Decades ago, Clarence Schipper set out to prove that God didn’t exist.

World War II had just ended and Clarence had seen too many atrocities on the battlefield. Even though he grew up in a Christian home, he couldn’t accept that a real God would allow anything like the war to happen. As he was finishing his Army deployment, he decided to quit Christianity.

But Clarence also wanted hard evidence to justify walking away from his faith. So he started reading the Bible.

“It was a bad idea,” he recalled, chuckling. “If you want to prove that God isn’t there, don’t pick up the Bible.”

He flipped through the pages, eventually reaching Hebrews 4:10-16. The phrase “… for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15b, NLT) touched his soul.

Instead of providing the “proof” Clarence wanted, Scripture introduced him to his Savior.

A Lifetime of Service

Soon after his profession of faith, Clarence met and married Betty. The Schippers raised their family in prayer and echoed the Bible’s teachings in their lives. Even after they retired, they found themselves still itching to serve God’s Kingdom.

The couple had planned to move from Michigan to Florida to retire, but they quickly decided it wasn’t the life for them. They drove to their church’s mission center in Mississippi to see if they could serve there. Unfortunately, the mission center didn’t need volunteers. As they were leaving the building, a woman asked if the Schippers had considered volunteering for Wycliffe USA.

They hadn’t, but the couple decided to return to Michigan and ponder the issue. When they got home though, Betty’s sister greeted them with a letter — it was asking for Wycliffe volunteers.

Recognizing God’s call, the Schippers quickly wrote back to offer their skills. Five days later they got the reply that would start a 27-year volunteer journey: “Come on down. We could use you.”

The Schippers found their professional skills — Clarence as a tool and die maker and Betty as a registered nurse — were perfect for filling the varied needs of Bible translation work. They produced parts for ministry planes and kept missionaries in good health. Betty also repaired upholstery, fixing up hundreds of chairs for the SIL* auditorium.

During their service, the couple traveled across the country between their Michigan home, SIL in Arizona and JAARS in North Carolina. They formed relationships with missionaries working on Bible translation projects in Mexico, as well as with many others serving there.

Volunteer work gave the Schippers their longed-for opportunity to support and experience the global Church.

The couple only stopped volunteering when their children asked them to do so for their health. But the Schippers continued to support global Bible translation through donations. Now at 100 years old, Clarence praises God for His guidance through the decades.

“If I were 18 and the Lord said to me, ‘Write the most exciting act of life you can possibly think of.’ Well, He has given me more than I could ever write or imagine.”

*Our primary partner.