Rita Smith ‘86 Pruette, Blountstown, Fla., graduted from the University of Alabama Birmingham with a doctorate of nursing practice in December 2012 and is currently employed at Marianna OB/GYN Associates and Covenant Hospice in Marianna, Fla. Furthering her scholary project titled “The Experience of Teenage Pregnancy: Perceptions and Beliefs of Pregnant Teens in a Rural Community,” Rita is the executive producer of a documentary project called “Teen Moms: Growing Up Young.” Along with her husband, Jim, she also owns and operates Granny Smith Farms which provides a multitude of produce for the Blountstown area. Dan '87 and Jeanne Zimmerly '86 Jantzi, formerly of Lowville, N.Y., area Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) directors for southeast Asia, are leading the organization's response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and are working with partners to assess the next steps of relief and recovery. In addition to emergency food packages, MCC provided items such as bath soap, towels, pails for carrying water, and malongs traditional tube skirts that can be used as towels, sheets, clothing, or baby hammocks. Priority was given to singleparent or child-headed households and households with pregnant or nursing mothers, children under 2, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The Jantzis stress that MCC is working in partnership with other organizations and will adjust its relief efforts in an effort to address needs that may not being met through other means. Ingrid DeSanctis ‘88, Harrisonburg, Va., began a tenure track position as assistant professor of playwriting at James Madison University this fall. In addition to teaching playwriting, Ingrid will teach intermediate acting and direct mainstage productions. This fall she will be directing Euripides’ Trojan Woman adapted by Ellen McLaughlin at JMU. Tina Shifflett ‘88, Elkton, Va., a pharmacy technician, began her eighth year as accounting chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life for the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area. Kathryn Stoltzfus ‘88, Myers, Knoxville, Tenn., received her master's in mathematics degree from the University of Tennessee in the the summer of 2013. She is now on the faculty of Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. Linda Barrick ‘88 Wenger, Harrisonburg, Va., a nurse of 16 years at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, is currently pursuing a nurse midwifery degree through Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, Ky., which, she says, is no small feat at her age. Karen has decided to pursue a career as a nurse midwife in the hopes that one day she can work internationally to help care for women who have little to no power. “My heart is with women, especially of the third
world,” she says. “One day at a time, trusting Him who gave me the dream.” Joel Gehman ‘89, Medina, Ohio, has been the chief financial officer for Neighborhood Progress, Inc., whose mission is to foster communities of choice and opportunity throughout Cleveland, Ohio. Neighborhood Progress was recently listed by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of the 50 largest nonprofit organizations in Northeast Ohio. Jonathan (Jon) Gish ‘89, Wrightsville, Pa., opens his beach house every October for a group of alumni to reconnect. This year marked its fifth year running. The group includes Joel Lehman ‘88, Peter Harnish ‘88, Tom Baker ‘81, Eric Kurtz ‘89, Loren Mast ‘89, Mark Deavers ‘89, Phil Lehman ‘89, Keith Yoder ‘89, Lawson Yoder ‘91, Richard Korpi ‘90, and Steve Martin, ‘87. Activities have included fishing, surfing, playing cards and other games, fellowshipping, reminiscing about and sometimes reenacting activites from the group’s halcyon days in the Oakwood Dorm (RIP).
1990-99
Gilberto Pérez Jr. ‘94, Grad. Cert. ‘99, Goshen, Ind., is associate professor of social work at Goshen College and teaches policy series courses and introduction to social work. He was recently appointed as a Plan Commission member. In 2012 Gilberto launched Bienvenido Community Solution (BCS), LLC, a company that works with communitybased organizations to implement the Bienvenido mental health curriculum. BCS also works at building bridges with immigrants and the host dominant culture. A recent initiative is bringing law enforcement and Latino immigrant congregations for trust-building and open conversation on community policing efforts. Finally, BCS is working with Indiana University School of Medicine to conduct a research study on discrimination and mental health in Latino youth. Dianne Warren ‘94, MA ‘04 (conflict transformation), Buckeye, Ariz., earned her master’s in information resources and library science with a concentration in digital information management in 2012 and is now communication and training coordinator at the Family Involvement Center in Phoenix, Ariz. Among other tasks, Dianne coordinates communications outreach, trainings, and special events, including events to raise awareness about children’s mental health and family-professional conferences. She updates the company website, creates a monthly newsletter, and has created a digital library of resources accessible from the center’s website. Maria (Janelle) Thomas ‘95, Lancaster, Pa., completed certification requirements for middle school science education. After teaching high school English for several years, Janelle decided to shift
Table participants (clockwise): Alicia Horst (wearing dark green, left), Abi Shank, Daniel Miller, Leah Deputy, Emi Oda, Steve Gerber, Joni Sancken, Laura Amstutz, and Kim Copeland. (Photo by Anita Fonseca)
A different Sunday morning service at The Table On a Sunday morning in an upstairs classroom at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a group of people gather in a circle around a table. Though the setup isn’t immediately indicative of a church service, that’s what makes The Table different. The service, which started as weeknight get-togethers around town about eight years ago, has transformed into a regular Sunday morning gathering where individuals meet in a space to worship God in a creative and meaningful way. It’s a smaller group comprised of typically 25 to 30 people, usually sitting in a circle. “I think [sitting in a circle] reflects the shared leadership model,” Joni Sancken, assistant professor of preaching and practical theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and fellow participant, said. “Leadership can come from anywhere around the circle and not from one particular spot.” There is no appointed pastor at The Table, so the founding principle is the concept of “multiple voices,” Laura Amstutz (MDiv ’06), director of admissions at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and participant of The Table, said. Although services at The Table are typically “informal,” according to Amstutz, they do use a lectionary, which is a book of designated portions of scripture that runs in a three-year cycle. In all that it does, The Table strives to do so creatively, even when it comes to approaching scripture. The group engages texts in different ways than just through a sermon – meaning that no two Sunday mornings are the same. The scripture designated for a Sunday service is complemented by some sort of creative activity, such as a skit, artist rendering, or even a children’s story. Amstutz encourages anyone who visits The Table to come multiple Sundays because of the diversity in services, but one Sunday activity can be expected: The Table concludes the service with a shared meal. Although The Table is connected to Mennonite Church USA and Virginia Mennonite Conference, the service hosts a variety of denominations every week. — Excerpted from a story by Sarah Stacy, courtesy of the Daily News Record, Nov. 9, 2013
www.emu.edu | crossroads | 55