For more photos from the parade, visit our .

Lynch remembers receiving his own handwritten card during the holidays back when he was a high school senior in King William, Virginia, a dot on the map about 30 miles east of Richmond. And he remembers feeling appreciative that a student at EMU, recent biology and mathematics grad Marciella Shallomita ’25, wrote to him.

“I was a student chaplain last semester and I got to meet her, and it was nice to say to her, ‘You’re one of the reasons I came here,’” shared Lynch, adding that another big draw pulling him to EMU was receiving the four-year, full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship. “I thought it was nice that someone had taken the time to write me something and tell me how much they enjoyed EMU.”

As a way of paying it forward, Lynch stopped by the main lobby of University Commons in between classes on Friday to participate in the 15th annual note-writing event sponsored by the admissions office. He, along with more than 90 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of EMU, hand-wrote hundreds of cards (over 700 cards and counting, as tallied on Monday morning) that will be mailed to admitted students all across the country.

Lynch said he wrote to students who, like him, were interested in studying political science and digital media. “The majority of my cards were about how good the professors are in the VACA (Visual And Communication Arts) department and how I’ve never once regretted choosing digital media as my major,” he said. “I wanted to reach out to incoming students and tell them, ‘Hey, if you need any help or if you ever want to talk about your major or about any classes, come find me.’ I think I’m the only River on campus, so it shouldn’t be hard.”

The annual note-writing event provides an opportunity for members of the campus community to form connections with admitted students and tell them about what makes EMU special. Students have said that receiving these cards makes an enormous impact on their college choice. 

Fortunata Chipeta, a junior public health major, didn’t realize this impact until a current first-year student she wrote a card to last year told her it helped convince him to attend EMU. “This event is like me giving them a nudge toward the EMU experience,” she said. “We want them to experience the welcoming and fun adventure here.”

Another student participating in the event, Ava Walker, a sophomore psychology major from Richmond, wrote cards to prospective psychology students. “I’ve been telling them about how the school makes me feel welcome and has given me so much since I’ve been here,” said Walker, who is a Royal Ambassador, tour guide, and member of the lacrosse team. 

Luke Litwiller, director of undergraduate admissions, said the goal of the event is to ensure every admitted student receives a handwritten, personalized card from a member of the EMU community and “experiences a little bit of the relational care that we offer here.”

“This is also a community-building event and gets people all across campus involved in enrollment efforts,” he said.

Friday’s blanket of snow caused a slight hitch in plans, pushing the start of the event from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., but the dedicated volunteers pressed on, powering through wrist cramps as they wrote.

“Given how many admitted students we had this year, we needed a pretty solid push,” said organizer Liz Heilbronner, assistant director of transfer admissions and event planner. “Even if someone only wrote one note card, it still made a big difference.”

Wednesday, Dec. 3

Campus Worship: Christmas Stories & Songs

Time: 10:15-11:05 a.m.
Location: Martin Chapel, EMU Seminary Building

Come celebrate and share some of the stories and songs of Christmas with musicians Dr. Benjamin Bergey, Carina Groll, and Naomi Kratzer; student chaplain and seminary student readers; and Dr. Tim Reardon sharing reflections on the incarnation, God With Us. This event will be streamed on  and remain available there.

Christmas Caroling at VMRC

Time: 5:10-6:30 p.m.
Location: Meet at the Black Lives Matter mural in front of University Commons

All are welcome to join Y-Serve and EMU Hymn Sing leaders for a bit of Christmas caroling. Meet at the BLM mural to walk to the VMRC Woodland Homes neighborhood for caroling at several homes. Wear holiday festive clothing, earrings, hats or scarves. Song sheets will be provided.

Friday, Dec. 5 

Christmas Concert

Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: Lehman Auditorium

Celebrate the holidays with the EMU Music Department. With performances by the EMU Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, University Choir, and Chamber Singers, the evening is sure to bring joy and celebration.

Saturday, Dec. 6

Harrisonburg Holiday Parade

Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Along Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia
Online:

EMU will once again have a major presence in the annual Harrisonburg Holiday Parade as the new branded bus (read more about it here!) cruises down Main Street with students and staff handing out candy and plenty of Royal spirit. The parade will move south on Main Street starting at the Rockingham County Administration Center at 7 p.m. and ending at Harrisonburg City Hall.

The EMU community welcomed the Advent season all December long with events that spread holiday cheer to students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighbors alike. For a quick rundown of those events and some wonderfully shot photos from Visual Media Manager Macson McGuigan, read on.

‘Tis the Season Christmas Concert

The ’Tis the Season Christmas Concert kicked off a busy weekend of festivities on Dec. 1 in Lehman Auditorium with two hours of Christmas songs from every music ensemble at EMU. Among the night’s highlights were a performance of the chorus from George Frideric Handel’s Hallelujah, a singalong Christmas medley with the crowd and the Christmas poems recited by EMU Director of Bands and concert emcee Kyle Remnant in between sets. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Remnant’s bright red, yuletide-themed suit as well as the master class in conducting that Herm put on display (just a few minutes after the night’s conductor Benjamin Bergey disappeared stage left).

Soloists included vocalists Jacob Nissley, Joshua Stucky, Afton Rhodes-Lehman and Mikayla Pettus, and Luke Haynes on organ.

Harrisonburg Holiday Parade

EMU did its part in spreading Christmas cheer through downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia, with a float in the city’s downtown parade on Dec. 2. 

The Chamber Singers, with director Benjamin Bergey, performed “Riu Riu Chiu,” a Spanish Christmas carol, from the float. Many student and staff volunteers greeted parade goers with blue Hershey’s kisses and candy canes. President Susan Schultz Huxman waved to the massive crowds lining the street while her husband Jesse Huxman drove the float along the route. 

The theme of the float was “Holidays Around the World.” Inspired by the peace pole on campus, decorators placed “peace” in 20 different languages around the float, which also sported blue lights, faux snow, a Christmas tree and about 80 miniature flags from countries all across the world.

Thanks to the advancement office, theater and music departments and the president’s office for their roles in shaping the parade. Those on the planning committee included Sara Wittig, Nicole Litwiller, Braydon Hoover, Bergey, Shannon Dove, Monica Pangle and Jon Styer.

Lighting of the Green

The festive lights adorning campus and wrapping around the Christmas tree at Thomas Plaza were switched on during the fifth annual Lighting of the Green ceremony on the evening of Dec. 4. Students, faculty, staff and retirees enjoyed warm cider and hot cocoa and snacked on cookies while listening to songs from the EMU Jazz Ensemble and Chamber Singers. As dusk fell over campus, a candle lighting ushered in the advent season.

Santa Claus even made an appearance, handing out candy canes and boasting that nobody at EMU made this year’s naughty list.

EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman marked the occasion with some of her trademark rhetoric: “Our act of turning on the lights and celebrating with a little Christmas cheer is a celebration of hope in a weary world. As a Christian university, we celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus, the prince of peace. As an Anabaptist voice on the religious landscape active for decades in interfaith dialogue, we also acknowledge and affirm the religious traditions of our non-Christian brothers and sisters.”

Special thanks to Facilities Management for their many hours of tireless work stringing the beautiful lights on buildings and walkways, and thanks to the President’s Office, which sponsored the event.

Holiday note-writing

Inside the University Commons on Dec. 8, EMU students, faculty, staff and alumni joined together to hand-write hundreds of letters mailed to prospective admitted students from all across the country. According to the admissions office, which organizes the annual Note-Writing Extravaganza, more than 725 notecards were written to over 500 prospective students. A total of 103 EMU students, alumni and employees pitched in to help give future EMU Royals a warm winter welcome.

Participants could give their writing hand a break with a visit to the snack table, where an assortment of peppermint bark, cookies, coffee, cheese and crackers were laid out. Or, they could browse the EMU apparel and gear — EMU disc golf discs would make a great stocking stuffer! — for sale at the swag shop. Every five letters written earned a raffle ticket for a chance to win a gift basket.

Zack Furr, a junior from Staunton, Virginia, majoring in digital media and photography, sat at a table with a few friends and faculty adviser Jerry Holsopple. Because his list of recipients included students interested in his major, he took the time to write about the Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) program and how its classes had changed his life.

Furr said he remembers receiving a handwritten letter from someone at EMU while he was in high school: “It left a nice impression. EMU was the only university that did that.”

The season’s first snow

For one magical morning this month, the campus was blanketed in a fresh layer of snowfall. Although it quickly melted away in a few hours, it provided a beautiful backdrop for students headed to their last day of classes before final exams. McGuigan shot the photos with an aerial drone hovering above campus on the morning of Dec. 11. A post of the photos on EMU’s official Instagram account garnered a record-setting 742 likes, as of Dec. 19.

Sarah’s Christmas in clay

This season saw the return of the elaborately ornate and delightfully detailed diorama of clay figurines at the Facilities Management office. 

Sarah Gupta (née Regan), who began crafting the miniature replicas of her coworkers in 2021, added some new twists to this year’s winter scene. Each day, members of the facilities team unfold a note or poem tucked inside one of the clay gift packages and read it aloud. 

Another addition to the diorama, says Administrative Coordinator Lori Gant, is campus security guard Elizabeth Jones. Jones, who is often decked out in pink, started working as a citation officer this year. She is immortalized in clay, pink clipboard in hand, issuing a parking citation to Venue Coordinator Jason Hange, who Gant says parked in a wrong space once. 

Unfortunately, with Gupta departing EMU in the year ahead, this could be the final time we get to see her clay creations.

Advent Greetings

EMU’s Advent greeting for 2023 features a special message from President Susan Schultz Huxman and music from the EMU Wind Ensemble.

And, last but not least, Patty’s cookies…

Each winter, Patty Eckard, office coordinator with EMU’s Business and Leadership Department, fires up the oven and bakes thousands of Christmas cookies for family, friends and anyone passing through the Campus Center office. This year, she says, she put on her baking gloves earlier than ever before — the beginning of October. The result: 4,000 to 5,000 delicious cookies in 36 different types, including more than 500 sugar cookies. One of our favorites was a sugar cookie with a “stained glass” center made from Jolly Rancher hard candy.

“Joy to the World” pianist, Benjamin Bergey ’11, vocal performance and church music. Text: Isaac Watts, Psalms of David, 1719, alt. Music: “From Handel,” Lowell Mason, Occasional Psalm and Hymn Tunes, 1836

Produced by EMU’s marketing and communications department. Director and editor: Lindsey Kolb, EMU ’07, visual and communication arts program ().

“We offer this chapel as a gift to the campus and greater community as an expression of the faithfulness and transforming love of God,” said Brian Martin Burkholder, campus pastor.

The 45-minute chapel will feature songs, scripture and other readings focused on the nativity. Jericho Road, ChoirWithoutBorders and the EMU Chamber Singers will perform at the service.

For more information contact Brian Martin Burkholder at 540-432-4115 or brian.burkholder@emu.edu.

Directed by Ken J. Nafziger, professor of music at EMU, the Chamber Singers will blend the theme of Mary with unique holiday songs and carols. The 75-minute concert will include “Mary’s Song,” a piece composed by Celah Pence, a 1986 EMU alum, “Gabriel’s Message,” a Basque carol arranged by Joshua Shank and “Missa Brevis in Honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis” by Lithuanian composer Kristina Vasiliauskaite.

“Mary’s Song” and “Gabriel’s Message”

Commissioned earlier this year, Mary’s Song is a four-stanza piece that focused on the different stories in Mary’s life, according to Pence. “It was a meaningful experience, looking through Mary’s eyes at the events of her life and the responses they seemed to evoke in her,” said Pence.

Pence said two unique experiences in Mary’s life—the crucifixion and friendship between Mary and her sister, Elizabeth—shaped the composing process.

“I was touched by her spiritual connection Mary had with Elizabeth,” said Pence. “In addition, the crucifixion took on new levels of stark reality for me as I pondered what it would be like to lose an adult child and not be able to offer any solace or help in their darkest hour.”

“The concert is focused around Mary’s song, the Magnificat, a song that has been an important part of the church’s traditions for centuries,” said Nafziger. “The song combines both praise and justice that will be explored in this concert.”

Additional concert repertoire

The repertoire for the concert includes also a variety of carols and hymns related to Mary and the Magnificat: music of medieval Spain, Guatemala, African-American spirituals, and U.S. composers Ben Allaway and Craig Carnahan.

Admission to the program is free; donations are welcomed for the EMU music student scholarship fund.

The EMU campus community responded to an annual appeal from the department of applied social sciences to purchase gifts with $985 in contributions.

Stephanie DeHart, a senior social work major from Roanoke, Va., gets wrapped up in her work. Photo by Jim Bishop

Around 15 students, all social work majors, used the funds to purchase clothing and toys from local retail outlets and wrapped the gifts.

Student organizers worked from names and “wish lists” of children sponsored for special services by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Department of Social Services (DSS).

The group’s original fund goal was $750 this year. When it appeared that the goal wouldn’t be met, organizers made a second campus wide appeal. The original goal was surpassed, and student organizers had the “problem” of going back to Social Services for several more names.

“Every year this project touches a soft spot in my heart,” said Krista D. Burkholder, who helped organize this year’s effort under the auspices of the student organization, Social Work is People (SWIP). Burkholder is a senior social work major from Lancaster, Pa.

EMU social work students (l. to r.) Stephanie DeHart, Roanoke, Va.; Anna Woelk, Hillsboro, Kan., Marsha Kanagy, Timberville, Va., and Anna Woelk, Hillsboro, Kan., prepare to gift-wrap presents for delivery to the Harrisonburg- Rockingham Department of Social Services. Photo by Jim Bishop

“This service project offers a tangible way for students to help respond to local needs while it his demonstrates what a generous, caring community EMU is,” Burkholder said. “I’m thankful to be part of it.”

The presents will be delivered in time for distribution at the Social Service department’s annual “Visit With Santa” Christmas party on Saturday, Dec. 12.

Read more…

2009 Advent scriptures include the following:

• Week One – Luke 1:26-28
• Week Two – Matthew 1:18-25
• Week Three – Luke 1:39-56
• Week Four – Luke 2:1-19

The series began with a reflection by Dorothy Jean Weaver, professor of New Testament at the seminary.

"Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Christian tradition, a beginning focused on the coming of Jesus into our world that calls for thoughtful preparation for this coming and for the second coming of Jesus," said Brian Martin Burkholder, EMU campus pastor. "In these weeks leading up to Christmas day, we invite everyone into this season of thoughtful and spiritual preparation by using the Advent reflections provided from the EMU and EMS campus community."

"Readers are invited this year to share their own personal reflections at the end of each day’s entry as well, building a sense of community among followers of Christ all over the world," Martin Burkholder added.

To automatically receive each devotional, go to emu.edu/blog/devotions/subscription.

Read more…

I am with a group of men in prison. We are in a seminar I have been leading for some weeks. Most are many years into serving life sentences.

One young man, however, expects to be released soon.

We get to talking about justice.

WEMC, at 91.7 on the FM dial, is featuring all Christmas music during the station’s regular classical music programming, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 12:30-4 p.m. Sundays. WEMC will also include Christmas music during its evening jazz programming and Saturday folk and bluegrass music.

Listeners are invited to help support this WEMC tradition, which began in 1993, by sponsoring a half or full day of Christmas music on the station.

"For a $91 full-day sponsorship, an individual or business will receive six on-air ‘thank-you’ mentions that day," said station manager Jon Kauffmann-Kennel. "A $50 half-day sponsorship will receive three on-air recognitions. The contribution is tax-deductible," he noted.

To become a "Classical Christmas" sponsor, call 432-4287 or e-mail WEMC at wemc@emu.edu.