Photo: C. Nelson “Nels” Hostetter. Photo provided. 

Nelson “Nels” Hostetter, 92, the first full-time executive coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) died May 18.

Hostetter led MDS for 15 years, from 1971 to 1986. He was based in the Akron, Pennsylvania, offices of the international relief and development agency, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). At the time, MDS was part of MCC.

In a 2010 MDS video celebrating 60 years of MDS work, Hostetter said MDS reflected one of the most important Anabaptist tenants, “servanthood”.

“I saw MDS being the model for servanthood,” he said.

Not long into his term, Hostetter experienced that servanthood first hand. In 1972 Hurricane Agnes slammed into the U.S. East Coast, becoming one of the largest disasters during his tenure.

In response to Agnes MDS organized some 8,200 volunteers, the largest volunteer response in the first 50 years of MDS.

Given the reality of the growing number of disaster response agencies in the U.S. and Canada, Hostetter realized that there was need for focusing the MDS mission as so not to compete with other church, civic and national response groups.

With the blessing of the MDS board, Hostetter carved out an MDS niche in disaster cleanup and rebuilding. That focus remains today as MDS continues to respond, rebuild and restore after natural and manmade disasters.

“In recent years when I would visit Nels, I would come away amazed how MDS stands on the shoulders of caring and passionate leaders such as Nels,” Kevin King, MDS executive director said. “I am grateful for his leadership and service to the wider church through MDS and for providing the opportunity for servanthood to be part of our witness as a church.”