by Tamara Jackson

The production was based on a book written by Marsha Norman, who won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for her drama. On March 31, 1983, “Night, Mother” opened on Broadway.

“It allows people to experience emotions that they do not run into every day,” said senior theater major, Jeanne Peake, who directed the production. This represents the first time, Cornerstone has allowed a student to choose a script and conduct a full stage production.

“I feel like theater is about revealing truth, and I feel that as Christians that is what we are ultimately called to do, to reveal truth,” said Peake. “Sometimes as Christians we shy away from the topics that are hard to deal with.”

In the production, the story centers on the relationship of the two main characters, Mama and Jessie. As the story unfolds in the comfort of their kitchen and living room setting, Jessie expresses her hopelessness, anger and frustration to her mother and reveals her future plans of committing suicide. In a struggle for her daughter’s life, Mama desperately tries to challenge and change Jessie’s state of mind on the issue.

“I am really excited that Cornerstone was allowing it because I think that it opens up the opportunity to discuss this kind of issue because suicide is real for everyone,” said Melissa Baker, who played the role of Jessie. “I think it is something that the Christian community should address.”

Baker is a senior at Cornerstone and is majoring in elementary education. Even though she is not a theater major or minor, Baker has enjoyed being involved in theater whether it is acting, backstage or stage managing.

“In the beginning, Jessie is determined that she can convince Mama to still let her go, but over time she realizes that’s not going to happen, she then has to make a decision whether she is going to stay for Mama or do it anyway,” said Baker.

Also co-starring with Baker is Sherryl Despres, a local Grand Rapids actress who played Mama in her first Cornerstone theater production. Despres first heard about the role opportunity while working with Jennifer Hunter in “Bunnicula” at Civic Theater and in “Snow White” at Circle Theater.

“I have not done a role like this,” said Despres, who actually cried in the role of Mama. “This was 60 pages of text and only two people in the show that never leave the stage. It is so brilliantly written that even if we don’t do our job, people are still going to leave here entertained.”

In doing this production, it is also the first time that Cornerstone has done a partnership with another organization other than another college. Following each production of “Night, Mother,” a panel discussion organized by the Healthy Kent 2010 Suicide Prevention Coalition answered questions and educated the audience toward greater awareness of suicide.

“I wanted to be able to reveal a different kind of brokenness without being offensive or in people’s faces, but still giving people the opportunity to get insight into a broken person’s life,” said Peake.

Peake describes Mama and Jessie as being normal people in the same way that everyone is broken in some way. She believes that it is important to show the devastation that suicide leaves behind when taking society’s view of an “easy way out.”

“It is not worth it. That is something that we need now more than ever, we need to see that hope,” said Peake. “And yeah things get hard and stuff happens, but you move on and see what happens next.”

Herald/Tamara Jackson

With chilly winds still lingering in West Michigan, Cornerstone University’s upbeat and colorful production of “Seussical the Musical” will energize your anticipation for spring.

This theater production is based on some of Dr. Seuss’ best known children’s books that have been translated into more than 15 languages and sold over 200 million copies.

In this opening weekend, the musical displays a wide range of drama talent such as Adam Miller, Amy Groen, Kyle Juresich and Lauren Root. Out of their 25 member cast, five are junior high students.

At the start of the performance, the stage curtain opens to a single character on stage, a Who named Jojo (played by Bradley Lake, eighth-grader at St. Stephen Catholic School), who has a tendency to think more than most Whos. With his imagination, Jojo brings the mischievous Cat in the Hat (played by Kyle Juresich, sophomore) to life.

With their imagination combined, Jojo and the Cat in the Hat embark on an imaginary journey with some of Dr. Seuss’ most remembered characters including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville.

Seussical the Musical is performed in an operetta style where the story is sung instead of being told through dialogue. With a live orchestra conducted by Randall Burghart, assistant professor of music, the audience experiences styles of music that change with each character’s personality and ranges from a mixture of swing, gospel, funk, R&B, Latin and pop music.

“Everyone did really well in getting a specific character across through their movement and vocals,” said Sherry Lee Allen, director of the musical and adjunct theater and dance professor at Cornerstone. “We see it in the illustrated manner that it was initially meant with the animated characters.”

With costume designer Nancie Smith on board, the wardrobe of vibrantly colored costumes and crazy hair allowed the performers to look as if they hopped right out of one of Dr. Seuss’ books.

With equal excellence in the choreography of the play along with the music, this production featured tap dancing—a first for a Cornerstone show.

With lights changing from hues of purple to teal to pink, the stage is designed with rows of steps for quality spacing and a tall staircase leading to Whoville. The stage features a cave for different imaginary creatures to emerge and exit from and a jungle gym allowing some performers a swinging time.

“It is a lively show, and it is very entertaining,” said Nathan Reynolds, a junior majoring in theater at Cornerstone. “We want people to come out of the show feeling energized that they had a good time.”

“I just hope the audience has fun. That is really all we want,” said Amy Groen, a Cornerstone junior who plays the bird, Gertrude. “We just try to put all of our energy out there, and we hope that the audience really enjoys it and it puts a smile on their face.”

If you didn’t make it to opening night, you still have three more chances: tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $5 at the door for students with a valid ID. To order ahead, call the Cornerstone University Bookstore at (616) 254-1663.

In June 2008, I journeyed to Greece from my home town of Lowell, Mich., to photograph and experience the unforgettable along with 13 other students from Cornerstone University.

Our trip first took us to Athens, which has the population the size of Chicago. While there, we climbed Mars Hill, a small hill of marble rock. We also walked around the Temple of Heffices, explored the National Archaeological Museum and marveled at the size of the Acropolis. It is one thing to see ancient ruins in a book, but it is nothing compared to actually walking through them.

In Athens, I also experienced eating my first gyro, a common Greek food similar to a taco with chicken or pork, and vegetables topped with tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is a cucumber and yogurt dipping sauce that Greeks put on their gyro.

One of the things I did not enjoy about Athens was the constant smell of cigarette smoke and car exhaust. It seemed like everyone was a chain smoker, smoking at all hours of the day and night.

After Athens, we loaded onto an overnight ferry that would take us to the island of Crete. On the island, we investigated an ancient palace called Knosis before traveling to our campsite. Little cafés a few minutes from our campsite dotted the coastline where one could enjoy a dinner under an umbrella and watch a sunset over the Mediterranean Sea.

Like the gyro, souvlaki, which is meat on a skewer stick, was another food our group became accustomed to. We also ate many Greek salads during our trip. The salads consisted of tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, feta cheese, Greek olives, oil and vinegar. But unlike most salads, without lettuce.

Our group then voyaged to another island called Santorini. The island is horseshoe shaped with many small towns on its cliffs. At its center is a volcano. Santorini was one of my favorite places in Greece because of the beauty of the white buildings and blue roofs. Typically when people think of Greek homes, they are thinking of Santorini.

On the island, I tried another Greek food called moussaka, a casserole like dish with potatoes, egg plant, mince meat, cheese and some other ingredients.

After returning to the mainland of Greece, we drove to Corinth and saw the original harbor where the Apostle Paul sailed into. We also had the opportunity to climb Acrocorinth, a mountain in Corinth, and walk the streets of ancient Corinth where Paul sold his tents. We also visited Epidaurus, where an amphitheater was built, and Olympia,
where the Olympic Games originated from.

Following many hours of driving in the mountains, we arrived at Delphi. By this time in our journey, our group was hiking in temperatures of 103 to 107 degrees. We investigated the sites of ancient Delphi then drove higher into the mountains to a monastery in Meteora to examine the lives of monks.

A few days later, we climbed Mount Olympus and drove through Philippi before traveling back to Athens’ airport. The culture in Greece is different and yet similar to ours. One of the differences between cultures was that while our group journeyed through Greece, the women in our group were not allowed to make eye contact with Greek men for our own protection. In Greece, the men display a form of male chauvinism that comes across as less inhibited than that of men in Western cultures.

One of the similarities between the United States and Greece was that most Greek citizens dress very similarly to people in the United States. They also listen to American music and play it to please the tourists traveling through Greece. My experience in Greece was overall an educational and eye-opening adventure

Due to the accident, Kingsbury sprained the ligaments that connect the base of her head to her neck. Kingsbury needed multiple surgeries and physical therapy after the accident.

“It was neat to see all different areas get involved,” said Katrina Scheer, CU junior and friend of Kingsbury.  “It was not just the track team who rallied together to support her, encourage her and pray for her. It really was the whole entire Cornerstone community.”

Scheer first met Kingsbury in their announcing and reporting for the media class the fall semester before Kingsbury’s accident.

“It is crazy now that she is back on campus,” Scheer said. “It feels so normal again like we are right back where everything started.”

“It definitely has been long for me, but short in the since of being a short recovery,” said Kingsbury, remembering her time spent in physical therapy. “The doctors are so amazed at how far I am going in such a quick amount of time.”

“I am a junior at CU, but my coach likes to call me a freshman and a half,” Kingsbury said.

Kingsbury described her emotion of being back on Cornerstone’s campus as “an overwhelming sense of peace and reassurance,” that this is where God intended her to be.

“It is good to be back because I get to be with my cross girls and back into a familiar territory,” said Kingsbury.

Kingsbury will resume working at Mission Network News, one of CU’s radio networks, on Sept 3. During her freshman year, Kingsbury volunteered at MNN in order to get involved in radio.

“She did all kinds of ‘grunt work’ for us … filing, stuffing letter, etc.,” said Greg Yoder, executive director and ancher of MNN. “Then we found out she was a pretty good writer. So we started giving her stories to write.”

While recovering from her accident, Kingsbury wrote articles for MNN as part of her rehab program.

“It’s amazing that God has allowed Katey to recover enough to not only come back to the university, but to come back to MNN to help impact ‘the kingdom’ in her writing skills,” said Yoder.

As part of her job at MNN, Kingsbury will write web articles and radio scripts, conduct interviews, do research, basic production and possibly will go on air.

“I am excited for that because I have been working for Greg over the summer in sending me articles that he would want me to write,” said Kingsbury.

“Katey is a great writer,” Yoder said. “She has a way of making a story appeal to our younger demographic. We have been trying to find a way to make MNN more appealing to the younger demographic. What better way to do that then to have young people working for you.”

“She really has a passion for finding the truth and telling the truth and that goes with her journalism type of approach to things,” Scheer said.

“God has really placed on my heart how much of a change he is bringing to Cornerstone with the new president and things to better the program, like the media,” Kingsbury said.

“I think it will be good for Cornerstone and it will change a lot of the negative vibes that I got my freshman year and this past fall,” Kingsbury said. “So I really feel that God is bringing change to Cornerstone, but it will be a good change.”

With this in mind, Westside apartment RAs met the needs of many upperclassmen preparing to seek internships or jobs, by hosting Real World Week, sessions in proper etiquette, business attire and professional résumé-building.

“We were really trying to meet that need of providing professional skills in how to write a résumé, eat with good etiquette at a business dinner and how to dress professionally,” said Melissa “Missy” Marquez, a junior and a Babcock RA at Cornerstone.

“It was a team effort from our staffs at Babcock and Crawford working together,” said Marquez, who was in charge of contacting outside assistance for the event.

She explained that the event was a combination of her idea for a dinner and Justin Kennedy’s idea for a big end-of-the-year event.

“We were in a staff meeting, and we really felt like our program was stagnant and that we were not getting the numbers of participation that we wanted,” said Kennedy, a senior and an RA of Crawford Hall.

“We thought, why not instead of doing a whole bunch of small events, do one big event. We came up with the idea of having a Westside and upperclassman etiquette dinner that would be hosted by Westside,” said Kennedy, who was placed in charge of coordinating with food service for the event.

The etiquette dinner was led by Molly Heemstra, Career Services specialist at Cornerstone University. Heemstra showed students how to place silverware, and how to eat soups, pasta and meat properly.

“Etiquette does say something of who you are, your mannerisms and the way that you hold yourself, whether in a professional or non-professional field,” Heemstra said.

She also said that through proper etiquette, students will reflect and represent themselves, along with Cornerstone University.

“I think it prepared us well, and we were reminded to maintain  proper etiquette in little areas even down to how you hold your fork,” said Hope Collins, a senior who attended the etiquette dinner during Real World week. “It made us a little more aware of the little things that could be perceived as rude to somebody, especially when you are trying to make a good impression.”

One of the etiquette rules that Collins found interesting was if one has to spit something out, one places it back on their fork instead of in their napkin.

“Your food goes out the way it came in,” Collins said, quoting Heemstra’s instructions from the dinner.

Real World week also held a business professional fashion show directed by Laurie Burgess that demonstrated how to dress and act professionally. Later, another activity was held with Heemstra where she taught students how to construct a résumé and offered tips for job- and internship-hunting.

Marquez said that through this experience, the RAs hope that students can become “skilled in areas that would help them in an interview, a job and better prepare them to live outside of college.”

Scott “Doc” Carroll, professor of history at Cornerstone University, is the one who dubbed it the ultimate LJ. This may be because he is the one who leads the educational trip to Greece every summer for students from Cornerstone and other universities.

“I resumed doing Greece when a past student said that the high point of his 10 years of education was going to Greece,” said Carroll who has done the program at CU for the last seven years.

The month-long trip to Greece involves seeing and experiencing historical sights such as the Acropolis in the ancient city of Athens, the island Santorini and climbing the 9,570 ft. Mount Olympus.

“Students who are going should get credit. This is an academic-intense trip,” said Carroll. Jake Heaton, who went to Greece with Carroll in the summer of 2006, said, “It was amazing. I learned a lot and made a lot of cool friends. Almost every one on our trip just really connected.” Heaton, a junior, is currently attending Grand Valley State University.

“Looking back on it now, I cannot believe that I was there. I would like to go back some day because it has great memories for me,” said Heaton.

Bayard Baylis, provost of academic office at Cornerstone, also said that the administration has “heard good feedback” on the success of the Greece program.

“The Greece trip is successful, no question about it,” said Carroll. “You do not have people going back three to five times unless it is successful. It is a great education trip.

I am more bonded with my students who have gone on my trips the last 20 years than any other students because you spend a lot of time together on the highways and byways.”

Carroll also explained that the achievements of the trip should be encouragement and celebration instead of receiving little recognition of the effort and success of the program. In the 20 years of doing the trip, Carroll recalled his most inspirational moment during any Greece trip was the summer of 2005 when students helped three handicapped classmates climb Mount Olympus in specially-made wheelchairs.

However, Carroll said that with complications such as the American dollar falling in price, this coming summer of 2008 may be the last Greece trip. He said that with the dollar declining under the Euro it has “made it difficult to gauge flight and ground cost.” Over the past six years, the flight cost to Greece has increased $700.

“The soul is willing, but the flesh is restrained,” said Carroll, who hopes to continue the Greece program. “The faculty person, who has created it, is the expert. They are the ones who bring value to the program, and the program runs because of him or her. I could walk away from it, but there would have to be someone else who steps in with the same enthusiasm to pull it off.”

“Greece is my classroom. It is my heart and soul. The program runs because of the professor and the enthusiasm of the students,” said Carroll.

The LifeLong Learning Center, located in the Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, has chosen to honor John Lillis, a GRTS graduate of 1980, as the 2008 Alumnus of the Year.

“I was extremely surprised and deeply moved to find out that I had received the award,” said Lillis. “The Grand Rapids Theological Seminary has played a pivotal and significant role in my personal and spiritual formation. To be named the Alumnus of the Year of this institution is a great personal honor.”

Lillis has served as both faculty and administration at Cornerstone University. “I have worked with and taught at the seminary since I was a student there,” said Lillis.

In 1978-1981, Lillis directed the student internship program at the GRTS. A year later in 1982, he went with his family to Southeast Asia to establish Cornerstone’s Asia Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I was the founder and the director of that program and taught Christian education and missions courses throughout Asia from 1982-1990,” said Lillis.

In returning to Grand Rapids, Lillis conducted jobs as the associate dean of seminary (1990-92), dean of the Adult and Continuing Education program (1993-95), academic vice president of the college (1995-96), and provost/executive vice president of the university (1996-2001).

“John was chosen by many who had spent time with him while he was on staff at Cornerstone University to hold this position of honor,” said Cindy Wessel, executive director of the LifeLong Learning Center. “He was very involved in helping others in their educational pursuits and is remembered by many as one who mentored and coached them.”

Lillis has also served as the professor of Christian education (1992-99) and the professor of spiritual formation (1999-2001). After relocating in July 2001, Lillis is contently the dean and executive officer at Bethel Seminary in San Diego, Calif.

“The seminary has had a tremendous impact on my life through the administrators, faculty and the curriculum that all were a part of the seminary when I was a student there,” said Lillis, recalling his days at GRTS.

Remembering all the teachers and friends that had impacted his life there, Lillis spoke of the influences of Carl Hoch, Leon Rowland, Joe Crawford and many others.

“Victor Matthews helped all of us see that theology is not just a collection of facts to be memorized, but a dynamic, living discipline that must be expressed and lived out in the Christian’s personal daily walk with the Lord,” said Lillis.

Also, Lillis referred to other people of influence such as Paul Beals and Henry Osborn “who helped develop a cultural sensitivity and understanding that continues to serve in his ministry today.”

Lillis has been married 36 years to Gail and is the father of three children, Chris, Tim and Larissa. Lillis will receive the Alumnus of the Year award at the GRTS luncheon on Friday, May 9.