Winter 2009 - Lancaster Mennonite School

Church work apriority for 1977alumnusALUMNI FEATUREGrowing up in southern Floridawhere Mennonites are a minoritymay have a lot to do with why JerryMartin, 1977, is attracted to churchwork in areas less familiar withAnabaptists. Jerry is moderator ofMountain States Mennonite Conference(MSMC) which includes 21 churches innorthwestern Texas, New Mexico andColorado.“As individual churches and as aconference, we are forced to define whowe are in the context of a world thatknows very little about us,” Jerry said.“It is easy to be overly dependent ontradition or generations of families whogrew up Mennonite to energize andgrow the church.“People who don’t know the Mennoniteexperience require us to examineand verbalize our faith in new and differentways.”As conference moderator, Martinchairs the conference Leadership Boardand works closely with ConferenceMinister Herm Weaver. Jerry says heenjoys his role of organizing their leadershipgroup, helping to envision theconference’s future, and supportingHerm in his demanding task of overseeing21 churches.Jerry and his wife, Jeanette, also a1977 LMS graduate, are very active inLiving in the dorm ... was awonderful experience. I learned... that it is much more interestingto live with others than it isto live alone, which has becomea model for my life.- Jerry Martin, 1977their home congregation, Beth-El MennoniteChurch, near their ColoradoSprings home.“Participation in all aspects of churchlife is important to both of us,” he said.“We learned that from our parents andhave chosen it as a value for ourselves.The church needs active lay leaders.”Jerry’s involvement in his congregationhas included teaching, worshipleading, choir, servingas congregationalchair, andserving on thebuilding committee.Jeanette hasworked as administrativeassistant inthe Beth-El officefor 10 years. Jerrysays she also “isone of Beth-El’swelcoming gurus”who has led thechurch’s WelcomingMinistry formany years.For familyincome, Jerryworks from hishome as an independentsales representative for SauderManufacturing in Archbold, Ohio. Hecovers five states in his work—NorthernNew Mexico, Colorado, Utah,Wyoming and Montana.He received an associate degree inBible from Hesston College and a B.A.in organizational communication fromUniversity of Colorado.Although Jerry and Jeanette met atLancaster Mennonite, it wasn’t until sixyears after graduation that they discoveredthe spark that led to their marriagein 1985. They have a daughter, Chloe(a student at Hesston College), and ason, Jacob.ServiceJerry and Jeanette taught two years inAswan, Egypt, as English as a SecondLanguage teachers and served threeyears in Amman, Jordan, as countryrepresentatives—both assignmentsunder Mennonite Central Committee.LMS influence on church workGoing to LMH for my junior and senioryears provided an integration of faithand education that I hadn’t experiencedbefore. I think it provided a model thathas helped me balance a working careerand service as a church leader.Jerry Martin and Jeanette Hertzler Martin, both 1977Best things about LMSI have lifelong friendships that began atLMH, including the most important onein my life (Jeanette). In addition, CampusChorale and Choraleers were veryimportant experiences for both of us.LMS residence hallLiving in the dorm as a senior was awonderful experience. Dick Thomaswas a great dorm advisor. I learned inthe dorm that it is much more interestingto live with others than it is to livealone, which has become a model formy life. The dorm was a highlight forJeanette as well (she lived in Mechanicsburg).Jeanette and I love ...The wide open spaces and the outdoorlife of the mountainous west. From thetime we moved to Colorado more than20 years ago, camping, hiking, bicyclingand skiing have been an importantpart of our lives. While we live in anurban area, the recent rural history ofthis part of the country still permeatesthe pace of life and relationships. ■BRIDGES • WINTER 2009 15