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Called to Serve
Chapel Presentation by President Barry C. Bartel
November 12, 2008
There are three distinct times in my life when I had things figured out. I knew where I was going, and I had a plan to get there. And those are precisely the three times that I felt pulled in a different direction, and totally changed the course of my life.
First, in 1980, I knew my plan when I came to Bethel College as a freshman. I wasn’t sure what my major would be, but I knew that I would study hard in college in preparation for law school. I really had no doubt.
But then I took a course on peacemaking and conflict resolution, and my perspective on conflict broadened. I explored my faith in late-night conversations with new friends and classmates, and in class discussions guided by faculty. I clearly remember speaking with mission and service representatives on service days like this today. I had role models of family members who had served overseas. Brenda and I married after our junior year and my plans gave way to our plans as a couple. Soon the plan of law school faded, and the desire to be a part of something larger than my own ambition guided us. Our faith guided us, and our understanding of Jesus through the Sermon on the Mount inspired us. Exploration with mission and service agencies led to options in Botswana and Guatemala and others, until one day a phone call informed us that there was an urgent opening in Haiti that Mennonite Central Committee, MCC, wanted us to consider. We knew so little, and felt so unprepared, but somehow we knew it was right, and we agreed to serve in the rural village of Bois de Laurence, Haiti for three years.
Second, in 1997, I knew my plan when I joined a large law firm in Denver -- Work hard, develop expertise, nurture client relationships, and climb the law firm ladder of success. Combine that with church and civic and family involvement, and the picture was complete. It was so complete that there was little time to reflect on whether it was right. Little time, until I took a form of sabbatical, in which I was loaned from the law firm to the City Attorney’s office to prosecute misdemeanor cases. The pace was different, and Brenda and I found ourselves reflecting on the commitment we made when we left Haiti, that we wanted to make sure to raise our children with a broad understanding of the world and the ability to communicate in more than one language. We got excited about serving again with MCC, and even started looking at assignments, when reality hit me – I can’t give up my law practice now! I’m climbing a ladder, and I can see each rung I need to achieve. We met with our pastors, we prayed together, we tried to discern what was right. Soon the ladder of law firm success faded, and the desire to be a part of something larger than my own ambition guided us. We agreed to serve as Country Directors for one of MCC’s largest programs in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for five years.
Third, in 2003, I knew my plan when I joined another large law firm in Denver. Sound familiar? Work hard, develop expertise, nurture client relationships, and climb the law firm ladder of success. Combine that with church and civic and family involvement, and the picture was complete. We were very deliberate – we planned to stay in Denver for at least ten years, long enough for our children to complete high school and college – before we would consider another move.
I remember receiving the letter. It came from the committee for the search for Bethel’s president, asking if I was interested in being considered or if I knew of someone I would recommend. It was intriguing, but when I showed the letter to Brenda that evening, she said “don’t even think about it!” That was the end of that. I put the letter away and didn’t think about it. But then I received a phone call from the search committee two weeks later asking if I had received the letter. Yes, I said, and we are not interested. But I was a little bit curious, and asked whether this letter was really to me, or whether it was just another form letter sent to a large mailing list. He talked about why they had contacted me. After a lengthy conversation, I confirmed that this did not feel right, that we had plans in Denver, that everything was going well, BUT, that we had always tried to follow God’s leading in our lives, and how would we know if we didn’t enter into a discernment process. Brenda will tell you that my inquiry letter was the strangest one she has seen. It basically explained why I didn’t want this job. But as the process went on, as I met with the committee, as we processed the possibility with close friends, soon the ladder of law firm success faded, and the desire to be a part of something larger than my own ambition guided us. What a privilege it is to provide that space for others that I found as a student here at Bethel, a space that encourages and challenges, and guides and prepares.
I never saw God jump out from behind a bush and announce a plan for my life. And my experience has not been that trying to follow God’s call creates an easy path. Quite the contrary. It has forced me and us out of our comfort zone. But it truly is gratifying to feel a part of something larger than our own ambitions. May you also find space to plan, and plan well. Set goals, create ambitions. But take time to listen for God. You may hear her in your roommate’s question, or in your professor’s challenge. You may glimpse God in the chapter you resisted reading, or in the convocation you were least excited about attending. You may not realize that you were listening to God until you look back years later.
We are most often asked to share about our service assignments in Haiti and in Bolivia. But I challenge you to consider a sense of Christian service in all that you do, as a student, as a faculty or staff member, as you plan for your next stage in life. I know that many people here at Bethel consider our jobs a form of service, an opportunity to be a part of something larger than our own ambition, in service in the name of Christ our Lord. May each of you sense that call in your life.