Four students complete Journey Missional Leadership Development Program
Published: January 10, 2024
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� In 2023, four participants completed the Journey Missional Leadership Development Program of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人) in Elkhart, Indiana.
The distance-friendly undergraduate-level certificate program develops leaders centered in Jesus Christ for ministries in local churches and communities. It鈥檚 designed for pastors, those exploring a call to ministry, church planters and lay leaders. The program consists of online study, biweekly meetings with a mentor, and two in-person gatherings per year. It currently has 40 participants in the United States, Canada, Uganda, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
The four graduates 鈥� who represent both independent/nondenominational congregations and congregations connected with 鈥� include:
Bill DeVries
Bill DeVries of DeMotte, Indiana, retired in 2021 after farming for 47 years. He serves as a lay leader in his home congregation 鈥� Hope Community, an independent congregation in Rensselaer, Indiana 鈥� preaching when needed and assisting with various worship responsibilities when needed. He鈥檚 also available to preach in other area churches.
DeVries recalled that almost 10 years ago, Philip Leichty, his pastor at the time, asked whether he would be willing to preach at an upcoming service.
鈥淚 had no training or experience in this area, but I enjoy studying the Bible and encouraging others, so I agreed to,鈥� he said.
Several months later he was asked to preach again, and soon he was preaching several times a year.
鈥淚 decided if I was going to be doing this regularly, I wanted to be better trained,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Journey program helped prepare me for this. I also made friendships that I will cherish for years to come.鈥�
DeVries is married to Bev DeVries; they have three married children and six grandchildren. His mentor in the Journey program was Kent Towler of Burr Oak Community Church in Rensselaer, an Evana Network congregation.
Greg Eads
Greg Eads of north central Indiana (Bourbon/Goshen/South Bend), is actively involved in ministry in multiple settings. For four years, he has been a full-time volunteer as a hospital chaplain for Goshen Health. Through the Elkhart County Jail Ministry, he helps provide transportation for people leaving incarceration. He has been training with Kairos, a prison fellowship program that has connections with the Indiana State Prison, and he has volunteered with The Way Goshen (theway2him.org) and SPA Women鈥檚 Ministries. His home congregation is Christian Center Church 鈥� a nondenominational/Spirit-filled charismatic church in South Bend, Indiana 鈥� where he serves as a greeter and is involved with the daycare ministry and CARE Ministry.
Eads entered the Journey program in the fall of 2020 at the suggestion of Dennis Miller, a fellow volunteer chaplain at Goshen Health and a 2018 Journey graduate. He said he had been looking for a faith-based leadership development program. He described the assignments as 鈥渃hallenging and rewarding at the same time鈥� and said he especially enjoyed the essays and open forums.
鈥淭he work in the Journey program and the others going through it alongside me gave me an outlet for unburdening as well as the filling of the heart with knowledge in the Lord,鈥� Eads reflected. 鈥淣ot being Mennonite/Anabaptist was a challenge in the studies that I welcomed and relish. Thank you, Journey, for the education and cultivation of the Christian faith.鈥�
Eads鈥� mentor in the Journey program was Jim Martin of the Church of Jesus Christ of Argos, Indiana. His parents are the late Jim and Virginia Eads, and he has three young adult children.
Ursula Hess
Ursula M. Hess of Goshen, Indiana, is actively involved in ministry in her community, serving as a lay/volunteer chaplain and volunteer grief group facilitator. She is also a lay leader in her congregation 鈥� Waterford Mennonite Church in Goshen, which is part of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. She is involved in a prayer ministry for Two-Way Mission, assists with Senior Adult Ministries, leads worship and is part of a Peace and Justice group. Professionally, she works as a registered nurse in hospice care.
鈥淭he Journey program has enriched my life and increased my faith in God,鈥� Hess reflected. 鈥淚 have gained a new rich understanding of the Bible and how to interpret it. I learned to see God as who God is according to my new understanding of Bible texts. I experienced a spiritual transformation and growth in my walk with God.鈥�
Hess said she appreciated gaining new perspectives on the 鈥渄ismantling鈥� of the church as it strives towards wholeness and a new walk in the footsteps of Christ in post-Christendom.
鈥淢y heart was deeply touched by our studies on pastoral care,鈥� she added. 鈥淭hey prepared the way for me for my current involvements.鈥�
Hess and her late husband, Dale Hess, are the parents of three children. Her mentor in the Journey program was Mary Hochstedler, also of Waterford Mennonite Church.
Bikash Shankhar
Bikash Shankhar 鈥� who is originally from Nepal and currently lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 鈥� joined the Journey program in the fall of 2019 while living in Chicago, Illinois, and attending Living Water Community Church, a congregation of Illinois Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. At Living Water, he served as an elder, led music and worship, and helped with the youth.
In 2021, Shankhar and his family moved to Ohio to be closer to relatives and the Nepalese community there. He currently serves as Secretary for his congregation, True Worship Nepal Church, a nondenominational congregation in Cuyahoga Falls. In this role, he coordinates leadership meetings, keeps the church records and works with the pastors to plan worship services. He said he sees opportunities for further ministry among the Nepalese in his community. Professionally, he works for Amazon as a Warehouse Associate.
Shankhar said he enjoyed the design of the Journey program and the lessons, as well as making new friends at the in-person gatherings twice a year. He said he also liked being part of a cohort in the program and sharing in the learning with his peers.
鈥淛oining the Journey program is one of the good decisions I made,鈥� Shankhar reflected. 鈥淚t was a great learning experience. I always wanted to do some kind of theological studies 鈥� like study of the Bible 鈥� and it opened my eyes to understand the Bible more deeply. Praise God 鈥� the program really encouraged my interest in continuing to study theology in the future.鈥�
Shankhar is married to Chandra Biswa; they have two daughters and are expecting a baby. His mentor in the Journey program was Olak Sunuwar, one of the pastors at Living Water.
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
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