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Alumni
Hannah Klaassen ’06
Hannah Klaassen worked as a refugee job placement specialist at Jewish Vocational Service in Kansas City for three years following graduation. She worked mainly with immigrants from East Africa. In Fall 2009, she began working on a dual masters degrees in theology (Chicago Theological Seminary) and social work (the University of Chicago.
Samuel Schrag ’04
Since he graduated from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 2007, Samuel Schrag has pastored at the St. Louis Mennonite Church (Missouri). Previously, he served as a youth pastor at Faith Mennonite Church in Newton, and nursing home chaplain at Greencroft Retirement Community in Goshen, Indiana.
Peter Miller ’08
After graduating from Bethel, Peter Miller, worked for two years at the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem, as a volunteer, supported by Mennonite Central Committee. In Fall, 2011, he began working as Ethiopia Project Manager for an Illinois-based agricultural equipment and development firm, Equipment Direct West, based in Illinois.
Matthew Friesen, ’90
Matt Friesen spent 15 years in pastoral ministry, serving congregations in Kansas and Oregon. Since Fall 2008, he has been working on a PhD program in sociology, with an emphasis in peace, justice and social change, at the University of Oregon.
Joel Goering, ’05
After graduation, Joel worked for five years as a community organizer and program director in Kansas City, Kan. He spearheaded the effort to start a Children's Defense Fund Freedom School in his neighborhood and served as the school's first Project Director. In 2011, he completed a Masters in business administration, with an emphasis in non-profit management, at the University of Texas at Austin and now works as a Charter School Finance Specialist for EdOps, an organization that provides business management services to charter schools, based in Washington, DC.
Alan Stucky, ’03
Alan Stucky became a youth pastor at Buhler Mennonite Church while studying in the Great Plains Seminary Extension Program of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS). During that time, he worked to create a joint youth group for youth from several churches in the Buhler area. Alan graduated from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary with an M.Div in 2009 and began pastoring at Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper, Kansas.
Palwasha L. Kakar, ’99
Palwasha L. Kakar graduated from Harvard University with a master's of theological studies degree focusing on gender, religion and politics. She was since invited to research women's participation in local government and development institutions in Afghanistan by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit for two years. She worked at Kabul University for two years as program manager creating a Gender Studies Institute, and now she works as a gender consultant for non-governmental organizations in Kabul.
Alain Epp Weaver, ’91, and Sonia Weaver, ’91
Alain Epp Weaver and Sonia Weaver worked for more than 10 years with Mennonite Central Committee in the Middle East, most recently as co-directors for MCC’s program in Palestine, Jordan and Iraq, based in Amman. They served for three years as English teachers in an Arab village on the West Bank and for two years in the Gaza Strip. Alain completed a M.Div. degree and Sonia an M.A. in theology at the University of Chicago. In 2009, Alain completed doctoral coursework at the University of Chicago and is now employed as Director of the Program Development Department at Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pennsylvania.
Jalane Schmidt, ’91
Jalane Schmidt earned a Ph.D. in religious studies at Harvard University, spent 18 months in Cuba studying Afro-Cuban religions as part of her dissertation, and completed a two-year fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before becoming Assistant Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Religions in the Religious Studies Department at the University of Virginia.
Kathleen Hayes Wolgemuth, ’91
Kathleen N. Hayes earned her law degree from the University of Oklahoma and is part of the litigation practice with the firm of Martin and Churchill Chartered, Wichita, Kansas.
Karen Rice Ratzlaff, ’89
Karen Rice Ratzlaff completed an M.Div. degree at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. Since 1996 she has been one of the pastors at First United Methodist Church in McPherson, Kansas after serving Calvary United Methodist Church in Wichita from 1992-1997.
Heidi Regier Kreider, ’83
Heidi Regier Kreider received a North American Ministerial Fellowship and earned an M.Div. degree from the Yale University Institute of Music, Worship and the Arts. She was pastor of Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Gainesville, Fla., before moving to the lead pastor role at Bethel College Mennonite Church.
Raymond Reimer, ’76
Raymond Reimer earned a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and was assistant professor of religion at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where he taught New Testament courses, specializing in Paul and in peace studies. He now is serving as an intentional interim pastor for Western District Conference in congregations that are in the midst of leadership transitions.
Ron Flaming, ’74
Ron Flaming is the director of international programs for Mennonite Central Committee after serving for several years as principal of Woodstock School in India and then as executive secretary of the Commission of Overseas Mission of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Formerly he served as a pastor in Topeka and Dean of Students at Bethel College. He has an M.Div. from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.