In the News

Impacting the world one student at a time

Bible and Religion professor Marion Bontrager taught the first Biblical Literature class at Hesston College in 1986. As Bontrager’s brainchild, the class was meant to ensure that students would receive biblical teaching from an Anabaptist perspective as part of their core curriculum.

The impact the class would have on the students who spread its reach to their churches, communities and careers was not part of the immediate vision.

In the 25 years Bib Lit – as it is affectionately called – has existed at Hesston College, more than 5,000 students have been through the class. As those students fulfill the “go everywhere” the college proclaims, they take with them an expanded worldview, a new way of reading the Bible and a broader understanding of their own faith.

“Bib Lit is impacting the church one student at a time,” said Bontrager. “Students go home and share what they learned with their churches.”

Josh Miller, a 1999 graduate, enrolled in Bib Lit his first semester. Miller grew up attending Mennonite and Presbyterian churches and took his faith seriously. The semester of Bib Lit would prove to be instrumental in his call to ministry.

“In Bib Lit the Bible came to life in a new way,” said Miller. “For the first time, I saw how the entire biblical story fit together as a whole and how it continues in the mission of the church.”

Now an Anglican priest in Pittsburgh, Pa., Miller recognizes the impact Bib Lit has on his day-to-day life and ministry.

“When congregants say that a sermon helped them, I know one of the reasons it did so is because of the foundation laid in Bib Lit,” said Miller. “It was there that I learned not to take anything for granted in a passage, and that the church was called to be a group of people who reach out to the world in love, spreading God’s Kingdom in tangible and spiritual ways.”

Bib Lit begins with inductive Bible study, which looks at the Bible in its historical context instead of reading passages from a modern understanding. The course then weaves together everything from Genesis to Revelation, moving into church history and the present, and reveals the Bible as a narrative of God and the people of God, more than a compilation of stories.

The class refers to the narrative as “Heilsgeschichte,” a German word meaning salvation history. As the students move through Heilsgeschichte, they learn to understand different approaches to interpretation and how that affects the way they read the Bible. A major portion of each student’s grade is retelling Heilsgeschichte either through oral presentation or written format.

“The class builds a foundation for critical thinking and analysis when studying the Bible or in any area of life or academics,” said Bontrager.

For sophomore Samantha Brouwer, Moundridge, Kan., Bib Lit was an opportunity for discovery.

“I didn’t grow up going to church,” said Brouwer. “Everything about Bib Lit and the Bible was new to me.”

As she spoke Heilsgeschichte to Bontrager at the end of the semester, Brouwer said she found herself in tears.

“I finally realized that God wants a relationship with people, and I didn’t have that relationship,” she said. “Marion talked with me and helped me realize that it’s not too late to begin to know God. Bib Lit helped me become more in touch with myself and the ways God is calling me.”

Bontrager has team-taught the class with other instructors since its inception, and he says the partnerships have improved the course.

Michele Hershberger, chair of the Bible and Religion department, began teaching the class with Bontrager in 2000. During the 2009-10 year, Hershberger spent her sabbatical teaching Bible courses at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania, where she introduced Bib Lit to her students.

“About 90 percent were atheist or agnostic, and many were hostile to taking the class” said Hershberger. “I tried to be non-defensive and caring and just let the Bible speak for itself. It worked.”

Bontrager and Hershberger travel to Mennonite churches and conferences across the country presenting condensed versions of the course for church leaders and congregations.

The class is also taught at the Ellsworth (Kan.) Correctional Facility and was recently introduced in churches in Vietnam through former Pastoral Ministries Director Palmer Becker.

Even as Bib Lit stretches beyond the Hesston College campus, its foundation is strengthened with each student who emerges from the class ready to share their exciting new discoveries.

“I love seeing that light-bulb moment when students make a connection they have never made before,” said Hershberger. “Bib Lit brings a sense of common experience and story, both the biblical story that students come to understand in a deeper way and the story of their journey through the class itself. In that way, Bib Lit builds community.”

Hesston College freshmen (from left) Shuvo Das from Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Delmar Reyes from Hugoton, Kan.; Elyse Terry from Bluffton, Ohio; and Andrew Penner from Fresno, Calif., engage in an explanation during Bib Lit class.

(left) Michele Hershberger uses a timeline to explain where Biblical events fall in Heilsgeschichte; (right) Freshman Andrea De Avila Balboa from Matamoros, Mexico takes notes on Heilsgeschichte during a Bib Lit class.

Hesston College celebrates Grandparent Days

“I remember when Grandma lived in Pennsylvania, she would let us go to the creek and catch crawdads,” says Hesston College freshman Courtney Mast of Weatherford, Okla. “After we caught a bunch, we would go back to the house and sit outside while we cleaned them, then Grandma would let us cook them inside. Mom never let us do that.”

Mast had many fond memories to share about her grandmother Mari An Nyce, also of Weatherford, during Hesston College’s annual Grandparent Days March 24 and 25. The annual event drew 69 grandparents of 41 students from six states. Grandparents were invited to attend sessions on “Yesteryear’s Farm Life” lead by Dwight Roth and various Hesston faculty and staff. Students in Kevin Wilder’s Developmental Psychology class also interviewed guests on the topic “Adolescence of Yesterday and Today.”

Nyce did not attend Hesston College, but all three of her children, a son-in-law, a granddaughter (Kaitlyn Mast ’10) and now Courtney spent the first two years of their college life at Hesston.

“The relationships my children made at Hesston College are lasting,” said Nyce. “My kids still get together with the friends they made during those two years.”

“I saw the motto, ‘Start Here, Go Everywhere,’ used by my kids. Both Steve and Anita worked in the preschool at Hesston and they used that to do daycare in Mennonite Voluntary Service after they graduated,” said Nyce.

Students and their grandparents attended a banquet, and students shared stories or memories about their grandparents.

Freshman Wendy Whitcher of Hesston, Kan., said that she remembers playing Monopoly with her grandma, Mary Erb.

“I always thought she was really good at the game until I got older,” Whitcher said. “Then I found out that she was cheating.”

“Grandparent Days are one way to continue the grandparent-child relationship at the young adult level,” said Dallas Stutzman, director of Alumni and Church Relations. “Also, this is a way to provide grandparents an opportunity for continuing education. They have a lot to contribute.”

The continuing relationship is one thing Mast appreciates. “Having my grandma here was fun. It was fun just being able to see her and catch up,” she said.

by Jennifer Kaberline

Hesston College students to donate labor at silent auction to benefit Erb Hall

Members of the Student Committee for Hesston College’s Erb Hall Renovation Project have organized a labor auction that will raise funds for the renovation of the 42-year-old dormitory.

The silent auction will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 11, in Bontrager Student Center on the Hesston College campus. The event is free, and members of the local community are encouraged to attend. Those interested in bidding but unable to attend the auction may email a maximum bid, along with type of labor desired and contact information, to Vi Dick at vidi@hesston.edu by noon April 11.

Students have volunteered to donate labor for tasks such as washing windows, cleaning out flower beds, and other miscellaneous household work. Ice cream sundaes will be served as potential bidders meet students and make selections on which groups to bid. Each student group will have a pre-determined chore or task they are able and willing to do for a total of three hours.

“Our student committee is hoping to get great community support from local people,” said Omar Reyes, a sophomore planning committee member from Hugoton, Kan. “We want the whole community to come out and support this project, and we’re willing to do some hard work to help raise money for the Erb Hall Renovation Project.”

In addition to the free ice cream sundaes and the silent auction, participants will be able to take student-led tours of Erb Hall.

“The student experience is at the core of why we’re renovating Erb central and west, which is why it’s so encouraging to see our students take an active role in donating their time to raise funds for the project,” said Yvonne Sieber, Vice President of Advancement. “I know they’re looking forward to making a positive impact on this campaign, and I already know some people who have their chore list ready.”

Most students will be available to complete the work the weekend of April 16, but if that is inconvenient for the winning bidder, the student group will work with the winning bidder to determine a date and time for the work to be completed prior to May 1.

Erb Hall

Bluffton (Ohio) University faculty to perform Hesston College recital

The Hesston College Music Department will host sister school Bluffton (Ohio) University music faculty members Dr. Crystal Sellers and Dr. Lucia Unrau for a voice and piano recital at 7 p.m. April 11 in the Hesston Mennonite Church. The recital is free and open to the public.

Dr. Sellers earned a Bachelor of music in voice performance from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University and a Master of Music degree from Chicago (Ill.) College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She studied vocal and operatic studies at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, and completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice performance at The Ohio State University (Columbus). She was also the first doctoral student to complete the Singing Health Specialist Interdisciplinary graduate specialization.

Dr. Sellers is assistant music professor at Bluffton where she teaches voice, music history and conducts the newly established university gospel choir.

Dr. Unrau earned piano performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University (Bloomington) and Oberlin (Ohio) Conservatory. She performs solo and chamber music concerts across the country, and recently released a CD, “Glint,” with world-reknown saxophonist, Timothy McAllister.

Dr. Unrau is professor of music and Music Department chair at Bluffton. She was recently named the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year. Dr. Unrau is also on the faculty of the Interlochen (Mich.) Arts Camp where she serves as coordinator of the keyboard area. She is also president of the Ohio Music Teachers Association and serves as a review panelist for the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Works by Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann and John Carter will be included in the recital repertoire.

Photo release: Campus pastors gather at Hesston College

Campus pastors Todd Lehman (Hesston College), Joanne Gallardo (Eastern Mennonite University), Ed Janzen (Conrad Grebel University College) and Stephen “Tig” Intagliata (Bluffton University) enjoy conversation over lunch on the Hesston College campus March 29. The campus pastors from the Mennonite colleges and universities meet annually to network and fellowship with one another. Other campus pastors present include Janeen Bertsche Johnson (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary), Dale Schrag (Bethel College), Jeff Boehr (Bluffton), Kevin Clark (Eastern Mennonite Seminary), Brian Martin Burkholder (EMU) and Tamara Schantz (Goshen College).

Aviation alumni encourage students to pursue service and relationships

Two Hesston College Aviation alumni were the featured speakers for the department’s annual Aviation as Mission event March 25. The evening was an opportunity for Hesston College aviation students, alumni, prospective students and faculty and staff to connect.

Mark Miller and Tyson Teeter, both of Hesston, shared their stories and insights on what it takes to be a successful pilot and how their Christian faith impacts their career.

Miller graduated from Hesston College in 1986. After completing his flight training, he worked at the college as a flight instructor for seven years before attending seminary at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (Harrisonburg, Va.). Miller served as pastor of Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker, Ohio, for seven years and at Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston for five years. In 2009 he returned to work as a flight instructor at Wells Aircraft in Hutchinson, Kan.

Miller spoke about the importance of service to the people he works with and teaches on a daily basis. He views his job as a way to serve the person wanting to learn to fly in whatever way possible, not just a way to build flight hours and satisfy personal and professional goals.

“One of the views in aviation that distorts our view as Christians is a sense of entitlement,” said Miller. “When you begin thinking you are entitled to the best of everything and that your success is all that matters, serving becomes second or third or fourth.”

Instead, Miller encouraged those gathered to consider their careers in aviation as an entitlement to serve.

“When you serve people, you realize they want to treat you well,” said Miller. “When people see you treat them well, there is reciprocation.”

Teeter’s message complemented Miller’s statement that reciprocation comes from service as he spoke about the power of relationships in the aviation field.

Teeter shared his personal story of the struggles that came with being laid off from Cessna Aircraft Company (Wichita, Kan.) during the company’s downsizing in 2009. Teeter said the relationships he had built and maintained throughout the industry over the years helped him find contract work during his 15 months of unemployment and eventually a new job with JACAM Chemical Company in Sterling, Kan., which produces oil field treatment chemicals and does business worldwide.

“Relationships intertwine,” said Teeter. “Look very closely at the relationships you have in life, and realize that they are the tools God uses to build his kingdom.”

After graduating from Hesston, Teeter worked for Eaglemed Air Ambulance in Wichita and Executive AirShare. From 2006 to 2009 he worked as a flight operations and demonstrations pilot with Cessna. He has been a flight operations pilot at JACAM since June 2010.

Federal faith-based partnerships leader visits Hesston College

David Myers, director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, visited Hesston College March 18 to 20 to discuss partnerships between the government and faith-based and other non-profit organizations with the Hesston College campus and wider local community. Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Service, joined Myers in several of his presentations.

Myers and King spoke Friday, March 18, with the Hesston College Disaster Management Leadership Development class on the topic, “What makes a good leader?” Myers also spoke on the topic “Of the world, but not in it” during a Friday forum where he shared his personal journey and described the tension he sometimes experiences as a Mennonite working within the federal government.

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to work for the President of the United States,” Myers said. “The responsibility, honor and privilege are something that I feel phenomenally fortunate to do – not only the appointment itself, but the actual work I do in building effective partnerships between the federal government and faith-based and voluntary organizations.”

Friday evening, about 45 area pastors and other church leaders participated in an evening discussion with Myers and King. The discussion, facilitated by John Murray, lead pastor at Hesston Mennonite Church, explored the strengths and weaknesses of partnerships between the church and government.

A community-wide event Saturday drew about 40 people, including Disaster Management students and representatives of disaster response and recovery organizations, to discuss how faith-based and non-profit agencies can work efficiently with government agencies. Dr. Brenda Phillips, a professor in the Fire and Emergency Management Program at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater), moderated the conversation, which focused on barriers and opportunities for these working relationships and advice for the students entering the field.

Students find meaning in emotional recovery for disaster survivors

Mrs. Butler had fallen sick and was spending time in a nursing home the week that a group of college students from Hesston College showed up to do maintenance on her home in New Iberia, La. Many homes in the area suffered damage from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and again from Hurricane Ike in 2008, and extreme poverty had left many homes, including Mrs. Butler’s, in disrepair.

The students were all studying in Hesston College’s Disaster Management Program and were in New Iberia for an eight-week Summer Field Experience as part of the program. The week Mrs. Butler spent in the nursing home, the students installed new floors in her home.

“Mrs. Butler was so grateful when she came home and saw her new floors,” said Mandy Kanagy from Timberville, Va. “She kept telling us how thankful she was for everything we were doing for her.”

The students also gave Mrs. Butler a new roof, but once she returned home, they consciously took time away from work to talk with her and listen to her story.

“After we had finished all the work, our project manager told us Mrs. Butler appreciated the relationships with us more than her new floors and roof,” said Kanagy. “She felt that we actually cared about her as a person and weren’t just there to get a job done.”

With recent increases in natural disasters, it is becoming evident that the world needs trained leaders for disaster response and recovery. The students in the Disaster Management Program are learning how to take the leadership reins for disaster relief.

The program has five sophomores who will receive their certificates of completion in less than two months. In the nearly two years they have spent in the program, the students have learned the logistics of cleanup and rebuilding after devastating events. And Mrs. Butler was right-the students cared about her. Working with disaster survivors enforces the fact that the rebuilding process requires more than a new foundation, floors, walls and a roof, but an emotional restoration as well.

During their time in the program, the students have interacted with people locally and across the country. They have heard first-hand accounts of the moment when the normalcy of life crumbled, collapsed or washed away.

“The classes are good, but the experiences working on recovery at disaster sites are what makes the program valuable and meaningful,” said Leah Rittenhouse from Mt. Pleasant, Pa. “There is a balance between physical recovery and emotional recovery that you can’t understand until you interact with people affected by a disaster.”

The Disaster Management Program was started at Hesston College in partnership with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) in 2005. The program equips students with leadership abilities in managing disaster response. Students learn how to work with people and relief agencies and how to prepare for future disasters, as well as many technical skills. Aside from the regular class attendance and course work required of any program, students also put what they learn in the classroom to work onsite. Eight weeks of Summer Field Experience on an active disaster site is required after both years of the program.

“It’s exciting for me to see the development of the students,” said Russ Gaeddert, director of the Disaster Management Program. “We certainly talk a lot about the emotional care of disaster survivors in class, but that part really comes to life when they are on site. They get to know the homeowners very well and begin to understand what the survivors are going through.”

Kanagy, Rittenhouse and their classmates, Darin Bontrager and John Schoenhals from Archbold, Ohio, David Hochstetler from Strang, Neb., and Adam Glick from Ephrata, Pa., spent their eight weeks of field experience in New Iberia, La., repairing homes for those who could not afford the work on their own. Most of the homeowners they served live in poverty and fell between the cracks when it came to restoring what was lost. The students constructed, repaired and took turns as crew leaders, but they also got to know the people for whom they were building homes.

“The summer field experience gave me a lot of good leadership opportunities, but I also learned that it’s very important for people to talk and share their stories,” said Schoenhals.

The students get opportunities to keep their technical and service skills sharp through local service projects and fall and spring break trips during the school year as well. This year alone, they have worked at local homes painting, hanging drywall and roofing. They cut down dead trees at Prairie View in Newton, worked on a Habitat for Humanity house in Lawrence and spent their spring break repairing a building damaged by a fire at Camp of the Hills in Marble Falls, Texas, which serves inner-city and at-risk youth.

Although plans following graduation on May 8 and the summer field experience are varied, the foundation for service the students have built through the program at Hesston is something they want to be a part of their futures.

The students all agree that the relationships formed with the homeowners, project leaders and other staff members are what stick out above memories of nailing down shingles, staining trim and running electrical wires. They share memories of homeowners gushing with surprise and gratitude that strangers would want to help rebuild their homes. They mourn with survivors as they see how livelihoods and ways of life have been destroyed. They are inspired by the determination and “never-say-die” attitudes of people who have lost virtually all their possessions.

“Community is formed in a meaningful way when you have people working toward a common end and serving others,” said Kanagy.

Hesston College music department to present “A Jocular Journey”

The Hesston College music department will present a concert with performances by Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and the Concert Band at 7:30 p.m. March 29 in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary.

The program, entitled “A Jocular Journey: Music on the Lighter Side,” will feature classical works from the year’s repertoire, as well as more modern and secular pieces, including a comedic work and the famous Beatles hit “Blackbird.”

“Our work generally focuses on sacred repertoire,” said music faculty member Bradley Kauffman. “This concert is a chance for the choirs and concert band to present some of our favorite pieces from the year and to explore some secular content.

More than 60 students make up the groups that will be performing. Kauffman conducts Bel Canto Singers and Concert Band. Ken Rodgers is the conductor for Chorale.

“The audience can expect a more light-hearted approach than we sometimes employ,” said Kauffman. “I hope this concert will appeal to students and community members alike.”

Following the concert, Hesston College Alumni and Church Relations will host a reception with light refreshments in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center. The concert and reception are free and open to the public.