Abridged from a story by Annette Brill Bergstresser, originally published by Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS). Photos provided by AMBS.
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) – Twenty graduates were honored during AMBS’s Commencement Service, which was held April 29, 2023, in the seminary’s Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount and livestreamed. Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, DMin, an author, former seminary professor and chaplain-interpreter, gave the commencement address.
Eight graduates earned a Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism; six earned a Master of Divinity; three earned a Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies; and three earned a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies. Seven of the graduates who received the MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism made up the first cohort of Ethiopian students to complete the program entirely from Ethiopia through a partnership between AMBS and Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu/Debre Zeit that began in 2019.
Eight of the graduates are serving in pastoral ministry roles or seeking pastoral assignments; four are serving in a church organization or institution; three are pursuing or seeking to pursue further graduate studies; two are serving in mission or evangelism; and two are seeking work in peacebuilding and social justice. One each is pursuing further chaplaincy education; seeking a teaching assignment; working in mental health; or working with children’s spiritual formation. One is discerning future plans.
The graduating class comprised 12 men and eight women from five countries — Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and the United States. Ten of the graduates completed part or all of their seminary studies at a distance.
Eleven of the graduates are affiliated with Mennonite Church USA; eight with the Meserete Kristos Church (Ethiopian Mennonite Church); two with the Brethren in Christ; and one with Mennonite Church Canada. AMBS serves Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada as a binational seminary.
The six alumni of Mennonite Church USA-connected colleges and universities are:
Deanna Risser of Goshen, Indiana, with a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies. She will continue in her role as Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer of AMBS.
Risser previously earned a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University South Bend and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bluffton University. Her home congregation is Assembly Mennonite Church in Goshen, a congregation of Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Her parents are Alice Risser and the late Dennis Risser of Goshen.
Abby Hershberger of Millersburg, Ohio, graduated with a Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies. She also was selected to receive an Award for Excellence in Theological Studies from the seminary’s History, Theology and Ethics Department.
Hershberger is currently working as the Storyteller with Mennonite Life (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She previously earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in History and a minor in Gender Studies from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She attends James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, a congregation of Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Her parents are Dave and Leona Hershberger of Millersburg.
“It was a gift to gather with people from different contexts and try to piece together the mysteries of Scripture and community,” reflected Hershberger. “I grew in empathy and appreciation for the wide global church and for the small communities I get to be a part of. I also learned to fully embrace the role of creativity and imagination in theological interpretation.”
Anna Ressler of Kidron, Ohio, was selected to receive this year’s Award for Excellence in Biblical Interpretation from the seminary’s Bible Department.
Ressler anticipates completing her Master of Divinity with a major in Pastoral Ministry in August 2023. She is pursuing a pastoral ministry assignment.
She previously earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in Psychology from Eastern Mennonite University. Her home congregation is Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron, a congregation of the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA. While studying in Elkhart, she has attended Sunnyside Mennonite Church in Elkhart, a congregation of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Her parents are Barb and Winfred Ressler of Kidron.
Ben J. Graber of Goshen, Indiana, graduated with a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies. He plans to continue his seminary studies in the Master of Arts in Christian Formation program at AMBS.
Graber previously earned a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Spanish and Education from Goshen College. His home congregation is East Goshen Mennonite Church, a congregation of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. He is married to Ivannia Graber, and they have three children. His parents are John and Crissie Graber of Goshen.
“I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to explore my gifts and interests while deepening my understanding of faith in Christ,” Graber reflected. “Having the ability to choose classes that interest me for the Graduate Certificate has led to rich new learning opportunities for me.”
Sandra Vielman of Plantation, Florida, graduated with a Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism. She also received a Commendation in Intercultural Peace Studies from the Academic Dean. She is discerning future plans.
Vielman, who completed part of her degree at a distance, previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Hispanic Ministries from Goshen College. Her home congregation is Hively Avenue Mennonite Church in Elkhart, a congregation of Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA. She is married to Jorge Vielman (MA 2001), and they have three adult children.
Fred Longenecker of South Bend, Indiana, and originally of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, graduated with a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies.
He plans to continue working part time as a Mental Health Recovery Coach with Oaklawn Psychiatric Center in Goshen, Indiana, while increasing his work with children’s spirituality. He anticipates publishing his first children’s picture book later this year. He also is exploring the possibility of starting a children’s television ministry in the style of Mister Rogers through a local Christian media company. In addition, he wants to develop an Anabaptist version of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a widely known spiritual formation program for children ages 3-6.
Longenecker previously earned a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Goshen College. Additionally, he completed a Chaplain Certificate from Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan; a Catechist Certificate from the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd; and a Certified Recovery Specialist Certificate from Mental Health America.
His home congregation is Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend, a congregation of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. He is married to Jewel Gingerich Longenecker (MA 1992), and they have two adult children. His mother is Catherine Longenecker of Lititz, Pennsylvania.
“Following a job loss and mental health crisis in 2018, I have sought to understand the divine within, which has provided me with an important protective layer,” Longenecker reflected. “I’ve become passionate about sharing this reality with young children to prepare them for the challenges that may lie ahead. I currently help lead faith formation programs for young children at my church and at a local Montessori school and serve as a Mental Health Recovery Coach for Oaklawn.
“At AMBS, my professors have inspired and encouraged me to explore the intersection of mental health and spirituality. Through my studies and conversations, I have come to believe in an innate, living divine inner presence that can provide every human being with the closest possible relationship of their lives; an experience of unconditional love beyond that of humans; and an effective offset to selfishness, self-promotion, individualism, fear and loneliness. I am grateful for all the support I’ve received from donors who have made my studies possible.”
A recording of the Commencement Service is available at ambs.edu/graduation.
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
