President Brenneman

Related links:

• View photos from the 2013 Baccalaureate service
• Read the press release about the service
• Commencement speech by Dan Charles, NPR’s food and agriculture correspondent (full-text)

Baccalaureate sermon, delivered by Dr. James E. Brenneman, President of Goshen College on Sunday, April 28, 2013 in the Goshen College Church-Chapel

Scripture Reading:  Ephesians 3:16-19

I.

Today, I am full of joy and profoundly grateful. I rejoice with you and all your loved ones that you made it to the finish line of your respective degree programs, be that a bachelors or masters at Goshen College. I am grateful that you have drunk deeply from the well of knowledge and grateful that in the process you have learned something of the height and depth of the love of God.

Knowledge and love, love and knowledge – two sacred values worth pondering by any would-be graduate of any university, but even more so, a Goshen College graduate. And so, I am particularly grateful, that the Senior Class Planning Committee chose for this baccalaureate service the scripture from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – a prayer that combines love and knowledge, knowledge and love.

II.

“Knowledge is power” so we’re told by the philosophers, social scientists, civil rights activists, educators, infomaniacs, and just about everyone else. Love is power, we’re told. If so, A.J. Jacobs should be one of the mightiest men alive. He’s the editor of Esquire Magazine who wrote the New York Times best-selling book entitled: The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. A.J. spent more than a year reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, all 44 million words, from a-ak, which is an ancient East Asian music, to Zyweic, which is a town in Poland known for its beer.

A.J.’s the same guy who later wrote the bestseller, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible in which “he lets his beard grow so unruly that he’s regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and worries about stoning an adulterer he knows, and he tells the absolute truth in all situations – much to his wife’s chagrin.” AJ’s wife also hated it when AJ was writing Know-It-All  because he would tend to throw up his new-found knowledge about almost everything into regular dinner party conversation with friends. For example, one cold night upon arrival at a friend’s home, their friend Shannon opened the door with the usual banter, “A little nippy out there.” To which, A.J. responded, “Not quite as cold as Antarctica’s Vostok Station, which reached a record 128 degrees below zero, but it’s still a little cold.”

Another time at a seafood restaurant, he pointed out, just as the abalone was being served – using less delicate language than I am about to – “Do you know how many “be-hinds” the abalone has? For those of you who just have to know, the answer is five. We all know a few “know-it-alls’ don’t we? At times, know-it-alls are insufferable.

And yet, like any college worth its salt and tuition, we at Goshen College have encouraged you, invited you, prodded you to learn everything you could about everything you can all the time and everywhere and to do so for the rest of your lives. We wanted you to know as much as you could within your particular major or minor or double majors or triple minors and everything in-between. We take pride that your degree hails from among the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities among thousands by almost every measurable criterion by almost any comparative lists. We are thrilled that you will go on to earn Ph.D.’s at a rate per number of graduates higher than almost any school in the nation. Haven’t we done our best to create “know-it-alls” of most, if not all, of you?  At the very least we want to make  “know-as-much-as-you-cans” of all of you. And isn’t that a good thing? Well, yes, of course it is, but …

For the most part, the central project of most western colleges and universities has been to gain and dispense knowledge – to help the students become, well, “know-it-alls.” We are constantly testing your knowledge in college, something that we should do. Yet, “love” is seldom a distinct category for which we design curricula. “To love well” is not usually on a typical course syllabus as one of the stated outcomes of a class.

A math professor was asked in a recent survey of thousands of college teachers, whether he thought part of his role was to develop the moral and spiritual formation of students. Likely typical of his profession on this survey, “I only do math, not spiritual development,” he replied. “That is not in my area of competence.” We seem to have become so silo-like in our respective disciplines that the original intent of universities to develop students of character has all but disappeared. By the way, that math professor was not from Goshen College.

So it was absolutely refreshing to me when choosing the scripture lesson for this occasion, you went against the grain of higher education to describe what you thought was a great Goshen College education. After assessing all your hard work, all those long hours of study, all the newly gained skills and many learned accomplishments. After all that! And as great as that may be, when all’s said and done, you did the exceptional thing. You returned to the prayer of St. Paul to summarize your Goshen College experience. For you, the most important take-away was not simply raw, bare-boned “know-it-all-ism.” The most important take-away was to have been, as the Apostle Paul said, “rooted and established in love,” love of God, love for each other, and love for the world.

There it is: love and knowledge, a formidable team. From Socrates to Nietzsche to Levinas and Habermas, western philosophers have debated about the relationship between knowledge and love and power. St. Paul seems to be aware of those links: “I pray that you will have the power,” he writes, I pray you will have the “power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (of God), and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”  Now that’s an epistemology worthy of a Ph.D. dissertation, one, I hope, will be written by one of you in this room someday. “To know a love that surpasses knowledge.” Amazing.

III.

In the 14th century, an anonymous English monk wrote a sublime work entitled, “The Cloud of Unknowing.” He wrote it to counsel a young person, a student of his, as to the limits of knowledge, especially in knowing God. For him, if there is to be a breakthrough to God, it would not likely come about by “knowing it all.” Rather, he writes: “… God can well be loved, but God cannot be thought … You must step above thought stoutly but deftly, with a devout and delightful stirring of love, and struggle to pierce that darkness above you; and beat on that thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love, and, whatever happens, do not give up.” Love in the cloud of unknowing is a love that encompasses the best of learning pedagogies, yet surpasses knowledge. Love in the cloud of unknowing is worthy of our life-long pursuit.

A love that surpasses knowledge, in the end, as St. Paul said, is what “endures forever.” A love that surpasses knowledge can bridge differences, profound differences in what we know to be certain for ourselves, even when someone else is certain about his or her perspective. When Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” it was not just a nice cliché. He was using a form of moral reasoning typical of rabbinic argumentation: state the extreme instance, such that every lesser instance is more attainable and expected. Jesus sensed that until one learned to love someone who profoundly disagrees with you, you, we, have not truly known love. Indeed, one of the best ways to learn, to grow, to know-it-all, is to wrestle with alternative points of view. To not learn to love difference is to stunt one’s mind and, sadly, one’s heart as well.

I hope that as you leave GC, you have learned to love someone you may have otherwise not known had you not come to GC. I hope you have learned to love someone of a different faith perspective, a different interpretation of Holy Scripture, a different life-orientation. Jesus isn’t asking us to agree. Jesus is asking us to love in the midst of our differences with a “love that surpasses knowledge.”

When I look around, I think you have caught the Spirit of that Love, a love that has aided you in adjusting to college, of missing home, of sorrowful estrangements, and losses. Together we suffered the unfathomable deaths of Professor Jim Miller and fellow student Millicent Morros.  And yes, there were anxieties over tests, of choosing a major, of the unknown future. But through it all, we discovered together that “love surpasses knowledge.”

IV.

The same Spirit of love permeated your lives in small and hugely significant ways. I remember the year when most of you arrived on campus (2009-2010), you helped the Athletic department raise enough money in its Leaf Relief Project to dig a fresh-water well at St. Mary’s Mumias Secondary school in Kakamega, Kenya. The following year (2010-2011) some of you travelled to the Mideast to help with summer camp programs at Wi’am, the Palestinian Peace and Reconciliation Center established by Marcelle Zoughbi’s father. During the harsh winter of 2012, you, along with faculty and staff, helped raise $25,000 and build a new Habitat for Humanity house for the family of Eddie Mayorga, a Goshen College Physical Plant staff member. I remember that during the ground breaking, Eddie reached out his hands and said in Spanish, “If I could hug every one of you I would. I thank God … for the support that you have given me.” And then, as if that wasn’t enough, you took-on another house-build for another family this year.

You have volunteered to tutor for the love of kids, you composted waste for the love of the earth, you prayed around the clock for a whole week several different years for the love of God and the world. Your senior class gift is among the top amounts given: given to support Prism programing, SST endowment, and a Community Gardens project.

You have held newborns in Nicaragua, taught English in Cambodia, served the deaf community in Peru, held basketball camps down the street. You have learned to live lives of service and learning on every inhabitable continent on earth. By my estimation, in the four years you were here at Goshen College, all students, along with faculty, staff, and administrators showed God’s love for others with more than 60,000 service hours per year that you were here! You, my dear students, have embodied a “love that surpasses knowledge.”

V.

If as you leave GC, you have more questions than when you arrived; if you are not, in fact, “know-it-alls,” if you have come to the edge of all you know; and yet have learned a bit more about how to love God, love yourself, love others and love creation, then you have received an education of a lifetime.

In the end, though, I believe that to know such love, is less about our capacity to “beat on the thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love,” than it is a simple gift unbidden by us from an all-knowing God, who broke through the clouds of unknowing as the Christ, and continues to do so, to bid us welcome! In the end, in his great epistemological masterpiece on Love (1 Corin.13), St. Paul concludes:  “faith, hope and love, abide, but the greatest of these is love.”

So, graduates of 2013, I pray with St. Paul and all your beloved professors, that more than any diploma presented to you later today, that each of you for the rest of your days may continue to “receive power to know the height and depth and the breadth and the width of the love of God in Christ – a love that surpasses all knowledge.”

Goshen College graduate Emily Trapp, a music major from Canby, Ore., celebrates receiving her degree following the April 28 commencement service.

RELATED LINKS

• Photos of Commencement Weekend activities
• Baccalaureate sermon by Dr. James E. Brenneman (full text)
• Commencement speech by Dan Charles, NPR’s food and agriculture correspondent (full text)

Members of Goshen College’s Class of 2013 received undergraduate and graduate degrees on Sunday, April 28 after being encouraged to seek God’s love that surpasses knowledge, as well as true and authentic relationships.

The Class of 2013 consisted of 277 graduates who were awarded the following degrees: 185 Bachelor of Arts, 55 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 21 Bachelor of Science, 14 Master of Science as family nurse practitioners and two Master of Arts in Environmental Education.

At a morning baccalaureate worship service in the college’s Church-Chapel, President James E. Brenneman delivered a sermon titled “Love in the Clouds of Unknowing,” based on Ephesians 3:16-19, in which the Apostle Paul speaks of God providing “love that surpasses knowledge.”

Although philosophers, social scientists, civil rights activists, educators and many others have described the quest for knowledge as a central goal of life, Brenneman said “love in the cloud of unknowing” can surpass knowledge as well as bridge profound differences.

“When Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies,’ it was not just a nice cliché,” Brenneman said. “Jesus sensed that until one learned to love someone who profoundly disagrees with you, you, and we, have not truly known love. Indeed, one of the best ways to learn, to grow, to know it all, is to wrestle with alternative points of view.”

Brenneman praised the graduates for their spirit of love, which he said allowed them to adjust well to college, endure separation from family members and friends, thrive despite academic adversity, sorrow and heartbreak and to give back through their donations and service to the community and the world.

“You have held newborns in Nicaragua, taught English in Cambodia, served the deaf community in Peru, held basketball camps down the street. You have learned to live lives of service and learning on every inhabitable continent on earth. By my estimation, in the four years you were here at Goshen College, all students, along with faculty, staff, and administrators, showed God’s love for others with more than 60,000 service hours per year that you were here. You, my dear students, have embodied a ‘love that surpasses knowledge.’”

Brenneman closed his sermon by encouraging the graduates to remember the central message of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 that “faith, hope and love, abide, but the greatest of these is love,” which is an enduring gift of God.

“I pray with St. Paul, and all your beloved professors, that more than any diploma presented to you … that each of you for the rest of your days may continue to receive power to know the height and depth and the breadth and the width of the love of God in Christ – a love that surpasses all knowledge.”

On April 28, under slate-gray clouds, 138 current and retired Goshen College faculty members led the graduates in a procession into the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center for the 115th Goshen College Commencement.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, under slate-gray clouds, 138 current and retired faculty members led the graduates in a procession into the gymnasium of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center for the 115^th Goshen College Commencement. The Goshen College Commencement Orchestra, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Christopher Fashun, played a prelude, a processional and recessional.

Brenneman welcomed a crowd of about 2,000 people gathered for the ceremony by describing the joy of grandparents, parents, and other family members, friends, faculty, administrators, staff and the accomplishments of the graduates the past four years.

“Our journey together has been filled with lots of hard work, late nights, poetry jams, bicycle rides, deep learning and joyful memories. We came with questions and leave with a few answered, but many more to ponder. We have prayed together, shared lots of fun, some pranks, loads of goodwill, a few severe mercies and deep sorrows,” Brenneman said. “In the end, when the last diplomas are given, when all is said and done, I hope and believe that each of us has become better individuals having encountered each other on this part of our journeys.”

Brenneman acknowledged the tragic loss of Millicent M. Morros, 48, who was killed on March 14 in downtown Goshen. She received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at Sunday’s ceremony and a moment of silence was observed on her behalf. Her classmates in the adult program wore pink roses in her honor.

After an invocation and the hymn, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” Brenneman introduced the commencement speaker — Dan Charles, a food and agriculture correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). Before working at NPR, Charles was an independent radio producer and writer and he has contributed articles on technology, public health, environment and education for publications including National Geographic, Science and the Washington Post.

Dan Charles, a food and agriculture correspondent for National Public Radio, addresses “Searching for what’s real in a digital world” during the 115th annual commencement at Goshen College on April 28.

In his commencement address, “Searching for what’s real in a digital world,” Charles talked about growing up in a rural Mennonite community near Lancaster, Pa., and how his life was enriched by Goshen College graduates, who have become some of his closest friends. Charles said he has developed close connections with others and enjoyed a true sense of community, but worries that young people today have a much more difficult time searching for what is true and authentic.

First, Charles, said, an increasing number of people aren’t interested in knowing whether or not what they think is true; they reject, out of hand, anything that challenges their own beliefs. They also refuse to absorb new and contradictory information.

“Our job – not just my job as a journalist, but the job of all of us – is to search for the best, the most true and useful knowledge and understanding that we can, not fake facts that sound really good,” Charles said. “It takes passion to sort out rumor from truth; to be willing to consider evidence that contradicts our assumptions; to spend the time searching for answers to hard questions. It takes passion to really learn.”

Second, Charles said, cell phones and computers have made it more difficult to have authentic communication with others and relationships based on face-to-face contact. “How much of you gets communicated through text messages? To put it another way, how real is the version of the world that you encounter through that screen?”

Charles closed his speech by cautioning the graduates against replacing actual life with something “endlessly entertaining and always at our fingertips, but less authentic” – electronic devices, like smart phones and tablet computers, and social media platforms like Facebook.

“This authenticity I’m talking about is connected to values that … are at the heart of the religious tradition that built this college: humility, honesty, community,” Charles said. “Those are values to live by, even today – especially today.

“So cook a meal. Have your neighbors over for dinner. In fact, make that dinner a regular tradition. Plant a garden; make it a community garden. Sing a song. Play an instrument. Paint. Use that iPad to make your own movie. Build a life that’s true and real.”

After Charles’ address, Director of Student Financial Aid Judy Moore, who is retiring, was recognized for her 12 years of service to the college.

The graduates then received their degrees and signed their names in the Goshen College historical book – a tradition linking them to generations of alumni.

Presiding over the conferring of degrees was President Brenneman, who congratulated graduates after Academic Dean Anita K. Stalter announced their names. Assisting in the presentation of master’s degrees were David Ostergren, director of the graduate program in environmental education, and Brenda Srof, director of the graduate program in nursing.

After the degrees were conferred, the graduates, the faculty and the audience joined in the singing of “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

Also taking part in commencement were Rick Stiffney, the chair of the Goshen College Board of Directors, who offered the invocation, and Assistant Professor of Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Regina Shands Stoltzfus, the mother of graduating social work major Rachel Maya Stoltzfus of Elkhart, who gave the benediction.

After the benediction, faculty and administrators lined the main corridor of the Recreation-Fitness Center and applauded the departing seniors. The “applause tunnel” tradition also takes place at the beginning of each academic year to welcome students back to campus. This year, graduates, family members and friends lingered outside for hugs and photographs despite a misting rain.

Represented in this year’s graduating class were students from 23 states, including 114 from Indiana, and from 20 countries.

The undergraduate class included one graduate with a triple major, 28 graduates with double majors. Thirty-four students graduated with highest honors – grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0. In addition, 92 others were on track to achieve GPAs of 3.60 and above.

The academic program with the largest number of graduating students was nursing, which held its traditional pinning ceremony the day before commencement to recognize the 26 individuals who completed the traditional, four-year program. This year marked the 60th graduating class for the nursing program. In addition, 29 individuals were granted degrees through the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree completion program and 14 individuals got Master of Science in nursing degrees.

Other top undergraduate majors in the Class of 2013 were organizational leadership (21), biology (20), business (16), social work (14), interdisciplinary (12), elementary education/special education (12) and environmental science (11).

As in past years, many graduates took the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, a national program at more than 100 colleges and universities. By signing the pledge, the graduates promised to “explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

Graduates and faculty members planned the morning baccalaureate service. It featured an instrumental prelude on viola and piano by graduating seniors Chelsea A. Wimmer, a music major from Telford, Pa., and Emily M. Trapp, a music major from Canby, Ore.

The service began with a congregational hymn, “Here in this Place,” led by Justin N. Yoder, a music and interdisciplinary major from Perkasie, Pa., followed by a formal welcome from Alita J. Yoder, a biology major from Elkhart. After the congregational hymn, “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” senior reflections were offered by Rebecca W. Yoder, a social work major from Lancaster, Pa., and Juan Carlos Diaz, an art major from Goshen.

Following the scripture reading and President Brenneman’s sermon, a cello quartet and vocal ensemble of 24 graduates performed “The Seed that Lands on Fertile Ground,” which was composed by Levi Smucker, a music major from Akron, Pa., with text by Justin Yoder. Its moving refrain featured the words: “How wide, how deep, how high, how long; may the roots that nourish and anchor hold strong; and may love bloom boldly in a world of wrong; wherever the Spirit may blow, let seeds of hope grow, as we journey along.”

The baccalaureate service concluded with a prayer of blessing by Minister of Worship Gwen Gustafson-Zook, a congregational sending song, “You Shall Go Out with Joy,” and a benediction by Alita Yoder.

Other events during the busy weekend at Goshen College included a senior program, which showcased the talent of the Class of 2013, a senior art exhibit, academic department receptions for graduates and their families, a reception for adult programs and an evening reception hosted by President Brenneman and his wife, Dr. Terri J. Plank Brenneman.

CLASS OF 2013 HIGHLIGHTS
Total number of graduates: 277
Number by category: 14 candidates for Master of Science degrees, 2 candidates for Master of Arts degrees, 185 candidates for Bachelor of Arts degrees, 55 candidates for Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees; and 21 candidates for Bachelor of Science degrees
Number of double majors: 28
Number of triple majors: 1
Number of students graduating with highest honors — grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0 (based on grades as of December 2012): 34
Number of students graduating with GPAs of 3.60 and above (based on grades as of December 2011): 92
Number of states represented in this year’s graduating class: 23
Number from Indiana: 114
Number of countries represented (other than U.S.): 20
Number of undergraduates by top programs of study: nursing, 55; organizational leadership, 21; biology, 20; business, 16; social work, 14; interdisciplinary, 12; elementary education/special education, 12; environmental science, 11; art, 10, Bible and religion, 10; molecular biology/biochemistry, 10.

— Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Dan Charles

Dan Charles, a food and agriculture correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), will be the speaker at Goshen College’s 115th commencement on Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center. His speech is entitled “Searching for what’s real in a digital world.”

This year there are 244 undergraduates and 16 master’s degree candidates scheduled to receive diplomas at commencement.

Check out the graduation webpage for a full schedule of events and other helpful information about graduating and Commencement Weekend.

Since 2011, Charles has reported for NPR on the culture, business and science behind food. His passion for storytelling has followed him as he’s reported on mosquitos, digital maps, sugar beets and fixed-gear bikes.

Before working at NPR, Charles was an independent radio producer and writer. He contributed articles on technology, public health, environment and education to magazines including National Geographic, New Scientist and Scientist.

In 2009-10, Charles taught journalism in Ukraine through the Fulbright program. He is the author of two books:  Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, The Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare (Ecco, 2005); and Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and the Future of Food (Perseus, 2001) about the origins of genetically engineered crops.

Charles grew up in a rural Mennonite community near Lancaster, Pa. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and international affairs from American University in 1982. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Brigid McCarthy, and two daughters. They attend Community House Church.

Schedule of Goshen College’s 115^th Commencement Weekend activities:

Saturday, April 27
1:30 p.m. – Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony, Church-Chapel
2-5 p.m. – Department receptions – graduates and families meet informally with professors (exact times and locations to be announced by departments)
7:30 p.m. – Senior Class Program, Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall
8:45 p.m. – President’s Reception for graduates and families, Music Center lobby

Sunday, April 28

11 a.m. – Baccalaureate service, with address by President James E. Brenneman, Church-Chapel
3 p.m. – 115^th Annual Commencement Ceremony, with address by Dan Charles, Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center (no tickets needed) 

-By Becca Kraybill

Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward

RELATED LINKS

• Photos of commencement weekend activities
• Baccalaureate sermon by Dr. James E. Brenneman
• Senior reflections at Baccalaureate
• Press Release: announcing the 114th Goshen College commencement

GOSHEN, Ind. — Goshen College’s Class of 2012 received degrees on Sunday, April 22 after being encouraged to become “ambassadors of reconciliation” and to experience the healing and fulfillment possible through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Class of 2012 consisted of 234 graduates who were awarded the following degrees: 146 Bachelor of Arts, 43 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 22 Bachelor of Science, 13 Master of Science as family nurse practitioners and 10 Master of Arts in Environmental Education.

At a morning baccalaureate worship service in the college’s Church-Chapel, President James E. Brenneman delivered a sermon titled “Five-Core Diplomats,” based on 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, in which the Apostle Paul encouraged believers to regard themselves as part of a new creation and ambassadors of reconciliation.

Brenneman told the graduates that over the past fours years they had experienced tumultuous times, including two wars, rapid cultural and technological changes, a stock market crash, the second worst recession in U.S. history, a divisive presidential election and a breakdown in the nation’s civil discourse.

“In times like these, various fears and paranoia are nourished in the extreme by prophets on all sides of the ideological spectrum, exacerbated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh on one side and Bill Maher on the other,” he said. “Today, even our churches, for heaven’s sake, while less segregated by race than when I went to college, are more segregated by political ideology and political party than ever before.”

Amid such contentiousness, Brenneman said he was pleased that students selected 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 as their worship Scripture, because of its call for people to become “ambassadors of Christ, diplomats of hope and ambassadors of reconciliation.”

“In the closing days of our lives together here on this campus, our sending Scripture reminds us that we are called to be God’s representatives on earth as in heavenÉ ambassadors of reconciliation — the bringing of former enemies together, uniting friends and foes alike. How radical is that? Profoundly so,” Brenneman said. “There is no greater vocation on earth, no more timely calling than to be an ambassador of Christ, an ambassador of reconciliation.”

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ called on his followers to befriend foes, Brenneman said, adding that it remains a great challenge for Christians to befriend those with whom they have profound disagreements.

Still, Brenneman said Christians could do this. He pointed to the example of the Rev. Zoughbi Zoughbi, founder and director of Wi’am, the Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center in Bethlehem, and father of Marcelle Al-Zoughbi, a junior at Goshen College.

“In the greatest of ironies, in the birthplace of Jesus, the little town of Bethlehem, a 30-foot high dividing wall between Israel and Palestine literally passes right along the property line of the center, with a machine-gun laden watch-tower looking down on to the garden of the center,” Brenneman said. “Zoughbi has spent a lifetime in ‘citizen-diplomacy,’ working to break down walls of separation between people – especially between Jews, Christians and Muslims —who claim a common God through their common ancestor, Abraham, but are now locked in and traumatized by violent confrontation.”

Although Brenneman conceded that it is difficult to be an ambassador and a reconciler in a world torn by division and demonization, he said that many Goshen College graduates have demonstrated the ability to befriend those with significant differences and to model gracious love.

“As you depart, may you leave as diplomats, ambassadors of a life-changing story – hopefully learned and reinforced throughout your years here – a story shaped by the five core values of which you are now so familiar: to be compassionate peacemakers, passionate learners, servant leaders, global citizens, centered in the life and teachings of Christ.”

Brenneman closed his sermon with a final wish: “Would that you find that friend, who is so different from you, that the opportunity to be an ambassador of reconciliation is truly an opportunity of a lifetime É such that your lives manifest the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven and healing and hope would come to this broken world little by little, peace by peace.”

At 3 p.m. Sunday, 138 current and retired faculty members led the graduates in a procession into the gymnasium of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center for the 114^th Goshen College Commencement. The Goshen College Commencement Orchestra, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Christopher Fashun, played pre-commencement music and a processional.

Brenneman welcomed a crowd of about 2,000 people gathered for the ceremony by recalling the many hardships, joys and tears over the past four years.

“Our journey together has been filled with lots of hard work, late nights, deep learning, joyful memories, 100,000 questions, and some helpful guidance, we pray, along the way,” he said. “We shared lots of fun, some pranks, loads of goodwill, times of profound sorrow and even a few severe mercies.”

Speaking for the faculty and staff as well, Brenneman shared that he continues to grieve the loss of Professor of Biology James S. Miller, 58, who was killed during a home invasion robbery at his Goshen home on Oct. 9, 2011. Brenneman led the audience in observing a moment of silence for Professor Miller, whose name and photo appeared in the printed commencement program.

After an invocation and the hymn, “I sing the mighty power of God,” Brenneman introduced the commencement speaker — Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward, the Bishop of Coventry, in England, from 1985 to 1997.

Barrington-Ward, who has been a regular speaker for Goshen College’s Arts in London May term course, received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, where he later served as chaplain and dean. He served as Bishop of Coventry from 1985 to 1997 and currently is a bishop with pastoral care of the University of Cambridge. In 2001, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George by Queen Elizabeth.

In his commencement address, “Becoming What You Are: Exploring the Great Exchange,” Barrington-Ward talked about two personal discoveries — God’s meaning in the person of Jesus Christ and a simple prayer from the earliest days of Christianity. He called the interplay between the discoveries as two parts of an “exchange” between God and humanity arrived at through Jesus Christ.

When he was a young man teaching in Germany, Barrington-Ward said he was moved by a sermon in which the pastor described the “sweet exchange” of God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ, accepting the depths of humanity and offering the hope of a final transformation as a new creation.

“All human experiences or glimpses of God or of the divine of all the faiths and philosophies that exist are really supported by this one happening,” Barrington-Ward said. “The reality of God, the divine eternal Spirit, whom many seek, is here universally confirmed as having entered into this new relationship with humankind.”

Much later in life, Barrington-Ward said he sought help because he was having difficulty praying. He found a solution — a one-sentence prayer constantly repeated — at a Russian Eastern Orthodox monastery. That is where he first heard the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Barrington-Ward said listening to constant recitations of the Jesus Prayer transformed his faith by giving him a way to more fully connect to God and to reduce distractions.

Barrington-Ward closed his speech by hoping that the graduates and all others might find help “exploring more of the infinite resources which have been made available to us in the person of God in Christ, through the Spirit, and of the unsearchable riches of that ‘great exchange’ which are still open for us, to draw upon more and more deeply, as we grow ever more fully into union in the Spirit through Christ with God.”

After Barrington-Ward’s address, Ken Pletcher was honored for his diverse service to the college over three decades. Before working as a major gift officer for the last five years, Pletcher served for seven years as athletic director and for 10 years in a number of capacities, including as a teacher, coach, intramural sports director and in admissions positions.

The graduates on hand Sunday then received their degrees and signed their names in the Goshen College historical book – a tradition linking them to generations of alumni.

Presiding over the conferring of degrees was President Brenneman, who congratulated graduates after Academic Dean Anita K. Stalter announced their names. Assisting in the presentation of master’s degrees were David Ostergren, director of the graduate program in environmental education, and Brenda Srof, director of the graduate program in nursing.

After the degrees were conferred, the graduates, the faculty and the audience joined in the singing of the Goshen College Alma Mater.

Also taking part in commencement were two parents of graduating seniors: Marcia Yoder-Schrock, the mother of Isaac Yoder-Schrock, both of Donnellson, Iowa, who offered the invocation, and Ritch Hochstetler, the father of Austin Hochstetler of Goshen, who gave the benediction.

After the benediction, faculty and administrators lined the main corridor of the Recreation-Fitness Center and applauded the departing seniors. The “applause tunnel” tradition also takes place at the beginning of each academic year to welcome students back to campus.

Represented in this year’s graduating class were students from 25 states, including 115 from Indiana, and from 11 countries.

The class included 21 graduates with double majors. Twenty-three students graduated with highest honors – grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0. In addition, 67 others were on track to achieve GPAs of 3.60 and above.

The academic program with the largest number of graduating students was nursing, which held its traditional pinning ceremony the day before commencement to recognize the 20 individuals who completed the traditional, four-year program. In addition, 23 individuals were granted degrees through the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree completion program and 13 individuals got Master of Science in nursing degrees.

Other top majors in the Class of 2012 were organizational leadership (22), biology (16), Interdisciplinary (14), history (10), psychology (10), English (8) and social work (8).

Of the graduates, 123 took the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, a national program at more than 100 colleges and universities. By signing the pledge, the graduates promised to “explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

Graduates and faculty members planned the morning baccalaureate service. It featured an instrumental prelude on piano by graduating seniors Lisa Horst, a music major from Dillon, Mont., and Elspeth Stalter, a music/English major from Iowa City, Iowa.

The service formally began with a welcome from Jessica Camacho, a nursing major from Goshen, followed by a congregational hymn, “Here in this place,” led by Jay Mast, a theater/music major from Goshen. Senior reflections were offered by Hannah Epp, a peace, justice and conflict studies major from Henderson, Neb., Daisy Gaspar, an elementary education/special education major from Goshen, Anna Ruth, an English major from Harleysville, Pa., and Isaac Yoder-Schrock, a physics major from Donnellson, Iowa.

After singing the hymn, “We are the people of God’s peace,” there was the reading of a Scripture litany, based on 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, written by graduate Stephanie Hollenberg. The litany was read by sisters Alyssa Goodman, a nursing major, and Lindsay Goodman, an American Sign Language major, both from Nappanee.

After President Brenneman’s sermon, a senior vocal ensemble — made up of 19 graduates — sang “Yesu Ninakupenda,” which means “Jesus I love you, you are my friend, I will serve you, throughout my life.”

After the benediction, the baccalaureate services concluding with the sending song, “Wake up Everybody,” by John Legend and the Roots, performed by eight seniors.

Other events during the busy weekend at Goshen College included a senior program, which showcased the artistic, comedic and musical talent of the Class of 2012, a senior art exhibit, academic department receptions for graduates and their families, a reception for adult programs and an evening reception hosted by President Brenneman and his wife, Dr. Terri J. Plank Brenneman.

CLASS OF 2012 HIGHLIGHTS
Total number of graduates: 234
Number by category: 13 candidates for Master of Science degrees, 10 candidates for Master of Arts degrees, 146 candidates for Bachelor of Arts degrees, 43 candidates for Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees; and 22 candidates for Bachelor of Science degrees
Number of double majors: 21
Number of students graduating with highest honors — grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0 (based on grades as of December 2011): 23
Number of students graduating with GPAs of 3.60 and above (based on grades as of December 2011): 67
Number of states represented in this year’s graduating class: 25
Number from Indiana: 115
Number of countries represented (other than U.S.): 11
Number of graduates by top programs of study: nursing, 43; organizational leadership, 22; biology,16; interdisciplinary, 14; history, 10; psychology, 10; English, 8; social work, 8.

— Written by Richard R. Aguirre

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information, contact Richard R. Aguirre, director of public relations, at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@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.

President Jim Brenneman

Baccalaureate sermon, delivered by Dr. James E. Brenneman, President of Goshen College on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at the Goshen College Church-Chapel

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

What a delight to be present together in God’s House with family and friends of our graduates from all around the world. I am reminded that the canopy of God’s grace is wide and broad, ancient and ever new creating at Goshen College that sacred space of learning, transformation and hope. Thank you for being here to celebrate with us the joy of a great commencement day.

2008, the year when many of you graduating today first came to Goshen College, was the year of Joe the Plumber, Barak Obama’s election, the year Puppycam went viral, the buzzword “Tweet” came into its own, 7” high heels were cool in Hollywood, and High School Musical 3 came out. Now, high heels lost an inch, maybe; texting has become the lingua franca; we’re in the middle of another Presidential campaign and Zac Efron has come of age in a new movie – thankfully, not HSM4. How time flies.

Don’t be surprised, however, if, someday, when you are a grandmother or grandfather and after your grandchild figures out when you came to Goshen College, they exclaim, “Wow, grandma, you mean you lived through the Great Recession of 2008? You probably don’t need reminding that just two months after most of you arrived on campus, the second biggest stock market crash in history shook our world, which quite literally made the usual first year stressors of college (new roommates, time management, relationships, grades, homesickness) seem like a whole lot of piling on.

To top it off, you began and endured throughout most of your college years two wars, non-stop political campaigning, and a near total loss in our national and civil discourse. And bookending your experience in this your last year, we experienced the unprecedented tragic death of our esteemed Professor of Biology, Jim Miller.

Wendell Berry, in his essay, “The Purpose of a Coherent Community,” [in The Way of Ignorance, 76-77]. reminds us that “there is no escape from the issue of context.” If it is true, as he says, that “the context of everything is everything else,” then the context and times of your college experience have meant that all the usual debates that happen on every college campus almost every year – conversations about the meaning and practice of faith, justice, patriotism, decision-making, identity, inclusion, politics — took on the zeitgeist (the spirit) of the times in which we live. Even though we sometimes like to see ourselves as not being swept up by cultural norms (i.e., being counter-cultural), it seems we have not been immune from the cultural influence of our fragmented times.

In times like these, various fears and paranoias are nourished in the extreme by prophets on all sides of the ideological spectrum, exacerbated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh on one side and Bill Maher on the other. Today, even our churches, while less segregated by race (at least ideologically speaking) than in the past, are more segregated by political ideology and political party than ever before. We are quite literally, “Divided by God” as a recent NY Times article declared [Ross Douthat, The New York Times, Sunday Review, April, 8, 2012, 1 & 6.]. Christ seems less and less the center of our common faith, than whether we are Democrat or Republican or a Tea Partier or Occupy Wall-Streeter. Into this milieu, your college careers unfolded.

So, I find it wonderfully refreshing that the Baccalaureate Committee of your peers chose for our sending message, the wonderful, powerful, liberating call of the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church and so also writing to us. St. Paul calls us to become Ambassadors/Diplomats: “Ambassadors of Christ!” Ambassadors of hope. Diplomats of Reconciliation!

In a world where everyone on all sides of every issue in whatever profession considers himself or herself a prophet, do we really need more prophets running around? In a world where everyone on all sides of every issue considers himself or herself to be “rightly dividing the Word of Truth,” do we really need more clever exegetes and historical deconstructionists? In a world gone wild with moral ambiguity and indulgence, do we simply need ever more rigid legal and ethical guidelines, judicial decisions, and coercive moral arbiters? In a world of ever more selective identity politics, do we really need more excommunications by the right or left, the red or blue, the purple or other-than-purple? I sincerely doubt it.

In the closing days of our lives together here on this campus, our sending scripture reminds us that we part having been called to be God’s representatives on earth as in heaven: Ambassadors for Christ; Diplomats of Reconciliation. We are called to bring former enemies together, to unite friend and foe alike. How radical is that? In a world fraught with ideological conflict, being an ambassador, a diplomat, may just be the most radically counter-cultural calling one could ever hope to have. To be a diplomat of reconciliation is more radical than that of an apostle, a prophet, a priest; more so than a preacher, a teacher, a nurse; beyond that of an artist, an engineer, or judge. Whatever one’s major or profession, there is no greater vocation on earth. No more timely calling. None. Than the call to be an Ambassador, a Diplomat. An ambassador of Christ. A Diplomat of Reconciliation.

Jesus said in his great Sermon on the Mount, which underlies the mission of Goshen College, “if we are only friends with friends, how are we different from anyone else? Anyone can do that. Rather, it is when we are able to befriend foes that the true miracle of our faith is made plain for all to see.” It is that ‘second-mile’ love that demonstrates whether or not we are truly Christ-followers.

Here’s how it works – as simple and as difficult as this. God came to us in Christ, while we were still enemies of God, in order to re-establish a right relationship with God. And now, God has given each and every one of us this same “ministry of reconciliation.” Our greatest challenge going forward, especially in the day and age in which we live, may simply be to deeply befriend someone with whom we have profound disagreements.

The late great ethicist and theologian, Dr. James McClendon, a long-time friend, and sometime attender of our congregation in Pasadena, wrote a three volume systematic theology from an Anabaptist perspective. This work was his “last will and testament,” his magnum opus, the crown jewel of his life’s work. In his dying days, he literally thought he might not be able to finish the third and most significant volume of this trilogy. And so he turned to someone he trusted who knew him so well as to be able to complete his work for him. Someone who would write with the same voice, the same feeling, who would defend and reason with the same force and sense as he himself would were he to do so. The great irony of this relationship was that he and his friend disagreed on some of the most profound issues of life and faith. You see, his friend was an atheist. And at Dr. McClendon’s memorial service, his atheist friend eulogized Dr. McClendon by saying he knew of no other person who so profoundly showed him the meaning of the Christian call to be an Ambassadors of Reconciliation, a Diplomat for Christ.

I just returned from leading a group to one of the most conflict-riddled places on planet earth, Palestine/Israel. While there, we visited one of the great Christian leaders of that region, Rev. Zoughbi Zoughbi, founder and director of Wi’am, the Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center. He also happens to be the father of GC Junior, Marcelle Zoughbi. [I know some of you students here this morning spent last summer helping with Wi’am’s summer programs for kids. Zoughbi asked me to bring you greetings and heartfelt appreciation for your labor of love in this troubled land]. Wi’amin Arabic simply means, “cordial relationships” – developing relationships across profound differences. That is exactly what Zoughbi Zoughbi and his team do, day in and day out, year after year.

In the greatest of ironies, in the birthplace of Jesus, the little town of Bethlehem – where this Center is following Apostle Paul’s call to break down the walls of separation between enemies – a 30 foot high dividing wall between Israel and Palestine literally passes right along the property line of the Center. There in the garden, with a machine-gun laden watch-tower looking down on us, we gathered to have coffee with Zoughbi and his staff. You see Wi’am believes peacemaking and reconciliation often happens over coffee – sip by sip – in what Zoughbi calls ‘citizen-diplomacy.’ Zoughbi and his team have worked a lifetime to break down walls of separation between people – especially between Jews, Christians and Muslims — people who claim a common God through their common ancestor, Abraham – now locked in and traumatized by years of violent confrontation. In our parting, he presented me with the stole I am wearing today (red stole with Jerusalem crosses). I told him I would wear it at this service as a visual reminder of our common bond in Christ, our common call to be “Ambassadors of Reconciliation” and our solidarity with him in his holy work.

In a world of division, demonization, and polarization without end, as Wendell Berry reminds us, “the ground of our reconciliation will have to be larger than the ground of our divisions” going forward. The role of prophet may just have to give way a bit to that of diplomat, ambassador, and reconciler.

I know many of you. I have watched many of you work hard to befriend and get to know others who are very different than yourselves. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to me and others who see such gracious love on display and in action. I hope all of us leave GC with friendships of a lifetime, not just with those who are a lot like us, but also, those with whom we still have significant differences.

Being Ambassadors of Reconciliation isn’t about being the perfect diplomat. Rather, it’s a calling to live the kind of life that models what it means to be forgiven by and reconciled to God so that we can do the same for those around us, foe and friend alike.

As you depart, may you leave as diplomats, ambassadors of a life-changing story – hopefully learned and reinforced throughout your years here – a story shaped by the five core values of which you are now so familiar: to be compassionate peacemakers, passionate learners, servant leaders, global citizens, centered in the life and teachings of Christ (Christ-centered).

Would that you find that friend or better, make a friend, who is so different from you that the opportunity to be an Ambassador of Reconciliation, a Diplomat of Hope, is truly an opportunity of a lifetime. Would that you make a friend – someone you trust or trusts you no matter your profound differences. In so doing, your lives will truly manifest the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. In so doing, healing and hope will be born anew in this broken world little by little, peace by peace.

Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward.

GOSHEN, Ind. – British Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward will present “Becoming What You Are; Exploring the Great Exchange” at Goshen College’s 114^thcommencement on Sunday, April 22 at 3 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center.

This year there are 210 undergraduates and 23 master’s degree candidates scheduled to receive diplomas at commencement.

Barrington-Ward received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, where he later served as chaplain and dean. He served as Bishop of Coventry from 1985-97.

Currently, Barrington-Ward is a bishop with pastoral care of the University of Cambridge, an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Ely, honorary assistant chaplain and honorary fellow at Magdalene College and a chaplain to the staff of Ridley Hall, Cambridge. In 2001, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George.

Since 2001, Barrington-Ward has been connected with Goshen College as a speaker in the college’s Arts in London course.

Barrington-Ward has written several books, including “Love Will Out” (Marshall Pickering, 1988), “Why God?” (Canterbury Press Norwich, 1993), “The Jesus Prayer” (Bible Reading Fellowship, 1996) and “Praying the Jesus Prayer Together” (Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), co-written with Brother Ramon.

Schedule of Commencement weekend activities:
Saturday, April 21
1:30 p.m. — Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony, Church-Chapel
2-5 p.m. — Department receptions – graduates and families meet informally with professors (exact times and locations to be announced by departments)
7:30 p.m. — Senior Class Program, Sauder Concert Hall
8:45-10:30 p.m. — President’s Reception for graduates and families, Music Center lobby

Sunday, April 22
11 a.m. — Baccalaureate service, with address by President James E. Brenneman, Church-Chapel
3 p.m. — 114^th Annual Commencement Ceremony, Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center (no tickets needed) 

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@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.

• Commencement Address by Marjory Byler
• Baccalaureate sermon by Dr. James E. Brenneman
• Press Release: 113th Goshen College commencement
• Photos from Commencement Weekend events

CLASS OF 2011 HIGHLIGHTS
Total number of graduates: 261
Number by category: 6 candidates for master of science degrees, 5 candidates for master of arts degrees, 180 candidates for bachelor of arts degrees, 18 candidates for bachelor of science degrees, and 52 candidates for bachelor of science in nursing degrees.
Number of double majors: 21
Number of students graduating with highest honors — grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0 (based on grades as of December 2010): 31
Number of students graduating with GPAs of 3.60 and above (based on grades as of December 2010): 86
Number of states represented in this year’s graduating class: 25 (and 1 U.S. territory)
Number from Indiana: 124
Number of countries represented (other than U.S.): 13
Number of graduates by top programs of study: Nursing, 52; Organizational Leadership, 18; Art, 18; English, 15; Accounting, 13; Communication, 13; History, 13; ASL, 10; Music, 10.

GOSHEN, Ind. — Goshen College’s Class of 2011 received degrees on Sunday, May 1 after being challenged to have the courage to serve others by President James E. Brenneman and encouraged to bring hope and compassion to a broken world by 1969 Goshen College graduate Marjory M. Byler, a human rights activist and organizational consultant.

The Class of 2011 consisted of 261 graduates who were awarded the following degrees: 180 Bachelor of Arts, 52 Bachelor of Science in nursing, 18 Bachelor of Science, six Master of Science as family nurse practitioners and clinical nurse leaders and five Master of Arts in environmental education.

At a morning baccalaureate worship service in the college’s Church-Chapel, President Brenneman delivered a sermon titled “Courageous Bow,” which was based on Joshua 1:1-9 and Philippians 2:1-11 – Scriptures selected by the graduates for the service.

“Before Joshua put one toe in the Jordan River, before he took one step forward into the Promised Land that God had promised him, God said to Joshua three times, ‘Be strong and courageous!’” Brenneman said. “I can think of no better words this morning to share with our beloved graduates, as we send you toward a promising but unknown future.”

First steps almost always prompt a combination of excitement and fear, Brenneman said, noting that most parents recall the shaky first steps their offspring took, which often elicited thrill, panic and joy in the children.

“Now, after years of guided wandering in the wilderness of learning, you have finally arrived at your own Jordan’s banks, ready to graduate, to cross over to the other side, where the ‘Promised Land’ awaits you,” he said. “We call it commencement because it’s a new beginning, a new day, and, I’m guessing the first step from student to graduate may resurface some of the same thrill-panic and terrified joy of those first steps you took in life, not so awfully long ago.”

For some graduates, Brenneman said, the next courageous step in their lives may be typing the first word of what could become the next great American novel or a first byline in a local or national newspaper. For other graduates, courage may mean teaching third-graders, treating patients in an emergency room, auditioning for the Boston symphony, taking a risk on a dream, deciding “what’s next” in their lives or simply getting up out of bed each day.

“For all of you, for all of us here, but especially for you who are graduating, there are first steps to be made, today, tomorrow and the next day,” Brenneman said. “If courage means anything, it means facing our fears, and taking the first step toward overcoming them. So, whatever you do, take that first step.”

Brenneman told the graduates that the fact they were graduating with a college degree made them among a privileged group of people in the world; only 1 percent of world’s 6.7 billion people have realized that dream. And with that privilege comes “the courage to pour out your lives in honor and service to others,” and to do so with humility.

Brenneman called on the graduates to emulate Jesus Christ — to have the strength to take a “courageous bow” in honor and service to others — and to have faith that God will be with them.

“And that should be good enough for all of us today. Whether you go from Goshen College to discover the cure for cancer, or win a Pulitzer Prize, an Emmy, or a Nobel Prize, or whether you become an ambassador of this or any other country, or travel to space, or rid the world of AIDS, or pastor a local church, or teach fifth graders their multiplication tables, or serve in a war-torn refugee camp half a world away, wherever your choices take you, be strong and courageous because God is with you.”

Brenneman closed his 19-minute sermon with a final message: “In receiving your diplomas later today, should you somehow feel that you have both feet planted firmly on the ground, then Goshen College has probably failed you. I hope and pray that one foot is off the ground, the hands are akimbo, and with a gracious bow, you step into God’s promised future with great courage and much strength. May God bless you.”

Later in the day, at 3 p.m., 140 current and retired faculty members led the graduates in a procession into the gymnasium of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center for the 113^th Goshen College Commencement. The Goshen College Commencement Orchestra, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Christopher Fashun, played pre-commencement music and a processional.

Brenneman welcomed a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered for the joyful ceremonies by stating that no other responsibility as president gave him as much joy as conferring degrees on graduates.

After an invocation and the hymn, “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,” Brenneman introduced the commencement speaker — Marjory M. Byler of Chicago, a 1969 Goshen College alumna who has worked as a human rights activist, an organizational consultant and a teacher.

Byler, who was born and raised in Argentina, worked with Amnesty International for more than 30 years and oversaw a wide range of programs, both in the United States and internationally. She began in 1980 as a volunteer and worked her way to the position of Senior Director for International Mobilization at the International Secretariat in London from 2002 to 2010. She has developed standard-setting programs of support for the more than 70 Amnesty International entities around the world, addressing the challenges nongovernmental organizations face in different cultural and historical contexts.

In her commencement address, “There is a crack in everything,” Byler talked about her background, which led to a career in human rights work. She also offered advice on bringing the light of compassion and hope to a broken world.

“I believe that human rights are not just a set of rights — the right of association, expression, the right to shelter, to food, to education — but perhaps most importantly a framework through which to understand how to deal with a broken world and how to begin to help mend it,” Byler said. “One way to think about this is to think about the ideas of voice, access and engagement.”

Byler said that people whose human rights have been abused must be able to find and use their voices to define the parameters of the struggle for the rest of us. To affect social and political change, it also is important to create access to those who can help reverse injustice. “All of us can play a part in facilitating access to power, whether as educators, artists, healers, business people,” she said.

Illustrating that point, Byler said that she arranged a 1988 visit in Argentina between the famous English musician Sting with children who had been recovered after their parents were killed for taking part in political activity and the children were adopted illegally by military families and acquaintances. Sting met with the children to learn their stories before performing at a benefit concert.

“There was not a dry eye at the concert the next day when Sting spoke of the courage of these children before he sang ‘They Dance Alone,’ an emblematic song of the struggles of the families of the disappeared in Latin America,” she said. “He gave them, the most vulnerable of survivors, access to a stage most of us can’t hope to walk, but it was a simple act of compassion, of light, that reverberated through that stadium and will not be forgotten by any of us there that night.”

Byler described engagement and action as another essential step in securing human rights. “The action may be as dramatic as that of the first group that met in Tahrir Square in Cairo or as apparently small as finding one’s way to the polls in Belarus or in Burma. Knowledge that emerges from and derives in action is truly learned and doubly valuable and a powerful component of passionate learning,” she said. “The job never ends, but the victories along the way bring light and hope to marginalized peoples everywhere.”

Byler encouraged the graduates to broaden their concern for others and to help others suffering from discrimination and oppression throughout the world.

“As you leave this hall today, I urge you to remember that the brokenness in the world is what allows the light of compassion and action to burn brightly. As you take your place wherever your life calls you, there is always the option to join the struggle to mend that which is broken, and you can shine with the knowledge that you can – and I am confident, will – build a better world.”

After Byler’s 20-minute address, there was recognition of retiring faculty members: John Blosser, professor of art; Mervin Helmuth, associate professor of nursing; David Janzen, director of human resources and affirmative action officer; and David Miller, associate professor of biology. Together, they provided decades of service to the college.

The graduates on hand Sunday then received degrees and signed their names in the Goshen College historical book – a tradition linking them to generations of alumni.

Presiding over the conferring of degrees was President Brenneman, who congratulated graduates after Academic Dean Anita K. Stalter announced their names. Assisting in the presentation of master’s degrees were David Ostergren, director of the graduate program in environmental education, and Brenda Srof, director of the graduate program in nursing.

After the degrees were conferred, the graduates, the faculty and the audience joined in the singing of the Goshen College Alma Mater.

Also taking part in commencement were two parents of graduating seniors: David B. Miller, the father of Peter Miller and Suzanne Miller, both of Elkhart, who offered the invocation, and Sophie Mathonnet-VanderWell, the mother of Chloe Mathonnet-VanderWell of Pella, Iowa, who gave the benediction.

After the benediction, faculty and administrators lined the main corridor of the Recreation-Fitness Center and applauded the departing seniors. The “applause tunnel” tradition also takes place at the beginning of each academic year to welcome students back to campus.

Represented in this year’s graduating class were students from 25 states, including 124 from Indiana, and from 13 countries.

The class included 21 graduates with double majors. Thirty-one students graduated with highest honors – grade point averages of 3.9 to a perfect 4.0. In addition, 86 others were on track to achieve GPAs of 3.60 and above.

The academic program with the largest number of graduating students was nursing, which held its traditional pinning ceremony the day before commencement to recognize the 24 individuals who completed through the traditional, four-year program. In addition, 28 individuals were granted degrees through the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree completion program and six individuals got Master of Science in nursing degrees.

Other top majors in the Class of 2011 were Organizational Leadership (18), Art (18), English (15); Accounting (13), Communication (13), History (13), Music (10) and ASL (10).

Of the graduates, 125 took the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, a national program at more than 100 colleges and universities. By signing the pledge, the graduates promised to “explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

Students and faculty planned the morning baccalaureate service. It featured an instrumental prelude by graduating seniors Greta Breckbill, a music major from Stoughton, Wis., and Allison Yoder, a music major from Middlebury.

The service formally began with a welcome from Andrea Kraybill, an art major and Bible and religion minor, from Elkhart, followed by a congregational hymn, “Come let us all unite to sing.” Senior reflections were offered by Julia Baker, an interdisciplinary major from Fresno, Calif., Patrick Maxwell, an interdisciplinary and theater major from Winchester, Mass., and Moises Santos, a communication major from Elkhart.

Peter Miller, a computer science and applied mathematics major from Elkhart, and his sister, Suzanne Miller, an elementary and special education major from Elkhart, read the Scriptures for the service — Joshua 1:1-9 and Philippians 2:1-11. Their mother, Mary Kathryn Miller, also offered a prayer.

After President Brenneman’s sermon, a senior vocal ensemble — composed of 30 graduates — sang “Woyaya (We Are Going).”

Next, the entire congregation recited a litany of response written and led by Jennifer Speight, an English major from Cleveland, Ohio. The litany concluded with these words recited by Speight and the other graduates: “We have been shaped and molded, encouraged and strengthened by this community, and it is with the gifts that have developed here that we face the world. Weave our desires and your desires together, Lord, creating a picture of perfection, the realization of our dreams.”

The baccalaureate services ended with the congregational hymn “The Lord bless you and keep you” and a benediction.

Other events during the busy weekend at the college included a senior program, which showcased the artistic, comedic and musical talent of the Class of 2011, a senior art exhibit, academic receptions for graduates and their families, a reception for adult programs and an evening reception hosted by President Brenneman and his wife, Dr. Terri J. Plank Brenneman.

— Written by Richard R. Aguirre

EDITOR’S: For more information about this release or to arrange for additional photos, contact Jodi H. Beyeler, director of the campus news bureau, at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu, or Richard R. Aguirre, director of public relations, at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@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.

Scripture Readings: Joshua 1: 1-9 & Phil 2:1-11

“Be strong and courageous!” “Be strong and courageous! “Be strong and courageous!”

Before putting one toe in the Jordan River, before taking one step forward into the Promised Land, God cries out to Joshua three times, “Be strong and courageous!”

Perhaps, no better words than these can be said to you, our dearly beloved graduates, as we send you into a promising but unknown future. “Be strong and courageous!”

Often it’s that first step that matters most.

During Spring Break, my family and I visited the Willis Towers in downtown Chicago. The Willis is the tallest building in the West, third tallest in the world. Near the top, we were invited to step into thin air – into a 5-foot glass box jutting out over the ledge.

In one of the glass overhangs was a group of college kids – and wouldn’t you know it, a smart aleck among them, started jumping wildly up and down with all his might! Of course, everyone screamed and scrambled off the platform. I just wish to the saints above that the architects had put a device such that every time anyone jumped up and down like that – the guide would push a hidden button and make the whole thing shake. It would have been worth more than the ticket price to see that fearless kid, well, soil his khakis.

Needless to say, if you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m pretty scared of heights; honestly, deathly scared. And it didn’t help that we also saw one young woman hyperventilating for whom an ambulance was called. All to say, that first step was a doozy for me. Proof that I did it can be found on Facebook (along with my birth certificate).

First steps are almost always a combination of excitement and fear. You don’t remember, of course, but your parents can’t forget, those first steps in life when you managed to pull your little feet up under you, and began to wobble, hands all akimbo, the look on your face of thrill-panic, terrified joy!

And now, after years of guided wandering in the wilderness of learning, you have finally arrived at Jordan’s banks, ready to graduate, to cross-over to the other side, where the “Promised Land” awaits you. We call it a commencement, after all, because it’s a new beginning, a new day, and, I’m guessing the first step from student to graduate may resurface some of the same thrill-panic and terrified joy of those first steps you took in life, not so awfully long ago.

For some of you, taking that first courageous step, means typing that first word on the blank page of what could become the next great American novel or your first byline in a local or national newspaper. For others, it will be that first day of school as a third grade teacher standing before your very own class 25 little faces looking up to you in awe. Or, if in Middle School, with the look that says, “Bring it on!” For some, taking that first courageous step means filling out graduate school apps, taking licensing exams, working ER when someone else’s life depends on you, auditioning for the Boston symphony or taking a risk on a dream you’ve always wanted to try or simply deciding ‘what’s next’ or, for that matter, simply getting up out of bed each day.

For one audaciously courageous graduate, it meant not letting a rejection letter from a bank she applied to get the best of her. In response she wrote a letter back:

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for your letter of February 17. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your bank.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite your company’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time. Therefore, I will initiate employment with your firm immediately following graduation. I look forward to seeing you then.

Sincerely, A Courageous Goshen College Graduate

For all of us here, but especially for you who are graduating, there are courageous first steps to be made, today, tomorrow, and the next.

To you, as to Joshua so long ago, comes the “word of the Lord,” “Be strong and courageous!” “Be strong and courageous!” “Be strong and courageous!”

To utter such imperatives, isn’t simply to say you shouldn’t be afraid. Starbuck, the chief mate of the crew facing the great white whale Moby Dick in his first speech to his crew says: “I will have no man in my boat who is not afraid of a whale.” It seems for Starbuck, a person without any fear was more dangerous to him and his crew than a coward. If courage means anything, it means facing our fears, and taking the first step, to overcome them.

So, whatever you do, take that first step! Mark Twain reminds us, to which most of us who are my age can attest, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Courageous Bow

By the sheer fact that you are graduating with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, you are among a very privileged group of people in the whole world. I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “It’s hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler.” Perhaps, the same could be said to you, now that you are among the world’s elite, holders of a diploma from a college or university. Only 1 percent of the world’s 6.7 billion people has been given the opportunity or has realized this amazing dream. If expressed in terms of mythology, you are among the “gods” of the ages, or as the Psalmist says, you are “just a little lower than God.”

That is why the strength and courage that you will need, the strength and courage most important for you to acquire as you cross the Jordan into your promised future, is the courage spoken of in the second Scripture chosen by your fellow students in planning this Baccalaureate service: the courage to pour out (y)our lives in honor and service to others.

One of my closest friends, Dr. Wonil Kim, Old Testament professor at La Sierra University in California, slightly bows to me every time we meet. I’ve been with him when he has greeted other Koreans, some of whom are older than he, when he bows even lower to them. They, in return, bow low to him since he is a professor. I’ve thought of instituting this form of greeting here at Goshen College, but I don’t think it would take.

He told me that not only does one’s bow suggest honor of the other, it also shows others that the bower is humble. My guess is that about the only time those of us in most Western cultures bow is if we are an active square dancer or when we are receiving applause.

Yet, it precisely this form of body language that the Apostle Paul is advocating: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself. . .” all the way to the cross. (Phil. 2:3-8)

In a sense, God in Christ took a huge step, an awesome step, a courageous bow before us and the world. God in Christ gave up the claims to the particularities of heavenly culture. God in Christ gave up legitimate well-earned claims, godly prerogatives, even a great deal of God’s own personal identity-markers as God. Why? For the benefit of others, of you and me. What an amazing gracious courageous bow!

I am not here today to suggest you deny your hopes and dreams; that you not feel good, even proud of your amazing accomplishments; nor to suggest ego strength is not a good thing. After all, it was the great “I AM,” the Alpha and Omega, who nevertheless bowed so graciously before us. The Apostle Paul is speaking of an attitude, a mind adjustment, a bowing toward others, emptying ourselves of our own identity when necessary, not just before those we love or who are more like us than not, but to those unlike us, not of our tribe, even our enemies. And you are invited to bow like this precisely because you are so rare, so privileged, so honored, so accomplished in this world now that you will have graduated. From your amazing vantage point, let the words of the Apostle ring loud: “Let this mind (this attitude) be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”

I read not long ago that for most of his life, Albert Einstein had portraits of two of the world’s greatest scientists, Isaac Newton and James Maxwell, on his wall as role models to inspire him. Toward the end of his life, he apparently took them down and replaced them with two other portraits. One was of Albert Schweitzer, the famed missionary doctor and theologian. The other, Mahatma Ghandi. Einstein told others that he needed new role models, “not of so much of success, but of humble service.”

Fortunately, for you, for me, for each one of us here today, we have one such role model of servant leadership like no other: God in Christ.

God With Us

Fortunately, we are also not left on our own to take that first step into an unknown, but promising future. We are not left to our own devices to take that courageous bow in honor and service to others.

The story is told of a little first grader, Carlos. His teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Carlos puffed out his chest, stood straight and tall, and with much bravado proclaimed, “When I grow up, I’m gonna be a lion tamer! I’ll have lots of big, ferocious lions and tigers and I’ll walk right into the cage with them.” Then he paused ever so briefly and added, “but I do want Mamá to be with me.”

Little Carlos got it exactly right! Nothing wrong with that. Emanuel, God with us! Mothering God with us in the lions’ dens of life. If Mamá God is with us, any single one of us could very well become a lion tamer, too.

You see, before Joshua put one toe in the Jordan River, before he took a single step forward into the promised land, the Lord God, not only said to him three times: “Be strong and courageous.” But the Lord God also twice reminded Joshua that he could step bravely into his future because: “the Lord God is with you wherever you go.” The promise that God will be with us, wherever we go, is a message of encouragement to all of us today.

Whether you go from Goshen College to discover the cure for cancer, or win a Pulitzer, Emmy, or Nobel Prize. Whether you become an ambassador of this or another country, or travel to space, or rid the world of AIDS, or pastor a local church, or teach fifth graders their multiplication tables, or serve in a war-torn refugee camp half a world away – wherever your choices take you, “Be strong and courageous” because God is with you!

You may not always be sure where you’re going, the going may be hard, the road muddy and rough, but with God’s help, heaven knows, and I have no doubt, that you will get there!

In receiving your diplomas, should you somehow feel that you have both feet planted firmly on the ground, than Goshen College has probably failed you. I hope and pray, rather, that when you receive your diploma, one foot will be off the ground, hands akimbo, and with a wobble or two and a gracious bow, you step into God’s promised future with courage. Amen!

GOSHEN, Ind. – Marjory Byler, a human rights activist and organizational consultant, will present a commencement address, titled “There is a crack in everything,” at the 113^thGoshen College commencement on Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center.This year there are 248 undergraduates and 11 master’s degree candidates scheduled to receive diplomas.

A 1969 Goshen College alumna, Byler has worked with Amnesty International for more than 30 years and has overseen a wide range of programs, both in the United States and internationally. She began in 1980 as a volunteer and worked her way to the position of Senior Director for International Mobilization at the International Secretariat in London from 2002 to 2010. Internationally, Byler has developed standard-setting programs of support for the more than 70 Amnesty International entities around the world, addressing the challenges nongovernmental organizations face in different cultures and historical contexts. Her focus has always been to make human rights relevant to and inclusive of a diversity of people.

Born and raised in Argentina, Byler came to the United States for college. After graduating from Goshen College in 1969, she and her husband, David Rutschman, moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they lived from 1970 to 1974 as activists in the opposition to the military dictatorship in that country. They moved to Argentina in 1975 as part of a wave of Uruguayan exiles.

After four years, the couple left Argentina with their young sons during the height of the “Dirty War,” and moved to Albuquerque, N.M. There, Byler received her master’s degree in adult teacher education from the University of New Mexico. She taught English as a second language and developed and managed bilingual programs in the Albuquerque Public Schools until she began her professional career with Amnesty International in 1988.

Schedule of Commencement weekend activities:

Saturday, April 30
1:30 p.m.—Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony, Church-Chapel
2-5 p.m.—Department receptions – graduates and families meet informally with professors (exact times and locations to be announced by departments)
7:30 p.m.—Senior Class Program, Sauder Concert Hall
8:45-10:30 p.m.—President’s Reception for graduates and families, Music Center lobby

Sunday, May 1
11 a.m.—Baccalaureate service, Church-Chapel
3 p.m.—113^th Annual Commencement ceremony, Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center (no tickets needed) 

– By Alysha Landis

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.