The cover of the new documentary “Breaking Down Barriers: The Journeys of Apostle Paul,” produced by Goshen College’s FiveCore Media

Premiere: Goshen College FiveCore Media’s new documentary “Breaking Down Barriers: The Journeys of Apostle Paul”
Date and time: Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
Location: The Goshen Theater, 216 S. Main Street
Cost: Free and open to the public
Website: www.goshen.edu/communication/journeys

A documentary filmed and produced by Goshen College students that takes viewers through the journey of Apostle Paul as he broke down barriers to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ has just been completed and is ready to be premiered.

The film, “Breaking Down Barriers: The Journeys of Apostle Paul,” will debut on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the downtown Goshen Theater. The 30-minute documentary is is free and open to the public. It is produced by FiveCore Media, a video production company of the college’s Communication Department, which employs communication faculty and students.

In May 2012, Assistant Professor of Communication Seth Conley and FiveCore Media General Manager Kyle Hufford led a team of nine students through Greece and Rome for three weeks to collect footage exploring how Paul ministered to the Jews, non-believers and early churches. Since the filming, six additional students have worked on editing the documentary alongside producers Conley and Hufford.

The film follows Bob Yoder, Goshen College campus pastor, and David Sparks, director of Footstep Ministries, as they guide viewers through cities such as Philippi, Corinth, Rome, Athens and Thessaloniki. Yoder and Sparks explore how Paul overcame religious, cultural and physical obstacles as a leader of the first generation of Christians.

“We want those who watch this film to gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel by following Paul’s footsteps and exploring how he faced persecution, beatings and imprisonment,” Conley said. “In spite of these hardships Paul never failed to preach the message of Christ wherever he went.”

The team of Goshen College students and faculty who filmed the new documentary “Breaking Down Barriers: The Journeys of Apostle Paul” pose for a group photo in Greece in May 2012.

Conley said the production has allowed “students to get hands-on experience as a part of a professional video production crew.”

Abby Deaton, a sophomore communication and psychology major from Indianapolis, travelled with the crew. Deaton, who had not been outside of the country before, said she had the opportunity to produce, film and run audio and lighting during the trip.

“Working with a talented group of people to film in two beautiful countries while simultaneously learning about the roots of my faith was an amazing and unforgettable experience,” Deaton said.

She believes the film will give viewers “the opportunity to understand how Christianity went from a grassroots religion into the global church we have today, all while seeing breathtaking scenes of very famous and historical biblical sites.”

To view the documentary’s trailer or order a DVD  for $10, visit www.goshen.edu/communication/journeys. For more information contact Seth Conley, executive producer, at sconley@goshen.edu.

FiveCore Media

FiveCore Media, formed in 2011, writes, produces and edits videos, such as commercials, promotional and informational videos for the college and other companies and organizations.

Recently, FiveCore Media received four national awardsfor their advertising work, including three honors from Bronze Telly Advertising Awards and a Broadcast Educators Association Award of Excellence.

-By Becca Kraybill

Goshen College Assistant Professor of Communication Jason Samuel (right) and senior Benjamin Kelly (left) work together in the studios of 91.1 The Globe, the college’s student-operated radio station.
(Photo provided by the Goshen College Communications and Marketing Office)

Goshen College’s student-operated radio station WGCS 91.1 The Globe (www.globeradio.org) just added two more huge accomplishments to its growing list: 2013 Best College Station in the Nation and Indiana’s Radio School of the Year.

Best College Station in the Nation

This is the second time the college radio station has received the top national award in three years from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS), making it the first college to be a repeat winner in the competition, which is against every college and university in the country of every size. Last year, the station was a runner-up for the top award.

The station’s General Manager Jason Samuel and a group of his students who work at the station were on hand to win the award at the 73rd Annual Conference of the IBS in New York City on March 2. The Globe beat out two other finalists for the top award: William Patterson University (enrollment: 11,400 students) and DePaul University (enrollment: 25,000 students). In addition, students won six national awards and were finalists in 20 categories. IBS is the oldest college radio association in the country.

“I honestly thought we’d never win again, but they told us that the most significant factor separating WGCS from the other radio stations is our community involvement,” said Samuel, an assistant professor of communication. “We’re doing the best we can and it feels great to have others recognize our hard work.” The Globe’s community involvements include hosting a blood drive, airing local high school events, partnering with Ignition Garage to bring artists for local concerts and helping with Downtown Goshen’s First Fridays.

Indiana’s Radio School of the Year and Television School of the Year

Goshen College students are in front of and behind the cameras during a February 2013 taping of The Correspondent, the college’s bi-weekly television news broadcast, which is produced by students and distributed via the campus cable system and the Internet.
(Photo provided by the Goshen College Communications and Marketing Office)

And just a few weeks earlier on Feb. 15, for the second consecutive year, Goshen College earned the state titles of both Radio School of the Year and Television School of the Year in the 2013 Indiana Association of School Broadcasting’s (IASB) college broadcasting competition.

Last year, the college was the first school in the IASB competition to win the School of the Year awards in both radio and television in the same academic year, and in doing so, Goshen became only the second school ever to win the award in both categories since the first awards were given in 2005. Goshen College broadcasting students also won 22 other radio and television awards in the competition, including six first-place awards.

The Correspondent is the college’s bi-weekly television news broadcast produced by Goshen College students and distributed via the campus cable system and the Internet. Assistant Professor of Communication Seth Conley is the adviser for The Correspondent.

“We are honored to receive an award of this magnitude, especially two years in a row,” said Conley. “We realize that we are facing some very tough competition from other strong video programs across the state, so we are thrilled to be included in that group, let alone being named Television School of the Year for the third time in four years.”

Goshen College’s student-operated radio station WGCS 91.1 The Globe (www.globeradio.org) just won 2013 Best College Station in the Nation and Indiana’s Radio School of the Year. Station General Manager and Assistant Professor of Communication Jason Samuel (back) and students (front) Samantha Danforth, Maria Bischoff, (middle) Jim O’Day, Kelsey James, Ashley Davenport and Danielle Kerschhackl hold their national awards in New York City on March 2.
(Photo provided by the WGCS 91.1 The Globe)

The Globe has been on the air since 1958, is managed by members of the Goshen College Communication Department and is staffed by about 40 student workers and community volunteers. Each week The Globe features a fresh and eclectic mix of Americana, alternative acoustic, folk, singer-songwriters and world beat music. The Globe is one of a select number of reporting stations to the Americana Airplay Chart. It provides 24-hour programming, which includes music, news, public affairs and sports.

“We’re tickled!” said Samuel, about the repeat win. “We have students at all grade levels recognized with awards. If we didn’t have that deep of a roster of talent, we wouldn’t have repeated as Radio School of the Year. We tell students that when they come here they can get behind the microphone or the camera immediately and start working at their craft. So they gain four years of hands-on experience, instead of just one or two years like they would at much larger schools.”

Broadcast Education Association awards

Five Goshen College students and a faculty member will also receive awards at Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts in Las Vegas in April. Kyle Hufford, assistant professor of communication and general manager of the college’s video production company FiveCore Media, and Daniel Penner, who graduated in May 2012, will receive an award of excellence for the video “Goshen College Theater Department: Take 1.” The award comes in the mixed (teacher/student co-production) video category. Meanwhile, on the audio side, sophomore Danielle Kerschhackl and senior Kelsey Morris took first place in best radio newscast; senior Benjamin Kelley, third place in radio and TV play by play; and senior Jimmy Cassoday, third place for the specialty program “After Hours.”

Goshen College’s FiveCore Media General Manager Kyle Hufford (right) works with freshman Benjie Aguilera Brown (left), a communication and theater double major from Asuncion, Paraguay, to prepare for a video shoot.
(Photo by Kate Yoder/Goshen College FiveCore Media)

FiveCore Media, a local video production company comprised of Goshen College communication students under the leadership of general manager Kyle Hufford, has shot, edited and produced over 20 videos in their first year of business. From a documentary of a Grammy nominated choir to medical promotional films, these young professionals have built up an impressive portfolio since opening for business in September 2011.

FiveCore Media offers an array of services including promotional and instructional videos, event coverage, motion graphics and script writing. Some of the company’s clients include Mennonite Church USA, Radiation Oncology Resources and WGCS The Globe. Though FiveCore has worked with many outside organizations, some of the company’s first clients were academic departments at Goshen College including business, American Sign Language and Latino studies.

“FiveCore Media is uniquely positioned to not only educate Goshen College communication students but also provide a much needed service to a community of small entrepreneurial businesses,” said General Manager Kyle Hufford.

FiveCore is an outgrowth of the college’s successful communication department. This past year, Goshen College was named both Television and Radio School of the Year in Indiana, the first time that any school has won both awards in the same year. Hufford is excited and confident in the work that these students are producing.

“I have worked with college students most of my career so I know the kind of talent they have. What they lack in experience they make up for in enthusiasm and an open mind to learn. These are powerful skills that come in handy with creative work.”

The students are equally as excited about their work. “This business has really provided us, as students, with an opportunity to work within our desired field and in return we give our clients professionally produced videos at a competitive price,” said Summer Hasan, a graduated senior. “We have a great group of creative minds and we have a lot of fun working together.”

As the second year of work begins, FiveCore is eager to meet with interested clients and get a start on new projects. “We have already met so many great people in the area, and as a new Chamber member, we are looking forward to working with the strong local business owners here in Goshen,” said Hufford.

To see some of FiveCore’s work, visit their website.

Thessaloniki, Greece

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College Campus Pastor Bob Yoder remembers how his life was significantly changed by a semester spent in the Middle East during college, when the “Bible came alive” for him. He hopes the same will be true for his students as he helps lead one of two classes spending 20 days during May term traveling together through Greece and Rome, tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Both classes will be engaging the same material and going to the same places, but have different objectives.

One group is a Bible class of 33 students led by Yoder and Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller. Their focus is following Paul’s second missionary journey in Greece as described in Acts 16-18 and exploring the issues of the various religious communities he influenced and the various books of the Bible associated with those churches. They will conclude in Rome where Paul spent his final earthly days and the study of the book of Romans.

Students also will engage three very different ways of expressing Christian faith, though all are descendents of Paul’s work: Eastern Greek Orthodox Church, Roman Catholicism and the Evangelical church movement, Yoder said. The students will have the opportunity to visit Thessaloniki, Philippi, Berea, Vergina, Mt. Olympus, Meteora, Delphi, Athens, Corinth, Florence and Rome.

“One of my hopes is that we learn lessons about how to cross boundaries in our faith setting, like Paul was engaged in,” Yoder said. “That’s one of the reasons Paul is a hero for me.”

Thessaloniki, Greece

Group times will include worship, reflection and sharing insights from various small group projects and assignments. There will also be times throughout the course where students will be encouraged to individually reflect, pray, read and journal.

“Gaining insight into the faith, spirituality and mission of the Apostle Paul will hopefully strengthen students’ individual faith journeys,” Yoder said. “Another hope is that the Scriptures will come alive for students as they experience the various historical places in Greece and Rome.”

The second group traveling is a broadcasting class of nine students led by Assistant Professor of Communication Seth Conley and Assistant Professor of Communication Kyle Hufford. They are working on producing a documentary examining the ways one of the most influential figures in the Christian Church dealt with cultural, religious, physical and personal boundaries, and how he “bridged the gap.” They are providing the writing, photos and videos on the blog (http://blog.goshen.edu/journeysofpaul).

The crew is traveling with 128-plus pounds of video equipment, including three cameras. “The classes will be taking different approaches in digesting the material and experiences,” Conley said. “We will be asking, ‘how do we tell a great story?’ We will be ingesting the experience and then sharing it with people who can’t be with us.”

The class films an interview with tour guide David Sparks.

Students will be rotating between different roles to gain experience in producing, directing, filming, lighting and audio engineering.

“Along the way, our team will be chronicling not only what we learn about history but also about what Christ is teaching us personally during this journey,” said Conley. “Students don’t always make the connection between broadcasting and their faith, so when this opportunity arose, I wanted to take advantage of it.”

Yoder is pleased that the trip includes both classes with different objectives, and believes that they will enhance each others’ learning. “I see this as an example of the kind of interdisciplinary learning we focus on here at Goshen College,” he said.

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

### 

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.