Recently I
had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine who lives in Winkler.
Curtis is a man with a huge heart for people, a love for his community and one
of the friendliest guys I know. In 2008 he was honored as the Citizen of the
Year for the city of Winkler.
I would never have
guessed that Curtis would ever be the recipient of such an honor. I first got
to know Curt in the late ‘70’s when I directed Winkler Bible Camp. Curt was one
of our campers. To say that counselors were somewhat apprehensive about having
Curtis in their cabin would be an understatement! Curtis was a counselor’s
worst nightmare! He was constantly on the go, constantly challenging the status
quo. Today we would probably classify such an individual as having a high
attention deficit disorder.
Then Curtis joined
the Battalion group of Christian Service Brigade program in our church. I was
one of the leaders at the time. Well to say the least, we had some challenging
times. And going on outings with the boys and having Curtis along stretched our
patience and endurance to the limit. I don’t think any of us leaders believed
that Curtis would be anything but a positive influence on others.
I moved North with
my family in 1985 to pastor a small church in Cranberry Portage and direct
Simonhouse Bible Camp and never really gave much thought to Curtis, except to
occasionally use him as an example of challenges a counselor might face with a
group of campers! Then in 1999 we moved back to Winkler where I assumed the
role of associate pastor at Winkler Mennonite Brethren Church. It was then that
I was reintroduced to Curtis. The guy was everywhere!! In some respects,
nothing had changed! But I saw him at Winkler Bible Camp – helping out with a
maintenance project. Then I saw him at Pembina Valley Bible Camp – again
helping out on building construction or needed maintenance project. I would go
to Salem Personal Care Home – and again there was Curtis taking time with his
father-in-law – feeding him at meal times, engaging the older generation in
conversation and laughter. Then I would see him at Eden Mental Health Centre –
again visiting patients, bringing joy and hope into some very discouraged lives
of people. Then there were the children with special needs or from
dysfunctional families. Curtis would come by and give them rides on his
motorcycle. Everywhere that Curtis was I saw people being cared for, loved for
who they were. Everyone I talked to spoke highly of Curtis and his involvement
as a volunteer in so many different areas of the community.
In 2008 the
community recognized the substantial influence that Curtis has made on the life
of people in their city and honored him as Citizen of the Year. When I
congratulated Curtis on receiving this honor, he humbly dismissed the accolades
and stated that what motivated him was his love for Jesus Christ who gave him a
love for people and desire to serve and help others.
Thinking about
Curtis reminds me about a biblical story. The Apostle Paul dismissed a young man,
John Mark, as being unfit for ministry because earlier he had deserted Paul and
Barnabas on a missionary journey. Barnabas believed the best of John Mark and
wanted to take him along with them. Paul refused and the disagreement was so
sharp that it caused them to separate (Acts 13:36-41). Barnabas’ insight and
encouragement prompted Mark to become a very helpful leader in the early
church. Years later Paul requested Timothy to send Mark to come to Rome where
Paul was imprisoned, because he recognized that Mark was helpful to him in his
ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11)
It was Mark who would later write the Gospel that bears his name. Had it
not been for Barnabas’ encouragement Mark would likely never have risen to
leadership and service in the early church and we would not have the gospel
that gives us “snapshot” accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Curtis stands out
for me as an example that we should always look for the best in people.
Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Never give up hope – be an
encourager to the one whom others dismiss as unruly or least likely to succeed.
