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The flashing and dancing colored lights used during the singing portion of the worship service on Saturday morning dimmed to darkness, leaving a glowing moon-like sphere and glistening cross illuminated on stage.
Sitting on four chairs in front of the cross, Katie Boyts, Dustin Galyon, Cyneatha Millsaps and Hugo Sauce... [Read More]
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Before placing his hands on the keyboard, Ken Medema turned to the audience in the Nationwide Arena; they had just finished singing “How Can I Keep From Singing.”
“So I had this thought,” he said. “How cool would it be if the thousands of us singing here would walk into the 4th of July celebration singing ... [Read More]
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Weighing approximately 450 pounds, spanning 6 feet across and towering 12 feet, the cross on stage in the Nationwide Arena is definitely larger than a wooden cross on a necklace from Ten Thousand Villages. A necklace does not require a special handmade device of plywood and carpeting for transportation, either.
The ... [Read More]
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Outside of the convention center, at the corner of High and Vine, the cast from “The Upside-Down King” raised their voices in four-part harmony, singing the lyrics “He’s alive and the road has returned.”
The cast was on their way to lunch, after a tech rehearsal for their evening performance, but the short i... [Read More]
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Mennonites traditionally offered all kinds of tips — how to help zwieback rise, how to correctly lead a hymn sing or how to organize the food at a potluck. Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, the assistant director of convention planning, hopes they are also leaving tips in their hotel rooms.
“Ninety-eight percent of the hotels are filled with our people,” Swartzendruber Miller said. “Rarely a...
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Three girls and their youth sponsor entered an elevator at the Drury Inn and Suites an hour before midnight on Wednesday, ready for bed.
The elevator began moving but then stopped. That’s when the girls, Amanda Yoder, Adriana Santiago and Erica Grasse, decided to help it move.
“We were going to go bust some fr... [Read More]
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Alan Christy of Columbus Children’s Theatre pilots an improv airplane during the afternoon children’s performance.
Carol Grieser, the coordinator of the children’s convention, wanted them to do something they would never forget. At past conventions, Mennonite children have visited zoos and museums.
Gri... [Read More]
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Youth from four different congregations boarded bus No. 13 Wednesday morning and assessed the seating situation: 16 benches for 47 people meant three to a seat with no room to spare. As the bus pulled away from the convention center, Mary Jo Martin, the servant volunteer leader for the Four Seasons City Farm project c... [Read More]
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The first Pastors’ Day began many hours before opening worship for Convention 2009.
In opening remarks, James Schrag, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, spoke about the “crow’s nest calling,” a metaphor representing the pastoral vantage point.
“From my humble view,” said Schrag, “a pastor... [Read More]
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On black drawstring bags, T-shirts, convention posters and paper headings is the phrase “Breathe and be filled” from John 20: 21-22.
Eighteen months ago, in the Columbus Regency Hotel, a balanced group of 24 organizers — 12 representing the youth convention and 12 the adult convention — met to determine the 2009 Convention theme. Two and a half days later, the task was finished.
“T...
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