Seven Service Inquiry Program participants selected

GOSHEN, Ind. – Repairing homes in Appalachia, leading youth groups during their service trips to Denver, offering hospitality to homeless persons in San Francisco – this is how several of the seven Goshen College juniors in the Service Inquiry Program will spend their summer.

Participants in SIP engage in direct, meaningful service for others while testing their fit for future long-term service.

The Summer 2003 group of SIP participants includes:

Bethany Blough(Louisville, Ohio) will travel to San Francisco to work with homeless families at Rafael House, a residential shelter that provides a home-like atmosphere of love, care and security in which families can rebuild their lives. The Mennonite Voluntary Service unit there will host Blough. She is a peace, justice and conflict studies major at GC and the daughter of Ron and Rhonda Blough of Louisville. She is a graduate of Central Christian High School and a member of Beech Mennonite Church.

Charity Brubaker (South Bend, Ind.) will spend her summer in Denver, Colo., with the Discovering Outreach and Opportunity for Reflection (DOOR) program. DOOR staff help facilitate service and learning experiences for church youth groups that come for a week at a time. She will work alongside and provide leadership for groups at different service sites throughout Denver. Brubaker, a social work and German major, is the daughter of Michael and Barbara Brubaker of South Bend. She is a graduate of John Adams High School and a member of Community Congregational Church.

Angela Richer (Wauseon, Ohio) will serve with the Discovering Outreach and Opportunity for Reflection (DOOR) program in Chicago. Part of her responsibilities will include driving or guiding groups to service sites, helping with meal preparation and doing grocery shopping as needed. She will also participate in and help lead group orientation, worship and reflection sessions. Richer is a music education major and is the daughter of Jim and Brenda Richer of Wauseon. She is a graduate of Wauseon High School and a member of North Clinton Mennonite Church.

Charletta Erb (Kalona, Iowa) will fulfill a long-time desire to spend a summer at Jubilee Partners in Comer, Ga. Jubilee is a Christian service community which welcomes and hosts refugees from around the world. For about two months, each refugee receives housing, food, intensive English lessons and a loving environment in which to recover from the wars that drove them from their own homes. Erb is a peace, justice and conflict studies major and is the daughter of Gary and Sylvia Erb of Kalona. She is a graduate of Iowa Mennonite School and a member of Kalona Mennonite Church.

Emily Hershberger(Portland, Ore.) plans to serve with an organizational committee to address peace and justice issues on a global scale. Her specific assignment is pending. Hershberger, a history major, is the daughter of Ray and Rosemary Hershberger of Portland. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and a member of Portland Mennonite Church.

Jesse Miller(Bristol, Ind.) will head for the U.S. Southwest where he will be part of Service and Learning in San Antonio (SALSA). He will divide his time between SALSA and San Antonio Peace Mennonite Church, accompanying and leading church volunteer groups to service sites. He will also act as a liaison between the church and youth and adult peace organizations currently housed at the church. A social work major, Miller is the son of Verlin and Elaine Miller of Bristol. He is a graduate of Bethany Christian High School and a member of Fellowship of Hope Church.

Alaina Smith(Hutchinson, Kan.) will spend her summer in Harlan, Ky., as part of Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP). SWAP is an emergency housing repair ministry. Smith will be a materials driver, loading construction supplies and delivering them to various work sites. She is a Bible and modern languages major and is the daughter of Michael and Ruth Smith of Hutchinson. She is a graduate of Haven and a member of South Hutchinson Mennonite Church.

The students applied for service assignments and were then matched with opportunities available with church agencies. Stuart W. Showalter, director of career services, and Anita R. Yoder, assistant director of career services, administer the program.

At the end of the summer, each volunteer will receive a scholarship of up to $2,000 toward tuition costs for the next academic year. The Lilly Endowment Inc. funds the scholarships, supplemented by contributions from the students’ home congregations and the agencies being served.

Goshen College is a national liberal arts college known for leadership in international education, service-learning and peace and justice issues in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program and exceptional educational value, GC serves about 1,000 students in both traditional and nontraditional programs. The college earned citations of excellence among U.S. News and World Report and Barron’s Best Buys in Higher Education. For more information, visit www.goshen.edu.



Editors: For information, contact Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###