Testimonies
from Servants of the Word 45th
Anniversary
.
a report by
Martin Steinbereithner
Forty-five
years ago the Servants
of the Word began
when a few men made their
first commitment to live
single for the Lord.
Covenant community had just
begun among university
students in Michigan and
elsewhere, and while some
community members got
married, others felt
strongly called to live a
celibate life for God and
his people. Since those
beginnings the brotherhood
has grown to 130 men
(including affiliates)
living in 13 houses around
the world - in the
Philippines, England and
Northern Ireland, the US.A.,
Costa Rica and Mexico.
At the beginning of
September we had a
celebration at our
brotherhood center in
Michigan to mark our 45th
anniversary. Some 300
friends joined us for an
evening of prayer,
reminiscing, sharing, and
thanksgiving.
The following articles from
the recent Servants of the
Word Newsletter feature some
highlights and presentations
from Servants of the Word
brothers and guests.
The Servants of the Word
Newsletter is issued three
times a year. If you would
like to subscribe to the
free Newsletter, signup
online here.
Why Would a
Young
Protestant
Consider the
Servants of
the Word
Brotherhood?
Testimony
by David
Dolsen
David is a
graduate from
the University
of Michigan,
currently
serving on
staff with
University
Christian
Outreach.
About
a year ago I
landed in
Manila,
halfway around
the world, for
a mission
year: I was
very much out
of my depth,
yet with a
clear
realization
that my
closest
relationship
was with the
Lord Jesus: a
pretty
remarkable
realization.
How did I get
there?
It all started
while I still
was in Saline
High School,
only about 20
minutes south
of here. I got
involved in a
group called
“Ten for Men”
and amongst
ourselves we
often spoke
about how
wanted to live
a truly great
life, and it
was with that
ideal that we
graduated. For
college, I
found myself
at the
University of
Michigan where
I met a lot of
people who
were living
for many
things, but
not for God.
Toward the end
of my freshman
year I joined
University
Christian
Outreach (UCO)
and through it
I got involved
in a summer
household
program. I got
to live with
men like Nico
Angleys,
Joseph
Matthias and
Tadhg Lynch
and very
quickly I
realized:
“These are men
who are
actually doing
this, really
living all out
for God.” As I
got to know
them better, I
noticed that
they were all
living single
for the Lord,
which for me
as a Lutheran
was not
something I
had much of a
category for.
But over time
the question
took hold of
me: might this
be what I am
supposed to do
with my life?
Maybe I should
consider this
calling? So as
a result I
decided to
spend a year
in a
brotherhood
house in the
Philippines,
and now I am
working with
many of them
on staff with
UCO. I am very
excited about
where this
journey is
taking me, a
journey toward
true
greatness.
.
Still Here - After 35
Years
.
by Don DeSmith
I have been a lifelong committed brother for 35
years, and people sometimes ask me “why are you
still here?” A simple, possibly glib, answer would
be that the brothers have not kicked me out yet,
in spite of my many idiosyncrasies. But let me
give you three, more serious reasons.
The first is the love of God, and by that I mean
first and foremost God’s love for me, which I have
experienced and still do every day. This mercy and
steadfastness of his requires a response of love.
The Bible is clear that living single is a gift
and if you have it, you should take advantage of
it. So this is why I chose this life, as the best
way I knew to respond to God’s love.
Secondly, because it is a great life: it involves
prayer, normally at least three times a day. We
also live it in common with other men, in groups
of 6 to 12, and I find it a great privilege to
live with men like Dick LaCroix or Ted Kennedy.
And we engage in mission; even I who have spent 30
of my 35 years in software development, am part of
the common mission of the Servants of the Word,
whether it’s the youth work Dave Quintana does or
the community building of Ken Noecker, we all
engage in a common call.
Thirdly, I am still here because of the
encouragement of a great cloud of witnesses, the
people around me who live a Christian culture of
faithfulness: there are couples present here who
have been married for 35, 55 or in my parents’
case, 66½ years, and they encourage me to also
stay faithful to my vocation. So I am grateful to
the Lord and his faithfulness to us over 45 years,
and to the many inside and outside the brotherhood
who have encouraged me to remain faithful in
turn..
Dr. Martin
Steinbereithner is a
lifelong brother of the Servants
of the Word.
He is the director of
Communications and
Development for the
Servants of the Word.
Previously he worked
for twenty years in
campus ministry in
North America, Lebanon
and England and for
over the last ten
years with Christian
communities in the
Middle East, Poland,
Russia, Belgium,
Germany, Austria,
France, the UK and
Africa.
The
Servants of the Word Newsletter
is issued three times a year. If
you would like to subscribe to
the free Newsletter, signup
online here.
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