Herman D. Bontrager ’72, Akron, Pa., has served as spokesperson for Nickel Mines Amish community since the October 2006 shooting of 10 girls. Herman has been elected to the Mennonite Central Committee board and its executive committee. He is a consultant for a Trinidad and Tobago Muslim organization interested in establishing a faith-based Islamic insurance company. In June, Herman and Imtiaz Ali, of Takaaful Trinidad and Tobago Islamic Insurance Company, presented a seminar on Faith-based Insurance Alternatives at the international conference on microinsurance in Quebec City. Rachel A Yoder ’72, Ft. Wayne, Ind., a family child care mentoring coordinator, received the 2007 Hoosier Educator Award from the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IYEYC) for exemplary practices that embody the practical application of IYEYC standards and sharing those methods with others. Jeanette Noll ’73 Bontrager, Akron, Pa., will begin serving as special care minister at Akron Mennonite Church after completing 10 years as a certified school nurse at Ephrata High School. David B. Amstutz ’72, Toledo, Ohio, works for CSX Transportation as a storekeeper and buyer in the purchasing and materials field, part of the railroad’s car repair department at Stanley Yard near Toledo. Gerald E. Martin ’72, MDiv ’76, Harrisonburg, Va., has been the senior leader of Cornerstone Church and Ministries International for a number of years. This is a network of churches in Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri and Wyoming as well as in Chile, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago. John Stauffer ’73, New Market, Va., was named a Paul Harris Fellow for his dedication and service to the New Market Rotary Club for more than 20 years. John has been a family practice physician in New Market for the same period. He often volunteers his services in support of the Stonewall Jackson High School sports programs. John is the grandson of John L. Stauffer, a former president of Eastern Mennonite School. Linda Witmer ’73, Lancaster, Pa., is a nursing instructor at EMU’s Lancaster campus. She recently completed her MDiv at Lancaster Theological Seminary. She is a pastoral intern at Laurel Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster. Duane L. Yoder ’73, Ft. Wayne, Ind., received his MBA in management and human resources and an MS in engineering from Indiana Institute of Technology, Feb. 2007.
Miriam Shank ’74 Cruz, Lancaster, Pa., is a chaplain at Woodcrest Villa, a retirement facility in Mennonite Home Communities, Lancaster. Mark L. Fly ’74, began May 15 as director of development for Spruce Lake Retreat, a multifaceted retreat and camp facility with access to over 800 acres in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Spruce Lake, a member of Mennonite Camping Association and Christian Camp and Conference Association, is a conference-related ministry within Franconia Conference of MC USA. Prior to coming to Spruce Lake, Mark worked with Mennonite Mutual Aid Goshen, Ind. Mark is married to Ruth Ann (Ziegler). As young people, both participated in Spruce Lake’s very first summer camps that began in 1963. David Kniss ’74, formerly of Sarasota, Fla., has been called as interim pastor by Jubilee Mennonite Church, Meridian, Miss., during a sabbatical leave of its pastors, Duane and Elaine Maust. Ethel Mumaw ’74, Millersburg, Ohio, is a summer tour guide and a Sunday school teacher and minister of visitation for Bethel Mennonite Church, where she is a member. Doris Risser ’75, Orrville, Ohio, has resigned from teaching at Central Christian High School in Kidron to begin a marketing position with P. Graham Dunn, a local business that offers personalized and inspirational wood gifts. Floyd Blosser ’76, Harrisonburg, Va., is responsible to change the message each week on a newly installed, always lighted, sign which lists worship times at Weavers Mennonite Church. The church is located along busy route US 33. Floyd states the sign is a “way to demonstrate that our church is alive, something is happening here and we’re a welcoming place.” He receives responses from persons blessed by the messages. Suzanne Bareis ’76 Ramer, Rome, N.Y., has worked as a nurse for New York state for 23 years. Recently she made a lateral transfer to Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center, working in the children and youth division. Clifford Brubaker ’77, Hillsdale, Mich., is completing his intentional interim pastorate at Roanoke Mennonite Church, Eureka, Ill. He served previously as pastor of Salem Mennonite Church, Waldron, Mich., interim at Central Mennonite, Archbold, Ohio and Pine Grove Mennonite, Stryker, Ohio. His spouse, Marilyn F. Grasse-Brubaker ’77, is in her 11th year teaching in her local school district, Camden-Frontier Schools. In May, she traveled north with a teaching partner, 39 students, and 38 parents in the interest of Michigan history.
Brad Miller and Jessica Yoder met through Jessica’s father, Brad’s running partner. They married in May, 2007.
Helping Singles Meet
MennoMeet.com is up and running, thanks to former EMU admissions counselor Brad Miller ’02 and his wife Jessica Yoder, daughter of Rick ’69 and Carolyn ’72 Yoder. In its first five months of operation, over 300 people registered for it. “Both of us have listened to our friends talk about how hard it is to meet someone outside of the Mennonite Church that understands their core values,” such as pacifism, social justice and simple living. On MennoMeet, members can create profiles with uploaded photos and blogs. They can send public and private messages to one another after browsing each other’s profiles. “This site is not about dating a Mennonite as much as it is about finding someone with a similar faith, worldview and, more importantly, similar plans for living the way they believe Christ intended,” said Miller. The website is targeted at singles aged 25 to 35. Access to the website is not automatic; it is granted at the discretion of the website founders. In their day jobs, Miller is a graduate student in higher education administration at the University of Denver; Yoder, a graduate of Goshen College, is a family practice resident. –Adapted from an article by Anna Groff in The Mennonite
Trauma Training in Demand
EMU’s Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) continue to circle the world. In the fall of 2007, EMU staff and alumni presented STAR as far away as Sudan and Burundi… and as near as the home campus in Harrisonburg. A Burundi participant wrote on her evaluation form that she appreciated the “healing journey” STAR helped her to embark upon, because “our countries have been in war for a very long time, and people’s hearts are very broken.” STAR spokeswoman Susan Landes Beck explains: “Individuals, communities, and societies arrive at crossroads where decisions are made in times of crisis that lead either to conflict and violence or to healing and peace. STAR enables people to explore the latter path.” STAR seminars – at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels for adults and at the basic level for teens – can be booked for your locality. Or you may enroll in a session at EMU or in another location. See www.emu.edu/star for dates, locations and fees. www.emu.edu | crossroads | 41