March 1, 2010 issue
London Mennonite Centre hosts begin term
By Melanie Hess Mennonite Mission NetworkLONDON — After 40 years in Duncan, Okla., Barbara and Darrell Jantz have moved to the big city.
Ed Shirk, left, hands the London Mennonite Centre keys to the new host couple, Darrell and Barbara Jantz. — Photo provided by MMN
The Jantzes are the newest host couple at London Mennonite Centre, which serves as a retreat center, workspace and guest house for Anabaptists and other Christians in the United Kingdom and from all over the world.
The couple’s primary roles are to care for the property, change sheets, empty rubbish bins, make tea, and generally providing hospitality for those that pass through the center’s doors.
The Jantzes have been eyeing the host position for more than 30 years, ever since Barbara Jantz’s parents, Bill and Elizabeth Barge, served in the same role.
“My parents came in November 1979 and were here for six-and-a-half years,” Jantz said. “During that time, all six of us children visited them and all of us would tease each other: ‘That would be a fun thing to do.’ So, Darrell and I have talked about it through the years.”
The Jantzes kept checking Mennonite Mission Network’s website for the job opening, and even though it appeared several times, they weren’t ready to apply. But last summer, as Ed and Phyllis Shirk prepared to end their term as LMC hosts, the notice appeared again. This time, the Jantzes thought the timing was just right.
“We sent in our application that night,” Darrell Jantz said. “We were approaching retirement age, and wanted to downsize in terms of our house and things. We also knew we wanted to serve while we still felt well enough to do that.”
The Jantzes arrived in London Jan. 27, and have been adjusting to life in the city. Darrell Jantz has been learning to drive on the left side of busy streets. They’ve both been getting to know the guests.
“It’s an active place,” Barbara Jantz said. “People come through from all over telling their stories. We’re just lapping it up.”
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