Clair Hochstetler with a Goshen Health System patient. Photo by John Yoder / Mennonite Mission Network.

MVS launches "amazing odyssey with Jesus"

An interview with Clair Hochstetler

As director of spiritual care for the Goshen Health System, a position he has held since 1998, Clair Hochstetler has ample opportunity to share his unique blend of humor, energy, compassion and Christian commitment with people from all walks of life and with a variety of needs. In addition to providing direct spiritual care, he also oversees the training and supervision of the entire pastoral-care staff. Spiritual leadership in one form or another has been the hallmark of Hochstetler's entire career, going all the way back to his junior year at what was then Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va. It was there that he first looked into serving an assignment with Mennonite Voluntary Service, and wound up serving as both program director for the Stratford, Ontario, unit and as eastern regional administrator. MVS is currently part of Mennonite Mission Network's Service, Learning and Discipleship department.

"MVS can be a transforming experience; a great launching pad into a very interesting and amazing odyssey with Jesus — if you keep him in charge of the guidance system," Hochstetler says. "The greatest joys and most important personal discoveries come from serving others. But don’t be afraid to let yourself get into situations where you will be challenged and stretched. MVS can provide such a context to test the waters."

Recently, he shared his thoughts with Mennonite Mission Network about how MVS was a transforming experience in his own life.

Q: What got you interested in MVS?

A: At college in 1974, as a college junior, I approached a display from [the former Mennonite Board of Missions] during a "Missions and Service" week at EMC and simply began brainstorming with a VS recruiter about options and opportunities. I also remembered the adventuresome stories my father told me about his VS days in Puerto Rico, about 25 years earlier.

Q: How did you happen to become program director?

A: I’m not sure. Technically, I think I was a co-program director with Cathy Knopp when we began the work in Stratford along with Randy Miller. We both extended our terms and ended up staying three years.

Q: What was a typical day on the job like for you?

A: The days were varied. I created my own job(s), initially as one of the founders of a Christian teen center we started in Stratford, which included a coffee house and recreation program three evenings a week. So I initially focused on building good relationships and had communication with various community leaders, youth of all kinds from the community, pastors and youth group leaders in the community, young people from the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference who helped us as volunteers, and various musicians and groups who contributed their talents. I got involved in planning, speaking, community-needs assessment, and some studying, since I also had some spiritual leadership responsibility at the teen center and internally in the VS unit as it grew in size, as well. I helped start the "Lend-A-Hand" home repair program for senior citizens, which a couple of "VSers" were then recruited to manage, plus the glass recycling program. Then in my third year I spent a lot of time developing that community’s volunteer probation program and selling the idea to various individuals who eventually became a board of directors to oversee the work of another "VSer" who came to manage that. I don’t think there were any "typical" days. Come to think of it, I don’t think there ever has been one in any job I’ve ever had!

Q: How did you move into the Eastern Regional Administrator position?

A: Almost by osmosis. Loren Horst, our regional administrator, was going to leave the position to go to seminary. He strongly encouraged me to apply for his position and so I did pray about it, and felt led to apply, but actually didn’t count on it to be thrown in my lap. I was surprised to be offered the job by John Eby, the director of MBM VS at the time. I made the transition only a month before my three-year anniversary, leaving my VS assignment in Stratford one day, and with some trepidation, finding myself fully in charge of it and about 10 other VS units around the eastern part of the US, Ontario, and Puerto Rico the very next day. I was based for the first three years at the Elkhart offices.

Q: What leadership skills did each position help you identify that perhaps you already had?

A: Group leadership and process skills, practicing the art of delegation, inspiring others toward a vision, multi-tasking, optimism in the face of challenges, and balancing that with taking time out to just "enjoy the moment" while relating with people.

Clair Hochstetler Photo by John Yoder / Mennonite Mission Network.

Q: What leadership skills did you develop as a result of having these positions?

A: In Stratford I learned how to communicate more effectively with women, for one, and develop inclusive language, for another! I had never lived in intentional community with women in college or otherwise. I was pretty rough around the edges since I’d grown up with no sisters. It was important developmental and personal growth. I also developed some good community-networking skills which have always served me well since. In my VS administrator role I also learned very valuable skills in dealing with a huge diversity of personalities, being a resource in conflict management, learning how to critically assess program effectiveness and strengthen mission focus. Plus I developed some pastoral counseling skills, as well, which whetted my own interest in seminary and congregational leadership.

Q: How have those skills served you in your work since then?

A: Immeasurably. These are all basic skills a good pastor needs to develop to become effective. I ended up serving four congregations in the decade of my 30s (first as a youth minister, then an interim co-pastor, then a solo pastor in a rural congregation, then with an urban one.) I draw on them every day in my current work as a busy hospital chaplain: this requires the ability to combine pastoral care and crisis counseling, volunteer administration, effective community resource networking, and faith sharing in the context of building relationships with people from a huge diversity of backgrounds.

Q: What message would you hope young adults would take from hearing your story?

A: Don’t worry about having to figure out your life direction; just let it flow by being faithful to what and where God is calling you to serve now, and significant leadership opportunities will open up for you quite naturally.

Q: Any final thoughts?

A: The MVS program is one of the longstanding seedbeds of church leadership. It creates significant service assignments for young people that will capture their vision. MC USA leadership should ensure that volunteers are provided with excellent pastoral care and spiritual mentoring — both on location and also from administration, and should continue to challenge all sponsoring congregations to offer MVSers meaningful leadership opportunities.