Let’s not forget about the stars of the evening - our NHCC Seniors! With Chris Huntoon and Jacob Meyer acting as Masters of Ceremonies for the night, there were funny moments when they roasted each of our graduates and touching, serious moments as they expressed appreciation for each one of them.

The night was concluded by Dr. David Ortega, Director of Counseling, praying and blessing the seniors.  The evening was truly a blessing for all who participated! Thank you to all who made this event possible!

New Hope’s production of Godspell presented the Gospel in a way that was entertaining for the audiences of all ages. The ten person cast brought their own flare and modern day touches to the musical through their incorporation of characters from Napoleon Dynamite, Harry Potter, and modern day sayings to name a few. With the more intimate feel of the venue, the cast was able to make it a very interactive show with the audience and the band making everyone feel a part of Godspell.  

There were many emotions encapsulated in this musical. In one moment the audience was laughing and in the next we were crying from the true brutality and sacrifice that was portrayed in Christ’s last days. One aspect of New Hope’s portrayal that was enjoyable was the ending scene of Christ’s resurrection, which brought the musical to a close on a very happy and high note with the cast ending singing, “Day by Day”. This truly was a great show. Congratulations to the cast and crew on a superb but oh-too-short run of show. We look forward to what the future holds in musicals at New Hope Christian College. 

Perhaps most impacting was the story behind a brand-new scholarship that was awarded for the first time this year.  The Maggie May Hope Scholarship is named in memory of Maggie May (Fornia) Quiroz, alumnus of the class of 2004 who recently lost her battle with cancer.  Her husband, Morgan Quiroz, also a former student, founded and has begun to raise endowment funds for a continuing scholarship to extend her legacy.  Known and loved throughout Open Bible Churches on the West Coast and even across the country, Maggie is most remembered as a dynamic worship leader and mentor to young women.  It is Quiroz’s hope that through the Maggie May Hope Scholarship young worship leaders will continue to be raised up in that same mold of passionate pursuit of worship melded with a mentor’s heart.

If you would like more information about donating to any of the more than fifty endowed scholarship funds or might consider founding a new one, please contact Paul Sheridon at psheridon@newhope.edu.

Eighteen different NHCC faculty, support staff, and students plus six community pastors and lay leaders participated in the CISM courses. The foundation for a cadre of spiritually trained, emotionally prepared, and physically able crisis responders has been laid for NHCC to deploy teams that will bring God’s love and hope to people in the midst of crisis and disaster.

NHCC’s vision includes the formation of crisis response teams in local churches. These teams will provide a structure for ongoing training and rehearsal in crisis care. The team network is the context for responders, churches and ministries to respond to crisis and disaster in local communities. A critical component is the creation of places of refuge in times of crisis.

NHCC welcomes the challenge to provide leadership and training in this emerging area of ministry.

To Register click here

Swoboda says that his heart is “primarily to find Jesus for who He is and make every little atom of my existence about Him if possible.” Through Swoboda’s speaking and teaching, I have noticed another desire of his, though I want to stress, I have never heard him say that this is a desire of his. I have seen him breathe new life into Christianity in a way that I have never seen before. The first time I ever heard him speak was at Beaverton Foursquare. His message was entitled, “Church Picnics: God’s Will For Your Life.” The Bible college student in me cringed; my wife and I both looked at each other in disappointment because of the expectation to hear another twisting of the Scriptures to make it say something that it really doesn’t say, but by the end, both my wife and I were blown away and later attended the Beaverton Church Picnic because of how Swoboda wonderfully taught the truth of what Jesus is all about and how the intentions of a church picnic are all about those truths. Thinking about how he did that still blows my mind!

What did EBC teach him?

Many things have changed about the school that was once called EBC and is now known as NHCC, but Swoboda says that the school taught him three main things. First, it taught him about his now wife, Quinn Swoboda, (I can imagine now all the guys’ faces lighting up as you read that sentence and you think to yourself, “Maybe I have already met my future spouse too.” So funny the dynamics of Bible College!) Secondly, he says it taught him to love reading and studying the Bible. Thirdly, EBC taught him “how to love Christians who are very different than I. Because of EBC, I was given the skills to cope with the world of the Church in a healthy way.”

What Prompted the book “Messy”?

Swoboda published his first book entitled, “Messy, God Likes It That Way.” He says that this book is a “manifesto for those whose faith is messier that they would like to advertise… Christianity is messy. Unanswered prayers. Painful choices. Unresolved regrets. We’re called to have faith, and yet we doubt. We try to be perfect, but we fall short. This is the chaos. It’s all around us. There’s no limit to it. And there’s no quick fix for it. Both annoyingly honest and refreshingly humorous, Messy reassures humans that God can reveal Himself in their clutter. It offers biblical insight and vivid, personal stories to redefine faith from something that must be perfect to something that is imperfect, but can still give beauty, meaning, and purpose to a messy life. As entertaining as it is challenging, this book teaches us what it means to trust in each other, in grace, in hope, and in a Jesus who defied the rules of death. Here’s to finding hope in your chaos.”

Future Plans

Swoboda looks forward to the release of his published thesis paper later this year entitled, “Tongues and Trees,” which is all about the the never-ending ties to the Holy Spirit and ecology, and two other books coming out in 2013, one tentatively entitled, “Hug the Corpse: The Spirit of Power in Mission.” The second book is all about how Swoboda has tried to backslide from a Christianity that was centered on himself; he says he plans on becoming a better dad and husband to his family and searching for what Jesus is doing in Portland. He says, “I am in love with the community of Theophilus.”

This is a man that every student of NHCC can look up to. I recommend that every student get to know the name AJ Swoboda, and read his book entitled, “Messy, God Likes It That Way”; you will find countless truths packed into this less than 100 page book. To purchase this book: click here

By Tyler Ogletree

Another first for this production is the debut of the New Hope Center Auditorium.  After months of being closed, the former Lighthouse Church, now opens it’s doors again with a new stage, lighting and sound system. The Director for New Hope International, Tom Eichhorn, says, “I love that this new space is once again open to the community and we’re excited to be able to host other events and concerts here.”

With this staging of GODSPELL, New Hope Christian College, formerly Eugene Bible College, officially enters the Eugene musical theatre scene.  “We’re hoping to attract a strong following from audiences looking for family friendly entertainment with a high level of performance value,” says Kenny.

A new arrival in Eugene, Producer and Musical Director Steve Kenny, brings with him a wealth of musical theatre experience having worked as musical director and coach with Honolulu Theater for Youth and American Musical Theatre Company, he now serves as the Creative Arts Director for New Hope Christian College. 

The ensemble cast is made of up current NHCC students from the Creative Arts Department.  The role of Jesus is being played by Isaac Frank, a vocal major from Montana.

Christina Brown, a vocal major from Hawaii and first runner-up in the ABC television network’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL National Talent Competition, delivers the song “O Bless the Lord” with her powerhouse vocals.

“This production of GODSPELL has moments where it hurts to laugh anymore, and then other times that move you to tears” says Assistant Director and drama major at NHCC, Daniel Wolfe.

MORE INFORMATION AND FULL PHOTO LIBRARY AVAILABLE THROUGH MEDIA CONTACT.
www.nhccgodspell.com

Another huge highlight was when the team visited two different men’s rehab centers. At one of them, they were able to share some testimonies and sing worship together in Spanish, as well as have a divine time of prayer at the end. At the AIDS hospice that they visited on Tuesday, they shared the Gospel, as well as prayed over those who are bed-ridden because of HIV. On Wednesday, they spent time building a garden for debilitated men at a place translated, “Camp of Faith.” Thursday, they helped launch a brand new college cafe ministry near the university in Tijuana. In addition, they went door-to-door in some of the slums, and passed out beans, rice, and blankets and prayed with the families that lived there. Both of the street feeding ministries they did were located in the downtown red light district of Tijuana. They started with worship, led into a Gospel presentation, and then gave people the opportunity to come forward for prayer. Amazingly, they saw at least twenty people receive Jesus, as well as hundreds who were eager to find freedom in Jesus.

Throughout the week they spent time teaching inductive Bible study methods, leading Bible studies with the men in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and doing S.O.A.P journaling. Church construction, a church dedication, endless amounts of Spanish worship, testimonies, open-air preaching, as well as too many other things to mention, were all encompassed during the week in Tijuana. Every single member of the team is so thankful for the opportunities they had to minister. Thank you to everyone who supported them financially and in prayer; it was well worth your investment!

The event raised over $55,000, exceeding our goal of $50,000. One of the innovative technologies that was used in the event was “text pledges” where-by people could text pledges throughout the evening and watch how every contribution mattered toward reaching our goal. Dungy said this about New Hope Christian College. “They know you and everyone cares!”

All of us here at NHCC-Oregon know our supporters “care about us” and support our mission to “train emerging leaders for ministry and the marketplace” as we “care” for and equip those God has sent. Mahalo, everyone for being “Dream Releasers” as our students “Discover, Develop, and Deploy” their dreams for kingdom service!

Life is not about finding yourself or creating yourself to fulfill your purpose. It is about simply being yourself. Above all else understand that you were made in the image of Almighty God. If He wanted you any different, then He would have made you that way. You have all the looks, traits, and abilities to fulfill your God-given purpose. He made you just the way He made you for the special purpose for which you were created. I know with all my heart that you have the DNA of Almighty God alive and well in you today. His fingerprints are all over you. There is special work He has for you to do that can only be done by you; just the way He created you. No dream that has been placed in your heart is ever too big for you. Often we would be surprised what God can do if we would just boldly believe, take action, and not give up.

I really believe the essence of life is growth, to do the best you possibly can. Studies have tragically shown that humans are the only life form who will actually do less than they possibly can. Every other life form will strive to its maximum capacity. Why is that? Why wouldn’t human beings strive to their maximum possibility? Here is why: the dignity of choice makes us different than all other life forms; and here is the choice: to become part of what we could be, enough to get by; or to become all that we can be. I want to encourage you to take the challenge of being all that you can be. Keep growing.
Remember, choices, not circumstances, determine your success. Diamonds are constructed under intense pressure; gold is processed under extreme heat. So if you think the pressure of releasing your dreams is too much or it is “too hot in the kitchen” for you, you might want to submit and not bolt. God’s trying to turn your dreams into a diamond or a fine piece of gold today. Be a Dream Releaser.

- Jacob Casarez