A new Amish romance is published about every four days, with at least 86 released in 2012, said Weaver-Zercher at a Saturday morning talk sponsored by EMU’s .

She herself had never read an “Amish romance” until Johns Hopkins University Press approached Weaver-Zercher, suggesting she investigate this burgeoning market. That led to Weaver-Zercher’s first published book, .

No explicit sexual description

Even within the Anabaptist world, the books are widely read, despite their questionable authenticity. Weaver-Zercher, a ’94 grad who majored in , mostly focused on why people are reading this genre, rather than delving deeply into the books’ accuracy or literary quality.

She interviewed several Amish romance authors and numerous readers – mostly non-Amish, evangelical women – who cited two basic appeals of the books: evocation of “a slow and simple life,” and “a clean read” (i.e., no sexual explicitness).

Her audience laughed when Weaver-Zercher elaborated that a love scene within the genre “might be some romantic glances over a pot pie.”

Although the Amish comprise only one-tenth of 1 percent of the U.S. population, the genre is well-covered in the mainstream media, including a recent , who is also managing editor at and a contributing editor for .

At her presentation, several alumni, whose student years dated from the 1950s to the 2000s, named as a favorite the recently reprinted , a Mennonite author who penned a semi-fictional account of his mother, first published in 1940.

One million book sales, plus TV dramatization

Weaver-Zercher noted the first commercially successful contemporary Anabaptist-themed romance, Beverly Lewis’ 1997 , published by Bethany House and dramatized on television, has sold over a million copies. Its heroine endures ostracism after finding she was adopted.

Lewis, who based the character on her Mennonite grandmother, ranks with Wanda Brunstetter and Cindy Woodsmall among the genre’s top three authors, who together have sold more than 24 million books. Yet only one current Amish romance author, Linda Byler, is Amish or Old Order Mennonite (the two branches of Anabaptists share more similarities than differences) – which Weaver-Zercher notes engenders skepticism about the field’s authenticity.

The genre’s female protagonists tend to be virgins or young wives; the men, earnest and sensitive, Weaver-Zercher notes. At least four authors are men, and Weaver-Zercher found an elderly, Oklahoma Mennonite farmer who has read 90 Amish romances.

In her , Weaver-Zercher said some authors blend “a divine love story” with the earthly one. She cited a sentence in Brunstetter’s The Hope Chest in which a young woman, being kissed, finds herself “reveling in God’s glory.”

Gentle mysteries tucked in

“Some authors add gentle mysteries along with the romance narrative,” said Weaver-Zercher. Byler’s series, Lancaster Burning, portrays a community plagued by arson.

Weaver-Zercher finds “distinctive styles” among some authors, unlike the formulaic products of some mainstream romance publishing houses. However, they follow parameters common to “Christian fiction” – although a “false hero” sometimes appears, endings are always happy.

“The ‘thrill of the chaste’ may be rooted in the broader idea of moral innocence – a rejection of the mass culture,” said Weaver-Zercher.

She suggested the novels exemplify a “purity culture” in reaction to what Pamela Paul’s book Pornified terms today’s mass culture. They may also, Weaver-Zercher suggested, be seen as “a Christian version of “The Way We Never Were,” referring to the title of an analysis of the American family by Stephanie Coontz.

Pointing to what French theorist Gilles Lipovetsky has labeled “hypermodernity” – a rushed, materialistic, technology-dominated culture – Weaver-Zercher added with a smile that the books give readers “a temporary vacation from hypermodernity, even when they read them on Kindles or Nooks.”

Ironically, however, she noted Amish romances are “situated smack-dab in hypermodern publishing models.” She pointed to Christian publishers getting bought up by big houses (including HarperCollins, now owned by Rupert Murdoch), and the large stock of the romances in such stores as WalMart.

Part of commercialization of Amish phenomena?

Given those dynamics, she says, “It is likely that not everyone is amused.”

Weaver-Zercher’s audience mentioned other commercial Amish-related phenomena, ranging from the “Amish Mafia” reality show, to “Amish vampire” novels, to bestseller Danielle Steel’s new venture into the setting.

Audience member Shirley Hershey Showalter, a 1970 EMU graduate, suggested Amish romances appeal to “nostalgia for the rural life in general.” Showalter, former president of Goshen College, recently published .

At Herald Press, Weaver-Zercher edited a soon-to-be-released book which she terms “historical-romance fiction.” Jacob’s Choice by Ervin R. Stutzman, former dean of and current executive director of , deals with the life of Amish farmer Jacob Hochstetler, whose family was massacred during the French and Indian War. She says Stutzman, who was raised Amish but is now a modern-living Mennonite, did meticulous research and “stays very true to details, but adds fictional elements to make the narrative read like a novel.”

Sara Wenger Shenk, associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) in Harrisonburg, Va., has been named president of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, Ind.

Dr. Shenk, who is also associate professor of Christian practice at EMS, will begin her new assignment on or before Oct. 1, 2010. The AMBS board made the appointment at its Oct. 22-24 meetings in Elkhart.

Wenger Shenk has been a member of the faculty and administration of EMS since 1995. In addition to serving as associate dean, she is also associate professor of Christian practices.

University responds

“We are pleased that, once again, the Mennonite Church has recognized the gifts of a member of our EMU community and has called her to important leadership in the broader denomination,” said Fred Kniss, ��ݮ���� provost. “At the same time, we recognize this as a significant loss to EMU, especially to our seminary.

“Sara has worked with EMS dean Ervin R. Stutzman to provide skilled innovative leadership during a period of significant program growth,” Dr. Kniss said. “Her care and wisdom in relating to faculty and students will also help to make her an excellent president for AMBS,” he added.

“Although this is a major loss to the EMU community, it is obvious to me why Sara would have been on the AMBS search committee’s radar from the beginning,” said EMU President Loren Swartzendruber. “She is gifted and prepared to take on this significant role in the life of the church, and I have pledged my support in the transition and beyond. Please join me in congratulating her.”

As announced earlier, Wenger Shenk will serve as interim dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Jan. 1 – June 30, 2010, before assuming her new role at AMBS. Ervin R. Stutzman, EMU vice president and EMS dean since 1998, will become executive secretary of Mennonite Church USA in early 2010.

Randall Jacobs, Goshen, Ind., chair of the presidential search committee and new chair of the AMBS board, said. “Wenger Shenk represents a unique combination of gifts and experiences, including teaching and administration in theological education, cross-cultural ministry, church planting, and writing for both scholarly and popular audiences. More importantly, she is grounded in Jesus, deeply respectful of the church and passionate about Anabaptist theological education.”

More about Sara Wenger Shenk

Wenger Shenk earned a BA degree from ��ݮ����, studied at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif.; completed an MA degree in 1986 at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.; and received an EdD degree from Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Va., in 1999. Her dissertation was titled, “Toward An Anabaptist Educational Theory.”

She has written a broad range articles, chapters and books, including “Thank You for Asking: Conversing with Young Adults about the Future Church” (Herald Press, 2005), “Anabaptist Ways of Knowing: A Conversation about Tradition-Based Critical Education” (Cascadia, 2003), Coming Home: A Thoughtful Resource for Fathers, Mothers, and the Rebirth of the Family (Good Books, 1992) and Why Not Celebrate! (Good Books, 1987).

Wenger Shenk has been a “Real Families” columnist for The Mennonite magazine and a contributor to Mennonite Quarterly Review, Leader Magazine, Vision and Sojourners.

Wenger Shenk believes that worship, our “primary theology,” sustains and grounds all aspects of theological education. One evidence of this is the leadership she and her spouse, N. Gerald Shenk, have given over the last three years to The Table, an emerging Mennonite congregation in Harrisonburg, Va. He is professor of church and society at EMS.

In addition, Wenger Shenk serves as the Virginia Mennonite Conference representative to the Constituency Leaders Council of Mennonite Church USA and has recently joined the MC-USA bi national worship council. From 1993-2001, she was member-at-large for the Faith and Life Commission of Virginia Mennonite Conference.

From 1977-1983 and again from 1986-1989, Gerald and Sara served on a study-service appointment with Eastern Mennonite Missions and Mennonite Central Committee in the former Yugoslavia. While there, she studied Croatian language at the University of Zagreb.

As president, Wenger Shenk will join the AMBS administrative cabinet. Dr. George R. Brunk III currently is serving as interim president and will continue until Wenger Shenk begins her new role. J. Nelson Kraybill was AMBS president from 1997 through July 2009.

AMBS is a seminary of Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.

There was an empty chair on the Lehman Auditorium stage at the 57th annual commencement of on Saturday afternoon, Apr. 29.

The vacant chair was in recognition of Lawrence M. Yoder, professor of missiology, recuperating from quintuple by-pass heart surgery performed earlier in the week. “He’s doing well, but obviously unable to be here,” seminary dean Ervin R. Stutzman told the audience.

Graduation speaker Cheryl J. Sanders, pastor of Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C., spoke on “A Holy Calling,” citing marks of ministry that the Apostle Paul commended to his young protege Timothy and are applicable to members of the graduating class.

‘Be Courageous,’ Seminarians Told

“You are gifted, you are called and you are appointed,” Dr. Sanders told the class. “Don’t be shy in exercising your spiritual gifts, be courageous. Let the power of God flow through you to others.

“To discern what God wants you to do in ministry requires listening and aligning oneself with God’s purposes,” the speaker said. One thing we all have in common is proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your calling is a life-long commitment to pass along the faith to the next generation.”

Class members are continuing ministry assignments with congregations or moving out into new ventures.

Christopher L. Riddle, M.Div., Harrisonburg, will be doing mission work in Bari, Italy with his family for the next three years with Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions.

“EMS has helped me in my spiritual growth and it has helped me to better hear where God is calling me and my family,” Riddle said.

Husband and Wife Team

Christine J. Nafziger, master of arts in church leadership, Harrisonburg, is applying for pastoral ministry with her husband Patrick A. Nafziger, who also graduated with an M.Div. degree.

“Theologically, I was never taught how to critique things before. I was never taught to think critically. It has been helpful to have tools to do that, and to interpret the Bible,” Nafziger said. “The spiritual direction courses were especially helpful. They have made me aware of God in all things and taught me how to help others be aware of God as well.

“I have a deep respect for the professors here. They think broadly about theological issues, but they have a deep love and reverence for God,” she added.

Theda J. Good, M.Div., Lancaster, Pa., is looking at a number of ministry options including pastoral ministry, mission work and church planting.

“As I consider various options from pastoral ministry, to mission work, to church planting, I believe that my time here has grounded me in the Anabaptist faith tradition and has prepared me to relate to and connect with a wide variety of people,” Good said, adding: “I have gained the skills to help with spiritual formation in the lives of people I minister to, no matter what that ministry position will be.”

, dean of in Harrisonburg, Va., will speak on his quest to know his father, an Amish entrepreneur who died when Ervin was three years old, at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at Walnut Creek (Ohio) Mennonite Church, 2619 CR 144.

Dr. Stutzman’s ten-year search revealed tangled strands of relationships, woven by Tobias J. Stutzman’s ambition through the fabric of family, church and community. It led to his writing a book, “Tobias of the Amish,” released by Herald Press of Scottdale, Pa., in 1995.

Stutzman was born into an Amish home as a twin in Kalona, Iowa. After his father’s accidental death, his mother moved her family to her home community in Hutchinson, Kan. He was baptized into the Center Amish Mennonite Church near Partridge, Kan. He later joined the Yoder Mennonite Church near Yoder, Kan.

After marrying Bonita Haldeman of Manheim, Pa., the couple served five years in Cincinnati, Ohio, with Rosedale Mennonite Missions, where Stutzman was co-pastor of the Mennonite Christian Assembly.

Ordained as Bishop

In 1982, the family moved to Lancaster, Pa., where Stutzman became associate director of the home ministries department of Eastern Mennonite Missions. In 1984, he was ordained as bishop of the Landisville District of Lancaster Mennonite Conference.

He was moderator of Lancaster (PA) Mennonite Conference, 1991-2000, and moderator of Mennonite Church USA, 2001-2003, the newly-merged denomination joining the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church.

The EMS dean completed his undergraduate work at Cincinnati Bible College, earned an MA degree from the University of Cincinnati, a master of arts in religion degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary and a Ph.D. in communication from Temple University.

Stutzman joined the seminary faculty in 1998 and was named dean in July 2000. He is also founding director of the seminary’s Preaching Institute.

Telling His Story

Stutzman has three additional books published by Herald Press – “Being God’s People” (1986), “Creating Communities of the Kingdom,” co-authored with David W. Shenk (1988) and “Welcome” (1990).

Stutzman notes that “Tobias of the Amish” is more than a book about his father – “It’s also the story of a family and faith community struggling with the challenges of a modern world.

“I hope that my story will encourage others to embark on the arduous but deeply-rewarding task of delving into their family lore,” Stutzman states. “Gazing into my father’s face has helped me to see my own.”

The program at Walnut Creek Mennonite Church is open to the public. For more information, call 330-852-2560.

will hold its 57th annual commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 29, in Lehman Auditorium on the EMU campus.

Dr. Cheryl J. Sanders, senior pastor of Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C., and professor of Christian ethics at Howard University School of Divinity, will give the commencement address during the ceremonies on the theme, “A Holy Calling,” based on II Timothy 1:1-11.

EMS dean will preside and confer degrees or certificates on the 33 members of the seminary class of 2006. The seminary will award 25 master of divinity degrees, one master of arts in religion degree and four master of arts in church leadership degrees. Three persons will receive the one-year certificate in ministry studies.

A baccalaureate service planned by the graduating class will be held 7:30 p.m. Friday, Apr. 28, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building. Dr. , associate seminary dean and associate professor of Christian education, will speak. A reception for seminary graduates, their relatives and friends will immediately follow the baccalaureate in the seminary fellowship area.

The baccalaureate and commencement services are open to the public.

Four veteran pastors were honored Wednesday, Jan. 18, by Eastern Mennonite Seminary for 50 years of church ministry.

H. Michael Shenk, William M. Weaver, Eldon King and M. Lloyd Weaver, Jr., received plaques and letters of commendation during a banquet held during the annual .

Their spouses – Peggy B. Shenk, Viola Weaver, Dorothy King and Sarah M. Weaver – were also cited for their “significant supportive roles” over the years.

Ervin R. Stutzman, dean of , made the presentations at the recognition ceremony.

Shenk, currently of Harrisonburg, was pastor of Newtown Gospel Chapel in Sarasota, Fla., 1953-56. He was ordained in 1956 when he began serving as pastor at Tuttle Avenue Mennonite Church, Sarasota, Fla., where he was pastor until 1971.

He graduated with a B.A. degree from EMU in 1970 and earned a master of arts in religion degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary in 1975.

Shenk was pastor at Trissels Mennonite Church, Broadway, Va., 1971-75. He then became pastor at Valley View Mennonite Church, Criders, where he continues to the present.

From 1971 to 1995, Shenk also served as a Bible and history teacher and guidance counselor at Eastern Mennonite High School and as recording secretary for the EMHS board of overseers. He has been deeply involved with church camping programs in Florida and Virginia and with the Shenandoah Valley Mennonite Historians.

Shenk has also been an overseer for the Northern District of Virginia Mennonite Conference from 1989 to the present.

In response to “a sense of God’s call to prepare for ministry,” King studied at Goshen (Ind.) College 1953-55 and was licensed when he became assistant pastor at Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville, Ohio, in 1955. He attended Goshen Biblical Seminary, 1955-57, before becoming assistant pastor at Walnut Creek (Ohio) Mennonite Church. He was ordained in 1959.

He was pastor 1965-73 at Oak Grove Mennonite Church, West Liberty, Ohio; pastor at Roanoke Mennonite Church, Eureka, Ill., 1983-90; minister of evangelism for Ohio Mennonite Conference, 1990-92 and interim conference minister for Ohio Conference, 1992-94. He is an Ohio Conference overseer and served on the executive committee of the conference. He was on the Mennonite Board of Missions board of directors eight years and was a member of the board of directors of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) for 27 years.

King went on to serve numerous interim pastorates in Ohio Conference, including Berlin Mennonite, Crown Hill, Smithville and Sonnenberg. From 1998 to 2004 he was part-time chaplain at Walnut Hills Retirement Community and Nursing Home. From 2001 to the present, he has been an interim regional pastor for Ohio Conference.

A native of Lancaster County, Pa., Lloyd Weaver Jr. moved to the Tidewater, Va., area in 1946, where he got involved in dairy farming and attended the Huntingdon Avenue Mennonite Church in Newport News.

In 1956, the congregation needed a leader, and Weaver was ordained as minister there, serving in that role until 1975. He was overseer from 1975 to 1994 of the Warwick District of Virginia Mennonite Conference and was co-founder of the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center.

In the 1970’s he was a member of the trustee board at EMU, was president of Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions for 12 years and a past moderator of Virginia Mennonite Conference. He is a member of the board of Mennowood Retirement Communities and board chair of the Warwick River Christian School. Over the years he has also served the broader Mennonite Church in a variety of administrative roles.

Weaver has attended most of the annual School for Leadership Training programs for the past 30-plus years.

After attending EMU 1953-56, William Weaver was ordained to the ministry in 1956 and was pastor at the South Seventh Street Mennonite Church, Reading, Pa., until 1971. Between 1956 and 1971 he also taught at three Christian day schools in the Lancaster County, Pa., area.

He attended Eastern Mennonite Seminary in 1972 on a sabbatical year and became program director at Camp Hebron north of Harrisburg, Pa., and served there until 1981.

After a three-year interim pastorate at Rissers Mennonite Church, Elizabethtown, Pa., and also working at the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster, he “planted” a new congregation, “Halifax Community Fellowship” near Camp Hebron and gave leadership there, 1984-95.

Weaver then held an interim pastorate three years at Diller Mennonite Church, Newville, Pa., and returned to Camp Hebron as groundskeeper, 1998-2003. He and his wife Viola moved to Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in 2003.

“These pastors represent perseverance and success in ministry,” Dr. Stutzman said. “But more importantly, they have demonstrated a passion for evangelism where they are and have been mentors to others.”

"Come, all you who are burdened and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

For busy and often harried church leaders, that scriptural promise should put music in their ears and a spring in their step, but reality may prove something else for many.

The concept of "Embodying God’s Wholeness in a Frenzied World" also happens to be the primary theme of the 2006 School for Leadership Training, Jan. 16-19 at .

This year’s is designed to help pastors and church leaders pay attention to their own well being," said , assistant professor of practical theology at EMS and SLT coordinator. "Pastors will have opportunities to slow down and to pray with and for each other. Meaningful worship times will again be a highlight," she added.

Primary resource speaker, Duane Beck, will draw from his own experience of wrestling with and seeking to embody wholeness in the midst of his ministerial calling. He has been lead pastor of Belmont Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Ind., since 1984 and previously served a church in Ohio for 13 years.

Belmont is a mission-oriented congregation that is made up of two culturally diverse worshiping groups and is actively involved in responding to its neighborhood and to the city of Elkhart.

Participants will be able to select four of 16 special interest classes being offered on such topics as "Praying the Scriptures," "Finding a Wholeness Balance in Ministry and Family/Relationships," "Jesus at the Movies" and "Lay of the Land: Mennonite Women in Ministry."

A new feature this year is recreation night on Tuesday evening, Jan. 17. A variety of activities are planned to relax, rejuvenate and invigorate church leaders – everything from line-dancing to volleyball to a Rook card tournament. Persons are encouraged to check the SLT web site for updates at .

Each day’s events will open with worship and music. Other activities include a forum with seminary dean Ervin R. Stutzman, a pastors and church leaders forum and a special dinner and program sponsored by the alumni and church relations offices. The conference will conclude the morning of Jan. 19 with worship and communion.

A "Pre-SLT" workshop is being offered 1:45-5 p.m. Jan. 16 on "Health and Wholeness in a Frenzied World" led by Ingrid Friesen Moser, stewardship of health manager at Mennonite Mutual Aid, Goshen, Ind.

Persons may register on-line at . The registration deadline is Dec. 31, 2005. After that date, $15 of the registration fee is non-refundable.

All registered participants are asked to check in from 12:30-1:45 p.m. or 3:45-5 p.m. on Jan. 16 in the gathering area on second floor of the seminary building.

For more SLT information, call Cindy Smoker at (540) 432-4597 or e-mail: churchrelations@emu.edu.

J. Nelson Kraybill, president of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary,
Elkhart, Ind., will give the commencement address during the ceremonies.

EMS dean Ervin R. Stutzman will preside and confer degrees or certificates
on the 28 members of the seminary class of 2005. The seminary will award
19 master of divinity degrees, one master of arts in religion degree and
three master of arts in church leadership degrees. Five persons will
receive the certificate in ministry studies.

Two schools, one a Bible school in the eastern Caribbean and the other a university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, joined hands and hearts in an experiment that could develop into something more permanent.

Moira R. Rogers, an associate professor of Spanish at ��ݮ����, taught an "Introduction to Anabaptist Theology" class the week of Nov. 22-26 at the Seminario Anabautista del Caribe in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The seminar discussed the distinctive elements of an Anabaptist approach to theological reflection. Although recognizing the broad range of radical movements that the term "Anabaptist" refers to in 16th century Europe, the emphasis was on a critical reflection on what it means to respond to the current contextual challenges facing the participants from the perspective of Anabaptist emphases to Christian faith. The week-long class included dialogue with other contemporary Latin American theological traditions that seek to respond to local challenges.

"Laboring in the heat forced me to seek strength, patience and imagination to design and facilitate each evening in a creative, challenging way," Dr. Rogers said. "I am grateful for the students’ openness to the reading,
reflection, writing, and discussion assignments.

Moira Rogers enjoys a discussion with class members.

"I’m refreshed to have witnessed the Spirit empowering students to engage their ministries with new strength and vision," Rogers said. "Many in the group expressed appreciation for the experience and said that they gained renewed possibilities for their work and ministries."

Ervin R. Stutzman, academic dean at , spent Thanksgiving weekend visiting the class and talking with students at the seminary in Santo Domingo. He came away impressed, almost overwhelmed, with what he saw and heard.

Dr. Stutzman noted that the seminar class "had a rich mixture of ethnicities that is typical in the Dominican Republic," with nearly an equal number of men and women. Several students are bi-vocational pastors, he said, and nearly all are lay leaders and teachers in local churches representing two Mennonite conferences and the Church of the Brethren.

"Most of the students are professionals who have had no Anabaptist education or pastoral training," Stutzman added. "They are highly motivated learners." Students will earn one hour of academic credit from EMS if they fulfill all the assignments satisfactorily.

Class members continue theological discussions during a break in study.

"From my observation, the course was characterized by vigorous participation, both as a full group and in small group discussion," he said. Early in the week, Moira proposed a break time in the midst of the three-hour class, but the students preferred to use the time for discussion each evening."

"I listened as the students and two board members poured out their hearts to me," Stutzman said. "They deeply desire and are praying that we will offer an entire course of study in several cohorts of up to 25 students each. I