Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

NEWS

The Messiah College Concert Choir and the Susquehanna Chorale (ensemble-in-residence at Messiah), joined forces with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra to present performances of the Faure Requiem on Nov.  11, 12 and 13. Performances were held in Parmer Hall and at the Forum in Harrisburg. Audience response to these performances was enthusiastic, and the experience was further indication of the ongoing commitment to collaboration between the three groups.

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Kristopher Cravey, assistant professor of business and director of the graduate business and leadership programs, assisted Day & Zimmermann, a century-old, family-owned company based in Philadelphia,, in securing a $950 million contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide construction and maintenance services to TVA’s nuclear generation fleet. In an industry facing steep cost pressures, TVA, based on research from the University of Tennessee, adopted a Vested Outsourcing Model to develop a “What’s In It For We” contracting model that is tied to mutually desired outcomes. Dr. Cravey was asked by Day & Zimmermann to help craft and co-present their proposal response and is supporting the negotiation of the Vested contract agreement. TVA’s nuclear generation fleet provides energy to more than 4.5 million homes and businesses. The following link provides more information on the contract award: http://www.energycentral.com/news/tva-awards-950-million-contract-day-Zimmerman

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Congratulations to Matthew and Emily Farrar, assistant professors of physics and engineering, on the birth of their second child. Finnian Jude Farrar was born on Tuesday, Nov.  22, at 2:34 a.m. He weighed 7 lb., 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. Everyone is doing well.

Please join Information Technology Services (ITS) in welcoming Wallace (Wally) Macon, ITS security analyst, to the campus community. Wally will be responsible for coordinating IT security initiatives, promoting information security awareness and compliance within the campus community as well as developing and delivering training on various aspects of information security. Wally comes to us upon retirement from the U.S. Air Force. When you see Wally, please give him a warm welcome — we are excited he is here. – Bill Strausbaugh, vice president for information technology and associate provost

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MESSIAH 411

Toy collection for Employee Christmas Luncheon

In the spirit of Christmas, we are again offering the opportunity to give. This year we are supporting the good work of Mission Central by providing Christmas gifts to children in an elementary school (K-8th) in a distressed neighborhood. To participate, please bring an item from the list below or see attachment:

• cars and trucks
• Lego sets
• arts & crafts
• musical instruments
• footballs, soccer balls and Frisbees
• baby dolls
• kitchen play sets
• stuffed animals
• jewelry and bead kits
• board and card games

 

College guitar ensemble in concert Saturday Dec. 10

The Department of Music will present the Messiah College Guitar Ensemble in concert on Saturday Dec. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in the High Foundation Recital Hall. The performance will have a Christmas theme and will feature student soloists Avery Bouffard, August Fackler, Lori Nowaczyk and Josh Song. The event is open to the public and admission is free of charge.

Spring semester early arrivals

Campus residences are closed between noon on Friday, Dec. 16 and 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3. If you are bringing students back to campus for a college-related reason before Tuesday, Jan. 3 and they will need access to their on-campus rooms or apartments, you must submit the following information by Friday, Dec. 9:

• Name of student
• Student ID number (if known)
• Student’s housing assignment (if known)
• Date of return
• Reason for return

Any questions can be directed to Rhonda King at rking@messiah.edu or housing@messiah.edu.

The President’s Report issue of The Bridge is live

The President’s Report issue of The Bridge is here! This fall issue details the academic year in review with a timeline of College events; a financial report; campus milestones; Homecoming; student scholarship; athletic highlights; profiles of students, alumni and educators; and so much more. Please view the online version of the magazine at messiah.edu/the_bridge. Hard copies of The Bridge are available in the lounges of Eisenhower and Boyer. As always, additional quantities can be found on third floor of Old Main in the front lobby.

Employee Referral Bonus Program

Want to share the experience of working at Messiah College with others? Have a friend, relative or colleague that you feel would be a good fit at Messiah and help Messiah succeed? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, consider referring the individual for a position at the College. Not only can you help the College, but the College has a way to thank YOU for the help. Messiah has established an Employee Referral Bonus Program, coordinated through Human Resources, whereby referrals who are hired by the College can lead to you receiving a $300 bonus for the referral. Full details and conditions of the Employee Referral Bonus Program, including the process of making a referral as well as the conditions for receiving a bonus, can be reviewed in the Messiah College Policy and Procedure Manual. A copy of the referral form is located here. The College thanks you for your assistance in identifying strong candidates for employment at Messiah.

Safety Committee channel on MCSquare

Did you know there is a (workplace) Safety Committee channel on MCSquare? It’s found on both the employee and student tabs. On this channel are the meeting minutes for each monthly meeting; the dates for upcoming meetings; and links to information such as the list of committee members, near miss incident report form, and the anonymous safety suggestion form. You can also find additional information on the workplace safety committee including its by-laws in the safety manual, section #20.

Applications are now being accepted for Into the City Nashville

Our next Into the City trip will be to Nashville from Sat., March 11 – Wed., March 15 (the first half of spring break). Please encourage interested students to apply by Jan. 9 at http://messiah.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1OocaPheXtHcwDz.

Into the City is a career exploration and professional development program that leverages the expertise of Messiah alumni, parents and friends to expose students to life, work and community in an urban context. In addition to having free time to explore the city of Nashville, student participants will discover answers to the following questions through visits to various companies and personal connections to Messiah alumni:

1. How has my Messiah education prepared me for the world of work?
2. What types of career opportunities exist in a given organization?
3. What are the range of workplace cultures and values, and what is a good fit for me?
4. How can I practically connect with professionals and enhance my network?
5. What do employers look for in new graduates?
6. What are the various stages of career progression?
7. How can I best articulate the value I bring to a professional context?

Please contact the Career and Professional Development Center with any questions at ext. 6016.

Christmas Tree Fires

Along with the Christmas season come some unique safety hazards. One of them is the increased fire potential from Christmas lights and decorations. A dry tree can catch fire and burn faster than newspaper. There are many short videos on YouTube of Christmas tree fires. The two things they all have in common: the tree is totally engulfed and the fire has spread to surrounding furnishings in less than one minute AND the trees were dry (not being watered regularly). Please take a minute to view this demonstration. This video also shows why it is essential to practice an evacuation plan with your family. Notice the black smoke which is quickly generated and can make visibility and breathing almost impossible. Just a few minutes can indeed make a difference!

Fall research symposium

TONIGHT! Senior and Junior level students from the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Psychology will summarize the results of semester and year-long research studies during tonight’s Annual Fall Research Symposium. The Symposium will be held in multiple venues between 6- 9 p.m. TONIGHT (Thursday, Dec. 8). Concurrent oral presentation sessions will be held in Kline 120 and Frey 110 (Alexander Auditorium) beginning at 6 p.m. The Symposium will conclude with poster presentations that will be held in the Jordan Lobby between 8:20-9 p.m. Join us to learn about and appreciate the amount and variety of novel research being done by our students! The Symposium Program is available through this link. Contact Symposium Coordinator Larry Mylin (lmylin@messiah.edu; Department of Biological Sciences) if you have questions.

Christmas closure access

Messiah College Christmas Closure Campus and all buildings including the Winding Hill facility will be closed and secured at 11 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22 and access to campus will be prohibited from that time. The official holiday per Human Resources is as follows: the College is closed starting Friday, Dec. 23 and reopens on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 at 6 a.m. During this holiday closure, access to college facilities will be limited to employees who are required to be on campus as required by their job responsibilities. To ensure the safety of everyone, no one will be permitted access to campus during this time unless pre-approved. The following information is provided to those that are required to report to campus.

1. All requests for access must be submitted to the employee’s appropriate vice president/dean along with rationale as to why they MUST be on campus during the closed time. Included in this request would be the date and times access is needed. For example: sports teams, persons in SEH that need to care for animals in Kline/Jordan. A person that just wants to work in their office will not be approved access. Use attached form.
2. All requests must be submitted by Dec. 12.
3. The appropriate vice president/dean will forward the requests to the vice president for operations for final discussion and approval Dec. 13-15.
4. All persons requesting permission will receive communication by Dec. 16 as to whether approval was granted. This communication will include the process of what to do when they are on campus.
5. All approved personnel will be placed on a list at the Dispatch Office.

Safety recalls

DEHUMIDIFIERS: There have been more than 2,000 reported incidents of dehumidifiers overheating. About 450 fires have been reported, resulting in more than $19 million in property damage. This recall involves 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, 65 and 70-pint dehumidifiers with brand names Danby, De’Longhi, Fedders, Fellini, Frigidaire, GE, Gree, Kenmore, Norpole, Premiere, Seabreeze, SoleusAir and SuperClima. Recalled model numbers and date codes are listed below. The brand name and the pint capacity are printed on the front of the dehumidifier. The model number and date code are printed on a sticker on the back, front or side of the unit. The dehumidifiers are white, beige, gray or black plastic and measure between 19 and 24 inches tall, 13 and 15 inches wide, and 9 and 11 inches deep. They were sold at AAFES, HH Gregg, Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm, Sam’s Club, Sears, Walmart and other stores nationwide and in Canada, and online at Amazon.com and Ebay.com, from January 2005 through August 2013 for between $110 and $400. View model information here: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2017/Gree-Reannounces-Dehumidifier-Recall-Following-450-Fires-and-19-Million-in-Property-Damage

Advising a J-Term service trip

Dear Employees,

We’d like to offer the opportunity for employees to participate in and advise a student service trip over J-Term break. Through service with diverse communities, we hope students will experience enriching and challenging growth which will help to foster learning of oneself, of the needs of others, and of the role that service plays in society through a lens of Christian faith. Advisors serve alongside students, assist student leaders in facilitation of reflection and devotions, and assist in any problem-solving that may arise. All costs are covered for advisors. J-Term service trips will take place Thursday, Jan. 26-Sunday, Jan. 29. We are currently looking for an advisor who may be interested in specifically serving with Priority One Ministries, which is described below. If you’re interested in serving as an advisor or have additional questions, please contact Emily Callon at nismoffice@messiah.edu by Thursday, Dec. 22. To learn more about advising a service-learning trip, please visit: http://www.messiah.edu/info/22577/advise_a_service-learning_trip

Thank you for considering!

Priority One Ministries (Bronx, NY) This service trip focuses on issues of hunger and homelessness. Some participants may be serving in a storehouse organizing food and other materials for distribution while others might be directly interacting with homeless communities. Additionally, participants may have the opportunity to work with children in an after school tutoring program. To learn more, visit: http://www.priority1ministries.org/ 

CLASSIFIEDS

For sale:

Christmas trees. Live fir and spruce. 4-7’ $25. 8-12’ $40. Located at 9680 Carlisle Rd, Dillsburg. Delivery available. Contact Dale Fogelsanger at dfogelsa@messiah.edu or 717-623-0735.

Violin for sale.1950’s German-made, full-size student Violin for sale. Blonde finish, one-piece back, restored by Waltersdorff. Includes black case and (2) bows. For pictures and more information, please contact Misty via email: mspangler@messiah.edu.

Five bedroom home for sale by owner. Mechanicsburg School District. Less than 10 minutes from campus. Open floor plan. Roomy eat-in kitchen with new granite countertops. Asking $224,000. Contact cwickey@messiah.edu.

7 sets of window blinds, 43” x 64”.  Only used one year.  Great condition.  Purchased at JC Penney.  $25 each.  Contact hmyers@messiah.edu

For rent:

Two apartments for rent. First floor 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment in quiet Colonial Park neighborhood available Jan. 1. Thirty minutes from the College. Eat in kitchen with ceramic tile floor includes stove, refrigerator, and microwave. Laminate flooring in living room. Carpet in the bedrooms. Both bedrooms include walk-in closet. Large closet in living room. In-wall air conditioner in living room. Coin operated laundry on premises. Storage locker in basement. One reserved parking spot in addition to on-street parking. Rent includes water, sewer, and trash removal. Tenant pays electric, cable, phone. Rent: $750/month. One month rent and $750.00 security deposit due at lease signing. Please contact Su Deitch at 717-648-7573 or billsrentals@comcast.net.

One bedroom/1 bath apartment in quiet Colonial Park neighborhood available Feb. 15, 2017. Thirty minutes from the College. Eat in kitchen with ceramic tile floor includes stove, refrigerator, and microwave. Laminate flooring in living room. Carpet in bedroom. Walk in closet in bedroom. In wall air conditioner in bedroom. Coin operated laundry on premises. Storage locker in basement. 1 reserved parking spot in addition to on-street parking. Rent includes water, sewer, and trash removal. Tenant pays electric, cable, phone. Rent: $600/month. One month rent and $600 security deposit due at lease signing. Please contact Su Deitch at 717-648-7573 or billsrentals@comcast.net.

Single family one level cottage for rent in Camp Hill school district. Home is newly renovated throughout with 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms. Mobility friendly design. Off street parking with garage. Available beginning January 15. Non-smoking, no pets. Please contact lharper@messiah.edu if interested.

Wanted:

Seeking roommate to share Harrisburg apartment. A single man seeks the same to share a two bedroom apartment in Allison Hill, Harrisburg. Rent is $250 per month, utilities included. Available Jan. /Feb. 2017. Please contact George at 717-829-5941.