Experience the sights, flavors of Cambodia with international luncheon April 15

Event: Afternoon Sabbatical – “International Luncheon: Cambodia” hosted by Keith and Ann Graber Miller
Date and time: Tuesday, April 15 at noon
Location: College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall
Cost: $20; the reservation deadline is April 4.
For more information or to register: call College Relations (574) 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu

GOSHEN, Ind. – The international luncheon, which has been an annual part of Goshen College Afternoon Sabbaticals, will introduce Cambodia this year. On Tuesday, April 15, at noon in the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller and his spouse Ann, a self-employed design consultant, will present a nation rich with history, a unique culture and smiling faces. The registration deadline is April 4.

Following a traditional Cambodian meal of rice and chicken, the Graber Millers will describe and show photos from the country where they spent four months leading a Study-Service Term unit in the spring semester of 2007. As Keith describes it, “Cambodia is still a post-war culture, nearly 30 years after the Khmer Rouge reign ended.” The Khmer Rouge soldiers led a genocide that left nearly two million Cambodians dead in the 1970s.

“We’re hoping to introduce people to this rich Asian culture that was nearly devastated by the traumatic 1970s and 1980s, and that is still regaining its foothold,” Keith said.

But there’s much more to Cambodia than its violent past. “We’ll talk about the ancient wonders of the Angkor temples and the rulers who built them, the French colonial era and the tempestuous 20th century. We’ll also examine the impact of Buddhism on Cambodia and the fledgling Christian church,” Keith said. “In a time when our nation is at war, its important to look at the long-term impact of warfare on a culture and its people. No one alive during the Khmer Rouge period was left unscarred, and thousands are still dealing with various forms of post-traumatic stress.”

The meal and program cost $20; registration deadline is April 4. To register for the event call College Relations at (574) 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu.

Future programs in the Afternoon Sabbatical series:

– May 20 – Spring bus trip to South Bend, Ind. Cost: $50

Goshen College is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Afternoon Sabbatical. A committee of area representatives and college personnel consider the knowledge and talent at Goshen College and among Elkhart County citizens and aim to select programs that will appeal to a wide variety of interests. The program began and continues from the idea that people can use a sabbatical from their daily lives to refresh their minds and spirits.

 – Kelli Yoder

Editors: For more information about this release, 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.