The Bethany College Connection

Students Experience Ministry Quest

Ministry Quest (MQ), a program of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (MBBS), Fresno, CA, seeks to "Transform Lives Through the Power of a Call." The primary focus is to assist North American Mennonite Brethren Churches in calling out people for Christian leadership opportunities. MQ partners with colleges like Bethany to provide retreat experiences to help people discern and discover more of their calling – and to discover how they can live that calling out.
In March, Ministry Quest headed off to Bethany College for a weekend retreat at the Rosthern Youth Farm with more than a dozen participants. The MQ retreat was set up to focus attention on the call to vocational ministry, to help people understand how they can best use their gifts, strengths, abilities, and passions to serve God and His Kingdom. "It was sweet having a weekend to create a space, step back, and examine your life while helping and encouraging others as they did the same," said Brent Letkeman.

This spring's MQ retreat began with an experiential game, followed by Darlene Klassen, a retreat team member, who shared her "call story" with the students. Darlene, an adjunct Bethany College faculty member who has been involved in local church ministry, shared where God has been at work, and still is at work in shaping how she serves Him. Darlene's love for the Scriptures and openness allowed her listeners to see both the highlights and sometimes difficult realities of the journey. This created a place of safety for the participants to be challenged as they looked at their own lives. Darlene reported, "It was a privilege to hear the laughter, to hear the stories, and to see God calling this generation to follow Him."
Doug Berg, MBBS faculty member, led the Saturday morning sessions in which he challenged retreat participants through studying leadership as described by Paul in Acts 20:17-20. Throughout the retreat, emphasis was given to examining biblical call stories, hearing contemporary call stories and finally starting to shape and articulate one's own call story. This can be a life-changing process for many participants, as Sam Krause explains: "For me, it was an experience that has changed my life. I was unwilling to give God my whole life. I told God I would be willing to go into pastoral ministry but …then I felt I was being called into missions. This weekend confirmed gifting. … It is because of this, I am considering missions as it fits my personality, talents and goals."

This is just one of the many ways Bethany College nurtures disciples and trains leaders to serve. For more program information, visit the Bethany College website www.bethany.sk.ca.

Posted: March 25, 2009