“That’s true in baseball, theater and comedy,” he says. “I generally listen when things come in threes.”

The adage has served him well for more than 20 years, as Swartz ’89, M.Div ’92, has engaged with the unlikely trio of theology, comedy and issues of faith. First with Lee Eshleman ’86 in Ted & Lee, and now with Ted & Company, he has written and produced more than a dozen plays, travelling extensively worldwide for performances.

And that’s why, when three similarly focused suggestions came to his drawing board, he took notice.

“About two years ago,” Swartz remembers, “I was asked to consider writing something about same-sex issues and sexuality in the context of the church, and I was busy at the time. But then six months later, on two other occasions, people asked the same question, and I took it a bit more seriously.”

This dialogue resulted in “,” a play that invites the audience to listen just as Swartz did to the diverse voices speaking about the controversial, challenging topic of same-sex relationships.

˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř will host a performance of the show, which is free and open to the public, Sunday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis, with doors opening at 6:45 p.m. A talkbackĚýsession will follow.

Characters share variety of perspectives

The main character of “Listening For Grace” is Daryl, a widower who learns that his son is gay. During the 70-minute performance, Daryl shares the stories of five other characters, each of whom provide a different perspective on same-sex relationships and faith. One of those voices is that of his deceased wife, Grace.

“The audience is continuously listening throughout this play, for Grace as a character who speaks truth to the main character in a way he can’t hear otherwise,” Swartz says. “They are listening for Grace, but they are also listening to hear themselves in someone else’s story.”

In shaping the play as an extended dialogue, Swartz invites the audience to honor their own viewpoints and those of others, and then to re-engage in continued discussion with respect and empathy.

Campus community invited to conversation

Recent performances at Mennonite churches and other locations around the country have often sparked the scheduling of conversation circles and small-group discussion, “sometimes even a few days later to allow people to process it, depending on how the community or congregation wants to handle it,” Swartz says.

EMU is following this model, hosting a follow-up conversation for campus community members at the Discipleship Center on Monday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

Pastor , director of , says the play offers an opportunity for continued dialogue.

“I expect that most people will find their voice, or voices, represented by one or more of the characters in this play such that continued reflection and conversation with others might be prompted,” Burkholder said. “Ideally, this performance will offer a shared experience that encourages ongoing dialogue.”

Play, cast, have connections to campus

“Listening For Grace” has been performed at in Harrisonburg to a packed house of Swartz’s hometown fans.

Yet Swartz says he is delighted to be returning to EMU and to Lehman Auditorium, the stage “where I learned to act” while studying theology at .

And it’s fitting that the play returns to campus, where Swartz debuted an early script at a closed reading in the fall of 2013. Since that time, the play morphed dramatically, most notably from an ensemble to a solo cast, and from recorded music to on-stage accompaniment.

Music at the Nov. 3 performance will be provided by pianist Phillip Martin ’13 and celloist Justin Yoder (when Justin is unavailable, EMU student Chris Yoder contributes in this role).

The policy has to do with how people working with MCC talk about their host countries when they go overseas. They are to refrain from comments that would offend or jeopardize their local partners and hurt the dignity of the people. MCC also urges its workers to respect the local culture and to refuse to reinforce stereotypes.

“I agree with the intent of the policy,” said Stauffer, a major from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, “but sometimes I think MCC goes too far.”

For two months during the summer of 2013, Stauffer was an intern with MCC in Honduras, which has the highest murder rate in the world. The American media portrays it as a violent country of drug traffickers that sends its children fleeing to the United States.

In Honduras, Stauffer wrote in his blog about the different ways he had noticed violence in that country. He mentioned the dilapidated housing in Honduras, writing that “poverty like this is not unrelated to violent crime.” He also wrote about his direct experiences with violence in the country.

Before posting his blog, Stauffer had MCC staff in Honduras review it. They asked him to remove the references to the houses and the violence. “I understood about the housing because it violated dignity. But I didn’t like that they wanted to censor what I said about violence, because I was trying to relate my experiences with violence in order to break down the dominant narrative of violence,” he said.

A few months later, back on campus, Stauffer signed up for the annual C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest for students at Mennonite colleges in the United States and Canada. The student was to apply the Christian peace position to a contemporary concern in 1,500 words or less, speaking for 8-10 minutes.

Stauffer decided to write and speak about the dangers of avoiding difficult discussions about violence, inspired by his experience in Honduras. He also drew on a TED talk that has been reference frequently by MCC workers. It was by in which she decried the dominant cultural narratives.

In Honduras, MCC wanted to fight the dominant narrative that the country was a violent place. “But in this case, where I couldn’t even talk about violence, MCC had similarly adopted a single story to compensate against the dominant narrative,” Stauffer said.

Stauffer’s speech, titled “,” won first place at EMU last March. He received $250. The two runners up for EMU were senior major Chris Yoder and senior major Jordan Luther. The other contestants were first-year student Sara Caitlin Neubert and junior Chris Parks.

“I am grateful for students like Seth who not only are willing to serve with MCC but are also then able to begin to process that experience in an academic setting,” said , an EMU professor who currently chairs the MCC U.S. board. She and her husband also served previously with MCC in Central America.

Stauffer’s winning speech at EMU was videotaped and sent to three judges who work in peace and justice ministries at MCC U.S. and MCC Canada – Sue Eagle, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Ewuare Osayande.

The winners were announced in late August. In addition to Stauffer in second place were Abby Deaton of Goshen College in first place and Mary Schrag of Bluffton University in third place. Stauffer received a $225 cash prize and a $200 scholarship to a peace conference or seminar.

Stauffer plans to graduate from EMU in spring 2015. After a “gap year” of work and study in Harrisonburg, he hopes to enroll in law school.

All of EMU’s ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.Ěý Men’s volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.Ěý With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,558 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2013-14 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.Ěý He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet atĚý. ĚýDon’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC onĚýĚýand followĚýĚýon Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.ĚýĚý

EMU’s ODAC All-Academic Team
Elizabeth Alderfer – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Volleyball
Jordan Aylor – Softball
Becky Barrett – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Tyler Brenneman – Men’s Soccer
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Lauren Campbell – Softball
McKenna Carter – Women’s Volleyball
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Robert Cook – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Paige DeBell – Field Hockey
Tyler Denlinger – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Katie Eckman – Women’s Cross Country
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Erica Garber – Women’s Track & Field
Carlos Garcia – Men’s Track & Field
Abi Gardner – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Joe Hall – Baseball
Rebecca Hardy – Women’s Volleyball
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Morgan Hill – Women’s Soccer
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Brendan Jeschke – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Viktor Kaltenstein – Men’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Louise Krall – Field Hockey
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Landis – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jordan Leaman – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Jake Lind – Men’s Soccer
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Tim Martin – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dilmer Martinez – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Brad Matthias – Baseball
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Macson McGuigan – Men’s Soccer
Chris Miller – Men’s Track & Field
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Nisly – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Ian Norris – Baseball
Nora Osei – Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball
Jolee Paden – Women’s Cross Country
Jesse Parker – Men’s Cross Country
Hannah Patterson – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
D Probst – Women’s Volleyball
Casey Racer – Softball
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Krista Rittenhouse – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Juni Schirch – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Caleb Schlabach – Men’s Golf
Chanel Shands – Women’s Basketball
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Molly Smith – Softball
Nicole Smith – Softball
Ashten Spencer – Women’s Soccer
Mandy Stowers – Field Hockey
Ryan Thomas – Men’s Soccer
Shannan Thompson – Women’s Basketball
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Londen Wheeler – Men’s Track & Field
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Alex Wynn – Men’s Track & Field
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Chris Yoder – Men’s Basketball
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Stauffer, a second-year major from Lebanon, Pa., delved into the dangers of avoiding difficult discussions about violence in some areas where works. “I think it is important for MCC to consider what ability they have to be subversive to violence by communicating about it in a more helpful way,” said Stauffer.

The annual C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest brings together students from Mennonite and Brethren in Christ colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to speak on contemporary issues from a Christian perspective. Winners at each school move on the intercollegiate portion of the contest for cash awards and conference scholarships.

Stauffer’s speech drew inspiration from ideas put forth in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk, “.” In that talk, Adichie speaks of painful experiences she has had coming to terms with others’ perceptions of her, and her perceptions of them based on the dominant cultural narrative. To her, these single stories were fraught with inaccuracy and unhelpful stereotypes; getting beyond them allowed her to more fully experience the world.

Stauffer summarized Adichie’s point by noting that one story is never enough. But ignoring one particular story among many also has its pitfalls. As an example, he cited MCC censorship of a blog post he wrote about violence he witnessed last summer, while volunteering for the organization in Honduras. MCC, he said, didn’t want to reinforce the perception of Honduras as a violent place. “In some ways, just talking about violence will reinforce popular assumptions,” Stauffer said. “But in this case, MCC had similarly adopted a single story to compensate against the dominant narrative.”

After a lengthy discussion, a three-judge panel, including EMU professors and , and Jennifer Davis Sensenig, a local Mennonite pastor, deemed Stauffer’s speech the best of the five entered in the contest.

The judges evaluated each speaker on topic, content, conclusion, delivery, introduction and originality. After the speeches, , organizer and emcee of the event, thanked all the student participants for their courage and their insight, and expressed her relief at not having to judge such an outstanding group.

The judges awarded Stauffer the first spot and also recognized two runners up, Chris Yoder, a senior major, and Jordan Luther, a senior majoring in . Yoder spoke about cultural adaptability in the context of cross-cultural experiences, while Luther gave a speech about the challenges and social stigmas associated with accent.

Rounding out the five speakers was first-year Sara Caitlin Neubert, who investigated issues of body image and the role of the church in promoting positive self-image. Chris Parks, a junior, drew the first speaking position of the evening and made an appeal for acceptance and equality titled “Dreaming a New America.”

Stauffer will receive $250 and entry to the intercollegiate portion of the contest.

Last year’s winner of the C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest at EMU was Emily Harnish. She placed third at the binational contest with her speech, “Lessons from the Hymnal in an Election Season.”

“Our overall numbers are down, but I think we’ll actually play more guys,” said Dean.Ěý “I think 11 or 12 of our guys are going to play minutes, so you could make the argument that we’re deeper.Ěý And talent-wise it probably is.Ěý We’re going to run more and shoot a lot more threes.”

EMU’s roster is only 14 deep in 2013-14, after starting with 18 or more in previous years.

Headlining the returners is the lone senior, (Fort Washington, Md./Friendly), an All-ODAC Third Team selection last year.Ěý The 6-5 wing was second on the team and 11th in the ODAC in scoring as a junior with 13.6 points.Ěý The stat-stuffer added 3.9 rebounds and team highs of 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals.

(Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) took over a starting role late last season, and the 6-2 junior has become a step quicker and will look for more minutes in the guard court.Ěý He scored 5.0 points a game last year and quietly shot 48% from long range.Ěý Junior (Madison, Va./Madison) steps into the starting position down low, as the 6-6 big man was good for 7.2 points and 5.5 rebounds last year.Ěý He was also tied for second in the ODAC last season with 1.7 blocks per game.

Wing (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) started 13 games last year, and brings back his 6-7 frame along with 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals.Ěý Other returning juniors are 6-2 (Bridgeton, N.J./Salem), 6-6 (Damascus, Md./Damascus) and 6-4 (Prince George, Va./Prince George).

Dean said that group has really stepped up their game this year.

“That junior class is where I’ve seen the most improvement,” he said.Ěý “Woody is ready to give us some level of production, and all of those guys look like they’ve made some really good improvements.”

The junior class will not only help replace the points lost from last year’s team, but also the intangibles, especially from four-year players Andrew Thorne and Owen Longacre.

“I think other guys were influenced by playing with them, and think I’ve seen that already,” Dean said of losing Thorne and Longacre.Ěý “Ryan Yates has been more vocal and has stepped into a leadership role.Ěý And when you’re one of the hardest workers like he is, people are a little more apt to listen to you even if it’s kind of critical.Ěý But it will be hard to replace those guys.”

Eastern Mennonite also adds two junior transfers, (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs).Ěý The 6-4 Yoder averaged 8.1 points in two years at D-III Messiah College (2009-11) before coming to Harrisonburg last year; however, he tore an ACL in his first practice last fall and missed the season.Ěý Crump, another 6-4 wing, scored 5.7 points at D-II Virginia Union last year.Ěý Dean had high praise for both players.

“We would have won 18 or 20 games last year if Chris wouldn’t have gotten injured, he’s that good of a shooter,” explained Dean.Ěý “But he does more than just that, he can jump, he can run and he’s very competitive.Ěý And Marcel is on par with Andrew Thorne athletically.Ěý He instantly becomes one of the best athletes in our league.Ěý If he gets a handle on what Drew brought competitively he’ll be better than him.”

Although there are no sophomores on the team this year, a recruiting class of five talented freshmen expects to see playing time as well: 6-1 (Columbiana, Ohio/Salem), 6-2 (Bristow, Va./Patriot), 6-4 (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle), 6-4 (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora), and 6-3 (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.).

“I think all of the freshmen are going to play,” explained Dean.Ěý “Kwa and EJ are at positions of need, so that will increase their minutes.Ěý But all of those guys are physically and mentally ready to make some contributions now.”

The Runnin Royals lost five of the nine men in their regular rotation last year, and replacing all the minutes, points and rebounds will take some time to figure out in 2013-14.

“I think it’s going to have to be a collective effort from a bunch of different guys,” Dean explained.Ěý “I don’t think we have one guy who will night in and night out be our leading scorer.Ěý But any of starting five, and even our sixth man, could be a leading scorer on any given night.Ěý We’ll be hard to scout because on any given night any of those guys could really hurt you.Ěý By spreading things out we can overcome that loss.”

The Runnin Royals open their season on the road, playing at a tip-off tournament hosted by Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., this Saturday and Sunday.Ěý Their first game is against Staten Island, and it will be the first of nine contests against a team which qualified for the NCAA National Tournament last spring.

While Dean knows that his schedule will be a big challenge for a team still getting used to each other, he also knows it could work as a positive.

“It can work for you or against you,” he said.Ěý “If it kills your confidence to lose to really good teams, then it hurts, but if you can be competitive and steal a couple of wins your guys could look around and say, ‘we could play with anybody.’Ěý I make sure the guys understand the level of competition they are playing against.Ěý I’ll expect to go in and win.Ěý And a lot of times a middle of the pack ODAC is a really good team.Ěý Hopefully that helps us.”

As usual, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference expects to be one of the toughest, most-balanced leagues in the nation.Ěý But with only seven of the 18 All-ODAC honorees from last year returning around the conference, 2013-14 has potential to produce a lot of upheaval.

“I think that’s one of the advantages of playing the hard schedule that we’re playing, because we’ll be more ready for the ODAC season,” said Dean.Ěý “It could come down to a possession here and a possession there.Ěý And a game here and a game there could be the difference between finishing 3rd or 4th or 11th or 12th.”

Dean knows his way around the ODAC, as this year he will coach his 11th season, equaling him with his predecessor, Tom Baker, as the longest-tenured Eastern Mennonite men’s basketball coaches.Ěý As the holder of four of the ten .500-or-better seasons in program history, Dean also has the most wins in men’s history with a career record of 134-129.

He has one regular season ODAC title, as well as the program’s only national tournament appearance.Ěý He hopes this year’s team can peak at the right time to make their own mark.

“I just hope that whatever our ceiling is, about the first of February we’re reaching it,” said Dean.Ěý “If that’s the case, then I don’t think anything is off the table.Ěý You don’t want to be ridiculously optimistic, and so I don’t think we’re ready at this moment to be the regular season champs.Ěý But I think by mid-February we could be ready to be the ODAC Tournament champs.”

The Runnin Royals finished with a record of 15-12 including 7-9 for eighth in the ODAC.Ěý EMU won at Washington and Lee in the first round of the ODAC Tournament before falling to top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan in the quarterfinals.

After opening this year at the tip-off tourney at Mary Washington, and a non-conference game at Elizabethtown on Nov. 20, the men have their home opener against ODAC opponent Lynchburg on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The difference is that now, transfers are coming to him.

Division III EMU will debut at least two and possibly three transfers this season, including power forward Dorian Valentine, who came from Division II Davis & Elkins. Valentine will be joined by Hesston (Junior) College transfer Jordan King, and Dean said he has a verbal commitment from Chris Yoder, a transfer from D-III Messiah College.

Another potential point guard transfer from a D-II school will be visiting EMU today. Dean did not disclose his name, but noted that he played 25 minutes per game at his old school and is “seriously considering” the Royals.

“We didn’t used to have people beating down the door to come to Eastern Mennonite,” Dean said Tuesday.

Could the influx of transfers be because of the Royals’ success the last few years, including a trip to the D-III national quarterfinals in 2010?

“Yeah,” said Dean, who has guided EMU to its first two 20-plus win seasons in the program’s 46-year history. “I don’t know what else it could be.”

Dean’s most prized transfer is Valentine, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound, rising junior power forward. Valentine transferred from D&E in 2011 and was required to sit out last season.

“I think Dorian has a chance to help right away, because he played two years in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and that’s not a crummy Division II league,” Dean said. “That’s a really good league.”

Yoder, a 6-4, 180-pound guard from Manheim, Pa., was a full-time starter at Messiah his freshman year, when he averaged 9.6 points per game. He saw his minutes drop as a sophomore last season, when he averaged 5.6 points per game.

Dean said he has never seen King play, but that Hesston coach Dustin Galyon – a former EMU player under Dean – recommended King, a 6-4, 200-pound forward, as a “great fit” for EMU.

In general, Dean said he doesn’t pursue transfers because it’s more difficult for them to receive financial aid than true freshmen. But, when players show “so much interest in our school, I’d be crazy not to,” he said.

Dean is just as excited about the four incoming freshmen he’s recruited so far, three of whom are at least 6-4 – including 6-4, 180-pound swingman Mike Richardson of Broadway High School.

Richardson, who committed to EMU in early April, averaged 20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Gobblers this season.

“He was as good as any wing player I saw that we had a chance to get involved with anywhere,” Dean said of Richardson. “It just so happens that he only lives a few miles from campus.”

Joining Richardson will be 6-7, 210-pound forward Rashad Chambers of Covington; 6-5, 210-pound forward Justin Glenn of Arlington; and 6-2, 165-pound guard Donte Harris of Winchester.

Dean said Chambers is likely to make an immediate impact simply because of his size and enormous wingspan, noting that Chambers can “stand up straight and scratch his knees without bending his back.”

“I think Rashad’s going to help us right away because he’s so tall and athletic, but his ceiling is so stinking high that he’s nowhere close to being as good as he can be,” Dean said. “I mean, wait ’til you see the frame on this kid.”

Dean also said that Harris could bring outside shooting to a Royals team that shot just 28.3 percent from 3-point range last season. Glenn is the most likely to need some time to develop.

The 2011-12 campaign was a rebuilding one for EMU, which returned no starters and only three players with any significant experience from the previous year. The Royals finished 12-15 overall but played their best basketball at the end of the season, winning three games in a row before falling to Randolph-Macon in overtime in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference quarterfinals.

But with his incoming recruiting class joining a more experienced group, Dean is expecting much more this year.

“I felt like if we could bridge from [last year’s] team to the future without having to go all the way to the back of the ODAC – without feeling like we had to start over – that we’d be in good shape,” Dean said. “We were really able to do that.

“Now, it’s time to step up, it’s time to realize that we can jump right back into the fray and be a contender.”

Courtesy Daily News Record, May 16, 2012