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Short-term workers commissioned for the extraordinary |
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Written by Linda Moffett
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 “God invades the lives of ordinary people and makes them extraordinary,” said Josef Berthold, speaker at Eastern Mennonite Missions’ Winter Commissioning Service for short-term workers. “God starts with small signs, small things. Rarely does he come to us with the finished project.” Berthold was speaking to a group of more than 150 people who gathered on January 23 at East Petersburg Mennonite Church to commission two YES teams and four individuals.
He noted that in the traditional Christmas story that it was shepherds keeping watch in the fields. “Some may say I’m two months behind in reading this passage,” Berthold joked. “But I say I’m ten months ahead.” Berthold told the congregation that the story intrigues him since the shepherds were on the lowest rung of society.
“God invaded the shepherds’ lives and brought the good news to them first. He came to ordinary people with extraordinary news,” Berthold said. “Jesus was someone who walked with lepers. He stood up for people who were not easily seen or accepted.”
“The shepherds hurried off when they got the news. They had an urgent task. In life we often forget what is of the utmost importance. What are we hurrying off to?” Berthold asked. “In the light of eternity, in light of the fact that God has invaded our lives, there should be the urgency to make our moments count. We need to live with the expectation that small things can grow into mighty things.”
“On your outreach, you will meet all kinds of people. Maybe you don’t even speak their language. You will encounter desperate situations. You will feel overwhelmed,” Berthold told the commissionees. “You will ask yourself, who are you to make a difference. But remember that God uses small things to do big things.”
 Two 2011 winter YES teams were commissioned. Members of the Honduras YES team are Curtis Kauffman from Mill Creek, PA; Blakely Schwenk from Henderson, NE; Steven Spicer from Wichita, KS; and Heather Vaccaro from Broadway, VA. Members of the Kenya YES team are Daniel Canaviri from Harleysville, PA; Ronal Guerrero from Bronx, New York; and Nick King from Archbold, OH. GO! participants commissioned were Brian Frey of Newville, PA, who will be going to The Gambia, and Jamie Martin from Morris Run, PA, who will be going to Asia. Harrisburg Discipleship Center staff members Amber Huber and Anthony Sensenig were also commissioned.
GO! participant Brian Frey had completed training at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center and will be leaving for The Gambia on March 1. “I saw God at work through connecting with the staff and the others at the center and through the session on spiritual warfare,” Frey said. “Training was wonderful. I’m excited and I’m nervous. I’m hoping to be stretched.”
Curtis Kauffman from the Honduras YES team said he didn’t know exactly what to expect on outreach. “I just want to make a difference in people’s lives,” he said. “But I expect that I might be changed more than they are!”
“It is exciting to be lifting up, releasing, and blessing these young adults,” said Ryan Showalter, director of Discipleship Ministries. “They will be going to places they’ve never been before. It is a privilege to be commissioning them.”
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Positions Available
Join StaffX at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center to grow spiritually and in leadership skills as you mentor and serve others. Current volunteer staff openings: Community Outreach Coordinator, Mission Mobilizer, Office Assistant, and Prayer Coordinator.
Contact Sherrie Ober if you are interested.
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