Wayne Nitzsche, Perkasiewnitzsche@gmail.com
When I was nine years old I wrote a poem that appeared in what was then The Gospel Herald. The poem, which follows, was very simple.My GoalI’m a little branch on the vineI love Jesus, he is mine.In a few years I’ll be a man.I’ll work for Jesus all I can.For years I was embarrassed by this simplistic piety. But I came to own it, for in many ways it has defined my life journey and my life’s call.I grew up in a home where faith in Jesus was central and our lives revolved around family and church. Our small isolated Amish/Mennonite group was composed of relatives and farmers. All ministers were called from within the church.I had planned to follow in the footsteps of prior generations and become a Nebraska farmer, but when a farming opportunity mysteriously collapsed, I began to think about God’s call to something else. It led me to Hesston College where I discovered Anabaptism. I then spent two years with Mennonite Board of Missions in Ghana and three years as Youth Minister for the Iowa-Nebraska Mennonite Conference. Interacting with pastors I began to feel drawn to pastoral ministry. Two faithful pastors saw potential and encouraged me toward seminary.My wife Mary was instrumental in my call. She heard my doubts and fears and believed in me. Meanwhile she was paying attention to her own walk and God’s call to her. While at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., I became Assistant Pastor of Sunnyside Mennonite Church. There a seasoned pastor served as a wonderful mentor.I was called to a pastorate at Wooster (Oh) Mennonite where I served for nine years. Then Mary and I accepted the call to minister with the Ohio Conference as Regional Pastors. After 12 years, Mary received a call from Blooming Glen Mennonite to consider a pastoral position.This called for careful discernment and discussion. I had to shift my processing paradigm. Mary had honored my call. Could I now honor her’s while still being open to what God was saying to me?When Mary was invited to Blooming Glen, I had a sense that God would provide, even if it meant being a greeter at Wal-mart! It meant some sacrifice, living apart for several months. The call from Perkasie Mennonite Church was a blessed gift from God that allowed for both of us to follow God’s call to pastoral ministry.With the help of leadership from both congregations we are working out what it means to be a two congregation household. We are very grateful that both are committed to seeing it as an opportunity rather than a liability.The childhood poem continues to shape who I am and my pastorate. To be a “little branch on the vine” is to be connected. Connection to the Ultimate Vine means to practice the presence of Christ in my life individually and corporately. I need connection to others in the faith community and connection to the broader church. It even means connections with persons of other faith expressions and those with no professed faith.To say that “Jesus is mine” speaks to the personal but not private nature of faith. Jesus is mine, and I am his, but he is Jesus for the entire world, for those who claim allegiance to him and for those who one day will.I am now a man, and I want to “work for Jesus all I can.” I realize I am a finite man with limits. I want to honor those boundaries, so necessary for keeping my call fresh, and for the health of the Perkasie congregation who has entrusted to me this sacred call. My work for Jesus involves caring for the people he loves, the dear saints at Perkasie Mennonite Church, and those who have not experienced the joy of connection to the Vine.
