Parables worship group again sharing talent and testimony through stories and songs

GOSHEN, Ind. – Together, eight Goshen College students will use their musical, theatrical and spiritual talents to present worship services this year rich with a blend of music and drama reaching back from 16^th century Britain and moving forward to current day Africa.

With a program titled “God is Here Among Us,” the 2007-2008 Goshen College worship team, Parables, will offer a circuit of performances at churches and schools around the country to share not only their experiences in faith but also the impact these stories and songs have.

This year’s Parables team is directed by Debra Brubaker, professor of music at Goshen College, and includes junior music majors Nathan Swartzendruber (Kalona, Iowa), Josh Tyson (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Greg Yoder (Perkasie, Pa.). Other juniors include Dara Joy Jaworowicz (Kenwood, Mich.), a music and Bible and religion double major, Jesse Landis-Eigsti (Lakewood, Colo.), a music major, and Emily Swora (Shoreview, Minn.), a theater and music double major. Sophomores include Vanessa Hershberger (Cedar Falls, Iowa), a peace, justice and conflict studies major, and Anna Showalter (Waynesboro, Pa.), a music and history double major.

Brubaker said Parables will combine beautiful jazz and international songs with pieces written by GC students, including a “delightful drama” about Jonah and “enriching and powerful” faith stories, culminating in a performance that evokes “humor, honesty, encouragement [and] worship.”

“The flexible and creative nature of the program really interests me,” said Brubaker. “The students have many talents and are willing to share them. … I’ve enjoyed the openness and enthusiasm of the students immensely. As a result, we’ve discovered some wonderful ways of sharing this year’s theme.”

New staples of the 2007-2008 worship team are boomwhackers, which are lightweight but durable percussion tubes that produce different pitches when “whacked.” Usually purchased in sets, the boomwhackers can be arranged in certain formations to produce unique pitches, rhythms and melodies. According to Brubaker, although they have been around a few years, this year the boomwhackers serve as a key accompaniment to a piece titled “You Shall Go Out With Joy,” composed by Jesse Landis-Eigsti.

Swora said Landis-Eigsti’s inclusion of boomwhackers and claps makes the song a visual spectacle. “I really like it because it is a traditional benediction hymn, yet this arrangement captures a sense of mischievousness and exuberance,” said Swora.

Each performer enjoys different aspects and arrangements in this year’s program. The song “The Garden” by Bobby McFerrin is one of Jaworowicz’s favorite pieces that follows the story of the Garden of Eden. “It’s actually a very hopeful song that ends with a party when humanity realizes that God still loves them and hasn’t given up on them yet,” said Jaworowicz.

Yoder prefers the team’s processional piece “Takwaba Uwabanga” because of its celebratory nature. “We get to dance in the aisles, celebrating the awesome quality of Jesus,” said Yoder. “Parables is about outreach to the wider church community, leading churches in worship [and] providing a connection between the college and churches across the country.”

“We are a small representation of the faith community here,” said Jaworowicz.

Sheila Yoder, coordinator of church relations at Goshen College, said, “I am confident this group of young 
people will continue to maintain the fine musical quality and
 individual personal integrity of the Parables tradition. The church
 relations office is pleased to offer this ministry to churches and 
youth groups.”

During late September and early October, Parables performed in Goshen and southeast Pennsylvania. To schedule a performance with Parables, contact the Church Relations Office at (574) 535-7536 or e-mail churchrelations@goshen.edu.

The 2007 fall schedule for Parables:

• Oct. 28 – 9:30 a.m., Parkview Mennonite Church, Kokomo, Ind.
• Nov. 10 – Parent Worship, Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College
• Nov. 11 – 11 a.m., Morning Song, Music Center, Goshen College
• Nov. 18 – 9:30 a.m., Kern Road Mennonite Church, South Bend, Ind.
• Dec. 9 – 9:30 a.m., First Mennonite Church, Denver, Colo.
• Dec. 9 – 10:30 a.m., Glennon Heights Mennonite Church, Lakewood, Colo.

– by Emily Dougherty

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.