Collegians Chorale returns to Croatia and Italy
MVNU’s Collegians Chorale will return to Croatia and Italy next year to minister to the Nazarene churches and other venues overseas. But this year, everyone is invited!
Dr. Bob Tocheff, a professor in the music department and director of Collegians Chorale, will lead the group to Croatia and Italy following MVNU’s 2017 commencement ceremony.
In the past, Collegians tours were offered primarily to those participating in the choir. Next year will be different; for the 2017 tour, non-Collegians students are encouraged to participate as well.
The group will depart from Columbus on Tuesday, May 2, and return home Thursday, May 18. This 16-day experience will allow students to see historical and cultural sights while serving God in another country.
During the trip, students will travel throughout Croatia and Italy performing at Nazarene churches and assisting with the local ministries. Tocheff has scheduled choir concerts in prominent cathedrals in Venice, Vukovar, and Rome. The group will also assist missionaries Dave and Betsy Scott, who are currently working with refugees in Zagreb, Croatia in partnership with the Church of the Nazarene.
In Catania, Sicily, MVNU students will once again work with Pastor Giovanni and Mariela Cereda with their church’s outreach programs. The Collegians tour and missions trip began the long-term relationship with these Nazarene church leaders in 2003.
“The primary reason to choose these areas is the opportunity to minister at Nazarene churches where we have assisted before,” Tocheff said. Returning to friends and ministry partners will be an added bonus to this trip.
Other stops will include Milan, Bari, Split, Dubrovnik and Naples. While in Sicily students can expect to see the Mount Etna volcano and visit Taormina and the ruins of Syracuse. “Such trips are often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take advantage of before responsibilities of family and career make it difficult,” Tocheff said. “Also, the chance to experience such amazing sites and ministries with close college friends is unforgettable.”
Students who attend this trip can receive class credit by registering for MSS5019. This credit can be applied toward the general education crossing cultures requirement. Collegians Chorale members should enroll in both ENS1011 and MSS5019.
An informational meeting will be held soon to discuss cost, itinerary and other details pertaining to the trip.
This will be Tocheff’s eighth time organizing a tour out of the country. Past locations include the 1994 tour to Russia, Netherlands and Austria; the 1999 trip to Hungary, Germany and Czech Republic; the Portugal, Spain and France trip in 2006; the Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy trip in 2010; and the Croatia, Hungary trip in 2013.
He believes students will benefit greatly from this experience.
“The dual purpose of ministry and cultural exposure has been powerful,” Tocheff said. “In some cases we did manual labor in addition to concerts, but in all cases our concerts were a true ministry.”
Students who are interested in the trip should talk to their academic adviser and contact Dr. Bob Tocheff at bob.tocheff@mvnu.edu.