A happy adoption
I didn't grow up Mennonite. Following a great tradition of evangelism, I married in. Well, sort of. My wife isn't ethnic Mennonite, but she's gone to Mennonite schools and churches since childhood. She doesn't quilt, but she can make zwieback.
Given this, at the Mennonite college I worked for back East I called myself the adopted kid.
Coming to FPU complicated things further since I belong to the Mennonite Church-USA, not the Mennonite Brethren. Out here I call myself the adopted kid working for the cousins.
So I empathize with our new deans: Karen Cianci in the School of Natural Sciences; Kent Eaton in the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences; Gary Gramenz in the School of Education; and Randy Worden in student life. (Angulus Wilson, university pastor, and Garry Prieb, director of stewardship, who you will also meet or reacquaint yourself with in this issue, are alumni and already know more than I can tell them.)
There's great news for the new folks—I have been embraced by Mennonites. Oh, sometimes I miss something. I never mastered the Name Game. One person thought my last name was "Stoltzfus" (as common back home as "Friesen" is here). When he found out it wasn't, he had no reference for further conversation.
Never, however, have I known people more sensitive to others, or more focused on matching their faith, words and actions.
Not to mention, the cooking rocks.
Welcome.