Best-selling author Eric Metaxas shared a compelling story of courageous Christianity with an overflowing audience at a Nov. 7 lecture. Metaxas spoke on his latest book, The New York Times #1 best seller “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy,” a “biography of uncommon power” that frequented many 2010 Book of the Year lists and earned numerous awards for excellence in biography, non-fiction and evangelism. 

The lecture, sponsored by the Messiah College Honors Program, was planned as part of this year’s annual lecture series: “Courage and Conviction for Challenging Times.” President Kim Phipps introduced Metaxas as a credible speaker for such a theme, explaining that his own life has been “characterized by courage and conviction throughout the course of a very eclectic career.”

Metaxas began by sharing snapshots of his own journey, a winding road that took him from Yale University back to his parents’ house, from writing Veggie Tales scripts to meeting two U.S. presidents. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1960, then-Sen. John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. That challenge led to the foundation of the Peace Corps, an independent U.S. government agency that provides trained Volunteers for countries requesting assistance around the world.

Since then, a total of 43 Messiah College alumni have responded to that challenge by serving with the Peace Corps, and the numbers have only continued to grow in the last several years. In 2012, seven alumni were nominated—a notable increase from the three nominations in 2011.

These Messiah alumni have recounted very different journeys—each having arrived at the Peace Corps from an alternate route, having feared and anticipated various elements of their upcoming adventures, and having lived and served in a different location across the globe. But while each alumnus’ journey looks noticeably different, the effects of their experiences look remarkably similar: eye-opening, worldview-shaping and altogether life-changing. Read the rest of this entry »

An exotic Belizean escape from the United States’ hustle and bustle presents senior public relations major Nick Hemming `13 with countless adventures as he studies abroad this fall. As Hemming dives into the culture-rich Belizean lifestyle (and the natural waterfall, Monkey Falls), he is studying sustainability and reconciliation, primarily through the relationship between God and man/creation, while learning ways to serve the land instead of recklessly mastering it.

Hemming’s Belizean adventure began five weeks ago, when he and 17 students from various colleges departed with a program run through the Creation Care Studies Program, promoting environmental stewardship and creation care. Under program director and ’09 Messiah graduate Jeff Fisher’s leadership, the students take classes in Santa Elena. About the campus location, Hemming said, “When we pulled up, it felt as though I was on a Disney safari ride. Our ¼-mile-long driveway is covered in broom trees and tropical plants, as well as geckos and other native creatures. The campus itself houses jungle hiking trails, a stretch of the Macal River, and the perfect scenery for birding. I haven’t gotten into the ‘sport’ quite yet, but I have a feeling this place will pull it out of me sooner or later.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The game quickly becoming a world-wide phenomenon found a place at Messiah College this summer. Completing each hole in the fewest number of throws with the target of an elevated metal basket, disc golf tops the lifetime fitness chart and is the perfect sport for all ages, shapes and sizes. By installing a course at Messiah College, students, alumni and faculty members hope for players to engage in the beautiful campus while getting great exercise.

As many question the exact birth of this game, most experts give credit to George Sappenfield. Discovering that kids could play golf with Frisbees in 1965, Sappenfield presented the idea to Ed Headrick, an employee of a Frisbee company. Gaining popularity, a group in Rochester, NY held the first national disc golf championship in 1974. Two short years later, Headrick, deemed the “Father of Disc Golf,” started the Disc Golf Association. Today, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) governs and sanctions rules, tournaments and its 40,000 members. The PDGA predicts 8-12 million people play the sport, estimating a 12-15% annual growth rate. With 3,485 courses world-wide, disc golf continues to spread around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

On almost any given night of channel-surfing, viewers can tune into one of a dozen or so reality television shows about people who make their living finding treasures in trash. Whether bidding on storage lockers, bargaining with antique collectors, or haggling for the best deal at a pawn shop, junk-hunting television shows feature larger-than-life characters motivated by finding treasure and making a significant profit.

“The allure of finding treasure in trash is something a lot of people get excited about,” says Randy Brown ’05, a fan of “American Pickers,” a History channel show that follows “picker” partners Mike and Frank as they travel the American countryside looking for old, unique pieces to sell in their two Midwestern shops. Brown says, it’s easy to sit in your living room and think anyone can do what these guys do, “but it takes a lot of hard work, knowledge and luck to be successful.”

Maris Miller `08 knows firsthand about the hard work involved in the re-selling of other people’s goods. Miller’s father has been an auctioneer in eastern Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years. “Some shows glamorize auctions, but in reality the auction business is time consuming, demanding and labor intensive,” she says, “The auctioneer often works closely with people who are experiencing transitions related to things such as aging, divorce or death.”

The long hours, back-breaking work and literal piles of trash don’t seem to discourage junk-hunting stars though. Rather, they (and the viewers who tune in week after week) seem highly motivated by their quest to find value—monetary, nostalgic, artist or otherwise—in the most unsuspecting places. Read the rest of this entry »

Student Rachel Morris reflects on her summer 2012 trip to Nicaragua with Messiah’s Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research

Anticipation rose as we turned off the bumpy dirt highway into off-road country surrounded by roaming farm animals, tiny huts and clotheslines. A swarm of kids chased after the big yellow bus that carried our diverse team of Messiah College students, Living Water educators and newly trained village leaders, welcoming us to the community. After spending time in Puerto Cabezas preparing, we finally arrived with the mission of bringing pure water and The Living Water to the small community of Awas Tigni, Nicaragua. The next two days spent in the beautiful land of Awas flew by like a blur. Community members were eager to learn all we had to share. Classrooms were filled, and people completed a variety of activities and lessons on everything from hand-washing, to making a tippy tap to using one of our filters! Read the rest of this entry »

Working half a mile underground in an old Minnesota mine, two engineering students and their physics professor described the subterranean lab as pretty typical … except for the occasional bat flying overhead.

Messiah College Physics Professor Abaz Kryemadhi and two engineering students, Joel Love ‘14 and Nick Martin ‘14, were awarded a Department of Energy Visiting Faculty Program grant to spend 10 weeks at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago. There they worked with the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment which is located half a mile underground in an old mine in Soudan, MN. The Messiah College team worked on simulation and detector design for a new generation detector called SuperCDMS. Read the rest of this entry »

For followers of Messiah College soccer, success is as mysterious as it is impressive. “It is a unique, yet fulfilling moment to look down at your chest and see the word ‘Messiah,’ knowing that there is a greater meaning serving as your motivation,” explains senior defender Jordan Sands ’12. This drive — hidden behind 12 combined national championships and 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances — communicates the difference between Messiah College and much of the rest of the Division III soccer world. On this team, success begins with motivation.

For the men and women who compete each fall, the game of soccer follows this principal value: God represents the purpose and the pursuit; winning only serves as a tool to fulfill this mission. “Playing for God gives us the bond of a common purpose rather than simply a common sport,” responds senior Erin Hench ’12, who received NSCAA National Player of the Year honors in 2009. “It’s more than just a soccer team. We strive to worship God through soccer by returning the gifts he’s given to us.”

But for loyal supporters of this celebrated program, a common purpose is not enough to explain the Falcons’ profound success. To truly solve the mystery — and discover what makes these two teams excel — each coach moves beyond soccer. “Winning doesn’t define us,” states women’s head coach Scott Frey ’84, with a noticeable hint of passion in his voice. Instead, Frey identifies his team’s leadership culture as a principal drive toward excellence. “It blows the underclassmen away,” he continues. “They step into an environment where they are immediately loved, wanted and accepted.”

For head coach Brad McCarty ’93, a 12-year veteran of the men’s program, leadership represents an uncompromising quality. “It all starts with the recruits,” he says. “Our players have maturity and a desire to be disciplined.” Upon arriving, these underclassmen experience an unorthodox approach to collegiate athletics. They are not treated as strangers; they are not expected to perform lowly tasks for approval, and they do not ride the bench until their teammates have exhausted their eligibility. “Here I am as a freshman … and it’s the senior All-American who is the first to the water bottles, filling them up and handing them out to the underclassmen,” describes senior forward Danny Thompson ’12, who scored six game-winning goals during his storied Messiah career. For Thompson and his fellow recruits, playing time was earned out of the gate, allowing the future national champions to mature during their first season in Grantham.

Time on the field without integration, though, would impress few observers. These Falcons play for more than individual glory. “We want to make it to the national championship every season, not because we want another trophy, but [because] we want to maximize the length of time we get to spend playing and training together,” says Thompson. Recognition and accolades will continue to pour in, though this group prefers to spread the love around. Sands — a three-time national champion — believes his teammates mean more than any of his three rings. “I enjoy that moment of being able to see the joy on each of my teammates’ faces, knowing that in our hearts, we have been fighting for one another the entire time,” he says.

Here lies the secret of Messiah College soccer. For this program, success does not rely on five-star recruits or innovative training regimes. Instead, these men and women impress with character, an often forgotten trait in the world of collegiate athletics. “You can take away soccer, the field, the fans, the goals, the uniforms,” begins senior midfielder Sam Woodworth ’12. “You can take that all away, and I still have what truly matters: my teammates.”

By Nick Hemming `13. This article was originally printed in the March 5, 2012 issue of Mennonite Weekly Review.

Ernestia Fraser ’07 won first place in the International Storytelling Competition at the 2011 Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) for her full-length screenplay “Inside the Fallen Moon.” The competition averages 500 script submissions annually.

Fraser chose to get involved with HBFF because of its attention to storytelling. “Every year, I look for competitions to enter my work in,” said Fraser. “HBFF showed a huge interest in the basis of storytelling, so I knew I wanted to get involved.”

Attending festivals is important to Fraser, because it gives her an opportunity to network and view the work of filmmakers. “It was an amazing experience being in Hollywood, and it was even better experience having my hard work recognized,” says Fraser. “It was a meeting place of industry intelligence and opportunity. They hosted informative panels and workshops, and festival goers had the opportunity to meet and speak with Hollywood professionals.”

During the festival, professional actors performed 10 minutes of the finalists’ scripts. Fraser’s script was read by Jackée Harry, an actress from the sitcoms “Sister, Sister” and “Everybody Hates Chris.” “I felt like a mini-celebrity when I witnessed the actors bringing my story to life,” said Fraser. “It was one of the best 10 minutes of my life.”

Synopsis: “Inside the Fallen Moon”
During America’s era of Reconstruction, a confident African-American teenager, Samuel Johnson, desires to obtain a formal education. In reality, there are no black schools nearby and his chances of becoming a lawyer seem very bleak. Samuel soon learns about a new boarding school called Winshier Academy, but he again experiences more disappointment when he realizes that the academy does not admit blacks. In a world where anything is possible, however, Samuel is magically transformed into a white boy by Dinah Fossil, a local spiritist. A deadly plot is set in motion and Samuel, wavering between two black and white worlds, must decide which path will lead him to his own inner truth.

Written by Abigail Long ’12. Printed originally in the Winter 2012 Bridge magazine.

While dance currently is an accepted form of both recreation and study — a dance minor began in the fall of 2010, and this past fall a dance major was added — for many years Messiah College, as a part of its founding Brethren in Christ denomination, took a firm standpoint against it. “The major source for opposition to dancing over the years basically came from the denomination, which was opposed to a number of ‘worldly’ activities, including dancing, playing cards, attending movies,” said Morris Sider, a member of the College’s faculty from 1963 to 2009. Read the rest of this entry »