Mose S. Stoltzfus entered into his eternal rest on December 6, 2020, following a brief battle with Covid-19. The testimony of his life was that of a race well run, leaving a legacy of godly faithfulness to the end which others can follow. Brother Mose, as he was often referred to by his church brethren, will be greatly missed. Family, friends, business associates, and church brethren remember with gratitude how his life was a blessing to them. Most of all, he will be missed by his beloved wife, Rhoda.
Mose grew up in a home where he was taught the “fear of the Lord” and had a new birth into the Kingdom of God at the age of 15. This was the beginning of his love for God and His Word, the Holy Scriptures. This was a love which he pursued for the rest of his life, and which in time enabled him to be mighty in word and deed.
It has been my privilege to have known Brother Mose for nearly 30 years. Most of the fellowship we had together was related to the work of the Church, and of the Kingdom of God. What I want to share here concerning Brother Mose is largely related to his ministry in the Gospel.
One of the prominent gifts the Lord gave to Brother Mose was the gift of preaching. It was a gift that he pursued with zeal, not by constraint, but willingly. Whether it was just a few gathered in a living room or hundreds gathered in a community hall, he loved to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He often preached to men and women who had troubled souls and were seeking a Savior. He preached to small assemblies of believers where new churches were beginning, helping them to be established in the faith. He preached in large churches and fellowship gatherings of saints encouraging and exhorting them to follow Christ.
Those who were around Brother Mose during his years of ministry know that he loved singing. He encouraged believers to open their mouth and praise the Lord in song, both individually and in the church assembly. Between 2010 and 2015, he took a small choir with him on several trips to Canada, singing and preaching as they visited various churches. He also made at least two trips to Germany during those years as well. The choir of youth that traveled with him would sing, and then he would preach in the German language. They visited about a dozen churches over the course of each three-week trip. On one trip, they also included a stop in a city for street witnessing and passing out tracts. Here again, Brother Mose preached in the German language to those under the sound of his voice.
When I consider the spirit and zeal of Brother Mose, the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans seem very fitting: I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also –Romans 1:14-15. Brother Mose saw himself as a debtor to make Christ known to many and was ready to preach wherever there was an open door. His ‘Rome’ was across America, Canada, and beyond. He was …not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: boldly proclaiming it to be …the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek –Romans 1:16.
For nearly two decades, from the late 1980’s and onward, Brother Mose frequently teamed up with Denny Kenaston, and they would travel to communities where they had an invitation to preach. Often, this would be a weekend event, starting Friday evening, going all day Saturday, and Sunday morning and afternoon. Sometimes it was a whole week or more of evening messages. One of them would preach one night, and the other the next night throughout the week. With much unction from the Holy One, they would preach the Gospel. There are many testimonies of new conversions, of repentance from sin, of revival, and of straying souls returning to the Savior.
Brother Mose sought the lost from any background and any place where they would come to listen. He even preached on city streets to those who never went to church. When he held meetings, many evangelical, protestant denominations were represented in those who came to hear him preach. But it was the various conservative, Anabaptist groups toward which his heart was especially drawn, since this was his own background. His specific concern was regarding those who had backslidden or strayed from the way of Truth. Whether those he encountered were Mennonite, Amish, or Hutterite, he could relate to their background and was well versed in the history of each group. He was able to preach in a powerful way to expose sin and error, while warning of judgment to come. He preached the cross of Christ as the hope of salvation to all who would believe.
Another gift Brother Mose had was in speaking with individuals one-on-one. It could be a middle-aged person on a hospital bed, a youth in a living room, or a young adult who had responded to the Holy Spirit’s moving after a preaching service. He had a way of gently asking them about the needs in their life, and then explaining clearly what needed to be done in order for them to be reconciled to God.
Throughout his ministry, Brother Mose labored much to establish churches on a right foundation. He was directly involved in the formation of a number of new churches, as well as advising and helping already established groups. He ordained men for the ministry in many churches, often with the assistance of elders from his own fellowship or those of a sister church. Issues such as brotherhood, unity, and proper leadership were important to him.
Brother Mose was often the watchman on the wall for the church in this generation. He would frequently warn against false doctrines that threatened to creep into churches. He was on guard against false teachers, false prophets, and even false brethren. In the face of these dangers to the church, he gave much attention to teaching sound doctrine. The Word of God was lifted up as the safe and sure foundation by which to judge what is true and what is false.
Brother Mose was a true leader. He led by direct action and by example. One thing that seemed to make him restless in spirit was to observe a situation where there was lack of leadership, for want of a man to stand in the gap. He was ready to step forward and serve when occasion called for it. But even as a strong leader, he surrounded himself with men who would labor with him. Throughout his years of ministry, he worked as a member of the body. Many of his preaching events across the country would be with fellow ministers preaching alongside him. When dealing with church problems, he would frequently seek out the council of fellow ministers. In the last handful of years, he was actively involved in the annual ministers’ meetings held in Indiana as the “Agape Christian Fellowship” group was being formulated and established. He would express, sometimes with tears, his rejoicing in the fellowship and council of his brethren who were laboring with him for the welfare of the various churches represented. There was also humility of mind in looking back over the years at those things that should have been done differently, whether errors or omissions, and acknowledging them as such. His passion was to see the church endure faithful unto the end.
And now Brother Mose has entered into his eternal rest. To those of us who knew him and labored with him remains the responsibility of carrying on the work of the Kingdom until Christ returns for His Church. May we be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.
