Category: Stories In Focus

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Stories In Focus

Album Review: “Campfire” Rend Collective Experiment

Rend Collective Experiment, a worship band from Ireland, recorded their latest album around a campfire – an actual campfire. They lugged their instruments and sound equipment to a beach in the north of Ireland and worshipped with the crash of ocean waves, the crackle of the fire, and the feel of the ocean wind whipping through their hair.

Courtesy of http://joyfulimperfection.files.wordpress.com/
Courtesy of http://joyfulimperfection.files.wordpress.com/

Their music has Irish foot-stomping energy and acoustic folk intimacy; it is about worship. They recorded live on the beach with guitars, an accordion, some percussion, a banjo, and a “Jingling Johnny” – a wooden pole percussion instrument used centuries ago in military bands.

Released in January 2013, “Campfire” is an album of twelve songs, comprised of re-recorded songs from their previous two albums “Organic Family Hymnal” (2012) and “Homemade Worship by Handmade People” (2011), as well as adapted classics like “Be Thou My Vision” and “10,000 Reasons.” Different from the original recordings, the new recordings are faster paced, use fewer instruments, and have more singers, revealing the band’s emphasis on a campfire-like community.

While their David Crowder Band-like energy drives their songs, their lyrics provide a layer of depth. Songs like “Build Your Kingdom Here” ask God to unleash His power, show His mighty hand, and awake His church. They declare, “We are your church/ we pray revive this earth.” The combination of these lyrics with the Jingling Johnny and band members’ rapid, energetic guitar playing build to a heart-felt cry to God.

Other songs maintain the Irish folk feel, but slow down to meditate on the words. In “The Cost,” they declare, “I’ll chase You through the pain/ I’ll carry my cross/ ’cause real love/ Is not afraid to bleed.” The track, “Desert Soul” says, “All that I am is dry bones/ Without You Lord/ a desert soul/ I am broken but running/ Towards You, God/ You make me whole.”

On the band’s website, leader Gareth Gilkeson said, “We want our music to be what we call Organic worship, an honest and natural connection with God.” The band desires “the ignition of God’s people,” and they long for worship to be “as intimate as the fireside” and “as warm as family and honest as a late night heart-to-heart.”

In producing “Campfire,”  Rend Collective pushed artistic boundaries through their acoustic live recording. The band has become an international success and played on tours with Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, and Lecrae. They have also partnered with church leaders including Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, and Shane Claiborne.

I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Irish folk music, appreciates deep lyrics, and desires worship. It has the fellowship and intimacy of a campfire built on an Irish beach.

 

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Stories In Focus

Behind the Scenes: Rene Stempert, Mother of Gillette

Rene Stempert is a familiar face for many on campus; most know her from her maintenance work in Gillette, but perhaps more know her as a friendly and caring role model and friend.

StempertPart of Stempert’s dedication and discipline when it comes to running the maintenance in Gillette stems from the time she spent in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Describing her choice to head to the military as “running away from everything [she] knew,” Stempert spent about five years on active duty stationed in Louisiana. In the midst of her life in the military, Stempert married and became pregnant with her first child. While on active duty and during her pregnancy, Stempert remembers one moment that stood out from all the rest, the moment she was saved. Stempert’s husband at the time was a particularly negative force in her life, and it was her supervisor who introduced her to Christianity and eventually played a part in her conversion. Following the birth of her son, Stempert separated from her husband, and requested to be stationed closer to her home to start a new chapter of her life.

While juggling to care for her son and working at the base in Niagara Falls for the Air National Guard in 1994, Stempert met the man who would not only bring her to Houghton, but soon become her second husband. The two met and married in a matter of months, eight to be exact, and Stempert excitedly started her job at Houghton the following month.

As a new Christian, Stempert felt at home here at Houghton surrounded by people who made countless positive impacts on her life. However, after working a few years, Stempert began to realize that she too could have an impact on those around her on campus, she found herself being both having a mentor and being mentored. Stempert started with the little things, remembering her residents’ names , and she was surprised at “how much of a difference it made, especially for freshmen.”

Kayla Miller, a freshman biology major, first met Stempert when she recruited her help to deal with their unbearably squeaky beds.  Though she was expecting Stempert to keep the conversation to the squeaky beds, she was surprised at just how friendly she was.  “She didn’t just want to help us about the bed but was asking us questions and sharing with us about her life.”  Miller and her roommate enjoyed talking with Stempert as they took care of her furniture.

Making it her mission to learn the name of every girl in the dorm, Stempert continued to invest in her residents by making herself available to listen, pray, and offer support. Additionally, Stempert has gone above and beyond and has taken the initiative to invite Gillette’s RAs over to her home for dinner, where her chili was a hit.

Not only was Stempert a positive influence on her residents, she was also a strong role model. Following her divorce from her second husband, Stempert acknowledged that she “could’ve picked a number of paths,” some very negative, but instead she described herself as “giving it to God,” and let Him “carry her through it.” An experience she noted made her faith stronger than ever.

Although working in maintenance may seem like it could be a dull job most of the time, Stempert has her share of horror stories, the most memorable involving bats. Always a “scary and funny thing,” Gillette’s bat problem used to be quite significant with bats swooping through the halls in the basement New of Gillette, barely missing getting tangled up in the residents’ hair. Stempert and the rest of the maintenance staff soon discovered that with the use of a broom and a bucket, the bats could be safely and humanely removed and released back into the wild. Even though there have been measures put in place to keep the bats out, a couple occasionally wriggle their way in, making for a lively evening for Stempert and her colleagues.

Outside of the work she does at Houghton, Stempert has been a part of Campus Life Youth for Christ in Belfast for about four years. Stempert enjoys being able to work with youth outside of the college, particularly having the opportunity to “show the love of Christ through spending time with them.” Plans to start a Bible study with this group are also in the works for Stempert.  When she’s not investing her time in others, Stempert enjoys gardening immensely, as well as taking her dog Brody for walks.

 

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Stories In Focus

A Ritual to Read to One Another (As Well as On Your Own)

If you are anything like me, you looked forward to Christmas break largely due to the plethora of time simply spent sitting at home in uninterrupted silence with a book. Once break finally arrived, you had time to read and linger over the author’s words without feeling the pressure of assignments and other obligations clouding your thoughts.

Courtesy of ndbooks.com
Courtesy of ndbooks.com

Now, break is over and the time to read for pleasure has diminished greatly.  The booklist you have added to over break may now sit unattended for months.  However, I urge you to find and make time for yourself.  Solitary time to reflect is essential to every individual.  Though if you think that you don’t have the time, I suggest not only reading a novel, but also begin having a daily dose of poetry intermingled with other activities to ensure even on busy days you allow for at least a few minutes of reflection.

Recently, I have become fond of a contemporary American poet, Denise Levertov.  In particular, Levertov’s collection, Evening Train, is dear to me.  Through her poetry Levertov describes faith as elusive and often discusses the tension of her relationship with the divine. In her iconic poem, “Suspended” she writes, “I had grasped God’s garment in the void/ but my hand slipped/ on the rich silk of it.” Though unable to tangibly sense her faith or feel security she concludes this poem stating, “For though I claw at empty air and feel nothing, no embrace,/ I have not plummeted.”  Unsure of God’s presence she still feels some comfort there, perhaps dormant, but still there.

Faith is a prominent theme for Levertov. Her sublime mountain imagery becomes a common archetypal device for expression of faith. In her poem, “Witness” Levertov writes, “Sometimes the mountain/ is hidden from me in veils/ of cloud,” but then states, “Sometimes I am hidden from the mountain.” Her experience with God is a reciprocal relationship: with the disappearance of the mountain she loses the desire to search. With the disappearance of her faith she loses the desire to seek God’s presence.

In her poem, “Elusive” she writes, “The mountain comes and goes/ on the horizon/ a rhythm elusive as that of a sea-wave.”  God, like a mountain, escapes her view.  Yet, Levertov emphasizes the fickle elusiveness, because that is the inherent nature of faith.  Faith is not a tangible experience.  It is an intimate relationship that would not exist if we possessed factual knowledge from which deductive reasoning would ensue.

Levertov treasures faith as a personal and fragile necessity that humanity must pass down from generation to generation.  For this reason, her poetry is steeped in contemplation of the divine.  In this post-modern age where academics are plagued with doubts and questions of faith Levertov offers comfort.  Comfort which you, like me, may deeply appreciate.

Having shared a poet dear to me I encourage you now to find a poet that you can relate to and revisit their words daily.  Then read another poet, and another.  Let their words wash over you like the ocean’s daily tide.

And if you will indulge me for one last short paragraph, I offer a quick list of some more favorites you may wish to explore.  Classics such as John Donne, William Wordsworth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Rainer Maria Rilke come to mind as well as many moderns such as William Stafford, Wallace Stevens, Franz Wright, and recent American Poet Laureate Billy Collins who wrote a book, Poetry 180, designed to make poetry more accessible to high school students.  And if you are new at this ‘poetry business’ I suggest Collins’ “How to Read Poetry” for starters.  As Collins writes, be mindful not to,“begin beating it [the poem] with a hose/ to find out what it really means.” So give poetry a try and you may find that a poem a day keeps the stress away.

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Stories In Focus

Caffeinated Creative Studios: For Your Design Fix

The half coffee cup of the “Caffeinated Creative Studios” (CCS) logo has popped up on most of the campus’s bulletin boards and cafeteria table inserts this semester.

The six students who form the CCS team have designed posters, logos, e-mail ads, and banners. They’re regularly asked, “Do you get paid for this?” Nope. “Do you receive course credit?” We may in the future, but not this semester. “So you’re just super nice?”

Courtesy of facebook.com
Courtesy of facebook.com

They really are nice, but that’s not their sole motivation for working on designs and ads.

Yinka Araromi and Josh Duttweiler, members of the CCS team, lounged on the grey couches in the Chamberlain Center Atrium. They’d both come from working in the Mac lab.

Duttweiler shared, “We started Caffeinated because we wanted to get some real world experience with design. We knew that clubs and organizations on campus were looking for advertisements, and we knew we wanted to get involved.”

The CCS team consists of Yinka Araromi, Josh Duttweiler, Nicole Mason, Amy Coon, Alex Hood, and Morgan Loghry. They are each communication and art majors who are interested in graphic design and hope to potentially work in professional design in the future.

Araromi said, “I hope this is kind of good practice for me to understand how this kind of business works.” He looked at Duttweiler, laughed, and said,  “I pretty much talk about it every day. I don’t know about Josh, but I talk about it every day. It seems to come up at least once a day.”

Duttweiler said this service is available to Houghton College student organizations, academic departments, and residence life staff. People can find them on Facebook and start their design requests by clicking on the link: http://bit.ly/13SsXxE.

Araromi said, “I usually check when the jobs come in every day. I see who of us is maybe the least busy and then I ask them first. Then if they can’t do it, I’ll send it to the next person. We then send the designs to each other to kind of like critique. We don’t send anything out until most of us are okay with it.”

Duttweiler described this collaborative process, saying, “The clients have something they envision. And then it’s what they envision and what you envision and the design, and what’s the best way to communicate. So there’s a lot of back and forth, making sure everyone is happy.”

Once a month the CCS team meets to plan and dream. Duttweiler grinned and said, “There’s coffee!” “Josh brings the Keurig,” said Araromi, “I bring the snacks. Always chips and dip and chocolate.” “We sit around in the presentation room close to the computers,” said Duttweiler. “And I feel like half of it is kind of socializing, and half it is kind of business,” said Araromi.

Duttweiler also shared the story of CCS’s name. He said, “We spent months putting together lists of names. Kind of like the idea of caffeine, you know energy and excitement, and it’s kind of a cool thing, coffee, especially at college. And then creative studios – it all fit.” Araromi added, “‘Caffeinated’ just felt appropriate for students.” He grinned. “We do consume a lot of caffeinated beverages.”

This semester, CCS has been overwhelmed by the positive response they’ve received. Duttweiler said, “We got a lot more interest than we expected originally. We’re glad that people can trust us and want us.” Araromi and Duttweiler shared that this support gives them confidence that CCS can continue into the future. Araromi said, “It’s meeting a kind of need at the college.”

“Caffeinated was created to inspire, train, inform and empower students,” said Araromi. “It’s exciting.”

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Stories In Focus

Album Review: Five Iron Frenzy, “Engine of a Million Plots”

Five Iron Frenzy. The band’s name honors a golf club swinging paranoiac. Its albums have names like All the Hype That Money Can Buy, It’s Funny but Not Very Creative, and Our Newest Album Ever! (exclamation point not mine). A few of its songs quote literary figures like Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare, while others feature imaginary scenarios with dancing glittery unicorns or hungry wizards.

And it’s a Christian band. Earnestly, realistically Christian.

If this description intrigues you, stop reading and go listen to Five Iron Frenzy’s new album, Engine of a Million Plots. If the description has confused, alarmed, or disgusted you, then please keep reading.

Five Iron Frenzy is a ska-core band, meaning they combine the reggae-like rhythms and prominent horn sections of ska with the fast, intense, and sometimes abrasive sounds of hardcore punk rock. The band formed in 1995, released nine albums between then and 2004, and after a nine year gap released a tenth album in November of this year. The latest album, Engine of a Million Plots, features twelve of the band’s characteristically weird, spirited, and astute reflections on life. The music—with its strong beat, catchy melodies, exuberant horn playing, and hint of melancholy—is fantastic. However, the album’s greatest strength is in the lyrics to its songs.

That is, once they make sense. Listening casually, I found the meaning of these songs difficult to grasp. This is partly because the words can blend into the music and partly because the words often seem nonsensical. The snippets “we are professors at robot spy college,” or “I fight tsunamis with an umbrella” for example, don’t convey much. However, reading the full lyrics revealed commentary on despair, arrogance, lost faith, and tightly held hope. The album presents a complex picture of Christianity—alternately joking bitterly about its failures, regretting times when it is lost, and triumphing in the confidence it offers.

Courtesy of relevantmagazine.com
Courtesy of relevantmagazine.com

The song “Zen and the Art of Xenophobia,” for example, mocks the hypocrisy and disdain of so-called Christians. With biting sarcasm, the lyrics say to “cling to your god and guns,” and to “lock and load—just like Jesus did.” The line “give me liberty…or something” highlights the loss of ideals, while the suggestion to “turn your wine back into water” evokes the self-righteous Pharisees’ rejection of Jesus’s miracles. The final words, “and Jesus was American,” are a sharp rebuke for a false sense of superiority.

With an entirely different tone, the song “Blizzards and Bygones” reflects on the loss of a once vibrant faith. The song is resigned in attitude, with lyrics like “you look around but find yourself all alone, and you hunker down, but the cold’s already in your bones.” However, the portrayal of faith is beautiful and loving. The song contrasts the time “back when the angels of heaven would sing” with a time of “frost and no thaw,” and describes “a flicker of desire…a faintly glowing fire for some truth” that remains even when faith is gone.

Of all the songs on the album, “I’ve Seen the Sun” caught me most unaware with the power of its lyrics. The details are vivid and chaotic—“I’m facing down death like a fly on the windscreen. You bring the Warheads, I’m bringing ice cream” or “I’m screaming down into the black abyss…bells are ringing.” But they bring to life the central lines, “I’ve seen the sun come down…And in the dark of night I hold to its return.” This radical hope appears again in the words “tell me that I’m doomed and I’ll keep singing. The fight won’t end with me.” Then, in the last line, the song boldly celebrates the source of such hope: “Savior says…everything’s gonna be alright.”

Five Iron Frenzy’s new album is simultaneously profound and playful, depressed and confident, accusing and joyful. A brief description should have made obvious that the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. Arguably because of this, Engine of a Million Plots offers a thought-provoking look at the real brokenness surrounding Christianity and the real salvation we find in Jesus Christ.

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Movie Review: “Thor: The Dark World”

Before diving into the actual film itself, can we just take a moment to admire the genius that is behind the Marvel franchise? This brand is a money-making juggernaut, and its momentum is now unstoppable. To introduce each superhero in their own separate movie before combining them all into the behemoth that was the first Avengers film was completely unprecedented and truly brilliant.

Courtesy of media-imdb.com
Courtesy of media-imdb.com

With that being said, I felt as though Thor 2: The Dark World is the 5-minute breather that Marvel had to take before cranking out A+ superhero movies again. The movie exceeds expectations as far as special effects and fight scenes are concerned, and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) put on great performances. However, the writers who created the storyline seemed confused as to what movie they were writing. Allow me to explain.

The plot begins thousands of years ago, when Thor’s grandfather led the forces of Asgard in a war against the Dark Elves. Their leader, Malekith, had created a super weapon—otherworldly floating goo called “the Aether” that turns everything into darkness—but he was defeated before he could deploy it. The Asgardians, unable to destroy the Aether, decided instead to “bury it deep where no one can find it.” Surely, this problem will never surface again thousands of years later.

Fast forward to the present; Thor has returned to Asgard, leaving his love-interest, astrophysicist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman), behind on Earth. While searching for a way to contact Thor, Jane stumbles into an alternate dimension, where she comes into contact with—whoops, it wasn’t deep enough—the Aether. This alien fluid enters her body and refuses to leave. Malekith and his army, who have been in suspended animation and conveniently forgotten on their starship all this time, are awakened by Jane’s meddling and come looking for the Aether.

So now Frodo, Sam, and their friends must try to destroy both the Ring and Sauron before they usher Middle Earth into a new age of darkness.

Oops, I mean:

So now Thor, Jane, and their friends must try to destroy both the Aether and Malekith before the latter usher the universe into a new age of darkness.

It seems as though director Alan Taylor just copy-and-pasted some of Tolkien’s ideas, which takes away from some of the originality that defined the first Thor. However, with that said, I’d still recommend seeing this film in theaters. The battle scenes are breathtaking, and with the storyline of The Dark World taking place all over the universe, it’s really a sight to behold on the big screen.

Perhaps the biggest draw would be to see the character development that occurs in Loki and Thor. The uninspiring script is transcended by the now revealed backstory of these two characters and their relationship between each other. During the course of the film, we learn that Loki may not be the all-around villain that he was portrayed to be in the recent Avengers movie, while Thor makes some self-realizations of his own. Watching these two interact is as satisfying as watching the action sequences.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this film enough to say that it is worth the price of admission. Thanks to the success of the Avengers, every Marvel film from here on out is a must-see anyway. It does not matter if Chris Hemsworth was replaced by a trained monkey at this point. As long as there is a 3-minute clip after the credits roll of a sneak preview of Avengers 2, that movie ticket is money well spent.

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Houghton’s Best Kept Secret: Reference Librarians

Although the Willard J. Houghton Library may be a familiar place for most students, often the reference desk goes unnoticed even though it is adjacent to the computers by the entrance.

While the reference desk is barren, this absence of clutter is in direct contrast to the immense knowledge which each librarian can access. In addition to being reference librarians, David Stevick oversees the library, Glen Avery works with Houghton’s instructional technology such as Moodle, Brad Wilber heads up reference as a whole, and Betty Bunt specializes in cataloguing. Yes, they are quite busy, but each puts student needs first when at the reference desk.

When you attempt to do research on the Internet, “the whole realm of knowledge may confront you,” Stevick said. Therefore, it is necessary to “separate the chaff” of information, finding the best resources one can. Avery said when he is searching for information a student needs, “I become Sherlock Holmes and try to find resources the student can use for that paper.” Indeed, Wilber said one quality he would like to instill in students is persistence in finding resources. “Seek quality,” Avery said, “no matter what you do and in the resources you seek. Never give that up. Never say, ‘This is good enough.’”

Reference Librarian

In order to aid students in finding materials, Wilber said reference librarians accept requests in person, by email, and even by text message. “If there are new ways of reference,” Wilber said, the library “jumps on board.” He also mentioned that librarians will follow up by email with students who initially come into the library for help, establishing a relationship where Wilber said “we get to see the same student through the process” to see how he or she is doing with the project or paper. In addition to searching for information, the reference librarians provide students with skills such as narrowing the focus of one’s paper. Avery said he helps his clients hone in on their topic. Whereas one might say one would like to work on the topic of war, Avery said his job is “to find materials a student is passionate about,” bringing the topic down to a more manageable one on the Japanese internment during World War II, to name one possibility.

In selecting an area to study, Avery said one might find a “void, what’s not been written”; while one may need to modify one’s topic, Avery said he hopes to encourage students to fill that void. However, not all voids can be filled. Wilber mentioned that, at a previous reference position, he received several requests he couldn’t fulfill, much to the disappointment of someone looking for a photograph of Julius Caesar and another trying to locate a sound-recording of dinosaurs.

As part of being a reference librarian, Stevick said one must have an M.A. in Library Science. In his own case, Stevick noted that he was a Humanities major when he attended Houghton in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. This has especially prepared him for his work since he received a broad introduction into many subjects; therefore, “things ring a bell quickly,” he said, allowing him to direct students to appropriate topics and databases. Gesturing to a number of photos taken around the world including Machu Picchu and notable European landmarks, Avery said “travelling extensively and experiencing life in its various aspects” has made him a better librarian.

There are so many “subjects, questions and people to meet,” Wilber said, talking about how he enjoys being “exposed to all of the disciplines the college is teaching.” And yet, the reference librarians love working with students just as much: Avery said that “when a student comes a sits down beside me, that makes my day.” Students do not recognize “how eager we are to be of service,” Wilber said. Many times students will wander over to the desk and say “’I’m sorry to bother you,’” Wilber said. “No! That’s what we want to do and like to do.”

 

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Film Review: “The Book Thief”

The recent release of the enthusiastically anticipated film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, completely overshadowed what I thought more worthy of enthusiastic anticipation: the Thanksgiving night debut of The Book Thief. When asked about my plans for break, after expressing my excitement towards seeing my family, my bed, and The Book Thief, I often faced the question, “The what?” Nevertheless, Black Friday found me not in line to buy that seventy-five-percent-off sweater, but rather waiting to purchase that full price movie ticket.

And the film proved well worth the anticipation along with the sacrifice of the sweater, even if my affection for Black Friday shopping was questionable to begin with.

Courtesy of imdb.com
Courtesy of imdb.com

Based on a book published in 2005 by Markus Zusak, the movie shows us part of a young girl’s life in Nazi Germany. The film generally stays true to its novel predecessor, leaving out, as films often must, only the unnecessary. Descriptions of both the book and the film include the setting of The Book Thief in WWII Germany, the hidden Jew in the main character’s basement, and the hobby of the book thief herself: stealing books from grave sites, Nazi book burnings, and a wealthy man’s library.

Though the excitement may initially sound thrilling and the plot may appear dangerous, the movie in fact points more toward the lover of a simple story, not an action-oriented or passion-inspired audience. It rather targets the sort of person that probably enjoyed the book before seeing the movie; more than half of the occupants in the theatre I sat in looked to be older than 60.

Still, the slow-moving plot gains appeal through lovable characters and clever scenes. We meet the Book Thief, Liesel Meminger, as a child of about ten, introduced to us by the surprisingly enticing, velvety voice of the film’s narrator, Death. We first encounter Liesel sitting on a train, lifting her enormous blue eyes to discover her just-dead brother. At his burial we watch her steal her first book, a neglected handbook for gravediggers, which she keeps as a memory of the one buried.

From the graveyard we move to Heaven Street, where Liesel spends the rest of her movie-life. We learn that her mother entrusted Liesel to the foster care system, and as a result, the child meets her new parents. Rosa, a secretly softhearted woman encased in a hostile, insensitive shell, and Hans Hubermann, a large-nosed, winking, immediately lovable father figure, form a duo dubbed “Mama” and “Papa.” The pair repeatedly provoked chuckles from the audience, through Rosa’s witty nagging and Hans’ silent expressions and gentle retaliation.

During her time at Heaven Street, Liesel forms loving relationships between the two foster parents, the Jew, Max, whom the Hubermanns harbor in their basement, and Liesel’s new best friend, the neighborhood energy-filled, “lemon-haired” boy, Rudy.

Though I found the film as a whole enjoyable, many aspects of the story seemed too beautiful for the plot and subject matter they surround. One scene in particular shows Liesel and Rudy just after the latter receives news that Nazi authorities selected him to enter into an early elite training program for the military. We see the two inexpressibly adorable fair-haired children laughing and yelling, “I hate Hitler,” across a clear lake, before a screen of bright green trees and sunshine.

In another more sober scene, following a shower of bombs from foreign planes, the camera focuses on burning rubble, shattered buildings, and a lineup of intact bodies, the occupants of each dismembered home lying peacefully on the ground, simply sprinkled with a little dust.

Overall, I suppose this lack of realistic representation also appeals to the same story-loving audience, who may in turn cringe at accurate gore or the expression of depressed emotions. Nevertheless, for those who crave a spirit-lifting tonic every so often, I found The Book Thief, with its charming protagonist and touching performance just the film to do so.

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Behind the Scenes of Prism

The Houghton College website says, “The 2013 Christmas Prism, Savior of the Nations Come!, is an artistic exploration of the joy of Christmas manifest through music, dance, visual art, and poetry.” Although the show itself is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the performers, hundreds of hours of effort go into the production before any performer takes the stage.

PrismPhyllis Gaerte, Director of Community Relations, opened the conversation by joking that she has had so many interviews with the Star this year that she should be well prepared for any questions. As a part of the Department of Community Relations, which organizes all the public and signature events for the college, being a target for interviews is quite understandable.

Although not a part of the onstage performances, Gaerte plays an integral part. She said, “For Prism, this means giving a birds-eye view of the whole Prism event…Outside of the performance itself and what the music department needs to do to make sure that is the quality is what it should be, community relations is responsible for all the other aspects of Prism.”

The Community Relations Department works closely with the Marketing Department on promotion, handling box office issues, providing ushers at events, organizing the upscale dinner for over 200 people–including finding decor and planning a menu in conjunction with Sodexo–that precedes the performance, and developing the budget alongside other administrative offices.

John Buteyn also gives much of his time to making Prism the astounding display it is. He is both the designer and engineer of the lighting at the performances not just in Houghton, but also in Rochester and Buffalo. Additionally, Buteyn will be assisting with the live sound and recording for each performance, and in order to organize everything, he begins his work months in advance.

This year, Buteyn said that the budget was used to purchase lighting gear, instead of merely renting it. Although this is believed to be a better use of the budget, there is now much less lighting gear available than in the past. To create a visual experience on par with previous years will be quite a challenge. Buteyn joked, “I think I’m up for it.”

Buteyn describes other challenges such as older venues in Rochester and Buffalo that sometimes aren’t equipped to handle Prism’s power demand, where he “can’t tell you how many breakers I’ve tripped…Last year, I even stationed a student worker at the breaker box for the entire performance just in case.” Challenges allow an opportunity to improve though. Such as switching to LED lighting to reduce the power required. He said, “There is always something to learn, each year, at each performance, at each venue…  I better understand the layout, architecture, and natural beauty of the venues to highlight with the lighting design.”

It is not without a humorous side though. “Let’s just say, when all the techs are working on very little sleep and very few calories, laughter keeps us going.  Well, laughter and caffeine,” Buteyn joked.

Gaerte sums up Prism by telling a story from Houghton’s first year in Buffalo. This young woman came out to the ticket table with both her mother and grandmother: three generations of people familiar with the church. “Her words to me were: ‘This church seems to be dying, but it came to life tonight.'”

 

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Paddle Sports: Throwing Caution to the Waves

“Sometimes I see a rough wave or hole and know exactly what will happen if I hit it, which is usually something like being tossed upside down, scraped along the bottom, and spit out the other side. At these times, I remember something my great-great-grandmother told me right before she went base jumping off the grand canyon on New Year’s Eve: ‘Sonny, if you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space,’” said junior Zach Kitchen.

As an authentic, fun-loving group, the paddle sports club is among one of the most unique and adventurous clubs on campus.

Kitchen, president of the paddle sports club, has an undeniable passion for the exciting – and perhaps dangerous – world of paddle sports. “Even though I never actually had a great-great-grandmother that went base jumping, I still think it’s kind of fun to throw caution to the waves and get gobbled up by a giant, crashing wash of water,” Kitchen joked enthusiastically. “I think it’s a great alternative to energy drinks, anyways.”

Courtesy of Eliza Kelly
Courtesy of Eliza Kelly

The club seeks to provide an exhilarating outlet from all the stresses that students face in everyday life by participating in an important life skill: boating. Twice a week, members meet at the college swimming pool to practice skills such as rolling kayaks, handling water rescues, and practicing paddling techniques.

“We really want to get people on live, moving water, which is where they need experience. It’s too fun to watch folks on their first white water kayaking trip – such wide eyes and pale faces!” Kitchen laughed, “That’s exactly how my first river trip was. Other events we may do usually have to do with our fearless advisor, Charlie, such as sailing when he can take us out, making apple cider at his house, or kayak sledding. We wouldn’t be able to do very much without his help.”

Working alongside Charlie Smith, their long-time and faithful advisor, the paddle sports club has also been able to coordinate trips to places such as the lower falls of the Genesee River at Letchworth State Park, Rushford Lake, and Zoar Valley. There, they not only learn to paddle class 2, 3, and 4 river rapids, but also serve as Christian witnesses to those they meet along the way.

“It really gets some students out of their comfort zone. It’s good fellowship and bonding with each other, and students are learning a skill they can use for life,” Smith said, “It’s a joy to watch these students grow and learn from the first time in a boat until they are able to roll a boat and surf on a big wave on the river.”

Not only does the club take part in meaningful fellowship and learn valuable life skills, they also share in many humorous instances during their time together.

“There are many exciting and funny moments in paddle sports,” Colleen Winton, a junior and the treasurer for the club, said, “Anytime that someone gets their roll for the first time, everyone is ecstatic. There are also plenty of hilarious moments – just the faces that we make when we roll out of the water, or how silly we look with nose plugs on, or how ridiculous – but awesome – we look with all our paddling gear.”

The sense of community and genuine fun that the paddle sports club possesses is that which no one should want to miss out on. The club meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.

Winton said, “I can always look forward to paddle sports not just as a time to kayak, but as a time I can laugh, be silly, and enjoy hanging out with people I love. It is a blast!”