Chapel
January 16, 2025
The Queen Singers: Art for change
The Queen Singers, one of Goshen College’s singing ensebles, is set to return to the stage this Monday as a part of GC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The group has been preparing for their performance, which will mark two years since the ensemble’s beginning. The Queen Singers were originally founded by Jakyra Green and Nakiyah Kilpatrick, and are a group that “amplifies and honors the BIPOC feminine experience,” according to H. Roz Woll, assistant professor of music and faculty adviser to The Queen Singers. Green and Kilpatrick were familiar with activism on GC’s campus through being heavily involved...
September 25, 2019
LSU celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Goshen College’s Latino Student Union invited campus to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month yesterday, a time of national celebration and remembrance for the American Latino community that began Sept. 15. More than two dozen flags of Latin American countries lined the front of College Mennonite Chapel, as members of the Goshen College Latino Student Union spoke. Five canvases painted by Yadira Figueroa, a 2018 graduate were displayed on stage the aspects of Latino character: Amor, Belleza, Fuerte, Pasion y Valiente - Love, Beauty, Strength, Passion and Bravery. “Our theme this year is ‘Proud of who I am,’” said Pamela Ortiz Ramirez,...
January 26, 2019
Chapel explores changes in culture and music
Malinda Berry, professor of ethics at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, shared a message on Wednesday about the centrality of singing in the culture of Goshen College. The message “Does the world still hear our song? Singing and Social Change” highlighted how Goshen, and the surrounding world, has changed and how attitudes around singing have changed as well. Berry, a GC graduate, shared that the most obvious change was the “mosaic of experiences” she was seeing standing at the podium. “Goshen College didn’t look like this when I was a student,” she said. “So I’m here to offer back to you...
March 15, 2018
International Women’s Day inspires action
Goshen College celebrated International Women’s Day with two events on Wednesday, March 7: a special chapel held in the morning and a celebration in the evening. Campus Pastor Reverend LaKendra Hardware preached the message for the International Women’s Day chapel. She began by reading select pieces of the Biblical creation story from Genesis 1:27-28 and 31, which describe the creation of man and woman. She called them “words of encouragement and a reminder” of two things: firstly, that man and woman were created as equals, and secondly, that humanity was created in God’s own image. She continued to reference these...
November 10, 2016
A convocation aimed at healing and hope
Tears and frustration filled the Church-Chapel on Wednesday as students and faculty gathered to discuss the results of the presidential election. Provost Ken Newbold opened the convocation, saying that he hoped words of healing and reconciliation would come from the panelists: Jordan Waidelich and Alma Rosa, both seniors, and Ben Wiebe, a third-year student. “[We are here to] find a way to unify and find a way to come together and provide a place for conversation,” Newbold said. Waidelich began the discussion, pointing out the anger that has consumed this election. “We can’t ignore all of the pain and anger...
November 12, 2015
GC hosts, honors grandparents
When Sarah Hartman-Keiser, a sophomore nursing major, was handed her first stethoscope, blood pressure monitor and set of scrubs last Friday, her grandmother Margie Keiser, a retired nurse, was by her side. John and Margie Keiser visited Goshen College for last Friday’s Grandparents Day festivities, and they accompanied her to Nursing 210: Intro to Professional Nursing. “It was exciting because I didn’t know we were getting those things that day, but it made the moment even more special. My grandma was there to be excited with me and see a part of my future become a reality in a small...
February 19, 2015
Ash Wednesday and Revive Indiana
Unlike past years, when chapel services and convocations were held on Mondays and Fridays, this Ash Wednesday lined up with a college-sponsored chapel day, and Revive Indiana founder and CEO Kyle Martin was asked to speak at the event. According to Bob Yoder, campus pastor, it was the most flexible chapel date this semester, which led to Martin's being asked to speak at the request of several students. The chapel service began as Bobby Switzer, senior, led students, staff, and community members in singing “Christ, Be Our Light,” accompanied by musicians from the student body. As the Christ-light candle was lit, an...
September 4, 2014
New Focus In Convo/Chapels
This semester will be the first semester that convocation and chapel will only be offered on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Each week will alternate between convocation and chapel. The shift from the old schedule was motivated by student feedback in response to a survey from November 2013, put out by the convocation review taskforce. The taskforce, appointed by the President’s Council, was asked to prepare the survey and submit recommendations for re-structuring. The taskforce consisted of David Lind, professor of sociology; Beverley Lapp, professor of music and core curriculum director; Rebecca Horst, interim registrar; Bob Yoder, campus pastor; and DaVonne...
March 12, 2014
Chapel, Convocation Planners Concerned About Attention
Some staff have asked ‘more maturity’ from students attending weekly assemblies Ten hours: the amount of time, approximately, that each student enrolled at Goshen College is required to spend every semester sitting in the Church-Chapel. Convocation and chapel requirements have become nothing more than a chore for many students, and staff and faculty members are starting to notice. “The other day I was in the balcony and a quick count of the students in my line of sight revealed 40 students,” said Gwen Gustafson-Zook, chapel coordinator. “Eleven had their heads up and appeared to be engaged with the speaker, while...
March 12, 2014
Moritz to Speak at Annual Religion and Science Conference
Goshen College’s 14th annual conference on Religion and Science will bring new light to human uniqueness and the image of God. The conference, held this Friday through Sunday at the Church-Chapel, is a weekend created to provide a space for discussion and dialogue between religion and science topics, all prompted by a special lecturer. This year’s speaker is Joshua M. Moritz, a lecturer of philosophical theology and natural sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., as well as adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco and managing editor of the journal of Theology and Science....
March 13, 2013
Chapel is fun or a drag, depending on who you ask
Aaron Stiffney is no stranger to idea of the “swipe and run.” “I went to chapel, and in my head I was thinking ‘I’m going to swipe and run,’” confessed Stiffney, a sophomore. “Then I met up with my friends and they said I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to get caught because I’d probably lose my swipe.” This seems to be an increasingly familiar scenario for Goshen College students faced with the attendance requirement for convocation and chapel. Some students–though certainly not all–are tempted to swipe their ID for credit and then leave. Although unknown to many students,...
January 19, 2012
New minister of worship leads through service and song
With the start of a new semester, Goshen College welcomes a new half-time minister of worship, Gwen Gustafson-Zook. As minister of worship, Gustafson-Zook’s job will involve planning chapels and other worship activities on campus, as well as offering spiritual direction for ministry leaders and pastoral counseling to students. When asked why the job appealed to her, Gustafson-Zook said, “I’ve wanted to do it for a long time.” Prior to taking on the new position, Gustafson-Zook worked as regional associate at MCC Great Lakes for five years,taught Bible at Bethany Christian Middle School for two years,and pastored at Faith Mennonite Church...
February 24, 2011
Chapel Preview: “Struggling with Imperfection: Self-Judgment and God’s Grace”
While last week’s chapel, "Struggling with God's People: An Imperfect Church," addressed imperfections in the church as a whole, chapel on Friday, Feb. 25 will focus on the perceived -imperfections of the individual self. The chapel titled, “Struggling with Imperfection: Self-Judgment and God’s Grace,” will focus on the struggle to meet the high ideals we set for ourselves and interpret from others. “Perfectionism and self-judgment are so strong among students,” said Bob Yoder, campus pastor, “This will be a message of hope to find God’s role of grace in our imperfect parts of life.” The service will begin with a...
November 3, 2010
Correction
In the Oct. 27 issue of The Record, it was stated in the article on Anton Flores' chapel address that "Flores' eyes were opened to the ethics of international adoption: stealing, buying and exploiting children." Flores' later clarified his views on the topic in chapel on Friday. The Record regrets the error. According to Flores, some activists oppose international adoptions because of the allegations. Other international adoption agencies have even closed their doors to adoptions for the same reasons. While Flores acknowledges the ethical dilemma of international adoption, he takes no side, but proposes an ethical third way. In his article "Just...
October 27, 2010
Flores calls for solidary through observing, hearing others
Anton Flores shared the reason he walked away from a career as a tenured professor to a lifestyle of solidarity with immigrants in a special chapel on Wednesday morning. Flores, a former social work professor from La Grange, Ga., likened his calling to Exodus 3:1-10, highlighting that God “observed the misery of his people in Egypt and heard their cry.” “The first step of a call to solidarity is to observe misery,” said Flores. For him, his moment of observation began when he and his wife decided to adopt a son from Guatemala. Their eyes were opened to the...