Ruth K. Clemens shares memoir of faith, migration and purpose

Ruth K. Clemens, a former Mennonite Central Committee international program director, was featured on Close Up Radio on June 4 to discuss her memoir, A Quest for Purpose. The book ties together her childhood in Congo, years of global service and current work with asylum seekers in Baltimore.

Why it matters: - Clemens’ memoir connects personal history to larger questions about faith, migration, privilege and belonging. - Her story adds a firsthand perspective on asylum seekers and communities facing demographic change. - The book also offers a practical angle through callingtools.net, a resource for people exploring purpose and direction.

What happened: - Ruth K. Clemens was featured on Close Up Radio in an interview with Jim Masters on Thursday, June 4 at 10 a.m. EDT. - Clemens discussed her newly released memoir, A Quest for Purpose, published by Lucid Books. - The memoir draws on her childhood in Congo, her MCC career and her current work in Baltimore.

The details: - Clemens was born in Illinois during her parents’ furlough, then returned to Congo at 8 months old. - She grew up on a remote mission station among the Bashilele people. - Congo’s 1960 independence forced her family to evacuate. - Clemens describes that departure as urgent and bewildering, because Congo had been her home. - The memoir examines her life as a white child of Mennonite missionaries and her family’s relationship to colonialism. - Clemens says humility and awareness of privilege are central to the book’s message. - Her MCC service took her to Cambodia, where she and her husband served as country representatives while raising three young children. - As MCC’s international program director, Clemens guided projects in more than 45 countries. - Clemens now manages Reservoir Hill House of Peace in Baltimore. - The communal home welcomes about 17 people at a time, and about half are asylum seekers from Africa, Afghanistan and elsewhere. - Clemens created callingtools.net with her sons and a family friend to help people explore calling and purpose. - Clemens says she did not find her own clear calling until about age 40. - The memoir also draws on family history, including the loss of half of her grandmother’s family in the 1918 flu pandemic. - Clemens recalls surviving a near-fatal wasp attack at a remote lake and learning piano on a Belgian instrument left behind during colonial upheaval. - Clemens is an author, career coach and retired international program director for the Mennonite Central Committee. - A Quest for Purpose is her first book.

Between the lines: - Clemens frames purpose as daily service rather than public success. - Her comments on immigration push back against broad stereotypes and against government systems that leave communities unprepared for change. - The memoir pairs spiritual reflection with social critique, which gives the book a wider audience than a typical personal narrative.

What’s next: - Clemens is using the book, her Baltimore work and callingtools.net to keep encouraging people who are uncertain about direction. - More information is available at Ruth K. Clemens’ website. - The interview is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeart and Spotify. - Close Up Radio also pointed listeners to its Facebook page.