Faithfully yours - Looking past retirement

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Published on Sunday, May 29, 2016

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

June 30, 2015 was a significant milestone in my life. On that day, I formally retired from full-time Sunday ministry. Thus ended a career that had spanned a total of 38 years – 23 in a paid position in a local church and the last 15 as an itinerant minister, serving congregations who were either between ministers or who could no longer afford a full-time minister.

In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined how enjoyable, productive and rewarding this career would be. Nor could I ever have imagined the opportunities I would have, the many congregations to whom I would minister and wonderful people I would meet in the cities, towns and villages of southwestern Manitoba. Today, I want to thank those who made this possible.

First, I thank God for the amazing grace that has sustained me, especially in the past 15 years. One of the hardest lessons I had to learn was that “ministry was never about me.” It was about what God could do through me if I would get out of the way and give him a chance to do what he wanted to do. Like Joel Gregory (see the March 4 column), I was up at the corner of Rock Boulevard and Hard Place Avenue; convinced that I was no longer of any value to God or the church. But it was there that God let me find him and the process of rebuilding began.

Secondly, I want to thank those who stood with me and prayed for me and my family in the many turbulent and challenging times we have endured since 2002. Thank-you to those who mentored me, who were brutally honest with me when I sinned, who helped me find forgiveness and extend that forgiveness to others, who restored me to fellowship with God’s people and helped me discern and follow God’s call to the itinerant ministry I have so richly enjoyed.

Third, I want to thank the congregations who welcomed me to be their minister, even if it was only for one Sunday service. Thank you for your words of appreciation and encouragement and for the invitations to “come and worship with us again. We’d love to have you.” Your faith in God, your trust in me and your friendship are gifts I will treasure ‘til the day I die.

Fourth, I want to extend special thanks to the churches I was privileged to serve for extended periods of time since moving to Manitoba — Baptist churches in Neepawa, Virden and Portage la Prairie; Presbyterian churches in Neepawa and Winnipegosis and United Churches in Ste. Rose, Rorketon, Kelwood and McCreary. I have learned so much from you all and I am proud to call you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

So what’s ahead for Neil Strohschein? All I can say for sure is that I’m not done yet. I know that God still has something for me to do and I’m content to wait for him to show me what that is.

My immediate goals are to be a loving and caring husband, a reliable employee, a good neighbour and a responsible citizen – which sounds like a full-time job to me.

I love to write and hope to use this gift to help others (people like you) tell their stories of overcoming the odds and turning tragedy into triumph. And I will continue writing these weekly commentaries on local, national and world issues from a faith perspective. I hope you will continue to read them, enjoy them and be helped by them.