Two 91短视频 student organizations are co-sponsoring an event meant to challenge the 91短视频 and larger community with the issue of economic justice in Israel-Palestine.

J. Daryl and Cindy Byler, Mennonite Central Committee Middle East representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran, will speak 8 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 19, in the Common Grounds Coffeehouse in the University Commons.

The couple will focus on facts on the ground following the Israeli offense on Gaza and the larger Israeli occupation, draw connections between U.S. policy and present the need for a morally responsible investment/divestment campaign.

The Bylers will also speak at a forum 3:45-5:15 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 19, in the Strite Conference Room of 91短视频’s Campus Center. They will reflect on MCC’s approach and activities in interfaith bridgebuilding and the challenges they encounter in their work.

Daryl Byler, a 1979 91短视频 graduate, is an attorney and former director of MCC’s Washington, D.C., office. He was named 91短视频’s “alumnus of the year” in 1992.

The 91短视频 Peace Fellowship and Res Judicata student pre-law group are co-sponsoring Wednesday’s program. Thursday’s forum is co-sponsored by the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society (ACRS) and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP).

Admission is free to both events.

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Everyone entering Lehman Auditorium Wednesday morning, Apr. 23, for the final chapel of spring semester was asked to produce a personal identification or “please step aside.”

Students in 91短视频’s semester-long Middle East program acted as border guards as people convened for the chapel service as reminder of the reality that people experience daily at checkpoints separating Israel and Palestine.

Students Kelly Brewer, Daniel Akers and Lindsey Reinford light candles of hope at the close of the chapel program for the people they met in the Middle East. Click here to see more photos… Photo by Jon Styer

The group of 30 students left campus Jan. 11, led by Linford L. Stutzman, associate professor of culture and mission at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Janet M. Stutzman, former director of alumni/parent relations at 91短视频. They returned Apr. 22.

The group lived and studied in Israel and the West Bank, immersing themselves in the ancient/modern world of Jews, Christians and Muslims. They studied in Jerusalem and worked in an Israeli kibbutz and at Nazareth Village, a recreation of first century village at the time of Jesus.

‘Following Jesus’

“We learned firsthand about following Jesus by being in the very places where he walked,” said 91短视频 sophomore Grace Schrock Hurst from Harrisonburg, Va. “We are home wherever we have our anchor in Him, the foundation of our faith.”

“We heard many stories and experiences of Israeli and Palestinian people,” noted 91短视频 junior Kelly Smucker from Canby, Ore., and sophomore Jenny Hochstetler from Iowa City, Iowa. “Both have valid concerns. There are no easy answers. They all want the same thing – a sense of security and a future for their children,” they said.

“We came back with a sense of hope amid many difficult questions,” added 91短视频 senior Hannah Yoder from Hubbard, Ore.

Guatemala and U.S/Mexico Cross-cultural

The 19 students in 91短视频’s semester-long Guatemala and U.S/Mexico Border seminar, led by associate campus pastor Byron J. Peachey and faculty member Deanna Durham, led a chapel service Monday, Apr. 21. They reflected on “early culture shock” as they hit the ground running, quickly immersing themselves in intense language study.

Brian Hackman imitates their cross-cultural leader, Byron J. Peachey, while others sit in the “bus.” Peachey provided entertainment and humor on the many long bus rides, students said. Photo by Jon Styer

Before arriving in Guatemala, the group spent 10 days on the Mexico-Arizona border, talking with persons working on all sides of the immigration issue. As one student stated: “This experience really helped put faces on this many-faceted story.”

91短视频 junior Chris Hollinger from Lancaster, Pa., said his most “unforgettable” experience was a visit to a huge cemetery and sprawling city dump in Guatemala City, watching people pick through garbage. “This is a way of life for many,” he said. “They do it just to survive. How do you tell them that God loves them?” he asked.

An eye-opener for 91短视频 sophomore Chris Esh from Philadelphia, Pa., was discovering that “Guatemalans drink inferior coffee while their best product is exported.” He came away convinced of “the need for more cooperatives that produce fairly-traded coffee, pay workers a fair wage and give greater respect for God’s creation.”

Among other highlights for the group: living with their host families and “quickly feeling loved and accepted,” field trips to awe-inspiring sites and seeing community service projects that “give local people a sense of dignity.”

Thirty 91短视频 students were commissioned during a chapel service Friday, Jan. 11 for a semester of study and learning in the Middle East and embarked later the same day.

It is the fifth time for Linford L. Stutzman, associate professor of culture and mission at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Janet M. Stutzman, former director of alumni/parent relations at 91短视频, to lead a cross-cultural program to the Middle East.

The group will live and study in Israel and the West Bank, immersing themselves in the ancient/modern world of Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Earlier, 19 91短视频 students received a prayer of sending on Jan. 9 in the opening convocation of second semester prior to leaving the next day on a semester-long cross-cultural study program in Mexico and Guatemala led by Byron J. Peachey and his spouse Deanna Durham.

Kenneth and Kathryn Seitz are in much more peaceful surroundings than they were a week ago.

But their minds are still on the people and the country they hoped to make a better place.

Now, they keep tabs on the Middle East, praying for the battles in Lebanon and Israel to end. Somehow.

On A Mission

Only a few days ago, the Seitzes were in Beirut, Lebanon, as part of a humanitarian mission with , based in Akron, Pa. The couple, graduates of Eastern Mennonite High School and teachers at 91短视频 from 1979 to 1986, spent two years in Lebanon as part of a five-year mission.

The armed conflict between Israel and southern Lebanon-based Hezbollah forced them to flee. The Seitzes, both 68, had already planned weeks before to take time off. The hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon altered those plans, forcing them to leave a week earlier.

Early Sunday morning, they arrived in Harrisonburg, where Kenneth Seitz

An 91短视频 program is aiming to turn the world around and make it a much more boring place.

Students are hoping to reverse anger and aggression through the .

The program hosted its annual open house on Saturday. The event serves as a fund-raiser, said program co-director Ruth Hoover Zimmerman.

But it