LocalChurch 6-18

Waterloo, Ont.

Photo: Ed Janzen, chaplain, speaks to students during chapel at Conrad Grebel
University College. Conrad Grebel photo

At 4:30 p.m. on any given Wednesday, people walking by Conrad Grebel University College, on the campus of the University of Waterloo, will hear music streaming out of the chapel. Students, staff and faculty, of many denominations, are taking time out to worship together.

On sunny days, the light shines through the stained-glass windows, creating brilliant reflections on the stone walls and people’s faces. This hour is core to the college’s program, and is a key reason why Grebel’s community is so successful.

Ed Janzen, Grebel’s chaplain, says, “The chapel program is foundational as it nurtures a Christian community of learning in the Mennonite faith tradition on a vibrant and stimulating campus. The chapel program is also missional. It orients the face of the community toward the church and society, nurturing gifts of leadership and service.”

Kristen Nighswander, a second-year psychology student from Elmira, Ontario, says, “Chapel has been a great place to worship with my friends who share different beliefs.”

Another upper-year student states, “Chapel has provided me with the opportunity to grow, to meditate, and to experience God with others. It is my escape from all the chaos [of university life].” Both students highlight the music as their favourite part.

The Chapel Choir sings during most services, under the direction of Leonard Enns, music professor. According to Enns, the role of the Chapel Choir is “enriching the hymn singing and leading worship through musical interpretation of texts.“ While most members of the choir are from the college, a few people from the university also participate.

The Chapel Committee includes the chaplain, a music convener and students. Jared Penner, from Elm Creek, Manitoba, observes that “planning chapels with my peers has given me new respect for the strength of having a wide range of views and skills. It opens up a lot of discussion about personal beliefs....”

The chapel program fills a spiritual need in a secular setting. It unifies university life and residence living.

Penner says, “Chapel seems to be a structured setting for what is going on in residence living already: people meeting, talking, and seeking to grow. Worshipping together is a great way to learn from each other; and is instrumental in shaping not only self-identity, but identity in relation to others.” He also notes that being with university students who share similar experiences is comforting.

Conrad Grebel is one of four church colleges on the university campus. Their chapel programs are very similar, says Janzen, but Renison College [Anglican] and St. Jerome’s [Catholic] include members who are no longer students. “We worship on Wednesdays at Grebel in order to encourage students to connect with local congregations on Sunday,” he says.

“Another significant feature of our chapel program is the pivotal role of student leadership.” In addition to Wednesday services, Grebel often holds informal chapels on Sunday evenings as a time for community worship and dialogue.

The mission statement says: “As a community of spiritual formation, the Conrad Grebel University College Chapel program seeks to lead people to encounters with the risen Christ and to nurture persons in Christian faith, life, values and morals, most immediately in the Mennonite perspective, but also with an openness to other traditions: Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical....

“The Grebel Chapel community is not a congregation, but rather a community of spiritual formation within the context of the university..... [A] responsibility to contribute to the formation of leaders is part of the College’s educational mandate given to it by the church.”

—From college release by Jennifer Konkle

Enrolment at Rockway

Kitchener, Ont.—Enrolment stands at 456 students at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, with waiting lists in a number of grades. About 60 percent of the students are from Mennonite/Brethren in Christ families, and 31 percent from a variety of backgrounds, including Sikh and Muslim families. The remaining 9 percent are students from Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, Iran, Poland, Japan and Thailand, as well as our partner school in China. This is the final OAC year (grade 13) in Ontario, so two graduating classes will be leaving next spring. Grade 6 will be added to Rockway next September. New faculty and staff this year: Kristen Matthies, ESL and International Student Advisor; Sara Wahl, computer; Phil Sauder, Student Services; Julia Gingerich, teaching assistant; William Loewen, teaching assistant; Dale Gingerich, computer tech support; Wiraon (Apple) Ruangkitchamrat, International Visitor Exchange Program participant from Thailand volunteering in the library. The chapel theme for the year is “Surprised by grace.”

—Rockway release

Abbotsbord, B.C.—“The arts are the wheels on which the Gospel turns,” says Robert Webber. Columbia Bible College has a new program to expose students to the arts as gifts to be used in worship. Due to student interest and a need for worship leaders in the churches, CBC has expanded its two-year Diploma in Worship Ministries into a four-year BA in Worship Arts. The program recognizes the central role of music in worship and prepares students to use drama, media and technology as well. The program is spearheaded by Nelson Boschman, a jazz musician, and Tony Funk, a choral conductor.

Abbotsford, B.C.—Brad Bartsch is the new director of development at Mennonite Educational Institute. He brings a wealth of experience in banking and the investment industry, most recently at RBC Dominion Securities in Langley, B.C. He attended Trinity Western and Simon Fraser universities and is a member of North Langley Community Church. Bartsch will direct the capital campaign for the new Middle School, to begin this fall. The proposed 58,000-square-foot design will provide space for 150 students in grades six through eight. A double gym and room for productions and banquets are also in the plan.

Winnipeg, Man.—Overall enrolment at Canadian Mennonite University is up, with a significant rise in the School of Discipleship (SOD) program. SOD increased by 60 percent to 98 students, while CMU main campus enrolment dipped by about 5 percent to 380 students (311 full time). Menno Simons College—at the University of Winnipeg—saw a 16 percent increase, with 353 full-time equivalents. Courses in International Development and Conflict Resolution are extremely popular, said Menno Simons president Dean Peachey. “This year, one in 10 University of Winnipeg students will be taking at least one course through Menno Simons College.” John Unger is president of Concord College and acting president of Canadian Mennonite Bible College while Gerald Gerbrandt is on sabbatical leave. New faculty at CMU include Karl Koop in Anabaptist/Mennonite Studies, Pamela Leach in Political Studies, Chris Huebner in Theology and Ethics, and Tim Rogalsky teaching Mathematics. At Menno Simons College, Lois Edmund is teaching Conflict Resolution Studies. The School of Discipleship—a one-year program of travel, study and mentorship—added a South Africa site to its existing school sites in Guatemala. CMU is projecting that about two dozen students will register as part of the Winnipeg Theological Consortium, similar to last year’s level.

The Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Class of ’51 has established a scholarship in honour of Harold D. Groh, Rockway’s first principal (1945-56). The $200 scholarship will go to a new student entering the school in grade 11 or 12.

Groh had a particular interest in helping students who came to Rockway after having been out of school for a few years. The scholarship will go to students demonstrating integrity and dedication to academic learning, as well as financial need. The class is currently raising funds for the award and will work at increasing the amount over the next years.

Groh was an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church in Ontario. A graduate of McMaster University, he was the only member of the Rockway founding committee with a bachelor’s degree. He recognized the necessity of high school education for Mennonite youth who would no longer be able to farm. The church frowned on public schools at the time because of cadet training and other war efforts.

Groh left his position as director of the Toronto Mission to become principal of Rockway, and enrolled in the Ontario College of Education to prepare himself. In addition to administering the school, he taught math, physics and chemistry, and administered the dormitory. He tutored students who were re-entering school so they could finish more quickly.

The Class of ’51 is also launching a video project, “Rockway in Review,” which provides a capsule history of the school. The video originated with a slide presentation produced by Norma Rudy. Photos were reshot and the script updated for the video. Recordings of Rockway choirs and instrumentalists provide background music.

The video and the scholarship will be launched during homecoming weekend on September 28, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.