Peacemaker and anti-oppression leader to speak for MLK Day
Credit: Bethel College
NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – A young leader in peacemaking and anti-oppression will highlight Bethel College’s annual celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Jan. 19.
The program takes place at 7 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center and is free and open to the public, with a freewill offering taken.
The keynote speaker is Sarah Thompson, Chicago, who is completing her first year as executive director of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). She will speak on “Moving Toward Conflict.”
There will also be a display in the Fine Arts Center of artwork related to Dr. King’s work and witness, by students at local schools.
Thompson will also be a guest at Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, Jan. 18, participating in the adult Sunday school forum at 9:30 a.m. and preaching in the worship service that starts at 10:45. All are welcome.
A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Thompson spent six years as the volunteer North American representative to Mennonite World Conference’s Youth and Young Adult Executive Committee and Global Youth Summit planning group.
She has also been a volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee in Jerusalem, Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Elkhart.
Thompson has traveled widely while holding these positions and through other volunteer and activist work with feminist anti-war movements, Spanish translation opportunities, the Fulbright Scholars program and Spelman College, Atlanta, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 2006 with a double major in comparative women’s studies and international studies and a minor in Spanish.
A 2011 Masters of Divinity graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Thompson served as a member of CPT’s steering committee from 2010-12, and worked for a year as CPT Outreach Coordinator before taking the executive director position.
In accepting that position, Thompson said, “I feel called to the spiritual practice of building partnerships that transform violence and oppression.”
She also recalled first learning about CPT as a member of her high school’s Peace Club. “After attending the CPT Peacemaker Congress my sophomore year, I knew that CPT would be a part of my future,” she said.
“Like my previous work with grassroots, political and social justice organization, working through CPT has been a deeply formative and positive experience for me,” she added.
Christian Peacemaker Teams was founded in Chicago in 1986. Originally sponsored by the two major North American Mennonite denominations and the Church of the Brethren, CPT has become increasingly ecumenical and now receives support from American Baptist, Presbyterian, Friends and other North American Christian groups.
Though unapologetically Christian, CPT seeks “the Gospel liberation of all people through the power of forgiveness and nonviolence,” according to its identity statement.
Small groups of trained CPT volunteers and stipended workers focus on building “an organizational culture of justice, inclusion, mutual respect and welcome … [and] structures that reflect the rich diversity of the human family in ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, race and sexual orientation.”
On its project sites in North America and internationally, CPT works with local partners from a variety of faith traditions, encouraging the formation and development of other faith-based, nonviolent peace teams and working cooperatively with them.
Also Jan. 18 at Bethel, there will be a screening of excerpts of the documentary Freedom Riders at 3 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center, followed by open discussion with two guest resource people (free and open to the public).
For more information on the special events on campus Jan. 18-19, see the Bethel website, www.bethelks.edu, or call Multicultural Student Union adviser Jean Butts at 316-284-5338.
Bethel College is the only private, liberal arts college in Kansas listed in the 2014-15 Forbes.com analysis of top colleges and universities in the United States, and is the highest-ranked Kansas college in the Washington Monthly annual college guide for 2014-15. The four-year liberal arts college is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu.
PCC to Hold Blood Drive
Pratt Community College will hold a blood drive on Feb. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Note, this is a rescheduling from the earlier publicized date of Jan. 29 due to Red Cross mandated blood supply regulation).
A blood donor card or state-issued identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.
According to the Red Cross, the stability of the nation’s blood supply is in the hands of healthy volunteer donors who give generously for others in need. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.
Volunteers are also needed for set up, tear down, and assistance with paperwork and snack distribution during the drive.
Walk-ins are welcome but appointments will be given preference. Appointments to donate can be made at redcrossblood.org or to volunteer by calling Leighanne Dean at 620-450-2113.
credit: PCC
Pratt Baseball Signs Elite Eight
by Stephen McNett, Assistant Coach
Pratt Community College baseball would like to introduce its “Elite Eight”—Josh Jones (1B), Tanner Kliensasser (LHP), Corey Steward (OF/RHP), Nate McBroom (RHP), Jacob Compton (RHP), Hayden Wheeler (LHP), Jay Feathers (SS/RHP), and Reece Garvie (SS).
These eight were the first of the 2015 seniors to see and believe in the vision of Beaver Baseball, and commit to playing pivotal roles in that vision. All eight of these young men bring valuable tools to the Beavers as we continue our march towards Grand Junction—NJCAA College World Series.
Although there will be more recruits, these eight were the first to make the pledge to development, greatness, and wearing the Beaver Blue. In this Elite Eight, there is power, speed, velocity, command, but just as, if not more, important, there is hunger and passion.
These eight will be looked upon to be leaders in the classroom, community and the field. As they set foot on campus as new Beavers in the fall of 2015, they will be stepping in to make an impact on everyone around them. They will impact the daily lives of their classmates. They will impact the well-being of the community around them. They will impact the fight and work ethic of their team. These young men exemplify the very meaning of the word elite.
It is our honor and privilege to bring these Elite Eight in with the strong 2015 sophomore class to help change the culture of not only Pratt Community College Baseball, but Pratt Community College athletics.
They are strong. They are talented. They are hungry. They are the Elite Eight.
photo credit: PCC
Breakfast and beyond
Show kids just how delicious veggies can be
(Family Features) A great day starts with a balanced breakfast filled with healthy ingredients fit for the whole family. Enticing the youngest family members to enjoy as many food groups as possible at the morning meal – including veggies – may be challenging, but it’s an important step to ensuring a well-rounded diet all day long.
The experts at Birds Eye frozen vegetables offer up these tips to get kids to eat more vegetables, starting with the breakfast table and continuing throughout the day.
1. Look for dining occasions for vegetables throughout the day, including breakfast. Click here to see more.While veggies are often only thought of at dinnertime, parents can help ensure their kids get the proper amount of vegetables by combining Birds Eye frozen fruit and veggies into other meals and snacks, such as smoothies. These are a great start to the morning and an easy way to work in extra servings of fruits and vegetables. Another option is combining many ingredients, including veggies, into a single breakfast dish, such as the Baked Eggs with Peppers and Breakfast Sausage recipe below.
- Whether frozen or fresh, it’s important to get veggies in every meal. Click here to see more.Nine out of ten Americans don’t eat enough vegetables on a daily basis, so incorporating them into each meal is important. From a nutritional perspective, there is little to no difference between fresh and frozen vegetables. For example, at Birds Eye, they flash freeze their veggies within four hours after harvest, locking in peak freshness, nutrients, taste and color. Easy to store in the freezer, they make it a snap to have nutritious ingredients on hand for any meal.
- Mix up the veggie and flavor profiles to keep meals exciting.Click here to see more.It’s easy to become bored with the same meals or flavors, so mix up mealtime. Birds Eye offers more than 40 unique vegetable varieties year round at affordable prices, allowing families to change up their meals regardless of the season.
With a little creativity, you will have the kids in your family eating more vegetables at every meal, beginning with breakfast.
For more recipes and veggie-friendly tips for your family, visit www.birdseye.com.
Baked Eggs with Peppers and Breakfast Sausage
6 ounces breakfast sausage (if links, remove from casing)
1/2 bag Birds Eye Recipe Ready Tri Color Pepper & Onion Blend
4 large eggs
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease four 8-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
Brown sausage over medium heat in nonstick skillet, stirring and breaking up sausage, about 5 minutes. Stir in peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Evenly divide vegetable mixture among prepared ramekins.
Gently break one egg into each ramekin and season with salt and pepper. Evenly top each egg with milk and cheese.
Place ramekins on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until egg white is opaque but yolk is still soft.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Source: Birds Eye
