Sarah Hall was hired as the new softball coach on Aug. 10, replacing athletic director Jan McDonald. (Photo by Daniel Jamison)

Spring will bring a different look to the 2010 North Greenville softball team with the addition of their new head coach Sarah Hall. She was hired Aug. 10 and arrived in Tigerville with high expectations.

“I want teams to be scared to play us,” Hall said. She is replacing athletic director Jan McDonald, who stepped down as head softball coach at the end of last season. “I want us to be one of the toughest games on everybody’s schedule.”

Hall comes to North Greenville having coached at a private school in Alabama and most recently Mauldin High School in Mauldin, S.C. Hall said that when she applied to North Greenville, she was not sure she would get the job.

“When the position opened I applied for the job, but I wasn’t expecting to be hired,” Hall said. “Coming here was totally God. I am really excited to be here at NGU coaching full time, sometimes it’s hard to hold it in.”

The first-year coach described herself as an “intense coach,” but says she also wants to have some fun this season.

“She’s tough,” second baseman Lauren Vick, sophomore early childhood education, said. “But I think she is exactly what this team needs to get to the next level.”

The team is looking to improve from their 18-18 season last year, and Hall has set some high goals for this year’s team, such as beating rival school Carson Newman and striving for a winning record in 2010.

“We have a lot of talent on our team and there are many goals I want us to accomplish in my first year here,” Hall said.

Hall admitted that the coaching change will be a “challenge.” Hall is not the only person who is getting used to the new look of the Crusader softball team. Returning players are also dealing with the recent change.

“I feel like the transition was great,” Vick said. “The first meeting, she let us know her rules and her goals for the team, so from that day on, we knew exactly what she wanted from us as individuals and as a team.”

Brittany Lybrand, sophomore sport management, said the players have bought into their new coach’s goals and have high expectations for the coming season.

“Coach Hall has a lot of energy, and we believe we will be able to live up to her expectations as well as the expectations we have for ourselves,” Lybrand said.

Hall will lead the Crusaders into a preseason tournament at Furman University Oct. 9-10.

The timeless tale has been adapted from Ron and Judi Barrett’s book, which illustrates a world where giant pancakes and pasta fall from the sky as a scientist tries to solve world hunger. However, things go terribly wrong when excess amounts of food overload cities and towns. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was released on September 18, and brought in more than $30 million.

Inspired by the beloved children’s book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. Bill Hader is the voice of Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone’s life. Anna Faris takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weather girl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. James Caan plays Tim Lockwood, Flint’s technophobic father. Andy Samberg plays Brent, the town bully who has plagued Flint since childhood. Bruce Campbell plays Mayor Shelbourne, who figures out that Flint’s invention can put the town, and more importantly himself, on the map. Mr. T plays the by-the-rules town cop Earl Devereaux, and Tracy Morgan takes on the role of Earl’s rule-breaking son, Cal.

According to IMDB.com, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed a show called Clone High and do some of the extra voices in the movie.

Some positive elements of the movie are: Flint grows up in a very loving family. As a kid, when one of his experiments backfires, Flint is terribly embarrassed and demoralized, but his mom prods him out of his funk by giving him encouragement and speaking of her love for him and her belief in him; and a father in town, Earl the police officer, repeatedly expresses love for his child as well. In fact, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is one of those rare movies that casts dads in a very positive light, showing fathers who face intimidating difficulties to protect and aid their children.

Some negative aspects of the movie are: When Flint considers taking his father’s advice and turning off the food machine, the mayor takes on the role of devil’s advocate and seductively whispers in Flint’s ear, saying, “Keep it on and be great or turn it off and ruin everything—and no one will like you;” and that’s not negative, but this might qualify: The adult Brent shows up at a town event and strips to nothing but a diaper to mimic the old photo.

According to pluggedinonline.com, “Amidst all the outlandish fried chicken cloudbursts and ice cream snow storms, there are some very winning thoughts about making wise choices. There are entertaining encouragements to resist the world’s narcissistic expectations and the lure of fame. And there is a heartwarming affirmation that, in spite of miscues and failings, a loving family is more valuable than just about anything.”

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is rated PG for brief mild language.

Julie & Julia is an unusual film in that it is based on two true stories. One is the story of Julia Child’s life in the 1940s, and the other is that of modern-day Julie Powell.

The stories begin with one enthusiastic woman living richly in Paris and the other barely making it in Brooklyn. Their lives intersect when Julie Powell sets out to conquer Child’s famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking, trying to make all 524 recipes in just one year.

Julie Powell is a woman who can’t finish what she starts. She had great hopes for a life as a writer, but somehow her dreams ended with an unpublished novel. Now she’s almost 30 and working as someone who answers telephones in a cubicle. She and her husband have just moved to a Brooklyn apartment. Julie discovers that what she really likes to do after the stress of the day is cook. This interest, combined with inspiration from a friend’s blog, helps her to decide what to do. She starts the Julie/Julia Project, a blog in which she describes her adventures while cooking her way through Julia’s entire classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Julia Child is an irrepressible spirit exploring Paris with characteristic eagerness. She has so much energy, but doesn’t know what to put it into. She attempts a hat-making class and bridge lessons, but finally lands on cooking. As a food enthusiast, she longs for more challenges than the tame how-to-boil-an-egg lessons offered for women. She plants herself in a class with male chefs, who are at first scornful of her, but eventually are won over by her zest for life. That same zest is what makes people love Julia. She is so full of joy that it can’t help but spread to the people around her.

Perhaps that is why she inspires Julie more than 60 years later. Their stories intertwine: tales of love, life, perseverance—and butter– Julia’s and later Julie’s favorite ingredient.

There is a lush feel to this film, and it goes beyond the usual chick flick in adding layers to the characters. While Julia Child—wonderfully played by the versatile Meryl Streep—is a happy person, all is not perfect. It takes more than eight years for her to get her cookbook published. But her greatest character trait is her tenacity. She never gives up.

Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams of Enchanted and Night at the Museum 2, is by turns adorable and exasperating. Neither heroine in this film comes across as a perfect person, but their flaws make them all the more relatable.

A great element to this movie is the way romantic love is depicted between husband and wife. Julie and Julia are each happily married. During the course of the movie, Julie realizes that she takes her husband Eric for granted. They have marital problems, but manage to work through them because of the love and commitment they share. Several camera shots also highlight her wedding ring. Julia and her husband are soul mates, loving each other through the ups and downs of life.

The best thing about Julie & Julia is that it truly is a happy movie. Yes, the characters have problems and conflicts and bad days, but they can triumph in the end. Sometimes hard work translates into dreams fulfilled. And there’s seldom been a nicer illustration.

Julie & Julia is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality.

Communicating the good news of the gospel is the primary focus of missions work. Media and technology provide missionaries with many ways to present the gospel in ways that the people in their region can understand best.

Also, working with or teaching technology can provide ways for missionaries to enter countries that are closed to mission work.

Many missionaries talked to North Greenville students in their classes during this year’s Global Missions Conference. Two specifically talked about the use of mass media on the mission field.

One vital area of mass communication that is often overlooked is public relations. Steven Lutz, a missionary working with Serving in Mission, talked about how public relations is used in missions around the world.

Public relations is “definitely needed on the mission field,” Lutz said.

He said that building credibility within the nations and the governments of those nations is important. Building credibility by using good public relations will keep doors open and allow missionaries to continue their work on foreign soil.

Lutz also said that good use of public relations would help to open additional doors in countries that need the gospel.

Public relations can be as simple as missionaries showing Christ’s love to people that they come across.

Lutz mentioned several ways that missionaries use public relations on the field, such as observing the local holidays. If a missionary owns a business, he or she would want to close the business on the specific holiday to show respect.

Lutz said that overall being culturally sensitive is important when trying to reach a people group.

Another couple from this year’s missions conference that uses mass media on the mission field is Chris and Becka Brazell. The Brazells work with the International Mission Board and have been in Sudan for the last nine years.

Becka Brazell grew up in missions; her parents were missionaries who worked in the medical field in Africa.

The Brazells were visiting and helping Becka’s parents at the hospital when there was an important surgery that was about to be performed on a man with a rare condition. The doctor said he wished there was someone there to document the surgery photographically. Chris was able to use his photography skills to fulfill the doctor’s wishes.

Later, Chris was sitting in on a lesson in which Africans were studying to be doctors. He noticed that they were learning from very old books with very small pictures of the human anatomy. He became inspired to help those people by photographing high definition pictures so they could truly learn what they needed to be learning in order to be physicians.

Sudan, a predominately Islamic country in northeastern Africa, is very hesitant about allowing Americans to enter their borders.

“If you are an American, they think you are either a missionary or a spy,” Chris said.

With a Christian degree, it is difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to obtain a visa. This puts the Brazells at an advantage. Chris received a degree in journalism, while Becka works in the medical field. While they are affiliated with the International Mission Board, their jobs overseas are focused on connecting and caring for people and developing relationships before they are able to spread God’s Word.

Becka teaches classes about the importance of clean water and HIV awareness. She also performs medical procedures.

Chris uses media as his way to reach people. He creates videos and radio productions to convey health awareness. He also uses his video technique to create short films for missionaries, to persuade them that Sudan is not a lost cause, as the news often portrays.

Brazell talked about three main ways media is used to further mission work.

One way is advocacy, such as promoting a mission board or sending agency. Producing evangelical tools, such as films and gospel literature, is another way that media can be used on the mission field. These tools help missionaries share the gospel is different ways.

Another way that media is used to reach people is the use of health education videos. These health videos are a great way to gain access to people to minister to them physically and spiritually.

To begin the process of being called to serve, Becka received a phone call saying that doctors were needed to help out in Sudan, and she accepted, however she said that her husband would also need something to do while they were there.

Later, they received another call. Japan had donated a lot of high-tech equipment for the area to use for a television station. There was a tsunami, and they had to unplug all the equipment and get it to higher ground so that the rising waters would not damage it. The equipment was safe, but they had no way of getting it put back together. Everyone was so frantic to save it that they were pulling out cords every which way. This was just the job that Chris needed for the couple to fulfill their calling.

They have been serving in Sudan for seven years now with their two sons.

The Brazells are a great example of a family who is using the talents God has given them to reach other people with the gospel. They have used their knowledge of media and medicine work with the government to create educational videos about common diseases and disease prevention.

Mission work is often simply using God-given talents and resources to reach a previously unreached people group.

Mass media and technology have given missionaries many ways to communicate the message of the gospel to people of all walks of life.

Anything from desktop publishing to radio production can be used on the mission field to further the work of God.

During Global Missions week, students had the pleasure of dining with an international-themed meal each day. Monday night showcased the Mexican culture and gave live entertainment through a Mariachi band. (Photo by Jenny Farnham)

It was something more than an ordinary evening at Todd Dining Hall. This past Monday was International Night and the theme was Mexico. This was a tribute to Global Missions Week, which was the inspiration for the International Night.

The event was planned to give people there a taste of what life in another country would be like. The locale was festively decorated with flags from many different countries and tables were set up with information on missions. The Mexican theme was detailed and well done. Many elements made this particular night at the dining hall special.

Piñatas added a lot to the theme, and so did the miniature tents offering Mexican food classics like colored corn chips and cheese dip. From all accounts, the food was delicious, and the students enjoyed the dinner very much.

The overall effect was the feeling of being in Mexico, or at least a favorite Mexican restaurant.

The main event was the live mariachi band, which gave the students a taste of an important part of Mexican culture. It consisted of a trumpet, guitarron, mariachi guitar and vocalist. The band was dressed in authentic costume and sounded fantastic, giving their all with sound that was not amplified by speakers. The band played to the audience, shifting position every few songs and moving around the circumference of the room. They played old Spanish songs, the strains of which were faintly familiar to those of us who grew up on I Love Lucy. The acoustic set was highlighted by a Spanish version of “Happy Birthday,” played by the band to one of the students.

It was raining relentlessly outside, but fortunately even unfavorable weather could not put a damper on enthusiasm. The food was excellent, the music was lively, and both the students and the faculty seemed to enjoy the evening.

“The ‘big guitar’ is pretty awesome, not going to lie,” Rebekah McIlwain said.
Everyone involved in International Night had a good time, and hopefully they learned a little something about another way of life in the process. The authentic food, decorations, and music all added up to make the routine of dinner at the cafeteria something of a cultural experience.

North Greenville cross country coach Micah Sepko found reason for optimism from the Crusader performances at the Citadel Invitational over the weekend.

“It was a good race,” Sepko said.” This was more of a team-building trip, but I felt like they ran well.”

The Crusader men and women finished fifth out of six teams and seventh out of eight teams, respectively, at Saturday’s Citadel Invitational in Charleston, S.C.

Six Crusader men—Andrew Mosteller, Taylor Spence, Daniel Stockwell, T.C. Ford, Justin Everett and James Lind—finished in the top 40 in the eight-kilometer race at Citadel. Mosteller, freshman youth ministry, led the way for the Crusaders, placing 23rd with a time of 30:11. Spence, junior interdisciplinary studies, claimed 33rd place with a time of 31:53 while Stockwell, junior secondary education, and Ford, senior Christian studies, finished 34th and 35th with times of 31:57 and 31:59. Lind, sophomore interdisciplinary studies, and Everett, sophomore history, were not far behind, placing 39th and 40th.

“We feel good about finishing as a group,” Stockwell said. “I thought it was a good race, but we want to get better for the next one.”

Members of the men’s team say they feel good about their progress so far this season, but they know that there is plenty of room for improvement.

“We need to learn how to use each other more and race faster as a group,” Lind said.

The Lady Crusaders averaged a five-kilometer race of 23:28 and had four runners—Anita Casey, Shana Sears, Jill Forthaus, and Ariel Seppala—in the top 50. Casey, sophomore psychology, led North Greenville, placing 20th with a time of 21:47. Sears, junior English, placed 28th with a time of 23:06 while Forthaus, freshman intercultural studies, and Seppala, senior interdisciplinary studies, were able to finish 33rd and 45th with times of 23:12 and 24:15.

Casey, who has two top-30 finishes this year, believes that she is running well, but is striving to improve.

“I want to improve more for myself,” Casey said. “I am pushing to break the top 20 this season.”

The team has been dealing with the injury bug for a good part of this early season, but Sepko has strong faith in the team’s potential.

“We have some young runners,” Sepko said. “But as the season goes on, we will get better as a team.”

The Crusaders will race again Oct. 3 at the Belmont Abbey Invitational in Belmont, N.C.

Sarah Woodly, left, and Dr. Allen McWhite, right, pose for a picture to help showcase the Global Missions week. Like Sarah Woodly, many student missionaries came to share their testimonies to encourage others to participate. (Photo by Daniel Jamison)

During Global Missions Conference, Dr. David Garrison preached two inspiring bonus chapels, which many students attended. Along with his preaching, there were testimonies and also an amazing video capturing a life of a Muslim.

Dr. Tom Grassano gave his testimony of the Urban Harvest Ministry on Monday night. The ministry works with young people in the projects of the Bronx, NY. Along with reaching the youth, they also help minister to the gangs and drug dealers, praying for salvation in the city. Through this ministry, there were more people employed, higher graduation rates and people started to realize there was a purpose in life. Not only do they reach people in New York, but also in Detroit, Mich., participating and holding backyard Bible clubs and prayer stations.

On Monday, they also showed a video called Walking in Shadow, made by In- Field media. The video shows an African fisherman who does not know whether he will go to heaven or hell. He works hard to pray five times a day because he is Muslim and wants Allah to know he is faithful. The end of the video says how beautiful are the feet that bring the good news. It was an inspiring video, reminding Christians that we are to take the word of God to the nations.

Along with the messages and testimonies, there was a worship service where one could really feel the spirit of God moving. The main song of the week was “Your Name.” Students lifted up the name of Jesus and truly praised the One whose name is above all else.

Garrison spoke about what it means to know God’s glory. He asked the people what their destination in life was. He asked the students, “Where would God have me go, as a student?” He spoke from Habakkuk 2:14, which says, “For as the water fills the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of God.”

Garrison said that knowing the glory of God means having an intimate relationship. Giving glory to someone is like “pumping” them up.

“But you can’t build up God bigger than He is,” Garrison said.

He explained in simple words that the glory of God is Jesus. Not only do you see the glory of God at the most amazing times when God is bringing so many into the Kingdom, but even in the pain and suffering, God’s glory will shine through.

Before Dr. David Garison came on stage to speak, students were led each day in a time of worship with songs such as "Your Name." (Photo by Jenny Farnham)

“When you have a baby, you can see your face in them. And the same is when Jesus comes in and we are born again, God can see his Son’s face in us,” Garrison said.

He told a story about a dear friend named Hanumanda, which means “the joy of the monkey god.” Hanumanda was a Hindu villager who took care of the building he lived in and saw a difference in the way the missionaries were acting. He began to ask to have a Bible in his own language so he could discover what this difference was. Once he was given a Bible, no one ever saw him not reading it.

“I can feel it in my back,” Hanumanda said once he received Jesus as his Savior.

He had goose bumps all over him. Garrison said he had seen the glory of God in Hanumanda and that’s what every Christian should have.

On Tuesday night, the mission field was again showcased to appeal to college students through the program called Journeyman.

Started more than 40 years ago, Journeyman is a program offered by the International Mission Board to allow single or married college students, ages 21 – 26, to go and do mission work in another country for a period of three years.

These students must be citizens of the United states, in top physical, mental and spiritual shape and willing to go into any nation to spread God’s word.

A few students came to talk about the program, including three Alumni from North Greenville University.

Later in the service, Garrison began his sermon about Killer Giants. He told the story of David and Goliath, and how even though he was a small boy, David conquered a great giant. As in any mission field there will be giants to overcome, but with the strength and power of Jesus’ name anything can be overcome.

The Global Missions Conference gave students an opportunity to see the impact made by people serving God all over the nations. That is our commission and we are to bring the gospel, not just to the people in America, but to the ends of the earth.

On Sept. 26, the North Greenville volleyball team took their two-game winning streak on the road as the traveled to Central, S.C., to take on the Southern Wesleyan Warriors. The Crusaders extended their winning streak to three games, beating the Warriors in a four-set match (20-25), (25-23), (25-19) and (25-20).

Anjelica Wilcox, freshman biology, and Charlotte Swain, junior, each posted 10 kills in the match, and Gabrielle McKinley, senior elementary education, led the Crusaders in assists with 27 along with six kills of her own. Kayla O’Kelley, sophomore health and wellness, also posted 10 kills on offense.

“The triple threat Wilcox, McKinley, and Swain definitely stepped up and motivated their team,” Crusaders coach Lauren Axson said. “Wilcox, McKinley, and Swain all did a phenomenal job of motivating the team and keeping the confidence going.”

Lauren Hawkins, junior biology, played aggressive defense in the game against the Warriors. Hawkins contributed 14 digs to make the Crusaders defense solid. Sara Beth White also contributed on defense, finishing with four blocks in the game.

“The ladies are improving day by day, on and off the court,” Axson said. “The ladies kept their head in the game and played with a lot of momentum in today’s game. We showed a great deal of effort and that is something we need to continue to do in order to be successful for the remainder of the season.”

“If the ladies have the attitude of continuing to work together and having the awareness of each other’s physical presence on the court defensively and offensively, the ladies will be successful,” Axson said.

The Crusaders (7-11) will be back at home in Hayes Gymnasium tonight at 6 p.m. to take on Columbia, the first of two matchups between the two teams.

North Greenville forward Seth Snyder lines up a shot Saturday afternoon at a soggy Pepsi Stadium. Snyder was one of ten Crusaders to score in the win. (Photo by Timur Kamilov)

Jonathan Restrepo, junior international business, netted three goals and an assist as the men’s soccer team blew out Tennessee Temple 15-1 Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium. Max Duarte, senior marketing, added two goals and three assists from the midfield position.

All starters but Seth Snyder, senior business, were subbed off the wet pitch after an overwhelming first half. Tennessee Temple had only 11 players on the roster and no substitutes.

“We had a couple of players who were struggling with their confidence to put the ball in the back of the net, so hopefully this will help them, because we have an important game (versus Anderson) coming up,” Crusaders coach Chad Gfeller said.

Overall, 10 different players got on the score sheet for the home team. North Greenville (3-3-1) wasted no time in getting on the board as Duarte fed Restrepo for a goal in the second minute. Tennessee Temple failed to apply significant pressure on the ball, allowing the Crusaders to use quick one-touch passes in the attacking third.

“Overall, we’ve played really well the past three or four games,” Gfeller said. “Consistently we’re coming out and playing possession soccer and controlling the game well.”

North Greenville tied rival Southern Wesleyan 1-1 last Wednesday and will travel to Anderson to face the Trojans, who have one of the top goal scorers in NCAA Division II.

Ashlyn Henderson, sophomore outdoor leadership, and Hayley Williams, junior linguistics and early childhood education, each scored two goals as the women’s team dropped Tennessee Temple 9-0 Saturday. Seven different players found the back of the net for North Greenville (5-3-0).

“That’s something we wanted to do was move the ball around and get some different players involved in the attack,” North Greenville coach Jesse McCormick said. “We wanted to work together as a team and not just let one or two players do what they needed to do.”

Beth Morgan, senior health and wellness, used a one-touch pass to assist Henderson on her first goal in the 10th minute. Williams scored her first goal three minutes later on a pass from Danielle Duff, senior sport management.

The Lady Crusaders controlled almost all of the possession and added another goal in the 20th minute by Morgan on an unselfish pass from Leah Ward, junior sport management. North Greenville led 7-0 at halftime and added two more goals under a steady rain in the second half.

“This is one of the weakest teams we will play, but getting some players on the field who don’t see a lot of playing time is a good thing,” McCormick said. “We want to continue to work on using one-touch passing to move the ball.”

North Greenville will travel to Cleveland, Ga., to face Truett McConnell Friday at 4 p.m.

On Sept. 26, the North Greenville Crusaders traveled to Summerville, S.C., in hopes of coming away with the season’s first win against in-state rival and Division I FCS team Charleston Southern. The North Greenville defense once again played a strong first half but tired late in the game as the Buccaneers downed the Crusaders 34-0 in a one-sided game.

The Crusader offense mustered just 90 yards of total offense on the day compared to 516 total yards by the Charleston Southern offense. Leading the way for North Greenville (0-5) was running back Montez Hatten, sophomore business, who rushed 12 times for 19 yards.

Quarterback Richard Harb, junior history, continued his struggles, completing five of 12 pass attempts for only 20 yards. The biggest offensive play for the Crusaders came from the special teams unit when Justin Jones, senior sport management, faked a third quarter punt and completed a 20-yard pass to defensive back Jereme Green, sophomore print media, for a first down.

“We need to continue ‘striking the stone’ every day in practice,” said offensive lineman Jordan Floro, junior interdisciplinary studies, of the struggling Crusader offense.

“The coaches are putting us in the position to be successful on Saturdays. It really comes down to the fact that it takes all 11 guys on the field every snap to be a strong offense. I feel like we are taking the necessary steps to be successful, and we are very close to becoming a good offense.”

The defense was the strong point once again for the Crusaders in the first half, but a powerful Charleston Southern offense wore them down as the game went on. Damien Wright, graduate student, led the defense with 11 tackles.

Jamarius Robinson, sophomore business, finished the game with seven tackles and linebacker Nathan Batchelor, sophomore business, chipped in four tackles and forced a fumble. Brandon Aldridge, freshman undecided, and Tyran Melvin, junior business, each had an interception in the game.

The Crusaders will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 3 to take on Edward Waters in hopes of coming home with the first win of the 2009 season.