It was a hard time to be a pacifist during World War I.

When the U.S. officially entered the war in 1917, American Mennonites and other Anabaptists largely held fast to the pacifistic stance of nonresistance. Young Mennonite men were conscripted into military training camps upon the government’s promise they wouldn’t be coerced into service against their conscience. Some accepted noncombatant roles and served in medical or supply and support services, while others were allowed to work on farm furloughs or went to Europe to serve with the Friends Reconstruction Unit, said Dr. Andrew Suderman, associate professor in theology, peace, and mission at EMU. 

“The War Department, however, in fact, intended to persuade as many pacifists as possible to join the war crusade,” he said.

A number of conscientious objectors (COs) were court-martialed and sent to prison, he said, with some COs used as test subjects during the war. These tests included “positional resiliency”—forcing COs to maintain uncomfortable or strenuous positions for extended periods, often under harsh conditions—as well as nutritional limits and needs. “In other words,” Suderman said, “how few calories does a human actually need to live?”

“Due to this conflict … some European Mennonites saw the need for Mennonites from different nations to come together and wrestle with what it means to be a community of faith that spans different nationalities, including the nationalities that were in conflict with each other,” he said. “This led in June of 1925 to the first gathering of the Mennonite World Conference, which also commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the Anabaptist movement.”

The professor, who serves as director of global partnerships at Mennonite Mission Network and as the secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission, delivered the fifth and final installment in the “Anabaptism 1525/2025: Five Centuries, Five Lectures” series on Thursday evening in Martin Chapel. He spoke about the history of Anabaptism in the 20th century and explored how the faith movement, which began in Europe and largely remained in the North Atlantic region during its first four centuries, has become a truly global phenomenon.

Today, there are over 2 million Christians in the world who identify as Anabaptists, he said, including 72% of whom live in the Global South or “Majority World.” Suderman shared his own experiences of witnessing the Mennonite presence and influence in Colombia and South Africa.

The lecture series was sponsored by the Shenandoah Mennonite Historians, planned by Caleb Schrock-Hurst ’18, MA ’22, and Elwood Yoder ’81, and partially funded by the Kennel-Charles Lecture Series at Eastern Mennonite School (EMS). It featured five speakers who traced the journey of the Anabaptist movement throughout the five centuries. Starting on Thursday, Jan. 30 (), Dr. John D. Roth, project director of MennoMedia’s Anabaptism at 500 , highlighted the emergence of Anabaptism in the 1500s. On Feb. 6 (), Dr. Mary Sprunger, professor of history at EMU, spoke about how Anabaptists were already in places and positions of wealth and privilege by the 1600s. On Feb. 13 (), longtime EMS teacher Yoder shared how Anabaptists in the 1700s were pressured because of their faith and how it challenged some of the social norms. On Feb. 20 (), Schrock-Hurst, a member of the Virginia Mennonite Conference, highlighted the ways Mennonites were affected by and leaned into modernization during the 1800s. This lecture series was a grassroots collaboration by historians, theologians, and church leaders to mark the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism.

In his lecture, Suderman spoke about the dangers of continuing to only deconstruct the Anabaptist narrative without considering what is being constructed. In a message to EMU News, he clarified that “there are things that need to be deconstructed. But many around the world also find the Anabaptist story and identity as life-giving.”

“Because of our growing distance from life-and-death struggles, perhaps largely because of our general affluence when compared to the rest of the world, Anabaptism too easily becomes a concept that we can debate rather than an embodied way of life,” he said during the lecture. “Our global companions, however, experience Anabaptism as a life-giving, emancipatory way of being in the world.”

Watch his lecture on YouTube .

The Shenandoah Mennonite Historians have promoted the study, interest, and awareness of Mennonite history since 1993. They conduct tours, hold an annual meeting, and produce a quarterly journal called Shenandoah Mennonite Historian. The Historian officers who endorsed this lecture series are Jim Hershberger, Chair; EMU Professor Emeritus of History, Gerald Brunk; Jim Rush; Gary Smucker; Norman Wenger; and Elwood Yoder.

Learn more here:

Read about students’ experiences in South Africa from the EMU intercultural blog below.

Learn more about future interculturals on EMU’s website, and keep an eye out for updates on EMU’s other spring intercultural at the Washington Community Scholars’ Center.

Molly Piwonka writes about the group’s visit to Soweto:

As we drove through the streets and made a few stops such as the Hector Pieterson memorial, we learned about the unfortunate circumstances the people living in this area were dealt with. Small houses, made in cheap ways, which also contain very little resources cover the neighborhoods. These houses might be small, but as Andrew Suderman says: the homes within are large because of the warmth and hospitable spirit of the people. There might not be much space, but those that live in Soweto are very welcoming and hospitable; happily willing to add another to their compacted living spaces. This community also radiates hope. These streets are painted with streams of colors. Blue, red, green, yellow, purple, orange. Those living in Soweto contain a good deal of creativity. From advertisements painted on walls to street vendors to full-out murals, every corner contains something interesting. This street art helps to keep the atmosphere alive and shows how it can uplift those around it with its bright and colorful nature. Art is culture and even though those in Soweto have dealt with many harsh realities and pain, they seem to show up day in and day out with welcoming spaces and creative spirits that no one can ever take away.

Nathan Oostland writes about visiting Marikana:

On Thursday we visited Marikana, a mining town that was the site of a massacre where miners protesting for more livable pay were answered with bullets. This event from 2012 is still raw in the community and we were honored to visit the community and site in which it took place. Napoleon, a local activist, welcomed us into his four-room home to watch a documentary of the event entitled Miners Shot Down. He was a gracious host who pushed us just outside our comfort zones physically and emotionally. We learned the power of the everyday person in a fight for justice and the importance of sharing stories together. A beautiful moment from the day was sitting on top of the hill where miners sat on strike against the mining companies. The view over the landscape was stunning but hindered by smokestacks and huge industrial buildings. The domination these companies have over the community and land was apparent. But Napoleon didn’t let us leave with the idea that the people lost. They hadn’t, wages increased and the movement displayed the resilience of the community.

Read more student stories from South Africa: the first weeks in Washington D.C., the first days in South Africa, and more recent adventures on EMU’s intercultural blog.

When the news of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s death was announced the day after Christmas 2021 Eastern Mennonite Seminary associate director Sarah Bixler reminded EMU News that the most recent intercultural group that traveled to South Africa had been fortunate enough to spend time with the legendary peacebuilder.

Learn more about that trip at the EMU Intercultural Blog and on the intercultural website.

That group was led by Andrew G. Suderman, professor of Bible, theology and religion, and his wife, Karen, then director of EMU’s Intensive English Program (currently a teacher at Eastern Mennonite High School). That was the fifth time the Suderman family had met Tutu. 

The first occasion was in 2014 when the couple, representing Mennonite Church Canada, helped to coordinate the Anabaptist Network in South Africa (ANiSA).

With children Samantha and James, they had gone to an early morning Eucharist service at the historic St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. When 9-month-old James became fussy, Karen started to take him to the back of the chapel. “You’re not taking the baby away, are you?” Tutu asked, after he concluded the prayer. “You’re not running away, are you? You must stay; we like his voice.” 

We’re grateful that Andrew took some time to share reflections on meeting and learning from Archbishop Tutu. And some wonderful family photos, too.

***

December 26, 2021, was a sad day. That was the day the world learned of Desmond Mpilo Tutu’s death. The world lost a giant moral figure in a very small physical frame.

My family and I had the privilege of meeting Tata (Father) Tutu five times; four times while we lived in South Africa and once while we took a class of U.S. students to South Africa to learn about its story. Each of our children were touched and blessed by the Arch. (He often spent a considerable amount of time playing peek-a-boo with our children!)

Tata Tutu will rightly be remembered for his faithful and steadfast witness to God’s desire for justice, peace, and reconciliation in our world. Although this work and his witness emerged in the struggle against apartheid and its racially segregated social engineering project, it did not end there. He campaigned for peace, justice, and reconciliation in many other areas. He spoke   out against the Iraq war; he called into question the ongoing dynamics in the middle east and the neo-apartheid reality that Israel has created; he challenged internal church-related issues such as LGBTQ inclusion; and much more. Much can be (and will be!) said about all of this. I want to focus on three particular lessons that I gleaned from Tata Tutu.

 1) “If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.” 

Tutu became renowned for the way in which he challenged the apartheid regime and its system of hatred and violence. And yet his prophetic challenge was consistently invitational. In calling out the apartheid regime and its violent and hate-filled policies, he would always invite the actors that enacted apartheid’s policies to step away from its policies and join the struggle against apartheid’s dehumanizing ways.

“You may have the guns,” he would say; “you may have all this power, but you have already lost. Come: join the winning side.”

Tutu recognized that the apartheid system did not only dehumanize those which it subjugated, but it dehumanized those who perpetuated apartheid’s policies as well.

2) We are all interconnected. 

Tutu was perhaps one of the greatest proponents of ubuntu, a concept that highlights one’s interconnectedness with everything and everyone. It originates from the Nguni group of languages and has become short form for umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which means “a person is a person because of other people.” Tutu recognized and helped us recognize the ways in which we are interconnected. Throughout the struggle against apartheid and the early years of South Africa’s democracy, the concept of ubuntu highlighted the way in which apartheid and its separation and exclusion attacked not only one’s dignity, but one’s humanity!

Tutu regularly referenced the notion of ubuntu as he challenged the logic and separating practice of apartheid. “My humanity,” he would remind people, “is bound up, is inextricably bound, with yours; and yours with mine” (No Future without Forgiveness, 31). It was precisely this understanding of interconnection that motivated Tutu’s work to not only free those that the apartheid system described as “not-white,” but free the oppressor as well!

Ubuntu means that in a real sense even the supporters of apartheid were victims of the vicious system which they implemented and which they supported so enthusiastically. Our humanity was intertwined. The humanity of the perpetrator of apartheid’s atrocities was caught up and bound up in that of his victim whether he liked it or not. In the process of dehumanising another, in inflicting untold harm and suffering, the perpetrator was inexorably being dehumanised as well.” (No Future without Forgiveness, 35)

3) Reconciliation, therefore, becomes central.

 If working for peace means confronting and talking with your enemies, and if this is done because we are all interconnected, then reconciliation is both necessary and a logical outcome. Tutu reminded people that reconciliation means to work at restoring right relationships. Wherever injustice and oppression exist, relationships are not right, things are not as they should be. Thus, reconciliation should not become equated with some form of “soft” attempt to try to find middle ground.

Tutu was unequivocal that God was found among those who are oppressed, exploited, and dehumanized. Reconciliation was not an effort to find or negotiate some kind of middle ground. Rather, the work towards reconciliation recognizes that relationships with fellow humans, with creation, and with God are broken. Reconciliation, therefore, was an active way by which to envision and live into a new reality that was not determined by past brokenness. Reconciliation sought to imagine and establish new relationships that could offer a better expression of God’s desired justice and peace now in this world.

 Not only will I miss Tutu’s infectious laugh, I will miss Tutu’s tireless pursuit toward a better and life-giving future. We have lost not only an incredible role model; we have lost one of God’s champions for a more just and reconciled world.

 Rest well, Tata. May we seek to embody the many lessons you have provided  in our quest to make God’s kingdom a reality on earth as it is in heaven.

See below for a comment from retired EMU professor Harlan de Brun about several other crosscultural* groups that met with then-Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

* EMU’s cross-cultural program was renamed Intercultural Programs, a title that more accurately reflects the experience, in 2021.

For more information, visit graduate degree and certificate programs on trauma and resilience in the MA in Education program and this hub for upcoming professional development, training and courses at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Webinars on racial justice and social justice

The , ��a program of EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, offers a webinar series each fall and spring semester. Past webinars are available on the website, including a��, and on criminal justice reform, racial justice and the intersection of these efforts.

Also visit��CJP��and��Eastern Mennonite Seminary��to view course offerings on racial and social justice.

Navigating Ministry During COVID-19

This series of six online forum discussions provides resources to pastors, but all are welcome to attend. Visit emu.edu/seminary/forum-series

• June 10, 3 p.m. Ethical Issues of Medical Care, facilitated by Donald Tyson and Catherine Lee.
• June 24, 3 p.m. Biblical Resources for Despair and Hope, facilitated by Nancy Heisey, Andrea Saner and Matthew Bucher.

Trauma and Resilience in Healthcare Settings

Visit emu.edu/lancaster/continuing-ed/

• June 9, 12 p.m. Trauma-informed Strategies for Healthcare Providers: During and After COVID-19, presented by Janelle Bitikofer.

Trauma and Resilience for Parents & Educators

Elaine Zook Barge presents the following webinars. Visit emu.edu/lancaster/continuing-ed/

• June 23, 12 p.m. Helping Parents Respond to the Impact, focusing on the impact of the waves (overwhelm) and wounds (trauma) on the body, brain and behavior and some tools to release trauma energy, re-integrate the brain and self-regulation.
• August 11, 12 p.m. Helping Parents Prepare for Whatever is Ahead, This webinar will focus on resilience and the window of tolerance and resources for widening it.

Educators: see also the June 23-24 Restorative Justice in Education Conference, now online

• June 23-24, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• $100 per participant
• Theme: “Youth-Led Restorative Justice”
• Input from experts in the field of restorative justice as it pertains to education. Sessions will be offered for newcomers to the field as well as those with experience in RJE. Keynote speaker is Dr. Anita Wadhwa, with Ram Bhagat, Martha Brown, Joe Brummer, Kathy Evans, Laura Feichtinger McGrath, Bob Garrity, Kevin Gilbert, April Howard, Emily Imgram, Deb Lokrantz, Judy Mullet, Dwanna Nicole, Sal Romero, and David Shenk.
• For more information, visit emu.edu/maed/rje-conference

The consultation brought together peace theologians and peacebuilding scholars from different Anabaptist institutions for a daylong conversation about the state of their respective fields and to brainstorm how they might cooperate in an interdisciplinary way toward developing a theologically robust theory and practice of peacebuilding.

In the morning sessions, six scholars presented their proposals, with each presentation followed by an invited respondent and time for feedback from the group. In the afternoon sessions, invited guests led open-ended discussions about how to move forward in light of what was presented in the morning sessions.

After a welcome by , Ed.D., vice president and academic dean at AMBS, , D.Min., associate professor of congregational formation at AMBS, began the first morning panel, on peace theology, by presenting a paper titled “At-one-ing ordinary harm,” in which she drew attention to the role of forgiveness and reconciliation in response to ordinary, nonmoral harms in contrast to the typical focus in theology and peacebuilding on how to respond to extraordinary moral harms. , M.A.T.S., Intercultural Competence and Undoing Racism coordinator at AMBS, offered an appreciative response in which she noted how Jacobs’ analysis can helpfully deescalate conversations about racism and other unacknowledged biases.

, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and ethics at AMBS, then presented “‘Let Us Make Them in Our Image’: Gender and the Methodological Considerations of Shalom Political Theology,” in which she asked the question, “How do I draw men as readers into women-centered theological work that’s intended for every-body?” , Ph.D. student in religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, responded by highlighting the ways Berry’s work helpfully resists “disassociation” between one’s life and scholarship.

To conclude the peace theology panel, Andrew Suderman, Ph.D., assistant professor in theology, peace and mission at EMU, presented “Re-Claiming Our Power: Assuming Political Agency in the Quest for Peace,” drawing on his work as a Mennonite Church Canada Witness Worker in South Africa, where he and his wife, Karen, helped coordinate the Anabaptist Network in South Africa. In response, , Ph.D., associate professor of Anabaptist studies at AMBS, pressed Suderman to develop his account of power and politics further so as to better account for the ways in which the aims of church and state have often overlapped, despite the avowed “division of labor” between church and state that Suderman attributed to the legacy of Constantinianism.

Timothy Seidel, Ph.D., who teaches politics, development and peacebuilding in the department of applied social sciences and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU, kicked off the second morning panel with his paper “Exploring Religion and the Post-Secular in the Borderlands of Theology and Peacebuilding.” Seidel expressed misgivings about the secular bias in North American and European-centric models of peacebuilding and asked what possibilities have been closed off because of this bias. He argued for breaking down the binary between the religious and the secular in order to better listen to the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Respondent , Ph.D., director of the Point of View International Research and Retreat Center at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, affirmed Seidel’s post-secular, decolonial line of thought as it applies to religion and peacebuilding theory and practice.

Johonna Turner, Ph.D., assistant professor of restorative justice and peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU, then presented “Womanist Peacebuilding Ethics: In the Time of #Black Lives Matter and #MeToo Movements.” Turner called attention to what she called “holistic anti-violence organizing” as a contemporary tradition of peacebuilding. She offered a post-colonial, womanist, anti-violence theology, with which she found resonance in the Anabaptist foci of community, nonviolence and radical discipleship. By focusing on black women’s experiences of self-determination, self-agency and storytelling, Turner offered what she called a “radical, Anabaptist womanist” theology. Respondent , M.S.W., M.Div., independent scholar, social work practitioner, and founder of Destiny’s Daughters, described Turner’s approach to peacebuilding as a process of weaving or braiding a number of strands of hair together. She noted that the process might look messy, but the end result comes together beautifully.

In the final presentation of the morning, , Ph.D., assistant professor of peace studies and Christian social ethics at AMBS, presented “Witnessing Peace: Becoming Agents Under Duress in Colombia,” in which she drew on her experiences with communities in Colombia to offer an account of constructive agency under duress. Her account juxtaposed what she called messianic “now time” with gradual time, both of which inform the other in the process of creating what John Paul Lederach calls “just peace.” In response, Peter Dula, Ph.D., associate professor of religion and culture at EMU, commended Hunter-Bowman for allowing the voices and experiences of Colombian communities to speak into and challenge peacebuilding theories rather than imposing the theories onto the experiences of the people.

In the first afternoon session, , Ph.D., professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, reflected on the voices that were still missing in the discussion. While he commended the presenters for centering marginalized voices, he raised the question of whether marginalized voices were being selectively appropriated and asked whether there were other voices that might challenge some of the perspectives of the presenters further. In addition to voices from the majority world, Schlabach mentioned traditional Amish communities as another resource for peacebuilding.

Nekeisha Alayna Alexis discussed the need to expand theologies of peacebuilding to include the wellbeing of non-human animals and creation more holistically. She also challenged presenters to consider how their own eating practices might align with their peace theology.

To close the consultation, , Ph.D., managing editor of the and sessional faculty in theology and ethics at AMBS, offered concluding remarks, in which he synthesized the presentations into what he called an “ordinary, organic theology of anti-violence peacebuilding.”

Participants and attendees were energized by the lively discussions throughout the day. One peace studies professor in attendance said that this was the kind of discussion he had been waiting on for decades. AMBS and Goshen College students in attendance were likewise enthused by the exchange of ideas among their professors. Participants left optimistic about the possibilities of ongoing collaboration between peace theologians and peacebuilding scholars at AMBS, EMU and beyond. By the end of the day, there was discussion about planning a subsequent consultation to continue the momentum.

The consultation was organized by Janna Hunter-Bowman, Peter Dula and Salomé Haldemann, an M.A.: Theology and Peace Studies student at AMBS, and was generously sponsored by the .

Thus began Dr. Amir Hussain’s lifelong admiration for the boxer and activist Muhammad Ali. Hussain, a professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, told this story as part of a colloquium at ��ݮ���� on Oct. 23. The talk was named after his latest book, (Baylor University Press, 2017).

Muslims and the Making of America is far from Hussain’s only work in the realm of popular culture. He serves as an adviser on The Story of God, a television documentary by Morgan Freeman, and was a consultant for the new Warner Bros. film, . EMU hosted two screenings of Blinded by the Light , including one talkback session with Professor Timothy Seidel, CIE’s director.

During his visit, Hussain spoke with students about Muslim representation in media over lunch, and visited classes on social and political economy, reimagining identity, and liberation theologies.

Muslim achievements shaped the U.S.

Ali is one of the dedicatees of Hussain’s Muslims and the Making of America.

Years after watching that historic fight on television, Hussain would learn more about the racial context of a country where not everyone shared his admiration for the African American boxer. He referenced an incident in which Ali was refused service in a restaurant in his hometown, after winning an Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960.

“You can eat in the kitchen, but you’re the wrong color to sit in the dining room. Think about that as a young man. You’re good enough to win a gold medal for your country, but you’re the wrong color to eat in a restaurant.”

“You can eat in the kitchen” is a callback to the Langston Hughes poem, “I, too, sing America,” which Hussain recited at the beginning of his talk. 

“They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed— / I, too, am America,” the poem ends. 

“That’s what I want to do with this book,” Hussian explained. That is, to give the general reading public a narrative about the many Muslims whose achievements have helped shape our nation.

Hussain’s colloquium did that as well – serving up a historical digest of notable American Muslims, from the African slaves who first brought Islam to the U.S.; to Ahmet Ertegün, who founded Atlantic Records; to present-day congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

“There has never been an America without Muslims,” Hussain recited from the opening line of the book.

Hussain also spoke about the Islamophobia that emerged after Sept. 11, 2001. Before, Muslims had been “a curiosity,” that few of his students knew much about. After Sept. 11, his students claimed to know a lot about Muslims – but all negative stereotypes, and no history. 

Connections to CIE, EMU

Trina Trotter Nussbaum, associate director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement at EMU, met Hussain at an American Academy of Religion conference in 2016.

“I was immediately taken by Amir’s ability to speak publicly about confronting Islamophobia while working across religious differences to build alliances, and I thought that we needed to hear from him here,” Nussbaum said. “Amir is both a skilled Muslim scholar and a plugged-in cultural critic and I really wanted the EMU community to be able to hear from him.”

Hussain’s roots in the Mennonite world run deep – he first collaborated with Mennonite Central Committee in 1988, on a trip to Israel-Palestine. His wife, Shannon Hamm, who passed away in 1992, grew up in a small Mennonite community in Manitoba, Canada.

President Susan Schultz Huxman, whose academic expertise lies in the field of rhetoric and communication, attended the colloquium.

“Dr. Hussain is a seasoned scholar and theologian and as a cultural studies and film studies expert,” said Huxman. “This combination makes his expertise a perfect supplement for our integrated liberal arts curriculum at EMU. More importantly, he is an expert communicator with engaging visuals who presents difficult and challenging topics in accessible and invitational forms.”

Hussain said after the colloquium that he was most excited about “the chance to engage with the students” while at EMU. In fact, those experiences are the reason why he’s in academia.

Heath’s main lecture at EMU, open to the public on Wed. evening at 7 p.m. in the seminary’s Martin Chapel, is titled “Is There Good News for a World in Trauma?” Heath will address what it means to be a “missional church” ministering to individuals and neighborhoods dealing with trauma.

Other public events include:

•  Wednesday, Nov. 20, 10:10 a.m. – Convocation, Lehman Auditorium, on “Reclaiming Apostolic Soul.”
• Thursday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. – Seminary service, Martin Chapel, on “Wilderness Credentials.”

Heath will also convene a workshop for local pastors called “Forming and Leading Micro-Communities of Hope,” offering guidance for those starting “new forms of faith communities in post-Christendom contexts.” She will visit with students, faculty, and visiting pastors while on campus – including a breakfast with area pastors.

The pastors’ breakfast is an ongoing corollary to the Augsburger series, which Park View Mennonite Church Pastor Phil Kniss says aims “to open up mutually beneficial dialogue between area Anabaptist-Mennonite pastors, and missional practitioners and theologians from outside the Anabaptist stream.”

“We are excited to have Dr. Heath, with her scholarship and practice in new approaches to evangelism and Christian community, with us for this year’s Augsburger lecture,” said Andrew Suderman, assistant professor of Bible, religion and theology.  “Her background in the field of trauma and ministry will help our community grapple with what it means to participate in the ‘Good News’ and how to embody it with, among, and as people who have experienced trauma.  She will help us reflect on how following Jesus in our broken and violent world challenges us to meet people where they are – physically, spiritually and socially – and what it looks like to offer hope and healing.”

Heath writes that her life’s work is “interdisciplinary, weaving together the study of Scripture, theology, and Christian spirituality in ways that help the church to reach beyond its walls and into the community.” This approach of taking “church to the people,” as Heath says, characterizes the aims of the Neighborhood Seminary, where Heath is president and co-founder.

The Neighborhood Seminary offers a two-year, non-degree program which provides theological and spiritual education to lay people using the cohort model. Currently, four cohorts are active in North Carolina and Virginia. The seminary’s goal is to teach students “how to neighbor well, how to help their neighborhoods flourish, and how to foster life-giving community,” according to its .

Her newest book, (Abingdon Press, 2020) delves into the “spiritual discipline of celebration when facing grief, trauma, failure, or a dark night of the soul.” It is part of the eight-volume Holy Living Series, of which Heath is also an editor. 

As an educator, Heath served as dean of the Divinity School at Duke University, and as a professor at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and the Ashland Theological Seminary.

Heath now lives at an intentional Christian community and farm in North Carolina, Spring Forest, where she serves as the community abbess.

The series was founded in 1984 by Myron S. and Esther Augsburger to address “topics in the area of Christian evangelism and mission for the stimulation and development of a vision for evangelism and missions for the EMU community.”

Previous Augsburger lecturers include: 

• 2018: N.T. Wright, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. Wright presented on “Promised Glory: Thinking Straight about God and the World.” Article podcast
• 2017: James Krabill ‘71, senior mission advocate with Mennonite Mission Network, who convened a panel with Leonard Dow ’87 and Esther Augsburger ’72, all alumni who have served in Christian evangelism and missions. Article podcast
• 2016: The Reverend Canon Dr. Scot McKnight, New Testament scholar, theologian, historian, and author. Article podcast
• 2015: Nelson Okanya MDiv ’03, president of Eastern Mennonite Missions, who spoke on the changes in global missions over the last half-century. Article podcast

The Augsburger Committee includes Professor Andrew Suderman (co-chair), Professor David Evans (co-chair), Technical Services Librarian Jennifer Ulrich, Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder, and Emily North, administrative assistant to the Dean of the School of Theology, Humanities, and the Performing Arts.

Senior Lindsay Acker, Nicole Litwiller ’19 and Luke Mullet ’19 also presented their project , which includes stories from survivors of sexual violence, visual art and audio accompaniment. Acker and Litwiller are now studying at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, while Mullet has joined EMU’s admissions team. Junior Aaron Horst was also present.

The following article from the August 5, 2019, issue of Mennonite World Review is reprinted with permission.

ELSPEET, The Netherlands — More than 200 peacebuilders launched a Global Anabaptist Peace Network at the second Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival June 27-30 at Mennorode retreat center.

Rooted in Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission, the network hopes to share prayer and advocacy requests, empower one another, develop a membership directory of peace-related Mennonite organizations and create spaces for encounter.

During the conference, panels, workshops, concerts, live theater, poetry reading, singing, prayers and other activities explored the theme “On the Way of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,” building on an ecumenical initiative promoted by the World Council of Churches.

One of the goals was to create a network of people from different contexts and fields related to Mennonite peacebuilding. Renate Enns, one of the volunteers, was moved by how connection grew during informal moments.

“Everyone engaged with each other anytime,” Enns said. “You saw people from different ages and contexts talking with each other. That made this conference special. It showed that people really wanted to listen to each other.”

Paulus Widjaja spoke about the challenges of working with Christians and Muslims in Indonesia.

“Peacebuilding is not meant to just end conflict but to prevent future conflicts by building strong infrastructure,” he said.

Widjaja’s reference to infrastructure exemplified the importance strengthening relations among Mennonite peacebuild­ers, learning from peace practices and discerning together about ways to engage with different contexts.

Presenters, panels and artistic performances addressed racism, colonialism, discrimination, exclusion and gender-based violence. Theatre of the Beat’s play #Churchtoo confronted people with issue of sexual abuse in churches. It was a catalyst for weighty questions, and many people were brought to tears.

Comforting for peace

One activity was “Comforting for Peace,” under the guidance of Jeannette Stenvers and Marjan Huisman. Participants contrib­uted to stitching comforters for refu­gees. One was made around the theme of “Mennonites and Peacebuilding.”

More than 100 participants designed single patches to be sewn into a comforter and offered to the World Council of Churches as a sign of how Mennonites are joining the ecumenical “Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.”

Jeannette Stenvers was moved not only by the number of people who joined to let their hands work for peace but also by the connections people made during this work and the many stories it brought out.

As the Global Anabaptist-Mennonite Peace Network was launched, Fulco van Hulst, a representative of the emerging network, said: “In God’s grocery store we cannot buy things like world peace and the end to hunger but only the seeds of peace to spread across the world.”

The first conference was organized in 2016 by Conrad Gre­bel University College in Waterloo, Ont. ��ݮ���� in Harrisonburg, Va., has expressed willingness to organize a third conference in 2022 but welcomes a bid from an institution in the Global South to host instead.

Read more news coverage of 2019 summer cross-culturals.

Here’s a post from students serving as the week’s “communications team” during the South Africa crosscultural, led by Andrew and Karen Suderman. Andrew is professor of theology and Karen director of EMU’s Intensive English Program.

From 2009–16, the Sudermans served as Mennonite Church Canada Witness Workers in South Africa. They lived in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and helped to coordinate the Anabaptist Network in South Africa (ANiSA).

The crosscultural focused on the country’s legacy of colonialism and apartheid and the church’s role in the pursuit of peace, justice, and reconciliation, with visits to Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Nelspruit.

In excerpts from the original blog post, the group named high points of “growing together as a group and being unified through experiences and desire for change and justice, laughter and conversation around meals, and feeling alive and grateful to be in South Africa.”

Among the group’s shared learnings:

• Apartheid is still a reality
• How we can learn about the history of our hometowns?
• Realizing passions and what makes me feel angry
• Hospitality is beautiful
• Seeing similarities between South Africa and USA
• The reality of relocation as breaking apart communities
• Taking a risk to talk to people is rewarding
• Do not sit comfortably in the status quo
• We need to trust in God and encourage others to do the same.

From Capetown…

After three long days in the bus, including a 2.5 hour-long delay due to engine issues, we rolled into Capetown. As an exhausted and grateful bunch, we unpacked the bus, dragging our suitcases up three flights of stairs to our new home for the next 10 days. Many of us feel refreshed with the beach view from the back deck – a nice place to escape when we get tired of being in the same room (all 11 young women are sleeping in one room, and the 4 young men are in another). We share a common space and kitchen with other travelers and surfers from around the world.

In Capetown and with day trips to surrounding areas, we are learning about the colonial history of South Africa. Capetown is home to the first settlement of Dutch settlers. We visited places like the Castle of Good Hope and Company Gardens to get a taste of the history of the first settlers. We also visited places like Robben Island to continue learning about the Apartheid era. While driving to and from these places, we continue to observe obvious racial and economic disparities between neighboring areas based on housing, employment, and population density. For release and recreation to take a break from the heavy stories of harm, many of us participated in hiking, surfing, swimming, and napping.

Below, several of us have answered a question reflecting on a meaningful experiences we had in the past week.

How have you seen God?

• In the people hosting and feeding us
• How we have come together as a group like a family
• The Suderman kids – embodying love and joy through laughter, hugs, dancing, ukulele playing, surfing, and so much more
• In the resistance groups we have learned about such as Fees Must Fall and Reclaim the City
• Being challenged in our comfort
• Hearing repeatedly the phrase, there is only one race, “the human race”
• In the beauty of nature —Group responses

Reflect on your experience at Robben Island.

Robben Island was and still is a pivotal part of South Africa’s history. The prison housed regular criminals but mainly housed political activists who spoke against the South African Government. One prisoner by the name of Robert Sobukwe was kept in his own personal cell away from all the other prisoners because his ideology was highly feared. Robben Island was supposed to be a symbol of justice and peace but became the total opposite. My experience at Robben Island was not great. The Island brought up feelings of hate and fear. I constantly thought if I was alive at that time, I would most likely be a prisoner of this island. To me the Island still carries the same energy of hate and violence but at the same time is still building toward peace and reconciliation by offering a truthful story of what happened on the Island. — JD

How have you experienced the change in food? What has been your favorite meal so far?

The food here is amazing. Almost everything we have tried, we have enjoyed. The food can be spicier than what we are used to, such as the chakalaka, which is a yummy side consisting of vegetables and beans. Another food that is a staple here are pap, a corn based starch that is eaten at almost every meal. Some of my favorite foods here have been the braai (meat cookout), cake with custard, actually anything with custard and amagwena (fat cakes). —O���ⱹ����

What were some of your thoughts and reflections as you hiked Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point?

Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point was an amazing experience. If you want to truly experience the beauty and awe inspiring creation of God, visit Cape Point. Every new ridge you could see over gave you a whole new view. It felt like such a huge space, but at the same time we were at a very small point in South Africa. This really was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I wish I was able to show everyone it’s true beauty. — Aaron

Walking on to Boulder Beach reminded me of the Oregon coast but with warmer weather and penguins around each boulder. It was a great place to sit, relax, swim or explore and it provided a much needed rest after hiking for a majority of the morning. After hanging out at the beach for an hour or so, we walked on the boardwalk leading to gift stores, ice cream shops and street artist performers. — Lukas

How has your view on community struggle changed since hiking Table Mountain?

Since hiking Table Mountain, community struggle has taken on a new image in my eyes. As we hiked, we encouraged, uplifted, and struggled with one another. We went up in three different groups, but all came to the realization that the hike would not have been possible without our community and sense of a mutual goal. This image has been illuminated countless times not only through the struggle of the hike, but has also taken place throughout every community we have learned about and/or experienced. Community is more than just a place; community is a people in unity as one working towards Ubuntu (“I am because we are.”Another way to say it is “A person is a person only through other people”). This concept has brought to light the fact that we are all one and that no matter the circumstances or struggles, we need each other. —A���������

Compare and contrast your experience at Stellenbosch Motherchurch (Dutch Reformed) and Grace Community Church.

Grace Community Church located in Colesberg is a passionate and lively black township church. Stellenbosch on the other hand is a Dutch Reformed in a former whites only town with European undertones. The similarity between these two churches is that they worship the same God and despite the vast differences, the spirit was able to move in both places.

On Sunday, May 19, we attended Grace Community Church. Immediately upon arrival we were greeted with smiles, hugs, and numerous welcomes. The building was one large room constructed with corrugated metal panels. The building was plain and simple but filled with loud, exuberant worship. During the service we were welcomed numerous times, danced, and were even invited to talk while Andrew was asked to give the sermon.

The next Sunday, we attended The Dutch Reformed Church. Stellenbosch was familiar even with the language barrier of Afrikaans. The building was conventional like what you would see in Europe. We sat in a pew, attentive to what the pastor had to say that day, sang songs with all of the same tunes that are found in the Mennonite Hymnal and yet there was still an eerie presence of discomfort. Apartheid history still looms over Stellenbosch as the theology and leaders of apartheid come out of the university and church there challenging my view of comfort.

A quote that has stuck with me throughout my time states, “We used to have the land and they had the Bibles. Now we have the Bibles and they have the land.” I find that this quote gets at the root of the differences between services. —H�DZ�����

The original post was curated by Lydia, Alyssa, and JD.

The new faculty, announced by , provost; Michael King, dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and of Eastern Mennonite Seminary; and , vice president and undergraduate academic dean, include:

Linda Alger, instructor of nursing. Alger earned a MSN at Walden University and a BS in nursing from EMU. She brings extensive nursing experience as a staff nurse and director of the critical care unit at RMH/Sentara. Alger has taught at Blue Ridge Community College and will bring her clinical experience to the clinical classroom setting at EMU.

Clement Acevedo, instructor of music. Acevedo is a DMA candidate at James Madison University School of Music, with an anticipated completion date in 2016. ��He earned a BM from University of the Philippines College of Music; an MM in piano performance from Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance; and an MM in piano pedagogy from West Chester University of Pennsylvania School of Music. Acevedo’s professional experiences include serving as the choir director and minister of music at a Lutheran church in Pennsylvania, teaching Suzuki and traditional piano, and performing in the Philippines, China and the United States.

Syafaatun Almirzanah, PhD, professor of religious studies. Almirzanah is a Fulbright Scholar from Indonesia who will teach religious studies. She has a PhD and master’s degrees in theology from the Lutheran School of Theology, as well as a DMin degree from Catholic Theological Seminary, all located in Chicago, Illinois. She earned an MA in philosophy and a BA in comparative religions at Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Tammy Duxbury, assistant professor of accounting. Duxbury earned an MS in taxation from Bryant University and a BS in business and commerce-accounting at the University of Houston-Downtown. Duxbury brings accounting experience in the areas of taxation, taxation research and tax consulting along with experience in personal finance planning and consultation. She was an adjunct accounting instructor and a scholarly practitioner at several institutions.

Jan Emswiler,�� instructor of nursing. Emswiler earned a MPH in international health and development from Tulane University School of Public Health and a BA in nursing and biology from ��ݮ���� . Emswiler brings international nursing experience in the areas of public health, HIV/AIDS care and support, and maternal child health care. She has taught in Zambia and Tanzania, and at Goshen College and James Madison University

Dana Farrar, instructor of nursing. Farrar holds an MSN and BS in nursing from ��ݮ���� . She brings hospital floor experience in medical/surgical units and orthopedics as well as experience as an e-health specialist at Sentara RMH.

Jeanne Heil, PhD, assistant professor of Spanish. A scholar of applied linguistics with the ability to teach both language and linguistics, Heil earned a BA�� in Spanish from Wittenberg University and an MA and PhD in Hispanic studies from University of Illinois. She will contribute both teaching expertise and administrative experience as a language coordinator to the language and literature department.

Cassandra Kennell, PhD, assistant professor of psychology. Kennell, an experienced substance abuse therapist, holds both a PhD and MA in clinical psychology from the American School of Psychology. She earned an MA in counseling at EMU and a BS in psychology from the University of South Florida. At Shenandoah Psychological Services, LLC, she has provided individual and group therapy for children, adolescents, families and couples, as well as psychological and neuropsychological testing,

Roxann Allen Kioko, instructor of business. Kioko anticipates completion of a PhD in strategic leadership from James Madison University in fall 2016. She earned an MA in conflict transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU and a BA in history from EMU. Kioko brings professional and administrative experience in numerous non-governmental organizations along with teaching experience in Ethiopia with Mennonite Central Committee. Kioko has been an adjunct instructor for both undergraduate and graduate courses at EMU.

Eva Pastalkova, PhD, assistant professor of biology. Pastalkova holds a PhD and MS in neuroscience, and a BA in biology from Charles University in the Czech Republic. She has been an innovative researcher, teacher, program developer and administrator to both the undergraduate biology and graduate biomedicine departments. Her expertise in the areas of bioinformatics, neuroscience and biology will add value and breadth in both departments.

Andrew Suderman, instructor of theology. Suderman anticipates completing a PhD in systematic theology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa this year. He earned a BA in philosophy from Canadian Mennonite University and an MT in theological studies from Conrad Grebel University in Canada. He brings international and cross-cultural experience in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia and South Africa.

Paul Yoder, PhD, assistant professor of education. An experienced teacher at several levels, Yoder completed his PhD in curriculum and instruction from University of Virginia. He earned his MA in education and a BA in history and social science from ��ݮ����. He has taught social studies, US history and English as a Second Language in Harrisonburg area public schools. In addition, he has been an adjunct instructor at James Madison University and EMU, and taught in the EMU’s Intensive English Program

Zelijko Mirkovic, instructor of digital media. Mirkovic is an award-winning film and television director who contributes expertise in the areas of producing, scriptwriting, technical skills and new media knowledge. He anticipates completion of his PhD in media and communication from the University of Vienna, Austria. Mirkovic earned a BA from The Academy of Art Braća Karić�� in Belgrade and an MA in media practice from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.