The service was co-sponsored by Eastern Mennonite Seminary and led by graduate students Makinto and Mukarabe Makinto-Inandava. It included musical selections from Makinto, as well as the EMU Gospel Choir led by Kay Pettus ’25, and biblical readings from Mukarabe.

Reflections on Easter were shared by English Professor Dr. Kevin Seidel, who teaches and writes about the changing relationship between religion, secularism, and literature. His message, titled “Women Explain Things to Me: A Sermon on Luke 24,” focused not so much on Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead but on the “slow, difficult coming to terms with the significance of the resurrection by Jesus’ followers as portrayed in Luke 24.”

“In Luke, the resurrection of Jesus isn’t a simple, triumphant end of the story, but a kind of difficult beginning that unfolds in the Book of Acts,” Seidel said. “The resurrection doesn’t settle debate among Jesus’ followers about who he is. The resurrection proves, I think, profoundly unsettling for them.”

After the service, Seidel said he was glad for the chance to reflect on parts of the resurrection story in Luke 24. “The service was a good way to mark and celebrate the beginning of the seven-week Easter season in the church calendar,” he said.

University Chaplain Brian Martin Burkholder said Wednesday’s Easter celebration follows EMU’s practice of honoring and observing significant Christian traditions and holidays, including Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

“This morning, as we gathered, there was an opportunity for education about Easter,” he said, “as well as an invitation to worship in the spirit of Easter through Scripture, singing, and reflection.”

Makinto, a frequent worship leader at chapel events, performed Jesus Is Risen, an original song he wrote in 2013, as the opening song for this year’s Easter worship service. The song tells the Easter story and connects it to our own lives, he said. 

“So, as he is risen, we as well can rise above all the challenges we have, above the pains we have, above the solitude we have, and also conquer death and situate ourselves squarely in life with our community around us,” Makinto said.

Makinto and his wife, Mukarabe, moved from California to pursue degrees at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, respectively. They are the directors of , an organization that connects people at the local and global levels for the purpose of development, unification, and spiritual and physical well-being.

University Chaplain Brian Martin Burkholder speaks during a campus worship service on Wednesday in Martin Chapel.

Mukarabe Makinto-Inandava reads a selection from Luke 24 (left). Members of the EMU Gospel Choir (right) sing during Wednesday’s campus worship service.

About Campus Worship

Campus Worship is an invitational space for gathered worship in Christian traditions and a variety of styles. Services are held in Martin Chapel of the Seminary Building on Wednesday mornings every other week. 

Campus worship continues with a final service of the academic year on April 22 recognizing EMU’s senior student chaplains: Emily Suarez Nunez, Dia Mekonnen, Sara Kennel, and Miranda Beidler. The event will be livestreamed on .

Watch a video recording of the service below!

Campus felt warmer than usual on Monday morning, and it wasn’t just because of the sunshine. The music was bumping, the bubble machine was set to max, and positive vibes were in full swing. Faculty and staff members lined the pathway in front of Lehman Auditorium, holding signs and cheering as students arrived for Opening Convocation.

The annual ceremony serves as the traditional kickoff to the school year. Judging by the excitement on Monday morning, this year is sure to be bursting with energy and enthusiasm.

Keep scrolling for snapshots of the music, engaging speakers, and words of wisdom from Opening Convocation 2025!

Students received a hero’s welcome as they made their way into Lehman Auditorium for the ceremony. There were plenty of hugs and high-fives to go around!

As faculty and staff processed into Lehman as per tradition, they were treated to rhythmic djembe drumming led by Makinto, an Eastern Mennonite Seminary student and globetrotting musician. The talented multi-instrumentalist and worship leader energized the audience, leading everyone in a lively call-and-response of “walk in peace,” “together we can,” “and unity,” and “E-M-U.”

Members of the EMU Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Benjamin Bergey, lifted their voices together in a flawless rendition of the hymn, “The Unclouded Day.” Earlier this summer, the choir performed at venues across Europe and represented North America at the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism celebration in Zürich. 

Those attending Opening Convocation got a special treat as Dr. David Berry, director of the music program at EMU, debuted a new, rockin’ song written just for the occasion. Berry lit up the piano and delivered some fiery rap verses, while adjunct music instructors Jonah Barnett (guitar) jammed out on electric guitar and Tabatha Parrott (contemporary voice) wowed with her powerhouse vocals. 

Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs at EMU, provided words of welcome and introduced the university theme for the year ahead. “For those of you who are first-year students, you’re stepping into a world of endless possibilities, new friendships, and academic challenges. But you don’t have to do it alone because we do this thing at EMU together,” she said. “… ‘Together’ is a word you’re going to hear, see, and, I hope, feel in your mind. We will learn together, we will serve together, we will compete together, and, this year, we will sustain together.”

Seniors Maria Longenecker and Leah Frankenfield, who are serving as Student Government Association co-presidents this year, introduced themselves and encouraged students to express their concerns. “Together, we’re committed to making sure each student feels that their voice matters and is heard on campus,” said Longenecker. “We strive to support all students, including our multicultural, athletic, international, commuter, first-gen, and everyone in between.”

Claire Hurst, a third-year environmental science and public health major who spent the summer as a climate advocacy intern through the EMU Washington Semester, shared her experiences and spoke on the importance of environmental sustainability. At its core, she said, environmental sustainability is about using resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

“For me, a passion for the natural world has grown from countless summer nights camping under tall pine trees and Sunday afternoon hikes filled with laughter among friends and family. It feels natural to want to protect and give back to the places that have provided me such joy and fulfillment,” she said. “As we begin this fall semester, I encourage you all to think about how you connect and engage with our everyday spaces. … Anything that allows you to appreciate the environment will translate into wanting to protect it.”

The Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus used the Opening Convocation, her first as EMU’s interim president, to talk about trees. She invited the members of the EMU learning community to imagine themselves as trees and their lives together as a forest. She spoke about the interconnected root systems deep underground that anchor trees and absorb water and nutrients, the methods trees use to communicate stress and share resources, and the many ways they work in unison to sustain the forest as a whole—not just themselves.

“Forests don’t thrive because each tree is the tallest or the strongest; they flourish because they are connected.” she said. “EMU, we are a living forest, rooted in shared values and branching toward new possibilities. Every one of us—students, faculty, staff—brings something essential to this ecosystem.”

Thank you to everyone who helped make Opening Convocation a spirited success, and we are excited to “Sustain Together” this year!

There’s a new morning talk show host in town, and she’s here to celebrate.

As a special Mornings with the Mayor edition of Convocation on Wednesday, Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections at EMU, stepped into the role of host as she interviewed several trailblazing women leaders making their mark on campus. The one-of-a-kind program, held at the Student Union, celebrated Women’s History Month and paid tribute to departing EMU President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman.

Reed steered the show with her trademark candor and panache, holding court over the “live studio audience”—one student could be seen regularly holding up an “Applause” sign—while she posed fascinating questions to EMU students, staff, and alumnae. “It’s the show where we bring you big energy, great conversations, and way too much coffee,” quipped Reed.

The first guests to grace the stage were a pair of EMU students, Arelys Martinez Fabian and Meredith Lehman, and a recent alumna, Ray Ray Taylor MS ’24. Fabian, co-president of Student Government Association, highlighted the increased representation of women in campus leadership roles. Taylor, a lab instructor who was a track and field team, called for erasing negative stereotypes and for supporting women in sports. When asked about which woman in history she would share a meal with, Lehman, a Rhodes Scholar studying at Washington Community Scholars’ Center, answered that she had recently heard about Zheng Yi Sao, a pirate leader active in the South China Sea from 1801 to 1810. “She was one of the most successful pirates in a time where you don’t really hear about female pirates,” Lehman said. “I would ask her where she pulls from to gain confidence and belief in herself”

Another panel discussion featured three powerhouse administrative leaders who are “changing the game in education and beyond”: Carrie Bert, Dr. Shannon Dycus, and Dr. Tynisha Willingham. Asked to provide her younger self advice, Bert, EMU athletic director, said she would’ve told her to pause and breathe to appreciate the moment. Dycus, vice president for Student Affairs, Equity and Belonging, shared some tough conversations she had when starting in her role about fighting hard to be heard. Willingham spoke about unique challenges she’s faced as a woman provost. “I think we often still see that even when women are in leadership roles, they are expected to be nurturing and can’t be as direct,” she said.

Clad in her signature royal blue pantsuit, Huxman, the featured headliner for Reed’s morning show, bounded down the aisle and shined in the spotlight. Huxman is EMU’s ninth president, the first woman to lead in the role, and is retiring this summer after nine years of service. She joked about some unexpected lessons learned over those years. “I started with a closet that had five blue outfits,” she said. “It’s half my closet now, skirts and outfits like this, and even shoes.”

She also spoke about forming closer connections between the university and city, colloquially known as the “town and gown relationship,” during her time at EMU. Early on, she said, she had visited with elected officials, educators and business leaders who told her they had never stepped foot on EMU’s campus. “I tried to work, especially in that first year, to get folks to campus,” she said. “I brought the delegates and our elected representatives up to my office. And, again, they said, ‘Well, I’ve been an elected representative for 12, 15 years, and I’ve never been in the president’s office.’”

At a time when many colleges across the nation are shuttering their DEI programs, EMU is doubling down on its commitment to the initiatives that bolster diversity, equity and inclusion and make all students on campus feel welcome. Huxman spoke about initiatives she’s witnessed over her two terms, including the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration started by Celeste Thomas during her second year as president, the Black Lives Matter mural—the only city in Virginia with a BLM street mural, Reed said—the establishment of the Office of DEI, the start of the Lavender Graduation, and the institutional statement on land acknowledgement. “It is EMU’s time to lean into DEI,” Huxman said. “It’s wrapped into our mission, it’s wrapped into our vision and values, it’s wrapped into the Sermon on the Mount. And this is who we are as a faith-based institution.”

Asked about which woman she would share a meal with, Huxman answered Ida B. Wells, a journalist and co-founder of the NAACP. “Every time I reread her biography, I just think, how did somebody walk the earth of this magnitude?” said Huxman, regaling the crowd with tales of Wells’ accomplishments. “…I always think that, in a very real sense, the graduates from our university at EMU are well-prepared to be peace and justice advocates like Ida B. Wells.”

A special treat honoring the president was free for those attending the event. Baristas at Common Grounds Coffeehouse whipped up mugs of the “Hux Deluxe,” a vanilla latte with a little cinnamon sugar on top. “I love that it’s a latte and it has cinnamon on it,” Huxman said. “Somebody knows I like that.” 

The interviews were interspersed with video segments documenting powerful EMU alumnae who are shaping the world. These included Khadija O. Ali MA ’01, who became the first female state minister of the Somalian government and serves as an ambassador for the country, and Najla El Mangoush MA ’15, who was the first female foreign minister of Libya. Another video showcased the legacy of the late Sadie Hartzler, EMU’s first full-time librarian whose name graces the library today.

Mukarabe, a student at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding who fled genocide in Burundi in 1993, read from a poem and led the crowd in a moment of silence for women persecuted around the world. She was joined by her husband Makinto, a student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, as they performed music to cap off the event. Together, they shared “Amahoro,” a Kirundi cultural expression conveying peace and God’s blessings, through song.

Braydon Hoover, vice president for enrollment, served as sidekick/announcer for “Mornings with the Mayor.”

Three choirs from diverse musical and cultural traditions will join together for a concert held at EMU this week.

The event, Love, Joy & Peace: A Choral Celebration!, will be held at Lehman Auditorium on Friday, March 14, at 7 p.m. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10.

Dr. David Berry, director of the music program at EMU, described the event as a big celebration. “The idea for this concert was truly born out of a sense of community,” he said. “We’re not just bringing together different styles of music, but also we’re bringing together people from different communities.”

The concert will feature performances by:

• the EMU Chamber Singers, the university’s auditioned touring chamber choir, directed by Professor Benjamin Bergey, singing songs of hope and unity from its recent spring break tour;
• the EMU Gospel Choir, a talented group of students directed by EMU senior Kay Pettus, delivering uplifting gospel music; and 
• the Kush Anglican Choir, a choir from a Sudanese congregation in Harrisonburg, directed by EMU senior Rita Toto, performing traditional Sudanese songs in Arabic. 

Berry first heard the latter choir perform at a fundraiser last July at A Bowl of Good in Harrisonburg. The supported Pax Dei for Nuba, a nonprofit raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. “Their choir sounded incredible, and they perform a variety of music, including songs from their culture and in their native language,” Berry said. “I knew we had to invite them to perform on campus.”

After each choir performs their own selection of songs, the three vocal ensembles will combine on stage to sing “Let’s Come Together,” an original composition written by guest artist Makinto.

Makinto, a talented multi-instrumentalist and African Soul artist studying at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, will also perform solo selections throughout the evening and collaborate with Berry on a piano duet for the final musical number. 

Makinto previously performed as a guest artist at EMU’s 2023 Music Gala Concert. He and his wife, Mukarabe, co-founded Amahoro International, a mission organization promoting peace and development in East Africa. Learn more about his journey to EMU here!

The EMU Department of Music partnered with the Center for Interfaith Engagement and Multicultural Student Services to present this concert. It is sponsored by the Music, Peace and Justice grant, in conjunction with the Music & Peacebuilding major.

Makinto has pretty much done it all. The Liberian-German musician, storyteller, educator, worship leader, Mennonite pastor, activist—honestly, there are too many descriptors for him to name here—has played piano for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican and for Nelson Mandela in Germany. He’s traveled the world extensively, performing at venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and for a crowd of 200,000 at Brazil’s largest soccer stadium. His humanitarian work in Africa and recognition as an international recording artist earned him the title of Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Development for an of the United Nations. 

Just about the only thing he hasn’t done is attend a four-year college. He simply never had time for it during his four decades as a global performer. Thanks to the flexibility of EMU’s online and hybrid courses as well as the generosity of donors through the seminary scholarship, can now check that item off his list. 

The single-named polymath is a second-semester graduate student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, pursuing a master’s degree in Christian leadership. His wife, Mukarabe, first pulled him into the orbit of EMU, enrolling at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at the start of last year. 

“It would be impossible for us to finance two degrees if it weren’t for the largesse of the donors through the seminary scholarship,” Makinto said. “We’re very grateful for that.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he earned a two-year associate’s degree. Along with his 15 years as a pastor, he had enough equivalent experience to enroll at the seminary. “It’s great that I’m able to participate in a master’s program based not just on academic history but also on life history,” he said.

One of his earliest impressions of EMU came during a visit to campus in November 2023 for the annual Music Gala Concert. Makinto, the featured performer of the night, put on a dazzling show as he played the djembe, kalimba, flute and piano. That evening, after touring the campus and meeting a great number of people, Makinto said he and his wife “resonated really well with EMU.”

“We felt at home here,” said Makinto. “Everyone felt like family.”

The couple, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1999, lead , a nonprofit dedicated to giving hope and restoring dignity to Burundian refugees and equipping them to participate in the transformation of African communities. The word “Amahoro” comes from the Kirundi (Burundian) expression for peace that conveys blessings, well-being and fullness of life. The organization is a Conference-Related Ministry of Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

Makinto said that he’s working on bringing an initiative called “Amahoro Drumming for Peace” to EMU. The program would bring people from diverse backgrounds together to make music and reflect on community.

He said that he’s excited to become part of EMU’s global network of partners and alumni to contribute to and collaborate on peace initiatives. “We can build something together,” he said.

Makinto and Mukarabe live in Harrisonburg with their son Joël, the youngest of their six children. Makinto can often be found at Martin Chapel on Tuesday mornings leading worship music with a bright smile and joyful spirit. He will perform as a guest artist at Love, Joy & Peace: A Choral Celebration! on Friday, March 14, at Lehman Auditorium. The concert will bring together three choirs and showcase a piano collaboration between Makinto and Dr. David Berry, director of the music program at EMU. 

Your generous support helps students like Makinto pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 9th annual LovEMU Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future EMU students. Together, we can help write EMU’s next chapter. 

Read the previous profiles in our A Royal Tale series:

Where: Lehman Auditorium
When: 7 p.m., Friday
Cost: Free, with suggested donation of $10 to $20
Online:

��ݮ����’s 2023 Music Gala Concert, says David Berry, is a labor of love for so many people.

The upcoming concert will showcase three talented guest artists and every music ensemble on campus collaborating in a special evening of dance, poetry, jazz and world music. Two compositions written for the event will premiere. And the university choir and chamber orchestra will pair up to perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” featuring soloists Olivia Rominiyi, Sarah Hamilton, Jordan Davidson, and Shannon Kiser.

“We’re celebrating the connectedness of community and humanity across the globe and what we can do when we come together,” said Berry, music program director at EMU. 

The concert, fittingly titled Together, begins at 7 p.m. on Friday in Lehman Auditorium. It is free to attend, with to help support EMU Music.

The World Has Changed

Embodying the theme of collaboration, an actress, dancer, orchestra and choir will join together to perform The World Has Changed. The interdisciplinary piece, based on the poetry of Alice Walker, will see its world premiere at the gala. 

composed the score for The World Has Changed. Wadsworth, an assistant professor of music at Williams College, also wrote music for this year’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. His compositions have been performed at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II.

The World Has Changed will feature a narration of Walker’s poetry from actress of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton. “We needed a voice that would communicate the text well with the orchestra, with the choir and with the dance, so we knew we needed someone special for that,” Berry said. He credited EMU Provost Tynisha Willingham, a board member of the theater company, with connecting Bellamore with the production.

Paula Facci, an assistant professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, will perform a dance that her class, Creative Approaches to Peacebuilding, helped to choreograph.

Berry described the music of The World Has Changed as “ethereal, powerful and soulful” and said the composition serves as “a celebration of what could be.”

Amahoro Suite

The other original piece premiering at the concert will be the world jazz fusion composition Amahoro Suite by , a man of many talents and cultures.

The Liberian-German composer, musician, singer, storyteller and pastor plays jazz flute, piano and percussion. He’s performed in Vatican City for Pope John Paul II and at Madison Square Garden. He is the director of , a Christian ministry affiliated with Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

“He’s really just an amazing artist and person,” Berry said. 

Makinto and his wife, Mukarabe, will recite poetry as part of Amahoro Suite. Amahoro is the Kirundi — the official language of Burundi — expression for “peace.” Amahoro Suite will include musical performances from Makinto and the EMU Jazz Band. 

“It’ll involve all kinds of things from Duke Ellington to djembe ensemble to African jazz flute,” Berry said.

‘Ode to Joy’

Those attending the concert will be treated to a choir and orchestra recital of “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The ode, with its lyrics by poet Friedrich Schiller, has been sung at important movements throughout history to inspire and instill courage and hope, Berry said. 

“It’s been a symbol, since it’s creation, of our shared humanity, our connectedness as a human race,” he said. 

In the days leading up to the concert, about 1,500 students from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County will watch Makinto perform music and share stories as part of a unique collaboration with . EMU Music is a premier artist partner with The Kennedy Center-sponsored arts education nonprofit. 

Other collaborative partners for this event include the American Shakespeare Center, the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and sponsor Everence Federal Credit Union.

For those who cannot attend in person, a livestream will be available to watch online through the .