Highlights include musical performances, sporting events to spectate or participate in, departmental breakfasts and intellectual events, and the traditional community seasonal dinner on Saturday night followed by a Sunday worship service. Reunions for classes in the years ending “0” and “5” will also take place.

The dedication of East will be at 10 a.m. with tours offered at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

is encouraged by midnight, Oct. 6. Some events require purchase of a ticket. Visit the

Concerts and lectures

Cardiologist Joseph Gascho ’68 will followed by student musical ensemble Emulate on Friday night. He’ll also present a Suter Science Seminar on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning also includes several breakfasts and lectures, hosted by (Bible and religion),, , departments, and the .

The Reunion Vocal Band, a traditional favorite, performs at 7 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium.

Class Reunions: Years ending in “0” and “5”

The opening reunion program in Lehman Auditorium is Saturday from 11-11:30 a.m. at Lehman Auditorium after which classes with gather for photos, reunions, and lunch. View the photo gallery of past reunions.

The Jubilee Alumni reception, during which the class of 1965 will be inducted, is Saturday afternoon at Martin Chapel.

Athletics events

The annual Paul R. Yoder, Sr. Golf Classic, named in honor of the late Paul R. Yoder Sr., a longtime Mennonite pastor and avid 91����Ƶ sports fan, will be Friday at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg.

New this year, the 2-mile Canvas Campus Run starts at 2 p.m. at the fountain. Pre-register for a t-shirt. Enjoy music on the front lawn and snacks and water after the first mile.

The induction will take place in the morning. Wendy Driver Rhodes ‘05 qualified for the NCAA national meet four times as a triple jumper, and also won four ODAC titles.  She broke six records at Eastern Mennonite, and also set the ODAC record in the outdoor triple jump at the 2005 ODAC Championships. A decade later, her mark of 37’ 7.75” still stands as the ODAC Championship record.

The 1998 men’s soccer team, one of just four teams inducted into the hall, will be honored.  That year the team won their second ODAC Championship in three years, but also earned the program’s first NCAA National Tournament bid.  The Royals beat Emory College to advance to the Sweet 16 of the tourney, before losing to regional host Greensboro College.

Three games will be played on the Turf Field Saturday: field hockey vs. Washington and Lee, 1 p.m.; men’s soccer vs. Randolph, 4 p.m.; and women’s soccer vs. Washington and Lee, 7 p.m.

Worship services

Two services bookend the weekend. A Homecoming chapel assembly will be at 10 a.m. in Lehman Auditorium. ’05, Outstanding Young Alum recipient, will be the guest speaker.

A Sunday worship service, also at Lehman Auditorium at 10 a.m., will offer celebration in song and scripture. Histand, as well as Alumnus of the Year ‘68, and Lifetime of Distinguished Service recipient ’54, will be recognized and will participate in this service.

Learning and new experiences don’t end with retirement, at least not for one group of seniors who spent most of October traveling in China.

The combined group had extensive overseas experience and represented decades of college classroom teaching, but few had ever been to China. As retired Temple University professor Elmer Miller stated, "China was never on my radar screen."

Mennonite Partners in China (formerly China Educational Exchange) arranged the visit at the request of the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society (ACRS). ACRS is a group of retired professors, primarily from 91����Ƶ, who seek to connect faith and life in contemporary academia and the church. ACRS members and long-time Mennonite Mission Network workers Robert and Nancy Lee sparked the interest in the tour.

The 17 participants visited major historical sights like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing, the canals of Suzhou, skyscrapers in Shanghai and the ancient terracotta army in Xian. A visit to the 7th century site of the first Christian church and monastery in China was a highlight for many. An ancient pagoda marks the site of this Nestorian mission.

Listen and Learn

According to John A. Lapp, former executive secretary of Mennonite Central Committee, a primary objective for the group was "to listen and learn what the Spirit is saying to the churches in China." Following a worship service in Beijing, the senior pastor shared the history of her congregation of 7,000 and fielded questions from the ACRS group.

Visits to seminaries in two different cities highlighted the progress that the church has made in training pastors. However, leaders admitted that most churches and meeting points still rely on lay leadership.

An unusual privilege was the visit to a meeting point in the remote countryside of Sichuan province. The Christian faith came to this area of China less than 20 years ago, but already more than 300 believers attend. Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Va., contributed funds for the completion of the building where the believers meet. Albert Keim and others from the Park View congregation continued the ties between the two congregations by bringing greetings. Members who gathered at the meeting point shared several songs, and the pastor explained how the church had been helped by other churches in the province in their battle against false teachings.

After numerous conversations with Chinese pastors, seminary teachers and North American Mennonites working in China, the ACRS group admitted that the situation of the church in China is highly complex. In a signed letter to Mennonite mission agencies and MCC, the group stated: "We are sure that to work in China without a profound respect for differences and divergences from conventional western assumptions about authentic Christianity would be a serious mistake.: The group commended Mennonite Partners in China for their work in :interpreting the faith and practice of the church in China, serving as helpers and facilitators of its vision."

Looking at Christianity for Answers

Calvin Redekop, retired from years of teaching at several Mennonite colleges, was impressed with the incredible interest in the study of religion at China