Harrisonburg, Virginia, resident Seth Crissman ‘09, MDiv ‘15 has been selected by 91����Ƶ’s Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee as the 2024 Outstanding Young Alum for his work through the collaborative faith-based ministry The Soil and The Seed Project. The effort seeks to nurture faith in Jesus through conversations, art, poetry, music and daily readings. 

“I wanted to find ways of empowering the church to live out what we say we believe,” Crissman said, “… faith that doesn’t just live in our heads, but in how we live and move in the world.”

The award is given annually to an alum who, through professional achievement and/or Christ-like compassionate service, is making a significant contribution to the local, national or global community.

Crissman, 38, founded his Christian-based faith formation project in 2021 in partnership with and as a ministry of Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMMissions). With dozens of other artists, his team produces liturgical daily readings and new music albums every three to four months to help families talk about their faith.

“It’s meant to be an intergenerational project,” Crissman said.

The project grew from a previous effort he worked on with his wife, Theresa Peachey Crissman ‘09, called Kids Club, which helped area churches combine efforts to provide resources for children.

“I love helping people build bridges between communities,” Crissman said. 

The Soil and The Seed Project has drawn talent from North America, Northern Africa and Southeast Asia; streams music to more than 130 countries; and has been shipped to 30+ states, all given away free of charge. More than 20 denominations and nondenominational groups are represented among the project’s followers.

Married with four children, Crissman pursued special education and history at 91����Ƶ before seeking a master of divinity from Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

This past year, he was awarded a $1.2 million grant through Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. Awarded to VMMissions for the purpose of growing The Soil and The Seed Project, the grant will fund, in part, a music festival at Highland Retreat in Bergton, Virginia, from Oct. 25-27, 2024.

“There’s a temptation to think that what happens is because we’re clever or we hustle,” Crissman said. “What’s come of this project isn’t because I’m clever or have hustled a lot. It’s something God has done, and I’ve just had the joy of being able to help get it started.”

“Are you always working?” she asked him. At that point, his answer was “yes.”

Now, after graduating in May and beginning to work as a part-time pastor at , Bucher knows the better answer: “No, I am not always working.”

Part of the reason he can now respond this way is his research for a capstone project titled “” The project has helped him determine how to balance a part-time ministry position with other work and family obligations.

“As an Anabaptist Christian, I want to speak and act against economic systems that force many to work at harmful levels,” said Bucher, who also earned a from 91����Ƶ’s . “I want us all to celebrate and minister from the counter-cultural idea of Sabbath rest. Researching, investigating the Biblical text, conversing with pastors, and reflecting on my own Sabbath practices proved to be a rich experience. I hope these public and private practices will serve as a personal rhythm and rule for ministry and as a model for the congregation and the community.”

Each capstone presentation presented by members of this touched on both the personal formation experienced within the students’ seminary journey, and the transformation they hope to bring about as leaders in ministry. The capstone requirement helps seminarians synthesize and integrate into their unique ministry setting the four guiding curricular principles that have formed the rich foundation of their learning: wise interpretation, mature practice, discerning communication and transformational leadership.

“A culmination of their education, their capstone project is a reflection of their learning, a practical resource to carry with them into ministry, and often an exciting expression of creativity,” says seminary dean .

Capstone Presentations

The following graduates presented capstone presentations for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Priyanka Bagh (Pune, Maharashtra, India) narrated a personal experience of transformation and movement by the power of love through four seasons or stages. Bagh is a graduate of the University of Pune and has an MA from Shreemati Nathibia Damodar Thackersey. She will return to India to work with children and youth in the mental health field.

Tracy Brown (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) looked at the congregational capacity of “.” In the light of recent unrest related to communities and policing, the research explored past and future work within Lancaster congregations to move towards justice and peace in the city. He plans to begin a doctorate in ministry degree at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

Gwendolyn B. Carr (Waynesboro, Virginia) explored “A Journey Toward Wholeness: Being Ushered Into the Presence of God with My Intellectually Disabled Friends and Family.” Her conclusions offered an understanding of the needs of persons with disabilities, promoting inclusive worship rather worship that is planned for or done to them. A member of Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, Carr plans to continue serving at Craigsville Presbyterian Church.

Seth Crissman ’09 (Harrisonburg, Virginia) is a frequent performer and worship leader at Eastside Church. The title of his project, exploring more private practice within the family and encounter with Scripture, was “Deep Love: Reflecting on God’s Love through the Eyes of a New Parent.” He will be working with Virginia Mennonite Missions to develop a kid’s club ministry.

Melissa Fretwell (Harrisonburg, Virginia) defined compassion out of her personal experience, training as a specialist in special education, and seminary preparation for ministry in her capstone project, “” Fretwell is a graduate of Bridgewater College, and holds a MEd and EdS from University of Virginia. She will pursue a residency in chaplaincy at University of Virginia.

Lori Friesen (Harrisonburg, Virginia) traced the formative impact of the seminary experience, highlighting the importance and practice of reflection, vision and commitment to mission, and the authority and interpretation of the Bible. She is a member of Hartville Mennonite Church. She has a 2-year degree from Hesston College.

Pete Geoffrion (Harrisonburg, Virginia) presented “” His capstone calls for holy conferencing across theological difference through gracious fidelity to Scripture, particularly in the United Methodist Church, engaging 1 Kings 2:1-3 as a case study. His bachelor’s degree is from James Madison University.

Nathan Grieser (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) looks at the ways in which privileged Mennonite churches in Lancaster are engaging people on the margins and asks whether these engagements are fostering mutual relationship and transformation. His project is titled “” Grieser is a graduate of Goshen College. He moves into a new role as executive director of The Shalom Project, a service-learning and intentional community for college graduates.

Lizzette Hernandez (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) researched multicultural Christian education, and challenged educators to develop as messengers who understand the different contexts in which faith develops and who transmit the good news in culturally appropriate ways. Hernandez, a retired physician, worships at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church and works with the Mennonite Hispanic Initiative.

Rosemary King ’65 (Harrisonburg, Virginia), in a presentation titled “” described the need for shelter as a matter of biblical justice and describes investigation into financial, legal, and architectural considerations as part of a local response. She will graduate in 2016.

Bradley Kolb ’09 (Harrisonburg, Virginia) proposed that the cultivation of imaginations that are captive to the Gospel and enchanted by the scriptures and the Spirit as key to Christian formation for adults in his presentation, “” Kolb begins as associate pastor at Grace Mennonite Fellowship this summer.

Audrey Roth Kraybill (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) explored . She holds a bachelor’s degree from Goshen and an MA in religion from Lancaster Theological Seminary. She is a member of Community Mennonite Church in Lancaster.

Luis Martinez (Harrisonburg, Virginia) proposed that , with illustrations from original artwork and chaos theory. Martinez is a pastor at Iglesia Discipular Anabaptista (IDA).

Bob May (Bergton, Virginia), who has worked as a UMC missionary, argued that : who is already doing what, what opportunities and partnerships are evident, and what does this particular missions group offer for this context? May, who has a bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, plans to continue further graduate studies in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s program in conflict transformation.

Gordon Meriwether (Culpeper, Virginia) explored “.” Pastor at The Greene Charge (UMC), Meriwether’s research dealt with dying, death and the afterlife with an emphasis on the pastor/chaplain’s ability to connect with the presence of Holy Spirit and the soul/spirit of the individuals involved in the journey. He also earned a MA in conflict transformation.

Nick Meyer ’08 (Kidron, Ohio) traced the struggle to forgive an impenitent offender, using the psalms of lament and a broader definition of hatred to mark turning points towards forgiveness in a project titled “”  He is a member of Early Church and plans to volunteer as a prison chaplain.

Seth Miller ’07 (Harrisonburg, Virginia) presented research on “Engaging Confessional Theology in a Postmodern Context.” He is exploring pastoral ministry opportunities with the Mennonite Church.

Glenn W. Nofziger II ’02 (Stryker, Ohio) highlighted the role of effectively telling and listening to stories in enhancing self-understanding and providing pastoral care. His presentation was titled “” He is a member of Lockport Mennonite Church and is exploring pastoral ministry opportunities in the Mennonite Church.

Mike Souder (Mount Sidney, Virginia) described an ecclesiologically grounded plan for assimilating new members and caring for all members through a small group care structure in the large charismatic congregation. His presentation was titled “” A graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology, he is associate pastor at Grace Covenant Church.

Anne Kaufman Weaver ’88 (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) presented research on“” Her project explored what factors and practices promote resiliency in female pastors as well as identifies the challenges and obstacles that exist in congregational and conference contexts. Weaver also has a master’s degree in social work from Marywood University.

Nelson Yoder ’81 (Narvon, Pennsylvania) examined four symbolic representations of Christian encounters with the Risen Christ from different time in church history and their application to congregational worship in a recent Easter season in his project, “” He is associate pastor at Ridgeview Mennonite Church in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

Editor’s note: Information about educational history and future plans was provided by graduates on a voluntary basis.

The Walking Roots Band, formed when many of the members were students at 91����Ƶ, will soon issue its second album of church music, titled “Light: A Hymn Reclamation Project,” in which they take old – sometimes ancient – hymn texts and set them to folk melodies and other new arrangements.

“The writing of this album has been such a beautiful process of articulating Good News musically and lyrically in our current context,” says Seth. “This is an enduring Good News, and these songs connect us to so many who have lived before us as Jesus’ disciples through the ages.”

For music teacher and band member Greg Yoder, the album is an opportunity to “emphasize discipleship and what it means to truly follow Jesus.”

And the band’s sound resonates with a wide audience, with guitars, harmonica, accordion, violin, upright bass, mandolin, banjo and minimal percussion, along with rich vocal harmonies. The sound is best described as folksy, Americana, roots music.

“At our shows there are often people who are our age, in their 20s and 30s, but also grandparents and grandchildren,” said Crissman.

Yet they don’t limit themselves to church music.

“We are equally comfortable giving a concert at a coffee house or bar on Saturday night or at a worship service on Sunday morning,” said Yoder. “We want to be in both places because we believe that God is in both places.”

In addition to “Light” the band hopes to record a six-to-eight song EP called “Prayers for the Church.” They plan to give this music away for free, as a gift of encouragement and admonition for the church.

“The church is Christ’s body here and now, and we want to encourage everyone to pray that the church may continue to be Christ to the world,” says Yoder.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary and University have pledged support for “Prayers for the Church”  through the band’s online Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a crowd-sourcing platform that encourages artists to collaborate with their supporters to undertake projects that might not otherwise be possible.

“We love the example 91����Ƶ/EMS set,” said Yoder, “and we think it’s a great way for churches, conferences, businesses and other organizations that are committed to the church to get involved in our project. We would love to have many more partners in helping us make Prayers for the Church available as a gift, mostly because of what it would look like to have that many people saying, ‘Yes, we believe in the church and want to see it continue and strengthen.’”

Crissman’s seminary studies serve as catalyst for many of the songs in the new hymn collections. The prayer practice of using music to connect to and spend time with God is one his professors have encouraged.

“I have been able to learn from and study with incredible professors and students who have walked with me as I have encountered God in new, and also ancient, ways,” says Crissman. “I really appreciate EMS’s commitment to equipping students to become ‘wise interpreters, mature practitioners, discerning communicators and transformational leaders.’ It’s been a beautiful place for me to grow into my call.”

To contribute to the Kickstarter campaign of The Walking Roots Band, visit . Or visit and search for “.” Watch their for updates, or email: thewalkingrootsband@gmail.com with comments and questions.

Close to 3,000 people attended each day of the festival, July 11-13, 2014, at Natural Chimneys Park in Mt. Solon, Virginia. First held in the summer of 2013, the Red Wing festival is hosted by The Steel Wheels, a nationally known roots music band that features three alumni: Trent Wagler ’02, Eric Brubaker ’01 and Brian Dickel, class of ’98. (The fourth band member, Jay Lapp, attended 91����Ƶ’s sister Mennonite school in Indiana, Goshen College, for a time.)

After enjoying performing at other festivals across the country since they started touring seriously around 2010, members of The Steel Wheels began thinking about ways to create a new festival in the Shenandoah Valley.

“We wanted it to be rooted in community and informed by our upbringing,” said Brubaker after Red Wing ended this year. “We wanted a family-friendly event where we would be proud to bring our own children and expose them to many different kinds of authentic musical expression.”

The band partnered with Black Bear Productions, a local event production company, and began planning well over a year in advance for the first event. Their vision was realized in a multi-generational, community-focused festival that has brought dozens of performers and thousands of visitors for a long weekend of music on four stages at Natural Chimneys, about 20 miles south of 91����Ƶ’s campus.

“The exciting thing is that all [our] dreams and more are already being fulfilled,” Brubaker added. “It’s amazing that so many people from our community are investing time, creativity and resources to make the festival a true success.”

Jeremiah Jenkins, a managing partner of Black Bear Productions, said the welcoming, friendly atmosphere at the festival is one of its special characteristics.

“Red Wing has fans of all ages. This sets a certain tone of respect and appreciation among the crowd, and that collective enjoyment really fuels us all weekend,” he said. “Red Wing brings out both the seasoned festivarian and the first-timers, and together we create our own festival culture. We’re proud of the Red Wing fans, volunteers and staff that treat the park and each other with such conscientiousness.”

After noticing how many 91����Ƶ alums attended the first festival, the university signed on as an official sponsor in 2014. Throughout the weekend, advancement staff passed out tea and connected with hundreds of alumni, prospective students and other festival-goers.

91����Ƶ and Red Wing organizers also collaborated to minimize the amount of trash generated at the festival. The festival banned the sale of plastic water bottles and required visitors to bring or purchase a reusable steel cup to use at the free water station and in the beer garden, Jenkins said. Food vendors were also required to use renewable, recycled or compostable materials for all service items.

Aware of 91����Ƶ’s commitment to sustainability, Black Bear Productions hired 91����Ƶ sustainability coordinator Jonathan Lantz-Trissel ’00 to oversee trash and recycling collection during the weekend. He and his team of volunteers collected well over 1,000 pounds of recyclable materials and 500 pounds of food waste to add to 91����Ƶ’s compost piles.

“When people congratulate me on the festival, I always say that it takes a village,” Jenkins said. “We’re so glad that 91����Ƶ is part of ours, from the alumni office and sustainability team to the many 91����Ƶ alumni that bring their families each year.”

In addition to The Steel Wheels, about 40 other bands performed this year at Red Wing, including The Walking Roots Band, first formed under another name at 91����Ƶ. Six of the eight members are 91����Ƶ graduates: Lauren ’09 and Mitch Yoder ’09, Jackson Maust ’09, Kristina Yoder ’09, Adam Schmid ’09 and Seth Crissman ’09, MDiv ’15. Crissman also said the welcoming feel to the festival was important to the group.

“Something we care about a lot is being able to create and share music that is fun for everyone. There was a broad range of ages at Red Wing, and music brings all these people together,” he said. “In making music in this roots-folk tradition, we draw nourishment from those who have come before and, hopefully, pass it on to those who will come after us. It was a lot fun to be able to listen to and enjoy other musicians doing the same thing at Red Wing. It was exciting to see so many people excited about roots and folk music, especially local music.”

Another band performing at Red Wing, Ragged Mountain String Band, featured Reuben Miller ’00 on fiddle.

The third Red Wing Roots Music Festival will likely be held on the second weekend in July 2015, with exact dates to be announced soon on the festival’s website and Facebook page. In the meantime, Brubaker said, The Steel Wheels will be recording a new album that will be ready in time for next year’s event.

The band formed when four friends started playing music under the name The Federation during their time at 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ). It’s been together in some form or fashion for more than five years, but the last few months have been big for the local band.

The group now includes Seth Crissman, Greg Yoder, his wife Kristina Yoder, Jackson Maust, Mitchell Yoder and his wife Lauren Yoder, Adam Schmid and Mike Yoder. Most of the band mates are 91����Ƶ graduates.

“We’re friends and we play music together,” Crissman said. “It’s sort of in that order.

“[It] just sort of naturally progressed and emerged from friendships,” he continued, adding “On a given night, we’ll get together and play bocce [ball] in someone’s backyard, we’ll get together and cook or we’ll get together and play a show.”

Sacred Space

The Walking Roots Band released its first album this month – a compilation of 11 “reclaimed hymns,” or spiritual songs that “had fallen out of the general circulation of being sung in churches,” Crissman explained.

The new album, “Shelter: A Hymn Reclamation Project,” is a patchwork of centuries-old, lesser-known sacred texts, more identifiable hymns and the band’s own unique touch.

For example, the song, “Come Down, O Love Divine” is based off text written in 1367 and arranged into a song in 1906, while the new album also includes a rendition of “It is Well With My Soul” with lyrics tweaked to reflect the Shenandoah Valley.

Crissman, 27, of Harrisonburg, wrote eight of the album’s songs, which is just the first of three albums the band hopes to produce in the upcoming months.

The next project will consist of folk songs, while other albums will be a collection of “farming songs.”

“A lot of the people in the group have connections to agriculture,” said Greg Yoder, a band member who has worked for a local farmer the past two summers.

“We think that connection to the land is really important; it’s sacred in some ways.”

Finding A Niche

Greg Yoder, 26, of Penn Laird, describes the band’s musical offerings as acoustic Americana that’s not exactly bluegrass, but rather “blue-ish grass.” It’s “folky” music with some rap intertwined, he explains.

“We’re hoping for a new category at the Grammy’s,” he said.

Bands such at The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons and The Steel Wheels influence the local group.

Group Effort

While the band’s style is hard to pinpoint, it’s also difficult to identify the lead singer or who plays which instrument.

The Walking Roots Band shows likely include six to eight instrument swaps, with all the members adept at some combination of the guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, accordion, Cajon – and the list goes on.

For more information on the band, the new album and upcoming tour dates, visit thewalkingrootsband.com.

Article courtesy Daily News Record, July 20, 2013

Their first album “” was released in June 2013.

“There are many really meaningful texts in old hymns,” said Seth Crissman, a 2009 91����Ƶ graduate, who is also a current student at . They have deep profound spiritual truths that are sometimes inaccessible because of the music.”

Greg Yoder, a 2009 graduate of Goshen College added, “Seth found these great hymn texts that he wanted to use at , where many people who come to worship didn’t grow up singing hymns.”

Eastside Church is a recent church plant in Harrisonburg where Crissman serves as a music pastor.

“Music is incredibly formative,” Crissman said. “We are being shaped in our theology and our understanding of who we are by music.

“In churches where ‘praise music’ is the main music, we generally only sing things written in the last 10 to 15 years, when thoughtful writers have been writing music for churches for 1,500 years. There is rich theology that can be accessed by arranging these hymn texts so that they are appealing to a more modern ear.”

One example is a hymn called “Come Down, O Love Divine.” The text was written in 1367 by Bianco da Siena. Crissman encountered this song in the “Hymnal: A worship book.” The arrangement was written in 1906, but most members of the band had not sung it often despite many of them singing hymns in their congregations.

“It’s a good introduction to the richness of the text,” said Mitchell Yoder, a 2009 91����Ƶ alum.  “For people who have grown up singing traditional church hymns we chose a lot of texts that people tend to not sing.”

Several of the band members started playing worship services at 91����Ƶ in 2007. In 2010, they added band members Greg Yoder and Michael Yoder. In 2012, they became The Walking Roots Band, which they describe as “acoustic Americana, faux-folk, blue-ish-grass, roots music.”

“Even though we are mostly a folk band, faith and church music is definitely where our roots are musically and personally, so it made sense to do this album first,” said Jackson Maust, a 2009 91����Ƶ alum.

They will be touring Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana in early July. The group intends to release a folk album in the fall of 2013.

“We aren’t just a band that plays reclaimed hymns,” said Greg Yoder. “If you come to a concert you’ll hear some of our folk music, some silly songs and some reclaimed hymns. We are Christians in the world, and we’re also complex people and we want our music to reflect that.”

To see The Walking Roots Band tour schedule, order a CD, or hear a sample of “Shelter: A Hymn Reclamation Project” visit their website at . The band will be playing in Harrisonburg on . Tickets are available at the door.