Four Hesston College students – Dani Klotz (Wakarusa, Ind.), Mariah Martin (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), Leah Rittenhouse (Mount Pleasant, Pa.) and Tyler Yoder (Bay Port, Mich.) – will share preaching duties for the Burrton community-wide Holy Week series at 7 p.m. April 1 to 4 at Burrton Mennonite Church. The Holy Week series is open to the public.
The students are enrolled in a preaching course with Hesston College Bible and Ministry faculty member Michele Hershberger and will deliver the sermons in preparation for Easter and as a way to gain practical experience for the class and their futures in ministry.
“Over the past several years I have audited several Bible classes at Hesston while I taught the same classes at Ellsworth (Kan.) Correctional Facility,” said Burrton Mennonite lead pastor Jim Dunn. “I have observed many capable and dedicated students who are testing a variety of calls into professional church wide ministries. Giving students the opportunity to preach at Burrton is simply another setting in which each student might hear and receive confirmation for that call, both from God and folks in the community.”
Yoder, a sophomore, will preach on April 1. His message will focus on Jesus’ call to servant leadership as he prophesied his death during the Last Supper.
“We need to remember that we can be a leader while still being a servant – they go hand in hand,” said Yoder.
Yoder will graduate in May with an associate of arts degree in youth ministry. He plans to continue his studies at Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), pursuing a degree in congregational and youth ministry. Yoder is grateful for the opportunity to branch out from his usual focus of working with youth and minister to a more diverse congregation.
“It will be an interesting experience preaching to a congregation that is older than me and that comes from a variety of denominational backgrounds and beliefs,” said Yoder.
Klotz, a sophomore, will preach on April 2. Her message will focus on Jesus’ encouragement of non-violence as he prepares his disciples for his death.
“The passage is a little confusing because at first glance it seems that Jesus is contradicting himself on the issue of non-violence,” said Klotz. “It’s a topic I care a lot about, but I don’t think it’s ever an easy topic to teach or preach about. When you tell someone to be non-violent, you have to have a lot of integrity yourself.”
Klotz will graduate in May with an associate of applied arts and sciences degree in business and an associate of arts degree in Bible. She plans to continue her studies at Goshen (Ind.) College, pursuing a degree in business with a minor in conflict transformation studies. She is focusing on Bible at Hesston as a way to learn more about her own faith and the Anabaptist tradition in which she was raised.
“Studying Bible helps me learn more about my faith and be an informed Christian,” said Klotz. “Preaching class is teaching me skills I may not use often use in a formal setting, but it will help me as I share my faith with others.”
This summer, Klotz and her husband, Natanael Fontan, will work with Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA in South Texas.
Martin, a freshman, will preach on Jesus’ prayers on the Mount of Olives on April 3.
“I want my message to be a reminder of the importance of prayer and communication with God in our lives,” said Martin. “I hope that the congregation relates to the difficulties and joys of prayer and that they are challenged to follow Jesus’ example to live a life of greater, deeper and truer prayer.”
Martin is studying Bible and Ministry with the hopes of pastoring a church in the future. She is glad for the experiences preaching class offers as she explores the duties of a pastor.
Rittenhouse, a third-year student, will preach her sermon on Peter’s denial of Jesus on April 4.
“I want this passage to challenge us to follow Jesus more closely, even when that means heading into situations that are uncomfortable or scary,” said Rittenhouse. “Transformation often comes from those experiences.”
Rittenhouse earned her associate of arts degree and completed the Disaster Management Program in May 2011. She is non-degree seeking during her third year, focusing on youth ministry and Bible classes and exploring the ways ministry can be a part of any career.
“I wanted to take some of the classes I didn’t have time for in my schedule when I was doing disaster management,” said Rittenhouse. “I am finding that disaster management and a lot of what I am learning in the Bible department go together well. They are both about serving and ministry. Disaster management gave me the skills and tools to help manage disaster situations and my Bible classes explain why we serve.”
Burrton Mennonite Church is located at 411 North Reno Avenue in Burrton.