2008 Woodie Awards
New Student Houses Aim to Mend Relationships
New Reconciliation House and RelocatedRestoration House Promote Civil Dialogue
Grace Norheim
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: News
Restoring broken relationships. We're not talking about Barbie and Ken or Bill and Hillary. The Reconciliation and Restoration houses are trying to restore relationships between those of differing cultures, theologies, and philosophies. Thanks this year's new Reconciliation house, the Restoration house will have some help in its work of restoring relationships. According to Reconciliation house member Elias Parada, its goal is to "provide a space for people to reconcile their differences and to come together without barriers."
As the Reconciliation house begins its first year in existence, it has been given a good start with its building, the former President's Residence. The first time that the residents of the Reconciliation house gave me a tour, I was amazed at how comfortable and relaxed the house felt. "We're really blessed," said Ben Stolz as he walked us around.
"The carpet," said Elias Parada, "It's soft," in reply to my question of what he liked best about the house. Besides the house itself, there is an added bonus for the guys living in the Reconciliation House: a resident professor. Dr. Richard Crane will live with them throughout the whole year.
Dr. Crane was asked last year to think about taking on this challenge. He reported that the deciding factor for him was that the Reconciliation house would be a "new venture, a vision of intentional community and lives out the core Christian values." The guys of the Reconciliation house enjoy the opportunity to see a professor from a new perspective and have more in-depth discussions than they could in a classroom.
Together they are gearing up for an outreach through their house called, "Let Me Explain". They plan to invite people of different beliefs, professions, and cultures to come and explain what they do and what they believe in a safe place to ask tough questions and face prejudices.
The Reconciliation House isn't the only house with new spiffy diggs. The Restoration house was relocated from its old location where the new President's Residence Orchard Hill now resides, to two houses: one for guys and one for girls, on Grantham Road. Ross Linthicum, Restoration House leader, says that the residents have "embraced the change." He also added that the new house is "easier to upkeep; there's no dripping roof in my room, which is nice."
Although the location has changed, the Restoration House still has the same mission and continues to hold regular community dinners on Sunday. The residents plan to continue developing a community that reaches beyond Messiah College, reaching out to those in the Grantham community as well as The Silence of Mary Home in Harrisburg.
As the Reconciliation house begins its first year in existence, it has been given a good start with its building, the former President's Residence. The first time that the residents of the Reconciliation house gave me a tour, I was amazed at how comfortable and relaxed the house felt. "We're really blessed," said Ben Stolz as he walked us around.
"The carpet," said Elias Parada, "It's soft," in reply to my question of what he liked best about the house. Besides the house itself, there is an added bonus for the guys living in the Reconciliation House: a resident professor. Dr. Richard Crane will live with them throughout the whole year.
Dr. Crane was asked last year to think about taking on this challenge. He reported that the deciding factor for him was that the Reconciliation house would be a "new venture, a vision of intentional community and lives out the core Christian values." The guys of the Reconciliation house enjoy the opportunity to see a professor from a new perspective and have more in-depth discussions than they could in a classroom.
Together they are gearing up for an outreach through their house called, "Let Me Explain". They plan to invite people of different beliefs, professions, and cultures to come and explain what they do and what they believe in a safe place to ask tough questions and face prejudices.
The Reconciliation House isn't the only house with new spiffy diggs. The Restoration house was relocated from its old location where the new President's Residence Orchard Hill now resides, to two houses: one for guys and one for girls, on Grantham Road. Ross Linthicum, Restoration House leader, says that the residents have "embraced the change." He also added that the new house is "easier to upkeep; there's no dripping roof in my room, which is nice."
Although the location has changed, the Restoration House still has the same mission and continues to hold regular community dinners on Sunday. The residents plan to continue developing a community that reaches beyond Messiah College, reaching out to those in the Grantham community as well as The Silence of Mary Home in Harrisburg.
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