo release - Grandparents explore diversity

above Grandparents of Hesston College students learn about the diversity of Africa from Pastoral Ministries Director Tim Lichti, freshman Zenawit Nerae (Ethiopia) and sophomores CJ Chukwukelu (Nigeria) and Ron Moyo (Zimbabwe) during one of the Grandparent Days sessions.

Hesston College hosted more than 70 grandparents of 42 students during the college’s annual Grandparent Days March 29 to 30. Grandparents traveled from five states to spend time with their grandchildren and learn more about Hesston College. The theme over the two days was “The Many Faces of Diversity.” Presenters ranged from students to faculty and staff to community members and explored the diversity of students’ backgrounds, religious beliefs, learning styles and hometowns and countries on the Hesston College campus.

“I have been impressed with Hesston College for a long time,” said Lester Eigsti who traveled with his wife Gloria from Goshen, Ind., to visit their grandchildren sophomore Jill Eigsti and freshman Russell Klassen, both of Goshen. “Hesston’s friendly atmosphere and support system really gives students the opportunities to discover a life path.”

(left) Freshman Zenawit Nerae (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) presents about the traditions and religions in her home country; Hesston College sophomore Andrew Penner (Fresno, Calif.) gives a campus tour to a group of grandparents on campus for the college’s annual Grandparent Days March 29 to 30.

Nursing students experience cross-cultural clinicals

Providing medical care in a building with unpredictable electricity, observing cataract surgeries performed by the light of a flashlight and with local anesthesia, caring for patients while dealing with language barriers, making friends and bridging cultural gaps – that’s how a group of Hesston College nursing students spent their spring break.

Rural India is not a typical college student spring break destination. But for the group of seven nursing students and one of their instructors, it was the spring break trip of a lifetime.

While many of their classmates used the week away from classes to relax, the group traveled 32 hours one way – 20 of those hours in the air – adjusted to an 11 and a half-hour time difference and went without the comforts and amenities of home to spend two weeks observing and working in India’s health care system Feb. 29 to March 13.

The group was hosted by Menno-Clinic, India in the southern village of Chiluvuru, Andhra Pradesh, for a cross-cultural experience that provided them with clinical opportunities in a new environment and culture while putting their growing nursing knowledge to practice.

“Nursing care is really universal,” said Jean Rodgers, the nursing instructor who accompanied the students. “Nurses throughout the world have the same basic care knowledge. This was an opportunity for the students to experience nursing care from a much different cultural sense than they are used to.”

Menno-Clinic opened in 2002 as an affordable option for medical care. Dental and eye care were added in 2007. The vision for the clinic was started by Dr. Subbarao “Doc” and Olga Yarlagadda who wanted to help improve the lives of the people in their native country. With support and fundraising assistance from the Emma Mennonite Church congregation in Topeka, Ind., and other Mennonite churches and organizations around the world, the clinic became a reality.

Doc, who now lives in Memphis, Tenn., accompanied the Hesston group along with Hesston College alumni John C. Murray and his son John N. Murray. The elder Murray was lead pastor of Emma Mennonite Church during the clinic’s early stages and now serves as lead pastor at Hesston (Kan.) Mennonite Church. John N. is a youth pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Ariz.

“When Menno-Clinic was started, part of the dream was to bring people from the United States to engage in the clinic, so this was like a dream come true,” said the elder Murray, who serves on the clinic’s board of directors. “The people at the clinic were grateful for these students who took an interest in them and who they are and made them feel valued and cared for. The interactions were a step in helping break down long-standing caste barriers.”

The students spent several days at Menno-Clinic working in a rotation to participate in different aspects of the clinic – taking blood pressures and pulses at the initial check in, helping doctors in the exam room, observing cataract surgeries and other procedures at the eye clinic and in the lab and pharmacy. They also visited local government operated and private hospitals where they were able to see the differences in health care between the United States and India and even within India itself.

“The standards of care in India are different than the standards we follow in the U.S.,” said Rachel Tippin (Elbing, Kan.). “I learned it’s important to not judge the system because of its limitations and just learn as much as I can.”

Government-run health care in India means free health care, but the students saw how it has greatly decreased the quality of care in government hospitals. A lack of funds, resources and staff make sanitary conditions and proper care difficult.

“I was really struck by the conditions of the hospitals,” said Logan Duerksen (Newton, Kan.). “They try their best to keep the hospitals sanitary, but it’s difficult for the staff to help people get better when they are exposed to so much – even in the hospitals.”

Outside of the clinic and hospitals, the group spent time getting to know local people and becoming acquainted with the culture and beliefs. They attended a Hindu wedding, spent a day playing with children at an orphanage and led Sunday school at a local Christian church.

The group also took time to go from house to house in the village visiting with John C.’s friends from his nine previous visits to India and learning about their lives and families.

“The hospitality the people showed us was overwhelming,” said Kara Ropp (Kalona, Iowa). “They were eager to host us and made us feel like old friends.”

In a country where Christians, Muslims and Hindus make up the majority of the population, the Hesston students had commonalities with only a handful of those with whom they interacted. The country’s historical idea of a caste system also presented difficulties as the students tried to connect with and give back to the people assisting them during the trip. Yet they found that the differences didn’t matter all that much.

“We came from different backgrounds and beliefs, but it was great to be able to come together over food and conversation to fellowship, eat and laugh,” said Anna Yoder (Garden City, Mo.).

As the students returned to campus to finish the remaining seven weeks of the semester and process the impact of the trip, they found that their worlds and professional understandings have grown.

“The trip was beneficial to me as a nurse because it helped me see how important it is to be considerate of the different cultures and lifestyles within a community,” said Duerksen. “Nursing is more than just the medical aspect – it’s valuing relationships with patients and co-workers so they are reminded that they matter.”

Cross-cultural nursing trip blog

Grace Schmidt (Wichita, Kan.) watches a cataract surgery at Menno Clinic India. The surgeries were 15 to 20 minute procedures performed with local anesthesia and, at times, by the light of only a flashlight as electricity was unpredictable.

Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts receives NEA grant to support concert and residency by The Rose Ensemble

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts is one of the grantees and will receive $10,000 to present an April 27 concert and three-day residency by The Rose Ensemble. The 863 grant awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Rose Ensemble’s April 25 to 27 residency with Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts will include outreach performances and lectures for the student bodies of Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton) as well as for Goessel Elementary School and two Newton elementary schools. The Rose Ensemble will also lead a free public choral master class with the Hesston College and Bethel College choirs at noon on Wednesday, April 25, in the Bethel College Administration Building Chapel. The residency will culminate with a public concert entitled “Music from the Land of Three Faiths: Voices of ancient Mediterranean Christians, Jews and Muslims” at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The Rose Ensemble reawakens the ancient through imaginative performances of vocal music with historical instruments and a vocal sound critics have called “supernatural.” Based in St. Paul, Minn., the ensemble was winner of the 2005 Chorus America Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. The group’s concerts and recordings have been called “first class” (Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung), “impassioned and brightly alive” (Choral Journal) and “engaging… satisfying” (Gramophone).

“Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA,” said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I’m pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities.”

Matthew Schloneger, director of HBPA, is grateful that the NEA continues direct grant funding to Kansas organizations despite the organization’s cuts in 2011 for matching funds for the Kansas Arts Commission.

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Schloneger. “HBPA is one of only five Kansas organizations to have received direct NEA funding for each of the last five years, and I think that speaks to the incredible artistic quality of our series.”

In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges. Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

Single ticket prices for the Rose Ensemble’s Hesston concert range from $15 to $18, depending on seating section, with discounts available to 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 at www.hesston.edu/hbpa.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series, now in its 30th year, started in 1982 as the

Hesston Performing Arts Series (HPA) with funding and planning provided by Hesston College and the Hesston community. In 1998, HPA planners launched a partnership with Bethel College (North Newton) and the name changed to Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts. Hesston College and Bethel College host five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year.

Hesston College students to preach during Holy Week

Four Hesston College students – Dani Klotz (Wakarusa, Ind.), Mariah Martin (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), Leah Rittenhouse (Mount Pleasant, Pa.) and Tyler Yoder (Bay Port, Mich.) – will share preaching duties for the Burrton community-wide Holy Week series at 7 p.m. April 1 to 4 at Burrton Mennonite Church. The Holy Week series is open to the public.

The students are enrolled in a preaching course with Hesston College Bible and Ministry faculty member Michele Hershberger and will deliver the sermons in preparation for Easter and as a way to gain practical experience for the class and their futures in ministry.

“Over the past several years I have audited several Bible classes at Hesston while I taught the same classes at Ellsworth (Kan.) Correctional Facility,” said Burrton Mennonite lead pastor Jim Dunn. “I have observed many capable and dedicated students who are testing a variety of calls into professional church wide ministries. Giving students the opportunity to preach at Burrton is simply another setting in which each student might hear and receive confirmation for that call, both from God and folks in the community.”

Yoder, a sophomore, will preach on April 1. His message will focus on Jesus’ call to servant leadership as he prophesied his death during the Last Supper.

“We need to remember that we can be a leader while still being a servant – they go hand in hand,” said Yoder.

Yoder will graduate in May with an associate of arts degree in youth ministry. He plans to continue his studies at Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), pursuing a degree in congregational and youth ministry. Yoder is grateful for the opportunity to branch out from his usual focus of working with youth and minister to a more diverse congregation.

“It will be an interesting experience preaching to a congregation that is older than me and that comes from a variety of denominational backgrounds and beliefs,” said Yoder.

Klotz, a sophomore, will preach on April 2. Her message will focus on Jesus’ encouragement of non-violence as he prepares his disciples for his death.

“The passage is a little confusing because at first glance it seems that Jesus is contradicting himself on the issue of non-violence,” said Klotz. “It’s a topic I care a lot about, but I don’t think it’s ever an easy topic to teach or preach about. When you tell someone to be non-violent, you have to have a lot of integrity yourself.”

Klotz will graduate in May with an associate of applied arts and sciences degree in business and an associate of arts degree in Bible. She plans to continue her studies at Goshen (Ind.) College, pursuing a degree in business with a minor in conflict transformation studies. She is focusing on Bible at Hesston as a way to learn more about her own faith and the Anabaptist tradition in which she was raised.

“Studying Bible helps me learn more about my faith and be an informed Christian,” said Klotz. “Preaching class is teaching me skills I may not use often use in a formal setting, but it will help me as I share my faith with others.”

This summer, Klotz and her husband, Natanael Fontan, will work with Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA in South Texas.

Martin, a freshman, will preach on Jesus’ prayers on the Mount of Olives on April 3.

“I want my message to be a reminder of the importance of prayer and communication with God in our lives,” said Martin. “I hope that the congregation relates to the difficulties and joys of prayer and that they are challenged to follow Jesus’ example to live a life of greater, deeper and truer prayer.”

Martin is studying Bible and Ministry with the hopes of pastoring a church in the future. She is glad for the experiences preaching class offers as she explores the duties of a pastor.

Rittenhouse, a third-year student, will preach her sermon on Peter’s denial of Jesus on April 4.

“I want this passage to challenge us to follow Jesus more closely, even when that means heading into situations that are uncomfortable or scary,” said Rittenhouse. “Transformation often comes from those experiences.”

Rittenhouse earned her associate of arts degree and completed the Disaster Management Program in May 2011. She is non-degree seeking during her third year, focusing on youth ministry and Bible classes and exploring the ways ministry can be a part of any career.

“I wanted to take some of the classes I didn’t have time for in my schedule when I was doing disaster management,” said Rittenhouse. “I am finding that disaster management and a lot of what I am learning in the Bible department go together well. They are both about serving and ministry. Disaster management gave me the skills and tools to help manage disaster situations and my Bible classes explain why we serve.”

Burrton Mennonite Church is located at 411 North Reno Avenue in Burrton.

Dani Klotz, Mariah Martin, Leah Rittenhouse and Tyler Yoder

Music department to perform spring concert

The Hesston College music department will perform its spring concert at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20 in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

Featured performances include the Concert Band and Bel Canto Singers under the direction of Bradley Kauffman and Chorale under the direction of Ken Rodgers. A string trio coached by Rebecca Schloneger will also be featured.

Each ensemble will perform musical selections from its repertoire, spanning styles across centuries and the world.

Located 30 miles north of Wichita, Hesston College is the two-year liberal arts college of Mennonite Church USA.

A disco-infused midsummer night

No hippies or 1970s glam rockers appear in William Shakespeare’s original script of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” but the Hesston College Theatre Department’s interpretation of the timeless play infuses the Elizabethan setting with a little bit of the disco era.

The cast of Hesston College students and faculty members will present Shakespeare’s classic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 7 p.m. March 23, 24, 30, 31 and at 2 p.m. April 1 in the Northlawn Studio Theater on the Hesston College campus.

Although it was written more than 400 years ago, the play remains one of Shakespeare’s most accessible and most performed comedies through its use of humor and outrageous action.

The Hesston College production, under the direction of theatre faculty Laura Kraybill, keeps the original Old English script, but throws it into the 1970s with characters portraying hippies, glam rockers and trend setters in the style of John Travolta’s iconic movie “Saturday Night Fever.”

“Shakespeare’s brilliant script transcends time, and over the centuries, theatre groups have brought ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ into many eras,” said Kraybill. “It’s a fun-loving play that I thought just fit well with the trends of the 70’s.”

The story is essentially one of social norms being turned upside down. Midsummer is known as the summer solstice, and ancient beliefs say it is a time when mythical creatures roam freely and strange occurrences are likely.

Shakespeare’s “midsummer” is set in a forest where the fairy world mixes with the human world of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors causing hilarious confusion and antics. The Hesston production includes dance numbers set to 70s pop hits to heighten the humor and give the interpretation a unique twist.

“Move over high school English teachers – this is an experience that will blow traditional interpretations out of the water,” said Kraybill.

The cast mixes students and faculty members as Bible instructor Michele Hershberger, communication instructor Rachel Jantzi and chemistry instructor Jim Yoder fill significant roles.

“Working with the faculty in the play is a lot of fun,” said freshman Cameron Ponce, Elkhart, Ind., who plays Theseus and Oberon. “Each of them brings a good deal of talent and humor to the piece.”

Yoder has performed countless roles in Hesston College theatre productions in more than 40 years in the science department, and the upcoming production marks his second run with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In the college’s 1995 production, he played the confident though bumbling Nick Bottom who ends up with the head of donkey. In the new adaptation, he plays Peter Quince, the leader of the group of actors, and Egeus, the disapproving father of one of the young lovers.

“Besides being a somewhat unusual and most engaging presentation of a Shakespearean comedy, this production is a really wonderful experience,” said Yoder. “It has stretched me in many ways, considerably more than I expected.”

The faculty members in the cast add to the theme of shaking up the expected and are sure to give their students a surprise glimpse at how they can be outside of the classroom.

“There are not many times when you will see a Hesston College Bible instructor in black leather and green glam rock makeup,” said Kraybill.

“I enjoy getting to know students in this different setting,” said Yoder. “I have to take feedback as they do and work equally hard on learning lines, blocking and character development. The students are invariably gracious, supportive and affirming of my participation. I learn so much more about them and can appreciate the richness of their gifts and talents in ways that I otherwise would never know.”

The play is suitable for audiences of all ages. Running time is about two and a half hours including intermission.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens (65+). Tickets can be purchased through the Hesston College Bookstore in person, by phone at 620-327-8105 or online. Tickets will also be available at the door 30 minutes before each show and are subject to availability.

Experiencing everywhere

Rachel Neufeld has hiked in the Andes Mountains, lived in a London flat, traveled around Europe, paddled hollowed-out canoes into remote villages in Papua New Guinea and enjoyed the beaches of Australia. She’s tried ethnic foods and experienced cultures and histories all around the globe. Hearing about all of her adventures, one might wonder how she has time to work, but these adventures are her work.

As a traveling nurse and native of British Columbia, Canada, who got her start at Hesston College, Rachel fully embodies the college’s tagline of “Start here, go everywhere.”

“Hesston is the reason I can do what I do,” said Rachel. “As a travel nurse, you’re expected to know what you’re doing. You just show up and they throw you into a unit. Nursing care is universal. It comes from having a good base and an understanding of nursing fundamentals, and that’s what I received from Hesston.”

In her 10-year travel nursing career, she has lived in Philadelphia, Denver, Colorado Springs, Seattle, San Diego, Wolfpoint, Mont., London, Peru, Papua New Guinea and Australia. While the locations offer plenty of opportunity for travel and new experiences, her first commitment is to provide care for those who need it and to learn about the nursing field in different cultural contexts.

“I go where the wind blows, and the wind keeps changing direction,” said Rachel.

As a student at Hesston, Rachel kept a busy schedule, but found a balance between the intensity of the nursing program, playing on the volleyball team and participating in theatre productions.

“Volleyball and theatre were good outlets for the stress of nursing and all the heavy duty academics,” said Rachel.

Bonnie Sowers, Hesston College director of nursing, remembers Rachel as a creative and respectful student with a passion for the people around her and achieving her goals.

“Rachel was delightful to have as a nursing student,” said Sowers. “She was positive, engaging and a friend to all. Clinically, her patients and nursing staff also loved her.”

After earning a two-year associate degree in nursing from Hesston in 2001, Rachel got her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). She was drawn to the idea of new adventures every few months and began considering travel nursing as a career. She could contract with a hospital for three months and then move along to the next place, with new sites, foods and cultures to satisfy her curiosity.

“I flit around from hospital to hospital doing shifts in random units wherever they need me,” she said. “I’ve done high-drama nursing with trauma patients, worked in public health care and in hospice. The broader the experiences I can have, the better.”

The high adrenaline atmosphere of trauma nursing was where Rachel thought she felt most at home, until she landed an ongoing job at a hospice in London. The opportunity to explore other cultures’ approach to end-of-life care, to adopt some of those practices and incorporate them with the holistic approach to care she learned at Hesston is what helped Rachel fall in love with hospice work.

“Working in hospice changed the course of my career,” said Rachel. “I appreciate Hesston’s approach to holistic care. I have been shocked by the lack of empathy and sympathy I have heard from some nurses. Patients have told me they can tell a difference between nurses with holistic training and those who had a more medical approach.”

During her time in Australia, from December 2010 to November 2011, Rachel contracted with hospitals and a hospice in the northern coastal city of Darwin to maintain a balance of different skill sets.

“I made an effort to learn a culture’s view of death and dying,” she said. “I love to help people have the best process possible – to maintain dignity, reduce suffering and enjoy the time you have instead of fighting it.”

Not all of Rachel’s experiences have been in traditional hospitals or with traditional care. In 2008, she spent six months volunteering in Peru with Volunteer Abroad. Her first three months were spent in a remote, rural public health clinic in the Andes Mountains, followed by three months in a hospice in Lima providing care for patients with HIV and tuberculosis.

Part of her time in Australia was spent volunteering with Youth With a Mission. Based from an Australian medical ship, she was part of a team that set up temporary basic public health clinics in remote villages in Papua New Guinea.

“I never saw Rachel as someone who would want to be contained in a very prescriptive role, but she certainly understood protocol, structures and the need to be professional,” said Sowers. “She was creative, but not someone who wanted to rock the boat just because she could.”

Regardless of the setting or the culture, Rachel comes away with new ideas and a new perspective on what she thought she previously knew.

“Taking things from other cultures has shaped my view of medicine,” she said. “I would like to see a balance in Western care between medications and natural products. I appreciate the advances in Western medicine, but sometimes you just need a little tea.”

Rachel doesn’t know what she might encounter next, but she is confident Hesston College gave her a solid foundation to be prepared for whatever might come her way.

“I have encountered nursing students and nurses at other schools, but Hesston is, hands down, the best nursing program I have seen,” she said. “Clinicals start right away and correlate directly with classroom input. The standards are high, which forces hard work, but it’s allowed me to do what I need to do. It was totally worth the work.”

Hesston College to host Nehemi Chigoji as pastor in residence

Hesston College will host Nehemiah “Nehemi” Chigoji of Upland, Calif., as pastor in residence March 19 to 21.

Chigoji, pastor of First Mennonite Church in Upland, brings experience working with diverse groups to the Hesston campus and wider community. His work includes ministering to an older Caucasian Mennonite congregation that has begun attracting young and ethnically diverse people from the neighborhood to the church. The congregation is also merging with an immigrant Indonesian congregation and shares worship space with a Spanish-speaking congregation.

Chigoji played professional soccer in Europe before being called to ministry. He has extensive cross-cultural experience, having lived in five countries on three continents. He is also involved as a Theme Planning Committee member for the 2013 Mennonite Church USA convention in Phoenix, Ariz.

As church leader in residence, Chigoji will connect with Hesston College students and local pastors. He will share his life story and work during chapel March 19 with “My Story: How God used sports, three continents and a mixed up marriage.” March 21 chapel will again feature Chigoji speaking on “How God can use your story to further His story.” Chapel is at 11 a.m. in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary and is open to the public.

Local pastors are invited to take part in a free Church-College Conversations with Chigoji and Hesston College President Howard Keim beginning at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 19. The schedule includes Hesston College chapel, lunch and discussion with Chigoji and a time to discuss and share about the Christian education of youth as they journey to adulthood led by President Keim. Pastors interested in attending the workshop should contact the Hesston College Church Relations office at 620-327-8109 or toll free at 866-437-7866.

Hesston College Chorale to present spring break concert in seven states

The Hesston College Chorale will present its spring break tour concert celebrating the Lenten season in 10 churches and schools across Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri March 2 to 11.

• Friday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Southern Hills Mennonite Church, 511 Southeast 37th Street, Topeka, Kan.
• Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at Milford Mennonite Church, 920 3rd Street, Milford, Neb.
• Sunday, March 4 at 10:45 a.m. at First Mennonite Church, 12100 Adams Street, Lincoln, Neb.
• Sunday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at Salem Mennonite Church, 27844 443 Ave., Freeman, S.D.
• Monday, March 5 at 10:20 a.m. at Freeman Academy, 748 S. Main St., Freeman, S.D.
• Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at First Mennonite Church, 305 North 7th Street, Mountain Lake, Minn.
• Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at Madison Mennonite Church, (meets at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ building) 1501 Gilbert Road, Madison, Wis.
• Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at East Bend Mennonite Church, 702 CR 3300 N, Fisher, Ill.
• Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship, 3752 Giles Ave, St. Louis, Mo.
• Sunday, March 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Sycamore Grove Mennonite Church, 5 miles north of Garden City, Mo., on Sycamore Grove Rd.

The concerts are free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be collected to cover program costs. Hesston College alumni and friends are particularly invited to attend.

The 47-voice mixed chamber choir will be under the direction of Nathaniel Yoder, a 2010 Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) graduate, who is filling in for director and music faculty member Ken Rodgers.