Two Servants of the Word Brothers Make Life-long Commitments
On 24 August 2024 at the Brotherhood Center in Chelsea, Michigan, USA, Peter Mayoros and Karl Codouni made lifelong commitments to live single for the Lord in the Servants of the Word.
“I felt the Lord saying that this was the life for me.”
Peter Mayoros was born in 1992 and grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA together with his brother Daniel. His mother is originally from London where she was part of Antioch, the local Sword of the Spirit community; his father got involved in the Word of Life, the Sword of the Spirit community in Ann Arbor, while studying at the University of Michigan.
“I grew up in the best family possible,” Peter says. Due to growing up in Christian community, Peter was surrounded by people who encouraged him to follow the Lord from a young age. Also, one of the Servant of the Word brothers is his godfather, so he also had some exposure to the brotherhood from an early age.
Peter considered for a while becoming a priest, but discerned that was not his call. So he began his studies at the University of Michigan, where he first rubbed shoulders with men from the brotherhood. In particular, a “summer household,” where undergraduate university men live with Servants of the Word brothers, impacted him deeply: “I found the space these men make for prayer really attractive.” At first he was a little bit reluctant, but eventually, in his junior year, Peter became an affiliate, something like a novice. From then on, “whenever I came to a time of discernment and asked the Lord what he wanted from me, I felt him saying that this was the life for me.”
For the past number of years Peter has been involved in University Christian Outreach (UCO), mainly in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
His whole family, including his grandmother from London, England and his brother and sister-in-law from Scotland, were there for the celebration. “My family is very supportive of my decision.”
“My desire to love God and his prompting me to live this life”
Karl Codouni is a Lebanese brother. He was born while his parents were living in New Jersey and being part of the People of Hope community there, and moved to Lebanon with them when he was nine. They got involved in the People of God, the local Sword of the Spirit community, where Karl became part of the youth program, the Scouts, and eventually UCO, the local University Christian Outreach (UCO) chapter. “It was during that period that I really made my faith my own.”
Karl had known Servants of the Word brothers because many of them were friends of his parents, but it was only when he decided to be a radical disciple that he began asking the Lord what His call was on his life. Somewhat independently his two brothers also both looked into joining the brotherhood. “That scared my mom a little bit” [‘no grandchildren?’] Eventually, his brother Greg chose marriage and his brother Paul made a lifelong commitment to the Servants of the Word. “My parents were very supportive and happy that I wanted to follow the Lord, but they also wanted to make sure I was not just rushing into it.”
While studying Computer Engineering, in his third year, Karl became an affiliate and at the end of his studies moved to Michigan to live with the brothers. Then followed two years in London, UK where he was serving in Koinonia, the local University Christian Outreach in London; two years in the International Servants of the Word Formation House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, and three years back in London, UK with the Servants of the Word brothers. Karl is a multi-gifted man. He is involved with UCO mission outreach work, computer programming, and recently also administration and finances for the European and Middle East region of the Sword of the Spirit.
Asked what makes a man join the Servants of the Word, he answered: “It is a mix of a desire to love God and a prompting from the Lord to do it. He gives grace, and the life seems to suit me.”
This article is excerpted from The Servants of the Word, an international, ecumenical brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.
Photos – courtesy of the Servants of the Word © 2024.
The Servants of the Word is an ecumenical, international brotherhood of men living single for the Lord within a larger community of communities, the Sword of the Spirit.