Epilogue (excerpts)

. . . While Orie assumed he would be called to pastoral ministry or evangelism,
it was not to be. He once said that every time he turned around,
he was given money to raise, count, and manage. At forty-three, and after
struggling mightily, Orie recognized and accepted his gift for administration.
This gift was expressed in a myriad of ministries. Orie’s disciplined
life, his commitment to follow the call of the church, and his quiet persuasion
was a potent combination. When applied to opportunities around the
world, these traits resulted in astounding productivity.

Yet his bearing was understated and quietly persuasive. He had ego
strength but was not egotistical; self-aggrandizement was not in his
nature. He saw himself in a supporting role—as John Mark serving the
apostle Paul, as Nehemiah assisting Ezra the prophet. An effective administrator
works behind the scenes, Orie wrote, and “where the administrative
gift tends to become noticeable and prominent anywhere, it’s a pity,
because it’s not intended to be that.”

His gift of administration was not foremost among the biblical listing
of gifts but was nearly last, a point Orie made repeatedly. A person’s gift
“will make room for him,” he said. That is, in exercising one’s gift, more
opportunities will become apparent. Orie’s gifts were extraordinary, but
his uncommon diligence and discipline magnified his gifts.

Orie’s gifts “made room for him,” but so did his family connections . . .

The convergence of Orie’s abilities with the tremendous needs and opportunities
of his era was a kairos, an opportune moment in history. Orie
helped to move his people from rural isolation to global engagement and
to weather the turbulent 1920s and ’30s. He participated in the formation
of MCC, and thanks to his influence it became the strongest and most
effective international, inter-Mennonite agency in history, while situated
in the center of Lancaster Conference, whose leaders feared such alliances.
He helped to create and manage Civilian Public Service and the National
Service Board for Religious Objectors, both a part of an unprecedented
ecumenical response to World War II.

Orie brought business savvy to the church. His entrepreneurial success
gave Orie added authority in the councils of the church. He knew how to
manage institutions, to build budgets, to write constitutions and bylaws,
to make a plan when others seemed unable to do so. He knew how to
create and organize new organizations to meet needs. He knew how to
mobilize the church to support relief and mission ministries, and to call
and assign young volunteers to posts around the world. In doing so, he
shaped lives and careers. Again and again, people whom I interviewed
testified that “a call from Orie was a call from God.”