Homecoming, 2007: Celebrate the Journey!

Annual Homecoming Weekend Takes Place September 28-29

Alumni and friends of CMU will “Celebrate the Journey!” when they come to Winnipeg from across Canada and the U.S. for the university's annual Homecoming Weekend on September 28-29.

About 70 alumni are coming for reunions of the classes of 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1977 from Canadian Mennonite Bible College and Mennonite Brethren Bible College, two of the colleges that merged in 2000 to form CMU.

In addition to the reunions, the weekend features a homecoming recital on Friday, September 28, 7 p.m. with Verna Wiebe, piano, Lottie Enns-Braun, organ and the Encore Quartet. Cost of the recital is $10, $8 seniors and $5 students.

On Saturday, September 29, alumni and others can participate in a volleyball tournament, campus tour, bike ride through Assiniboine Forest, lunch with emeriti faculty, children's activities, a banquet and the university's Opening Program, which takes place 7:30 p.m. in the Loewen Athletic Centre.

Theme of the Opening Program is Getting to Know Your Neighbour. It will feature student sharing, music by the CMU Chorus and the awarding of the first-ever Blazer Alumni awards. The awards are being given to alumni who, through their lives, modeled the university’s mission of inspiring and equipping women and men for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.

Recipients of the award are Hedy Sawadsky of Vineland, Ontario; Dr. Paul Peters of Steinbach; Addison Klassen of Winnipeg; and Dr. Henry Schmidt of Fresno, California.

Sawadsky is a long-time relief worker, peace activist and co-founder of Christian Peacemaker Teams; Peters served as a physician for 40 years in Steinbach and was involved as a volunteer in a variety of church, medical, relief and community-related activities; Klassen, who died on September 1, was actively involved in criminal justice issues, prisoner visitation work and with children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; and Schmidt served as a pastor, author, mentor, professor and President of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary.

For more information on the CMU Homecoming, go to Homecoming 2007 or call 487.3300.

Posted September 21, 2007