by Lauren Honigford

The fifth annual international food celebration, hosted by Cornerstone’s Multicultural Organization, featured the cuisine of five countries and a kung-foo demonstration.

MCO’s event, named, “Taste of the World,” took place in CU’s Corum Student Union on April 16. Five different tables were set up to represent the countries, which included Greece, Mexico, Africa, China and India.

Visitors received a “passport” for the event, which they took to each table. When they visited a table, their passports received a stamp, thus allowing them to keep track of what countries they had “traveled” to. The exception was China’s table, where volunteers printed calligraphy on visitors’ passports.

Aside from a main dish, each country’s table featured a number of artifacts that allowed visitors a better taste of the culture and flair of the area. India’s table even featured a student in traditional Indian dress. Specified volunteers worked at each table, and some tables featured more than one dish to try.

“It’s a big social time,” MCO president Chevoy Parson said. “The Corum is always packed with students every time we do this event.”

A table with cookies was also available for visitors craving a sweet fix.

Another table featured donation boxes for the summer GO teams. These were on display with the intention of encouraging donations from visiting students. This summer, CU will be sending students to India, China, the Philippines, Kosovo and Italy.

The celebration also featured a live demonstration from the Michigan Martial Arts company, in which a group of young children displayed some of their “moves” for the crowd of onlookers.

Younger audiences especially connected with the demonstration.

“My son couldn’t stop watching the kids while the demonstration was going on. I haven’t seen him sit still that long in quite some time,” CU student Carrie Chiodo said.

After the demonstration, the GO teams were provided with a chance to share about their summer experiences and encourage people to donate to their causes.

MCO event coordinator Callie Soeltner worked closely with MCO advisor Kay Landrum to plan the event. The celebration is one of MCO’s bigger events and requires extensive planning and preparation to run smoothly.

“Although it’s free to the students, this is one of our more expensive events,” Parson said. “We get all our food from local restaurants, and although they give it to us at a discount, it is still extremely expensive.”

Restaurants that provided for the event included Seoul Garden, Bombay Cuisine, Pita House, and Little Africa.

Many found the event to be both entertaining and refreshing.

“I love this event because I love food and it’s cool to be able to taste a little of everything,” senior Melissa Kersjes said. “The Greek table is my favorite. I don’t think I could ever get tired of humus.”

New students found the event to be a stimulating experience as well.

“I loved it. I think that it’s really cool that we get to try different food,” freshman Teresa Malmquist said. “The kung-foo was really sweet too.”

Both Parson and Soeltner were impressed by the turnout and felt everything ran smoothly. They were equally impressed by the kung-foo demonstration.

“The goal of this event is to have fun and try food from other countries,” Soeltner said. “Hopefully, this event will pique people’s interest in learning more about other countries and cultures.”

by Lauren Honigford

With the threat of decreased enrollment, declining economy and a long list of necessary budget changes, Joe Stowell has had a full plate since day one.

He has chosen to take things in stride, and is trusting God every step of the way.

“I feel like a student because this has been a year of learning for me. I’ve also been a builder because we’ve had to build some things this year, too,” Stowell said. “I even feel like ‘Mr. Fix-it’ because we’ve had to fix a lot this year, too.”

A former Chicago resident, Stowell and his wife, Martie, were unsure of what to expect when they moved to Grand Rapids. They had resided in Farmington Hills before, but were unaware of what West Michigan had to offer.

“It’s like it’s a nation by itself with its own culture. God has blessed this area with highly resourced Christian families who are generous and want to use the resources God has given them to advance His kingdom,” Stowell said. “I don’t know if I have seen a greater Christian wealth than here.”

Stowell admitted that the unique dynamics of the Grand Rapids area allowed him to establish a standard for how things needed to be run around Cornerstone.

“At the core of this place, there is a real spiritual hunger on campus,” Stowell said. “We have great students here, and great faculty who truly love the Lord and the students.”

Despite these positives though, Stowell still faced the pressure of a global economic meltdown as he approached his first year as president.

“In September, I felt like I was watching a tsunami approaching from over my shoulder,” he said.

After some hard work with budget adjustments, and an increase in enrollment for fall 2010, things seem to be looking up. Stowell said that he did not feel that the university was in trouble, but realized with the current state of the economy, trouble was right around the corner.

“Our vital signs are good; it’s just a matter of keeping them good,” he said. “We need to prepare for any uncertainties coming around the corner as best as we can.”

Marc Fowler, executive vice president and chief operations officer felt similarly about Cornerstone’s current condition under Stowell’s leadership.

“This has been a very positive year of forward movement in terms of strategic direction, new initiatives, new cabinet members, renewed spiritual emphasis, reconnection with churches and Christian high schools and new identity, mission and vision statements that crystallize our new season with Stowell,” Fowler said.

Stowell feels the strong human capital on campus gives him hope for a promising future for Cornerstone. The encouragement and support that he has received from both staff and students has also helped him to move forward as he continues to lead the university.

One of Stowell’s most memorable moments with Cornerstone thus far is his official announcement as president last year on Jan. 26.

“I remember looking into so many faces that day. I didn’t know them, and they didn’t know me,” Stowell said. “I remember thinking, ‘This is it, here we go. We’re going to do amazing things for God here.’”

Stowell knows that as he works hard and presses on, big things will continue to happen for both Cornerstone and, ultimately, Christ’s kingdom. Others agree he is the right man for the job.

“Stowell’s thrust of the new season is to make Jesus the center of all we do and say, to create a campus community that is spiritually contagious, and to develop all of us, faculty, staff and students, into more fully devoted followers of Jesus, to His glory, honor and praise,” Fowler said.