Students, staff, and faculty gather for chapel and energetically call out the numbers of their favorite hymns. Led by Brian Wiebe, Music Center Exective Director. Features the musical talents of students Kaleem Khesghi and Jonathan Mast.

“Good for the Soul: Why Mennonites Should Read Catholic Literature” Lamar Nisly, Professor of English at Bluffton University. This is a C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture.

The violence of this pandemic has devastated peoples lives, communities, and degraded the quality of life. Unless there is cooperation among the world’s community, Africa is not able to overcome this pandemic. Tefsa Dalellew, co-director of Mennonite Central Committee-Africa is a compelling storyteller and ordained Mennonite pastor. He first met Mennonites as a high school student and joined Meserete Kristos Church in 1961, of which he became the Executive Secretary in 1974. He served with World Vision for 21 years in Ethiopia, New Zealand, Kenya, California, and Seattle. Tefsa is married to Amsale and they have three adult children.

President Jim Brenneman delivers a message to campus in this convocation.

Doug Caskey, professor of theater and communication, and his “The Power of Story” class will lead us in worship through dramatic scripture presentations.

English professor Bobby Meyer-Lee will base his convocation remarks on his book published in February 2007 by Cambridge University Press titled Poets and Power from Chaucer to Wyatt.

Luke Gascho, executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, leads this chapel entitled “Regenerative Stewardship of God’s Earth”

Brad Graber and others will lead us in a time of singing, prayer, and reflection as part of our chapel worship service.

Art Gish returned in early March from a term as a Christian Peacemaker Team volunteer in Iraq. He will share stories from his experience in convocation and also visit several classes throughout the day. This convocation begins an Iraq Awareness Week sponsored by the GC Student Senate.

Three students will share their stories of year-long volunteer service in the middle of their college education. Jenna Preheim spent one year in Fresno, CA with Mennonite Voluntary Service. Isaac Hooley spent one year with Mennonite Central Committee in Jamaica. Emily Yoder spent a year in Hutchinson, KS with MVS. Also on hand will be Jeremy Kempf, from Mennonite Mission Network, leading us in worship.

The campus community is invited to gather for a prayer service honoring our sister school Bluffton University, and the recent tragic accident involving their baseball team.

Come and encounter the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel through singing, scripture, and reflections. Students Jeff Hochstetler and Tina Peters, and professor Kyle Schlabach will share personal reflections of the “Jesus of Mark” they experienced based on their read-through of Mark’s sixteen chapters. Student Karen Graber will lead us in several hymns based on passages found in Mark.

Faculty leader Beverly Lapp and students from the summer 2006 Peru SST unit will tell us about that country and their experiences.

Campus Health & Wellness committee presents a convocation on relationships and technology.

Professor of Physics Carl Helrich was not raised in any church, yet at some point he encountered the God who speaks language in ways that he, and all of us, could understand. Come and hear more of Carl’s faith story.

Griffith is a Catholic pacifist who lives in South Bend and teaches writing. His latest book is about the photographs of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison camp in Iraq: what they tell us and what effect they had.

The students involved in the making of ‘Fuerza,’ a documentary about Mexico-Goshen connections, share stories from the production. Some of the narrative refers to video clips unavailable in this podcast. Soluz Films, the producers of the ‘Fuerza,’ have a website at http://www.soluzfilms.com/

Come hear guest artist and speaker Johnathan Miller, a youth pastor from Faith Apostolic Ministries of South Bend, Indiana. Pastor Johnathan will share from his urban youth ministry context in both word and song. In addition, Voices-n-Harmony will open our time of worship together with a few songs.

Goshen resident J.D. Hershberger shares his story of potential and choices with students and the campus community.

President Brenneman leads this opening covocation on the theme “I resolve”