Messiah College News Archive

Messiah College student Kris Sledge is glad to be alive after the restaurant in Uganda where he and some others from his church mission team had gathered to watch the World Cup soccer tournament was bombed.  Sledge, along with five others from Christ Community United Methodist Church in Selinsgrove, was injured in an attack that killed more than 70 people.

According to an AP story on July 13, Sledge suffered burns and shrapnel cuts around his eye and has a serious leg wound.

Messiah College President Kim Phipps encouraged the Messiah community to pray, writing in a campus email: “Please remember to pray for Kris and his congregation, the families of all those who have been killed or injured, the continued safety of our students, and the people of Uganda during this tragic time. May the Prince of Peace bring comfort to all who have suffered from the devastating violence in Uganda.”

Read the AP story, “Attack pierces state missionaries’ celebratory meal,” from the July 13 Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Watch ABC 27’s interviews with Sledge’s family and professor Jay McDermond, Sledge’s advisor.

n light of the World Cup, U.S. News and World Report magazine zeroed in on the best colleges and universities in the nation for soccer and ranked Messiah third among the top nine schools. Messiah is the only Division III school included on the list.

The Falcons are more than deserving of this honor. The men’s team has won seven national championships since 2000, and the women have claimed the national championship for the last three years.

See the full slideshow at http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/9-of-the-best-colleges-for-soccer-fans/3.

The Centennial class of 2010 raised $6,591.52 to strengthen the community-to-community partnership between Messiah and Rodeo, Bolivia (set up through Food for the Hungry). Specifically, the funds will be used for a clean drinking water project for the community of Rodeo.

What’s even more exciting about this year’s senior class gift is that it is a continuation of last year’s gift. The total cost of the clean drinking water project is roughly $10,500. The seniors this year decided to finish what last year’s seniors started…and they certainly did finish it! The goal was to raise $6,002 (the reverse of 2006…when they started at Messiah) and they blew that out of the water (no pun intended).

Summer missions teams will travel to Rodeo, Bolivia this summer.

Adrienne Knight and Joshua Luther were nominated for the Irene Ryan Award for their roles in the department of theatre’s recent production of “Doubt, A Parable.”  Knight and Luther will compete at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in January.  In addition, Valerie Rae Smith and Tymberley Whitesel were awarded Certificates of Merit for Directing and Scenic Design.

Bianca Basch, a sophomore environmental science major, won a prestigious Boren Scholarship and will study language in Thailand for one year, all expenses covered.

The Boren Scholarship, an opportunity for U.S. undergraduate students to study in world regions critical to U.S. interests, is funded by the National Security Education Program and gives candidates one year of language study ($20,000) in a country of their choice. Basch chose Thailand.

By virtue of her selection as one of 30 Gilder Lehrman History Scholars, Messiah senior Christine Kelly will participate in a one-week intensive history program in New York City this June.

The Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program identifies and supports the top undergraduate majors in American history across the country. While in New York City, the scholars meet with distinguished historians, writers, editors, museum curators, and other professionals to discuss major issues in American history and careers in the field.

Kelly is the first Messiah student to receive this honor.

Senior Melissa Lewis and Mathematics Professor Angela Hare were each recognized with the Barnabas Servant Leadership Award for their outstanding service to Messiah and the broader community.  The awards were given a special leadership banquet on April 11. Alumnus Andrew Samuel `84, president of Graystone Bank, was the invited speaker.

Melissa Lewis is senior nursing student from Grottoes, Virginia.  During her time at Messiah, she has been afforded many opportunities to learn about what it means to love others and to live out the example of the servant hood of Christ. Some formative experiences in her understanding of service include nursing clinical experiences and a semester abroad in Belize. Her desire to serve and “wash the feet” of others has grown significantly during her time as a student. Over the course of her four years here, she has volunteered at Messiah Village, Joshua Farm, Harrisburg Salvation Army afterschool program, Tabitha’s Knitting ministry, Delta Ministries, and the Area M Special Olympics through the coordination of the Agape Center. She has also tried to seek out opportunities to serve in other ways in the Messiah College community, such as serving food at the Grantham Church Eat-N-Run ministry, working as a Peer Group Leader, and serving as a Resident Assistant. She currently lives in the Social Justice House, where she seeks to inform fellow students about the needs of others worldwide.

Angela Hare has been teaching at Messiah College since 1996 and is currently associate professor of mathematics and the mathematical sciences department chair. In 2006, she traveled to West Africa with a Collaboratory team and since then has committed herself to helping Messiah College students develop the skills of their major through partnership with the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped in the village of Mahadaga in Burkina Faso. Dr. Hare and her students have written, produced, and delivered books, games, technology, and materials for the blind to this school for more than 200 children with disabilities. Over the next three years, beginning this summer, students in the Collaboratory Education group will work with local staff and youth to lead a one-month summer school program for children in Mahadaga, strengthening their literacy and arithmetic skills. Dr. Hare says that she has had a lot of new things to learn in this international partnership. The most important thing she has learned is that God honors small steps of faith and is faithful to go before us

Leigh McCauley faced adversity from the very first moments of her life. McCauley was born addicted to drugs as a result of her mother’s addiction. Her mother died when McCauley was just six, and she grew up in the care of her economically-disadvantaged grandmother.

McCauley is a communications major at Messiah where she is also involved in student ministry. She volunteers at Second Mile, an organization that provides mentoring and leadership opportunities to children in need of additional adult support. McCauley benefited from Second Mile programs as a child and now speaks to participants and donors.

According to the news release about this event, “The intent of the Essence of Humanity Award is to honor those who inspire the best in all of us through the award and by elevating their stories.” Speaking about McCauley, the release states, “According to those who know her so well, she embodies inspiration, persistence, determination, strength, and love, leveraging the story of her personal challenges to help and inspire others.”

The Essence of Humanity Award was presented to McCauley on April 13 during the United Way Volunteer Center Awards Ceremony at Beth El Temple in Harrisburg.

Jessica Rhoads, pitcher for the softball team, received a 2009 Shipley Distinguished Achievement Award, for her role in helping the Falcons clinch the national championship in 2009. The Shipley Awards are given to athletes who reside in York County (Pennsylvania) and have achieved at the highest level within their sport. Rhoads was a star pitcher at nearby Northern York High School prior to coming to Messiah College.

The awards were presented on Jan. 20 at York Area Sports Night.

Read the article in the York Dispatch.

Four voice students excelled in a statewide vocal competition at the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s Allegheny Mountain Chapter’s annual voice competition held recently at Gettysburg College.

Melissa Shumaker won the senior college women’s division, Sarah Wingard won the junior college women’s division, and Ashley Morgan was as a semi-finalist in the junior college women’s division. All three vocalists study with Elaine Henderson. Sarah Timlin, student of Tara Savarino, won the sophomore college women’s division.