Gift Thrift, and its used-book enterprise, Booksavers of Virginia, and adjacent Artisans’ Hope gift shop (all three in a small shopping strip an easy walk from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ) function as charitable enterprises that benefit the relief and development work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), says Debra Glick King ’77, ’12, general manager of the three. The businesses operate largely with volunteer labor, about 200 men and women these days.

Of the MCC thrift shops in 18 states and five Canadian provinces, Gift & Thrift is the only one in Virginia.

When the store opened on North Main Street in 1982, its first manager, Norman H. Kreider ’60, worked on a volunteer basis, as did the co-managers for the next 12 years: his wife, Dorothy Lehman Kreider ’54, and Marjorie Guengerich (wife of the late 91¶ĚĘÓƵ administrator Paul Guengerich). Norman Kreider “often engineered remodeling projects” before the Kreiders left to operate Rolling Hills Antique Mall, which they have since sold, says Dorothy. Remarking on Gift & Thrift’s current facility, she adds, “It’s hard to believe the store is what it is now.”

Jordan Good ’09, a who handles furniture and electronics at Gift & Thrift, says, “It’s great working at a place where personal values meet organizational values.” Staff and volunteers sometimes do minor repairs on donated items, but Good would like donors to know that repairs make more sense for well-constructed wood furniture than for electronic items.

Artisans’ HopeĚýis one of two stores in Harrisonburg that enables customers to “give twice” by shopping at Fair Trade stores.

Early MCC thrift stores featured “self help crafts” corners with creative gift items from developing nations, committed to fair compensation. Locally, that’s become the mission for two similar stores – Artisans’ Hope and Ten Thousand Villages.

“We try to work together” in referrals and searches, says King.

Artisans’ Hope, she explains, is an “alliance” store of Ten Thousand Villages, operating independently under Gift & Thrift’s umbrella to support Fair Trade organizations and goals.

Fair Trade certification, according to the Fair Trade Federation, requires “fair wages, cooperative workplaces, consumer education, environmental sustainability, financial and technical support, respect for cultural identity, and public accountability.”

King has observed more businesses in the for-profit sector carrying fair trade merchandise in response to the increase in customers who want to make socially responsible purchases.

King came from Lancaster County, Pa., to attend 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in the late 1970s. Here she met her future husband Dave King ’76 (today 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s director of athletics). After graduating as a , she taught school in Pennsylvania until the couple returned to Harrisonburg when Dave took the job at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in 2005. Their three children have all graduated from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, where King earned an MBA recently to enhance her ability to manage the three charity-focused stores. She likes nonprofit work, but feels “I could be in any business and live out my values and be profitable.”

The store has expanded its clothing inventory. “I love the atmosphere of change for the better, not change for change’s sake,” King adds.

Roy Heatwole ’64, one of many volunteers, enjoys meeting people over the cash register at Artisans’ Hope. He taught at EMC, 1965-67, prior to a civil service career.

Ten Thousand VillagesĚýhas grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car soon after World War II to nearly 400 stores, including five in Virginia. The Harrisonburg outlet, celebrating its 21st year, began as “International Impressions” and became Ten Thousand Villages when the Villages network adopted that name in 1996, says director Valerie Showalter Weaver ’76. The store moved from the Dayton Farmers Market to the historic district of Harrisonburg in February 2011.

Weaver, from Waynesboro, studied social work at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ and then worked in social services until she and Greg Weaver ’76 started their family. When, after volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages, she was hired 15 years ago to manage the store, she expected it to be a short-term job, but now she has no plans to leave a business she has grown to love. Kara Miller ’07 also started as a volunteer but is now on staff as volunteer coordinator.

Kelly Brewer Dean ’10, a hospital nurse and Villages volunteer, enjoys telling customers about Fair Trade’s “gifts that give twice.” As a first-year student in a work-study position at Artisans’ Hope, she “fell in love” with the products and mission. Then during her 2008 Middle East cross-cultural, she met one of the olive wood artisans and his wife. Touched by their pride in their work and its benefit to their family, she recalls the moment as “humbling and joyful.”

Kenneth D. Brunk, a volunteer and a board member of the local Villages store, agrees, “I am quite passionate about the huge difference it makes for craftspeople around the world.” He considers every hour volunteered “a direct gift to some friend I have never met who needs to market his or her skill to support their family.”

Ten Thousand Villages is not “eaten up with bureaucracy and process,” as are some NGOs and aid organizations, adds Brunk, who attended 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in the late 1960s and early 1970s and then did rural development work in East Africa.

ĚýTried and True is co-managed by Deb Rissler Layman ’86, a business administration major who grew up in her family’s local grocery. “Working with people and things comes easily,” she says.

Layman’s shop is one of two thrift shops in Harrisonburg managed by 91¶ĚĘÓƵ grads. No problem ­– “the more thrift stores, the better,” Layman says. “Each shop has its own personality.”

Deb and Ken Layman ’80 raised their family while job-sharing – managing Crowded Closet in Iowa City, a shop benefiting MCC; then, managing and expanding Harrisonburg’s Gift and Thrift store from 1996 to 2005. Eventually, wanting to try a different set-up, they opened Tried and True Thrift Shop across town.

The Laymans’ store features silent antique auctions and Ken’s nature-photo cards. Profits totaling $80,000 have supported the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund and MCC’s Generations at Risk HIV/AIDS Fund.

The Mennonite Relief Sale has claimed the energies of David Mininger ’74 each October since the mid-1970s. The Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale features hand-sewn quilts sold at auction, handmade crafts, goods baked by volunteers, and freshly prepared breakfasts and lunches. At first the event was named Augusta Relief Sale and held at Augusta ExpoLand. In its formative period, 1967-1974, this fundraiser occurred on a farm owned by the late Paul Wenger ’27.

For the last 18 years, while earning his living in insurance in Waynesboro (Va.), Mininger has been the grounds chair, in charge of set up and tear down. In 1999, Mininger and his fellow volunteers, most of them members of area Mennonite churches, followed the event when it moved to the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, where it has been a popular annual attraction ever since.

Homemade donuts are a major attraction. Lois Wenger ’76, heads the popular donut-production operation.

Dave says his wife, Marian Leaman Mininger ’74, each year “aims to make about 25 pies and a variety of other baked goods such as cookies, cakes and breads” for the sale. “She is hesitant to state amounts, not wanting to brag or set a precedent. Baking is just something she enjoys doing.” Marian was one of nearly 1,000 volunteers for the 47th Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale in 2013.

Phil Helmuth ’76, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s executive director of development, chaired the Virginia Relief Sale for a total of seven years, handing off his leadership role in 2010, though he remains a rank-and-file volunteer. He also served as MCC’s coordinator of the organization’s overall North America Relief Sale efforts from 1997 to 2002. During that tenure, 11 new sales in the United States and Canada were added.

North America Relief Sale Coordinator Les Gustafson-Zook said that MCC received $5.45 million from the 46 MCC sales in the United States and Canada in 2013. The Virginia event raised $262,788.

Publicity for the sale is organized by Lisa Bergey Lehman, a 2003 business administration major, who in her paid job is marketing manager for Park View Federal Credit Union.

Sale chairman Dave Rush ’99, a Harrisonburg High School math teacher who has worked with the sale for nine years, notes that for many volunteers, it’s “a big reunion.”

Rush calls the sale “community building at its finest. I may not be working with MCC in another country, but I can do a small part to support the work of those who do.”

— Chris Edwards

Gift & Thrift, and its used-book enterprise, Booksavers of Virginia, and adjacent Artisans’ Hope gift shop (all three in a small shopping strip an easy walk from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ) function as charitable enterprises that benefit the relief and development work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), says Debra Glick King ’77, MBA ’12, general manager of the three. The businesses operate largely with volunteer labor, about 200 men and women these days.

Of the MCC thrift shops in 18 states and five Canadian provinces, Gift & Thrift is the only one in Virginia.

When the store opened on North Main Street in 1982, its first manager, Norman H. Kreider ’60, worked on a volunteer basis, as did the co-managers for the next 12 years: his wife, Dorothy Lehman Kreider ’54, and Marjorie Guengerich (wife of the late 91¶ĚĘÓƵ administrator Paul Guengerich). Norman Kreider “often engineered remodeling projects” before the Kreiders left to operate Rolling Hills Antique Mall, which they have since sold, says Dorothy. Remarking on Gift & Thrift’s current facility, she adds, “It’s hard to believe the store is what it is now.”

Jordan Good ’09, a psychology major who handles furniture and electronics at Gift & Thrift, says, “It’s great working at a place where personal values meet organizational values.” Staff and volunteers sometimes do minor repairs on donated items, but Good would like donors to know that repairs make more sense for well-constructed wood furniture than for electronic items.

Artisans’ Hope is one of two stores in Harrisonburg that enables customers to “give twice” by shopping at Fair Trade stores.

Early MCC thrift stores featured “self help crafts” corners with creative gift items from developing nations, committed to fair compensation. Locally, that’s become the mission for two similar stores – Artisans’ Hope and Ten Thousand Villages.

“We try to work together” in referrals and searches, says King.

Artisans’ Hope, she explains, is an “alliance” store of Ten Thousand Villages, operating independently under Gift & Thrift’s umbrella to support Fair Trade organizations and goals.

Fair Trade certification, according to the Fair Trade Federation, requires “fair wages, cooperative workplaces, consumer education, environmental sustainability, financial and technical support, respect for cultural identity, and public accountability.”

King has observed more businesses in the for-profit sector carrying fair trade merchandise in response to the increase in customers who want to make socially responsible purchases.

King came from Lancaster County, Pa., to attend 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in the late 1970s. Here she met her future husband Dave King ’76 (today 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s director of athletics). After graduating as a biology major, she taught school in Pennsylvania until the couple returned to Harrisonburg when Dave took the job at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in 2005. Their three children have all graduated from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, where King earned an MBA recently to enhance her ability to manage the three charity-focused stores. She likes nonprofit work, but feels “I could be in any business and live out my values and be profitable.”

The store has expanded its clothing inventory. “I love the atmosphere of change for the better, not change for change’s sake,” King adds.

Roy Heatwole ’64, one of many volunteers, enjoys meeting people over the cash register at Artisans’ Hope. He taught mathematics at EMC, 1965-67, prior to a civil service career.

Ten Thousand Villages has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car soon after World War II to nearly 400 stores, including five in Virginia. The Harrisonburg outlet, celebrating its 21st year, began as “International Impressions” and became Ten Thousand Villages when the Villages network adopted that name in 1996, says director Valerie Showalter Weaver ’76. The store moved from the Dayton Farmers Market to the historic district of Harrisonburg in February 2011.

Weaver, from Waynesboro, studied social work at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ and then worked in social services until she and Greg Weaver ’76 started their family. When, after volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages, she was hired 15 years ago to manage the store, she expected it to be a short-term job, but now she has no plans to leave a business she has grown to love. Kara Miller ’07 also started as a volunteer but is now on staff as volunteer coordinator.

Kelly Brewer Dean ’10, a hospital nurse and Villages volunteer, enjoys telling customers about Fair Trade’s “gifts that give twice.” As a first-year student in a work-study position at Artisans’ Hope, she “fell in love” with the products and mission. Then during her 2008 Middle East cross-cultural, she met one of the olive wood artisans and his wife. Touched by their pride in their work and its benefit to their family, she recalls the moment as “humbling and joyful.”

Kenneth D. Brunk, a volunteer and a board member of the local Villages store, agrees, “I am quite passionate about the huge difference it makes for craftspeople around the world.” He considers every hour volunteered “a direct gift to some friend I have never met who needs to market his or her skill to support their family.”

Ten Thousand Villages is not “eaten up with bureaucracy and process,” as are some NGOs and aid organizations, adds Brunk, who attended 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in the late 1960s and early 1970s and then did rural development work in East Africa.

Tried and True is co-managed by Deb Rissler Layman ’86, a business administration major who grew up in her family’s local grocery. “Working with people and things comes easily,” she says.

Layman’s shop is one of two thrift shops in Harrisonburg managed by 91¶ĚĘÓƵ grads. No problem ­– “the more thrift stores, the better,” Layman says. “Each shop has its own personality.”

Deb and Ken Layman ’80 raised their family while job-sharing – managing Crowded Closet in Iowa City, a shop benefiting MCC; then, managing and expanding Harrisonburg’s Gift and Thrift store from 1996 to 2005. Eventually, wanting to try a different set-up, they opened Tried and True Thrift Shop across town.

The Laymans’ store features silent antique auctions and Ken’s nature-photo cards. Profits totaling $80,000 have supported the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund and MCC’s Generations at Risk HIV/AIDS Fund.

The Mennonite relief sale has claimed the energies of David Mininger ’74 each October since the mid-1970s. The Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale features hand-sewn quilts sold at auction, handmade crafts, goods baked by volunteers, and freshly prepared breakfasts and lunches. At first the event was named Augusta Relief Sale and held at Augusta ExpoLand. In its formative period, 1967-1974, this fundraiser occurred on a farm owned by the late Paul Wenger ’27.

For the last 18 years, while earning his living in insurance in Waynesboro (Va.), Mininger has been the grounds chair, in charge of set up and tear down. In 1999, Mininger and his fellow volunteers, most of them members of area Mennonite churches, followed the event when it moved to the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, where it has been a popular annual attraction ever since.

Homemade donuts are a major attraction. Lois Wenger ’76, heads the popular donut-production operation.

Dave says his wife, Marian Leaman Mininger ’74, each year “aims to make about 25 pies and a variety of other baked goods such as cookies, cakes and breads” for the sale. “She is hesitant to state amounts, not wanting to brag or set a precedent. Baking is just something she enjoys doing.” Marian was one of nearly 1,000 volunteers for the 47th Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale in 2013.

Phil Helmuth ’76, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s executive director of development, chaired the Virginia Relief Sale for a total of seven years, handing off his leadership role in 2010, though he remains a rank-and-file volunteer. He also served as MCC’s coordinator of the organization’s overall North America Relief Sale efforts from 1997 to 2002. During that tenure, 11 new sales in the United States and Canada were added.

North America Relief Sale Coordinator Les Gustafson-Zook said that MCC received $5.45 million from the 46 MCC sales in the United States and Canada in 2013. The Virginia event raised $262,788.

Publicity for the sale is organized by Lisa Bergey Lehman, a 2003 business administration major, who in her paid job is marketing manager for Park View Federal Credit Union.

Sale chairman Dave Rush ’99, a Harrisonburg High School math teacher who has worked with the sale for nine years, notes that for many volunteers, it’s “a big reunion.”

Rush calls the sale “community building at its finest. I may not be working with MCC in another country, but I can do a small part to support the work of those who do.”

— Chris Edwards

From the mid-1960s through the 1970s – encompassing 15 years of great social change within Eastern Mennonite College and beyond – theologian Myron Augsburger (BA ’55, BTh ’58) led this institution of higher education.

“As a well-known evangelist, Myron had the vision and stature to guide EMC from being a rather insular school – one that lacked art, instrumental music, drama and intercollegiate athletics – to rapidly growing into a national player among Christian liberal arts colleges,” saysĚýPhil Helmuth, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s executive director of development.

Recent grads may not know this history…

Myron, the author or co-author of 26 books, was named by Time magazine in 1969 as one of the five most influential “preachers of an active gospel.” Before completing a doctorate in theology and becoming 91¶ĚĘÓƵ president at age 35, Myron led more than 50 evangelical tours in the United States and internationally, with tent meetings that attracted thousands at a time.

The woman Myron married in 1950, Esther Kniss, paved the way for 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s arts program. She was the first to major in the field of art, earning a degree in secondary art education in 1971, followed by a master’s degree in art at James Madison University. She is recognized as an international leader among Christian visual artists. The freestanding arts building at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ is named after Esther, and her sculptures are inside and outside of campus buildings.

In 1980-81, Esther and Myron planted the Washington Community Fellowship, a church that serves Christians of all stripes in downtown D.C.

As lifelong Mennonite church “servant-leaders” garnering modest incomes, one could assume that the Augsburgers were generous givers of non-material gifts. But what might come as a surprise is that they have also been generous in donating money.

At 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, they underwrite the Augsburger Lectureship, which brings noted speakers to campus each year to address topics pertinent to Christian evangelism and mission. They also have contributed to the Augsburger Endowed Chair and two endowed scholarships and give faithfully to the University Fund, Seminary Annual Fund, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. (More examples on facing page!)

Their Grown-Up Family

Myron and Esther raised three children – John, Mike and Marcia – who all attended 91¶ĚĘÓƵ while their father was president. Here are updates on each:

With his wife Beverly, John Augsburger ’74 is the founder of Allied Recovery International (ARI), a nonprofit that specializes in rebuilding after disasters. Beverly and John headed to Indonesia after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. Supported by multi-million-dollar grants from Chevron, ARI re-constructed three primary and secondary schools, plus a large vocation training high school. ARI is now building a 48,000-square-foot multi-purpose community and sports facility. In addition, with funds from UNICEF and private donors, ARI has constructed latrines, handwashing facilities, and wells in Indonesia. After Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, ARI drilled dozens of wells, plus septic systems for devastated communities.

As the project manager for S. M. Nichols Builders in Blacksburg, Va., Mike Augsburger ’80 has overseen construction of 400 condominiums and other buildings. He has also supported his older brother’s organization, making four construction-focused trips to Haiti. In the late 1990s, he worked on a major project with his mother, helping her weld 6,000 guns into a massive sculpture, “Guns Into Plowshares,” for display in Washington D.C.

With a law degree from UC-Davis, Marcia Augsburger Goff ’91 is an attorney-partner in DLA Piper, LLP, Sacramento, Calif., the same firm as her husband, Steve. Marcia specializes in health care dispute resolution and litigation. She has spoken and published extensively on complex litigation, civil discovery, Health Care Reform, HIPAA, consumer-directed health care and wellness programs, women in the law and other legal and business subjects. She has been named a California Super Lawyer.

Meanwhile, the senior-aged Augsburgers continue to lead active lives – leading Anabaptist-themed trips to Europe, participating in religious, social and artistic assemblies, and producing books (Myron) and art (Esther). In April and May 2013, Myron is teaching “Romans: A Letter to the Church” at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s Summer Institute for Missional Questions in Lancaster.Ěý — BPL

“We’re all DREAMers,” explains one we’ll call “Dulce,” a high school junior brought to the United States at age 3. Dulce was referring to legislation under consideration by the U.S. Congress, called the , which would offer a path to citizenship for children who were raised in the United States without legal documentation.

If identifiable names were not used, Dulce agreed to be quoted for this article, along with Willie, who was brought to the United States at age 6, and Raul, who came “half my life ago” at age 8. All three are students at , dual-enrolled at Blue Ridge Community College. All three have visited 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, Bridgewater College and James Madison University, with the intention of being university students in the next few years.

Raul and Willie both hope to become engineers. They’re studying pre-calculus, though Willie also hopes to explore art. Dulce’s first career aspiration was for health or medicine. Volunteering at , she’s shadowed a nurse, dietitian and midwife (even observing a birth), but also thinks she might pursue immigration law. Following local college visits via SLI (pronounced “sly”), Dulce leans toward “a small school, a religious school” while Raul feels drawn to JMU, where he’s spent time with his student-mentor, Sergio.

91¶ĚĘÓƵ was first university sponsor in the Valley

Dulce, Raul and Willie were the first at Harrisonburg High School tapped for the Scholars’ Latino Initiative program, launched locally in 2012 with 91¶ĚĘÓƵ as its first university sponsor. Since its founding in 2003, SLI has grown from its base at the Center for Global Initiatives at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to encompass five locations in North Carolina and Virginia. Shenandoah University is now part of the Shenandoah Valley chapter of SLI, coming aboard in 2013 in partnership with a Winchester (Va.) high school.

SLI focuses mainly on academically successful, underprivileged Latino students. SLI chooses the students it serves when they are in grade 9, via a competitive application process. While all SLI students are expected to perform well in school, those students nominated by the selection committee as “scholars” have additional expectations for leadership development, community service, and contact time with mentors. The Shenandoah Valley chapter of SLI currently has 15 members, seven named as “scholars.”

The program’s keystone is mentorship. Dulce, Raul and Willie have each worked for a year with a JMU Centennial Scholar who was matched to them by gender. If all goes as planned, following a three-year partnership, the graduation dates of the high school students and their university mentors will coincide.

Mentoring of students includes practice interviews, volunteer service

All SLI students participate in practice sessions for interviews, college preparatory courses and workshops, and where needed, English language study. They’ve volunteered at a soup kitchen, , and nonprofits where they assisted in interpretation.

Sophomore Aracely – born in New York to Salvadoran parents – says after-school SLI sessions provide needed time on computers. Jose, born in Honduras, mentions accessibility to scholarships.

The high school juniors recently observed an advanced Spanish class taught at Bridgewater, where Dulce considered the students “pretty good for mostly non-native speakers.” In the upcoming year, SLI students will make site visits to other Virginia colleges and universities.

Sandy Mercer, recent SLI coordinator at the high school, said SLI students “have challenged, inspired me, and always found a way to make me laugh. I’ve already seen some beautiful, transformative things happening, and watched student leadership give vision and hope to other students and their families.” In October, as Mercer prepared for relocation to Florida, SLI students gave her a party, with souvenirs and hugs, while welcoming Hannah Bowman as the new SLI high school coordinator.

From UNC-Chapel Hill to 91¶ĚĘÓƵ and further

, a professor with interdisciplinary credentials in history, politics, religion and leadership, said that before he founded SLI in 2003 at UNC-Chapel Hill, he tried to ascertain what factors are valued by college admissions officers. “It wasn’t board scores or GPA,” he said. “Public service and the challenging nature of programs were very high on the list.” In 2008, Kaufman moved to the faculty of the University of Richmond, where he continues to be involved in immigration and education matters in addition to his scholarly research, teaching and publications.

One of SLI’s biggest challenges is helping undocumented youth – the majority of those served by SLI – find pathways to higher education or employment. DACA (the federal memorandum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) currently lets most undocumented students remain in the United States, but they still face tough hurdles in gaining admission to colleges and finding the funding to complete their degrees.

SLI’s students have interacted with area government officials, though Kaufman said that immigration reform itself is not the organization’s objective.

91¶ĚĘÓƵ professors and administrators have served on SLI’s 12-member Shenandoah Valley board and helped arrange campus visits. As an SLI partner, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ promises that SLI students who meet admission requirements will be accepted and receive tuition assistance.

Program relies on donations

SLI board member , 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s executive director of development, credits 91¶ĚĘÓƵ with being “the model school by being open to Latinos,” specifically those lacking documentation.

Mercer agreed, “91¶ĚĘÓƵ has been proactive, long before other universities were.”

The board has made fundraising its top priority. Says Helmuth: “We invite anyone who shares the vision and mission of improving collegial education opportunities for Latinos of need to make a contribution through the website at .”

Three more grandchildren are due to arrive in March, which led Phil and Loretta to talk about striking a new balance between work and family – and its financial implications.

Thinking about money and its role in life is nothing new for Phil, who was asked to serve in a newly created position of elder of financial care at his church in Harrisonburg, Va., because of his experience in financial matters and his willingness to share what he’s learned.

The Helmuths’ daughter, Laura, called in September to say she and her husband, Asa, parents of a 2-year-old girl, are expecting twins. Less than a week later, daughter Annette and her husband, Trey, parents of three children younger than 7, dropped in to say they’re expecting a baby.

News of the upcoming births reminded Phil and Loretta of the first major challenge they faced together, newly married and still in college. Loretta found out she was pregnant, two years earlier than they’d planned. They worked things out, with Phil waiting to finish college until mid-career, taking one class at a time.

Nearly 40 years later, Phil and Loretta enjoy life as nearly-60-year-old grandparents. An empty nest has offered time to bicycle, provide support for their parents and enjoy their four grandchildren when they’re not at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, where Phil is executive director of and director of and Loretta works as secretary/receptionist at the .

“What if Laura needs to be on bed rest again during this pregnancy?” they wonder. “What if Annette’s family needs additional help in March? What can we offer them?”

The process Phil is using to figure out what their decisions will mean financially is one he’s become familiar with in recent years. The economic recession that started in late 2007 led to create the elder role in which Phil agreed to serve.

“The number of families and individuals among us facing financial crises is increasing,” he remembers a member of the pastoral staff telling him. “We’d like to appoint an elder well versed in financial matters to assist in discernment and ongoing support in these situations.” Phil says he knew the question before it was asked. “Would you consider this ministry?”

The answer was “yes.” Phil is passionate about the ways in which spirituality and finances intermingle.

As the economy got worse, Phil became more aware of the need for financial mentoring as he listened to donors’ financial concerns in his role as a fundraiser. Many wondered whether they ever will be able to retire after their savings were depleted.

“I decided I needed to answer some financial questions for our own situation,” Phil explains. “I wanted to know what adjustments Loretta and I needed to make in our family budget to provide flexibility for unexpected life events.”

He decided to develop a spreadsheet. “I wanted to see the numbers,” he recalls. He looked at his income and projected to see what the numbers would look like when he and Loretta are 65. “I then did the same with savings.”

Phil then came up with a retirement budget to satisfy the question of whether he and Loretta could live off the amounts on the spreadsheet. Phil’s spreadsheet experience was an eye-opener, a new way of looking at life.

“In working with the spreadsheet,” Phil said, “I learned exactly what our current financial situation is, and I could estimate how much we’d needed if we wanted to retire.”

As elder of financial care, Phil invites people who seek his help to share their financial situations. For many people, the invitation demands something extremely difficult — laying bare the financial burdens they carry. Chris and Beth*, a couple in their early 30s who are active members of PVMC, had been married for 10 years when they realized they were headed for a financial crisis they couldn’t handle.

“The worst thing was the secrecy,” Beth says now. “Money had such power over us, and our lives were filled with so much shame and disappointment.”

Several unexpected events in their lives were compounded by a few decisions that turned sour. Beth and Chris fell into a pattern of trying to hide their financial problems from everyone, even from each other.

“We’d quit talking about finances,” Chris says. “It just wasn’t worth the fights, the blame and shame those conversations inevitably elicited.”

By the time they agreed to meet with Phil, they realized they needed someone to help them talk through finances in the same way some couples need a marriage counselor.

Phil is clear about his role – he explores with people their individual situations and identifies resources so they can make healthy decisions. He relies on using the spreadsheet, simple and clear. Another tool he’s used is counseling provided by through Everence.

For Beth and Chris, the confidential, anonymous LSS counseling via telephone – along with Phil’s help – changed their lives.

“I’d kept hoping for something miraculous, a couple thousand dollars,” Chris smiles. “But I realize now winning the lottery wouldn’t have made a difference in our lives. We needed something deeper than a miracle.” Phil offered them suggestions for planning ahead and for budgeting, then ways to convert these concepts into day-to-day practices.

“He made himself available to us in a non-judgmental and caring way, which made it possible for us to communicate with each other,” Beth said. “He offered hope and affirmation where there was none.”

“Working with both LSS and Phil has been a bit like having cheerleaders,” Chris said. “They’ve been supportive, sending us notes, offering prayers on our behalf and checking in to see how we’re doing.”

Beth smiles as she sets aside the past to focus on the present.

“Living with accountability hasn’t been easy,” she said, “but we’ve made so much progress.” They’re now in the process of closing on their first house, their debt-to-income ratio looks good and their credit rating is solid. As Phil reflected on the couple’s progress, he said, “The thing I love most about my role is the opportunity to provide a voice of hope in the midst of despair.”

This is the miracle.

Article is courtesy of . Gloria Diener of Harrisonburg attends Park View Mennonite Church, where she serves on the elder team with Phil Helmuth.

*Not their real names

Affectionately known as “Speedy” for her decades of fast-paced walking in and around 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s campus, Gehman celebrated her 90th birthday on May 24, 2012, among friends and former co-workers.

“The Lord has been so good to me and has blessed me with the ability to serve and the opportunity to share with others,” said Gehman, who was one of the first women graduates of 91¶ĚĘÓƵ to earn a doctorate. She received hers in Art Education from George Peabody College (now Vanderbilt University) in 1962.

Gehman, who received a two-year degree from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in 1942, has been a long-time contributor to 91¶ĚĘÓƵ. Her name adorns the two-year-old art gallery in University Commons and she has a scholarship fund that provides financial aid for physical education and art students.

presided over the afternoon festivities, which included a luncheon and time of sharing. Swartzendruber said Gehman has “an incredible gift for frugality and generosity, a rare blend that you do not typically find.”

Swartzendruber complemented Gehman for her “graceful way of understanding that things change,” while holding onto “things that are important” and “accepting those who hold different views and opinions.”

, vice president of advancement, said Gehman has contributed to several development campaigns, including nine capital projects, University Commons Phase I, Phase II and the 91¶ĚĘÓƵ Turf Field.

The 91¶ĚĘÓƵ professor emerita joined the faculty in 1944 and taught art and physical education courses until her retirement in 1987. A “” award created in 2005 bears her name.

Gehman credits her late parents for “teaching the value of a lifestyle of simplicity and generosity.”

Phil grew up in Arcola, Ill., where his father owned a farm-machinery business. He enrolled in 91¶ĚĘÓƵ (91¶ĚĘÓƵ) for 1972-73, married fellow undergraduate Loretta Kuhns in August 1974, and soon left 91¶ĚĘÓƵ to hold a paying job (he marketed potato chips for six months while Loretta finished her degree in elementary education).

In early 1975, Phil became director of development at Lancaster Mennonite High School and that July he and Loretta became parents.

After a couple of years on that job, Illinois Mennonite conference approached Phil about being a pastor. Phil agreed “to test the whether I wanted to be a pastor or not” by arranging to be the quarter-time associate pastor for East Bend Mennonite Church in Fisher, Ill. He initially shadowed the lead minister, but eventually he did his own preaching, visitations, weddings and funerals. The remainder of his time he worked as an Ěýassistant manager for his father’s business, which entailed a two-hour round-trip between the church in Fisher and the business in Arcola, Ill.

Phil felt comfortable in his pastoral role—as a teenager during the Jesus-movement era, he led Bible studies in high school and had helped start weekend coffee houses. He had taken Bible classes at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ.

Just before the end of his second year at East Bend, Phil accepted a senior pastor position at Science Ridge Mennonite Church in Sterling Ill., a comparatively large congregation with 250 to 275 active members. After two years, he often preached twice on Sunday mornings, adding a message for a small congregation on the opposite side of town.

His last role as a full-time pastor was at Olive Mennonite Church in Elkhart, Ind., for four years, charged with working at church growth.

After 11 years of being a minister, Phil headed back to 91¶ĚĘÓƵ in 1987 to be a fundraiser for the college that he had not yet graduated from. (He finished his bachelor’s degree in management and organizational development through 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s Adult Degree Completion Program in 2002.)

“For me, it was a short leap to go from the ministry to development,” he says. “Having grown up in a business-oriented family, I feel comfortable with money matters. I know there is a place in God’s kingdom for people who have the ability to make money. And I value people who have been good managers, good stewards, of their resources.”

Phil says he acts as a facilitator for people to apply their resources to satisfying ends: “I am not just going out and begging for money—I help people to articulate what’s deeply important to them. I try to help them align their dreams and goals—their stories—with those of an organization that also has the common good at heart.”

Not a person to “preach and not practice” his views, Phil is a major donor of volunteer time and his personal money to many causes, including 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, Park View Mennonite Church, Mennonite Central Committee, and the United Way.

For more than seven years, Phil has chaired the annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds on the edge of Harrisonburg, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for Mennonite Central Committee’s work. From 1996 through 2001, Phil worked part-time as MCC’s North American Relief Sale coordinator, helping to launch 11 new sales, many in urban communities.

“I love what I do,” Phil says. “I think fundraising for a worthy cause—one in which you deeply believe—is one of the best jobs anyone can have. You get to meet wonderful people and to hear their stories. What better way to spend your time?”

Phil has been named “2011 Fundraiser of the Year” by the Shenandoah chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The one-day event included a tour of the Harvard Medical School facilities in Boston, Mass., and the , a collaborative research effort of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Family Foundation, in Cambridge.

Historic gathering

“This is a historic gathering,” said President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’76 and ’79) in his opening comments. “Never before has such a diverse group of leaders – alumni who have achieved great success in their fields along with business, industry, science and other leaders – come together to think about something this big and transformational for 91¶ĚĘÓƵ.”

Harvard Dean on 91¶ĚĘÓƵ

“My time at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ was most formative in my personal and professional journey,” said Dr. Martin, reflecting on the year he took off from the University of Alberta to study Bible and ethics at then Eastern Mennonite College. “The opportunity to study ethics and broaden my horizons beyond my small Mennonite community proved invaluable.” He noted that the collaboration occurring at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ and with these leaders was similar to the collaboration that had to occur for the Harvard Medical School expansion under his tenure.

91¶ĚĘÓƵ accepted Dr. Martin’s invitation to host the gathering because “it seemed important to us to see what can happen when people who are well trained in the sciences have facilities in which they can thrive,” said President Loren Swartzendruber.

“Dr. Martin is one example of hundreds of 91¶ĚĘÓƵ science alumni who are making a real difference in this world. While these facilities are not a scale to which 91¶ĚĘÓƵ aspires, we do believe that new labs and a renovated building at the appropriate scale, can facilitate our ongoing exceptional program.”

91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s current Suter Science Center, built more than 40 years ago, “does not do justice to the quality of faculty and program of study we offer,” he said.

Leadership phase

91¶ĚĘÓƵ is currently in the leadership phase of its campaign for the new and renovated science facilities at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, noted Kirk Shisler (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’81), vice president for advancement. It is a time to focus on lead gifts toward the anticipated $30 million needed to complete two phases. The first phase will include construction of a new 50,000 square foot lab facility to better support the collaborative original research 91¶ĚĘÓƵ science students complete with professors; renovation of the existing Suter Science Center will follow.

“We are in a time of burgeoning potential,” said Shisler, noting that as 91¶ĚĘÓƵ has ramped up communications about the campaign, spontaneous unsolicited gifts are coming in for the campaign.

While these gifts are encouraging and exciting, and currently total nearly $2 million in gifts and pledges, the focus of the day’s gathering was on establishing momentum toward gifts in the top tier of the strategic funding plan, gifts and commitments in the $500,000 to $10 million range.

Broad Institute tour

The afternoon’s visit to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard provided an opportunity for participants to see the country’s top collaborative multidisciplinary research facility. The group heard about the institute’s vision and structures, and a presentation by geneticist Stacey Gilbert, PhD, about her genetic research among Mennonite populations in Lancaster County, Pa.

Open floor plans, glass walls, entire walls and glass office windows that serve as “white boards,” and community space all inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration, explained Michael Foley, PhD, director of the chemical biology platform at Broad. “We’re here to help you in whatever way we can as you plan your facility,” he told the group.

Closing comments

The recent announcement that President Loren Swartzendruber has accepted an invitation to a third four-year term in his role as president is good news for this project as affirmed by Dr. Martin, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ trustee Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr., (’65) and 91¶ĚĘÓƵ board chair Andrew Dula (’92). Each of them noted the integrity with which President Swartzendruber serves, the level of trust in his leadership, and the momentum he and his team have established for the campaign.

Acknowledging their supportive comments, Swartzendruber noted, “Bringing this campaign to a successful conclusion is my number one goal for these next four years.”

In the photo:

First row, left to right: Greta Ann Herin, PhD, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ associate professor of biology; Provost Fred Kniss, PhD (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’79); Dr. Todd Weaver (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’87), Weaver, Reckner, Reinhart Dental Associates; 91¶ĚĘÓƵ trustee Anne Kaufman Weaver (91¶ĚĘÓƵ 88), leadership coach, Coaching Connection, Brownstown, Pa.; Joe Paxton, county administrator, Rockingham County, Va.; Phil Helmuth (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’76) executive director of development for; Carol Yoder, (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’63 ) civic leader/ volunteer; Charlotte Rosenberger (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’65) civic leader/volunteer, Blooming Glen, Pa.; Pat Swartzendruber, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ advocate and church-wide leader.

Second row, left to right: Doug Mason, advancement consultant, Gonser, Gerber, Tinker, Stuhr, LLP, Naperville, Ill.; 91¶ĚĘÓƵ trustee Evon Bergey, general manager, Magellan Health Services, Perkasie, Pa.; Dr. Krishna Kodukula, executive director, CADRE, Biosciences Division, SRI Shenandoah Valley; Dr. Joseph B. Martin (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’59), dean emeritus and professor of neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; John “Roc” Rocovich, Jr., attorney, Moss & Rocovich and founder and chairman of Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Va.; 91¶ĚĘÓƵ President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’76 and ’79); Joyce Bontrager Lehman (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’65), program officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Wash.; Bob Hostetler, PhD (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’59), campaign co-chair, professor emeritus mathematics, Pennsylvania State University; ĚýGerry Horst, campaign co-chair and president, Horst & Sons, Inc., New Holland, Pa.; Kirk Shisler (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’81), vice president for advancement; ĚýLaura Daily, assistant for advancement.

Third row, left to right: Doug Hostetler, Hostetler & Church, LLC, Clarksville, Md.; Roman Miller, PhD, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ professor of biology/Daniel B. Suter Endowed Chair, Doug Graber Neufeld, PhD, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ professor of biology; Mark Grimaldi (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’94), president of Equinox Chemical Company, Albany, Ga.; Andrew Dula (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’91), chair, 91¶ĚĘÓƵ Board of Trustees and CFO,Ěý EG Stoltzfus Inc.; 91¶ĚĘÓƵ trustee Kay Nussbaum (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’78), partner, The MVP Group, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Henry Rosenberger (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’67) farmer and sustainability entrepreneur; Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr. (91¶ĚĘÓƵ ’63) Rockingham Eye Physicians, Harrisonburg, Va., and 91¶ĚĘÓƵ trustee; Knox Singleton, CEO Inova Health Systems, Falls Church, Va.

The trip’s purpose: exercise, fellowship and fund raising for Mennonite Central Committee, Akron, Pa. The group spent three nights of the ride at campgrounds and one night at a lodge on the Skyline Drive.

Fourteen of the participants are 91¶ĚĘÓƵ alumni (l. to r.):

• Phil Helmuth, Harrisonburg
• Cliff Lind, Harrisonburg
• Emery Yoder, Harrisonburg
• Glen Lapp, Lancaster, Pa.
• Justin Shenk, Akron, Pa.
• David Martin, Akron
• Charity Shenk, Akron
• Paul A. Yoder, Harrisonburg
• Harry Mast, Broadway, Va.
• Jack Rutt, Harrisonburg
• Dayvid Graybill, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Don Bomberger (foreground), Harrisonburg
• Gloria Rutt, Harrisonburg
• Mary Glick, Harrisonburg

Phil N. Helmuth, executive director of development and director of church relations at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, rides in the bike tour. (Photo by Jim Bishop)

"The tour was a well-organized and -supported effort to tour with friends who share a passion for biking and for the work of Mennonite Central Committee around the world," said Phil N. Helmuth, executive director of development and director of church relations at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ.

The group raised some $10,000 that will benefit MCC’s peace work, including the Anabaptist churches in Columbia who have suffered a four-decades-long conflict in that country.

These churches and other MCC partner organizations provide food, basic supplies, counseling and job training to people who have been displaced by violence.

Photos by Jim Bishop.