Hesston College alumni reconnect in Goshen through choir tour

A recent Hesston College Bel Canto Singers concert in Goshen, Ind., quickly became more than a casual performance for two Hesston College alumni. It created an opportunity for connection, shared memories and a meaningful reminder of the relationships that extend far beyond the Hesston campus.

Neil Amstutz ’84 is one of three chaplains at Greencroft Goshen, a retirement community in Goshen, and was looking forward to the choir’s spring performance in his community. Growing up near the Hesston College campus, Amstutz was also a member of the first Bel Canto Singers choir during the 1983-84 academic year, so he was especially excited to attend the concert and reconnect with longtime friend and accompanist Ken Rodgers ’85. Little did he know, this would be just a piece of multiple opportunities to reconnect.

Around this time, a fellow Greencroft chaplain visited a new resident who mentioned previously living in Hesston. Recognizing the connection to Amstutz’s hometown, this chaplain encouraged Amstutz to visit her.

The day before the concert, Amstutz met Lavonne Widmer, a 1966 Hesston College graduate who spent several decades in the Hesston area before moving to Goshen to be closer to her daughter.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Lavonne, who remembered me as a child and knew my family,” Amstutz said.

Already planning to attend the Bel Canto Singers concert, Amstutz wondered if Widmer might enjoy attending as well. With the help of Greencroft staff, he arranged for her to join him at the performance.

Widmer was ready to go the next day.

The auditorium was filled for the Bel Canto Singers concert, where Amstutz was able to reconnect with Rodgers and other longtime acquaintances. He soon discovered another Hesston connection: Rodgers had given Widmer’s daughter, Amber (Schroeder) Near, piano lessons decades earlier. Near is also a Hesston College alumna, class of 1997.

For Amstutz and Widmer, the concert became an opportunity to revisit memories of Hesston College and the Hesston community while discovering new connections between their lives in Kansas and Indiana.

“Through the serendipitous timing of a Hesston College choir tour performance, Lavonne and I both relived some of our formative years at Hesston College and living in the Hesston community,” Amstutz explained. “We also got to know one another better and learned even more of the myriad relationship linkages between Hesston, Kansas, and Goshen, Indiana.”

The experience was especially meaningful for Widmer as she adjusted to life in a new community.

“I’m grateful to HC for making possible a meaningful social and cultural activity for someone still adjusting to life in a very new setting,” Amstutz said. The Bel Canto Singers tour continued a long tradition of Hesston College students building relationships through music while carrying the college’s community and connections to audiences far beyond campus.