 |
| President Howard Keim |
August 22, 2005
Hesston College President Dr.
Howard Keim told students that Jesus will invite them to follow him
during the upcoming school year.
Keim spoke on the theme "Follow
Me" during the Opening Weekend worship service Sunday morning,
Aug. 21, in Yost Center. His message was based on Matthew 4:18-22,
8:18-22, and 9:9. In those passages, seven different people consider
a call to follow Jesus; five accepted, two did not.
Keim cautioned that before we
are too hard on the two who said no, "let's remember our own
concerns," he said. "They were responding to the same pragmatic,
realistic concerns that we have and that we as parents coach our children
to have."
The five who said yes made an
abrupt change, according to Keim. "Before we make heroes of the
five who said yes, let's check our own reactions when people make
radical changes."
Keim said we also need to check
ourselves. "We tend to be suspicious of radical discipleship
and justify our own tame partial obedience," he said. "Our
culture packages Jesus to look attractive and make no demands. We
create customer-friendly environments and experiences and give non-threatening
invitations. We align Jesus with whatever seems popular at the time,
from music tastes to sports teams, to clothing styles and even political
parties."
"It isn't easy to cut through
all this clutter and hear the simple words of Jesus, 'Follow me,'"
Keim said.
 |
| Bel Canto Singers |
"This [Hesston College] is an environment where you can ask the questions, explore the possibilities, and test the call of Jesus, " Keim continued. "Sometimes it is hard to sort things out, to know what is God's call and what is my wish, and whether they are one and the same. It's good to ask the questions and work through that. Welcome your doubts. Carry your questions as long as you want. These five people and others who said yes to Jesus had questions the whole time they followed him and even after he died and rose again."
"May Jesus come to you this year, and give his invitation," Keim concluded, "and may you have the strength and courage to say yes."
Words of anticipation for the coming year were shared by Christine (Kauffman) Schweitzer, Erb Hall women's resident director, a 1994 Hesston College graduate, and Ami Miller, admissions counselor, a 2003 Hesston graduate.
The opening worship service also featured three selections sung by the Bel Canto Singers directed by Jacob Rittenhouse and accompanied by Ken Rodgers, both music faculty members.
 |
| Dan Harrison |
"Like everyone else, you have chosen out of the many possible beliefs and approaches to life, the one that resonates most clearly within you and rocks your soul," he continued. "Even if you follow the faith of your parents and accept their values as your own, remember that you will need to deepen your understanding of how and why you make decisions and therefore how you discover what your true passions are."
 |
| Sondra Leatherman |
"Hesston College will lead you," Leatherman said, " to think in new ways which can develop into new actions which you make into habits that build your character for use in the kingdom of God which in turn is what God is ultimately interested in being your purpose and destination in the first place."
Howard Keim, Hesston College's new president, received a warm, rousing round of applause when introduced to the audience crowded into Hesston Mennonite Church Friday evening by Dean of Students G. Lamar Roth. When Roth asked Keim what he was looking forward to most this year, he responded, "learning to know the students."
Steve Erickson, a sophomore from Bristol, Ind., said he's looking forward to "seeing returning students and meeting the new students. I also want to be involved in a lot of things, such as playing soccer, being a resident assistant, and being one of the Bill's and Norma's."
Brenda Imhoff, a sophomore from Eureka, Ill, said she is excited "to see how people change and grow in their personal and spiritual lives this year."
Other Opening Weekend activities August 19-21 included orientation for freshman and international students, registration for classes, a parents breakfast, a reception for president's scholars, a volleyball match between the varsity and alumni, a soccer intrasquad game, the annual mod olympics, and a farewell concert by Thirstborne. The band, whose original members met at Hesston College, has been together since 2000. Four of the five band members are graduates of Hesston -- Jeremy and Erin Kempf (2000), Neil Richer (2001), and Jason Fishburn (2002).
Following the weekend activities, classes for the fall semester began Monday, August 22.