Articles

by Kate Hedrick, Souderton congregation

Some conversations are hard to start, especially within the church. #MeToo and #ChurchToo have brought the topic of sexual abuse to our social awareness, perhaps like never before.  We have a growing awareness that sexual abuse is something we need to talk about, so that victims can be heard, so that policies can change, and so that we can prevent, as much as is possible, further incidents of sexual abuse.  But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start the conversation.

Last fall, Souderton Mennonite Church had the opportunity to host Carolyn Byers Ruch, founder of the Rise and Shine Movement, an organization which equips parents and communities to prevent childhood sexual abuse. She is a wonderful resource for churches and communities who want to be educated and who want to have conversations surrounding sexual abuse.

Carolyn’s message is one of empowerment and encouragement. As a mother myself, I learned that more often than not, victims of sexual abuse know their abuser.  It is a friend or family member. This reality struck fear into my heart. How could I protect my daughter from people I trust? But as I continued to listen, I went from feeling like sexual abuse was a threat I was powerless to protect against, to knowing I had some concrete steps to prevent sexual abuse. 

While much of her presentation is directed at parents, Carolyn is very clear that prevention is a community effort.  “When we increase the communication, we decrease the risk of childhood sexual abuse,” said Carolyn. A community that openly discusses sexual abuse is one that is more intimidating to abusers, making abuse less likely to happen.  Moreover, when every person in a child’s life is educated in the same principles, they can reinforce what is being taught at home. In a church setting, consider the number of people coming into contact with a child: greeters at the door, nursery volunteers, well-meaning adults who approach them during the coffee time, etc.  We all interact and play a part.

Carolyn’s presentation is honest, sensitive, and ultimately uplifting.  She helps to shed light on a dark topic, creating hope for prevention and making space for healing to begin.  

If your church or community would like to find out more or schedule a presentation, you can find further information on Carolyn’s website: https://riseandshinemovement.org/

 

by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford Congregation

“The most rewarding aspect of my job is being able to lighten the load of my coworkers as they seek to accomplish their goals,” says Kristine McClain, Administrative and Communication Assistant for Eastern District & Franconia Conference. “I like to work behind the scenes, but my coworkers are the ‘face’ or ‘mouthpiece’ of the Conference. It’s satisfying to play a role in putting out a successful project, event or communication piece,” reflects Kristine.

Kristine is the friendly face that greets anyone who enters the Conference office. She does so many things that contribute to an organized and informed Conference: Kristine answers the phone, responds to inquiry emails, sorts the mail, distributes bulletin announcements, and maintains the office space. She also assists by creating and distributing publications, maintaining the website, and occasionally editing articles or producing media pieces. When needed, she also provides administrative or communications support to other staff members or committees. Kristine has served in this role officially since 2013.

Having lived in southeastern Pennsylvania since birth, Kristine knows the area well. She is a graduate of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. “Philadelphia suburb culture is very much my experience,” describes Kristine. “At the same time, I’ve always been drawn to areas that are more rural, with less traffic and a slower pace. When I’ve traveled through states such as Colorado and Wyoming, it made me feel like I was born in the wrong place!”

For 23 years, Kristine had a career in Christian radio, serving as a program director and on-air announcer. Her radio experience technically began as a young child, announcing her parent’s records into a tape recorder. As a student at Messiah College, she took a production class and volunteered at the college station. “I never dreamed it could lead to a career,” Kristine shares. “God had other plans, and I’m extremely grateful for the skills and experience I gained from my work in Christian radio.”

After she left full-time work in radio, she co-founded a small business, Rethink Creative Services, to serve local churches, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses with a variety of web, graphic, and video and audio editing services. “Projects that involve filming and video editing are my favorite, because I can lean more on my creative skills and less on the technical side,” says Kristine.

In her free time, Kristine is very involved with her church, Bridge Community Church (Lansdale, PA). She runs sound for the worship team, does special media projects, and goes on missions trips. Kristine’s favorite place to be is Alaska, where she has relatives who she has visited her entire life. “There’s nowhere on earth that I feel more at home or at peace. Even in the winter!” Kristine shares.

For fun, Kristine enjoys metal detecting.  She considers it to be “hunting” for someone who doesn’t want to kill animals! “I haven’t found anything I can retire on (yet),” explains Kristine with a smile. “It’s always fun to see what I might find and it’s provided an endless supply of quarters for the laundry. Over the years, I’ve also been able to help people search for lost jewelry, keys, and property stakes, which is always gratifying,” says Kristine.

by Steve Kriss, Executive Minister

Our conference is approaching a community of 10,000 people stretching from along the Ottauquechee River in Vermont, to the most diverse neighborhood of New York City, to some of the wealthiest counties in Pennsylvania, to the biggest cities of California, and to the warmth of both Floridian coasts. Many of our locations were among the first to report incidents of the COVID-19 virus.

I’ve been watching carefully to determine if we should be doing anything differently and trying to pay attention to what might be best practices for us. I’m recognizing that religious communities can be sites of super-infection, as has been true in South Korea and New Rochelle, NY, as well as possibly in Washington, DC. We need to be aware and thoughtful.

I want to invite us, in the presence of Jesus, to “watch and pray” as leaders in this time. And to not fall asleep.

The best research that I’ve seen suggests that cancelling events and working from home helps to flatten the spread of the virus. This makes sense to me. While, at this point, we won’t recommend any cancellation of congregational worship gatherings, we will cancel or postpone some Conference gatherings, particularly those with larger sizes.

The most vulnerable to the COVID virus seem to be those above the age of 70. We will do well to thoughtfully practice worship together with those who might feel more vulnerable, even giving those persons “permission” to skip church services and to watch online. If we haven’t yet figured out how to do that, it’s a good time to learn how to livestream via Facebook or other platforms to make sure that those who are home can still feel connected to the community.

I’ve often thought of cancelling events as somehow lacking the resilience to keep moving without fear. But this virus is different from other events. Some of us don’t have the privileges of health care coverage or jobs that can be done from home, and without sick time, every hour of missed work makes life more difficult to manage.

We might cancel events with consideration of those in our community who might be more vulnerable, recognizing, as Paul said, that “those who might be more vulnerable need more special care and attention.” A “get out of church free” pass might be what faithful senior members might need to comfortably stay home. A special check-in by phone from the pastor or other congregational leaders might then be a helpful follow up.

I’m choosing to avoid shaking hands unless you extend your hand to me. I may try fist bumps more often than a dap or embrace. I’ll greet you by name and look you in the eye when we meet. I might even put my hand on my heart.

In the meantime, I’m still going to the gym. I’m going grocery shopping and eating out for tacos and pho. I plan to still keep one-to-one and small group meetings. I expect to keep regular preaching engagements and meetings across our Conference, wherever that might be at this point. While most of our Conference staff can easily work disbursed, we have begun having conversations about what might happen if the offices need to close. We will be accessible as staff as much as usual, although some staff may choose more than normal social-distancing.

We may cancel. And we may not. Perfect love casts out all fear, but love for our neighbors may require us to reconsider our schedules and practices for a while. And to trust God, even if our plans change, to continue to work within us and around us in this time of anxiety. We are people of faith. We consider our acts of love in this season as contributions toward the common good. In the meantime, we watch, we pray. And stay alert without giving into fear.

In support of our communities, Everence has developed an informational sheet (in English and Spanish) to help churches and other groups respond to and manage issues related to the coronavirus epidemic in their communities. Feel free to share this resource with your leadership team, conference leaders, etc.

Note: Everence is postponing its upcoming Stewardship Leaders Celebrations in the midst of the global spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). They apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but the health and well-being of our members, congregations and communities is our primary concern.

by Leland Sapp, Plains congregation

It is often too easy for many of us to overlook the dignity of the human body.  Even amid a culture so focused on the physical, many of us take our bodies and the bodies of others for granted.

Eleven years ago, I began to understand the dignity of the human body. It was Christmas 2008, and my first day on the job involved getting two men with intellectual and developmental disabilities out of bed and ready for the day. Both men were over 50 years of age, and both were non-verbal. One was also blind.

In the evening came the showers. With hesitation, sensitivity, and sobriety I performed my task. I did my best to notice the non-verbal cues that indicated if I had not washed well enough or missed a spot. I worked with these men for two years. Every evening when shower time came, I took pause and intuitively knew that caring for another’s body was serious business.

1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us that we are “God’s temple,” and that “His Spirit lives in us.” This alone is reason enough to “take serious” the body, and to give it the reverence and respect that it inherently deserves. The adults with disabilities we serve at Peaceful Living have taught me there are other reasons to dignify the body.

I now serve in a leadership role for Peaceful Living, a nonprofit that supports and cares for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I regularly spend time with residents by sharing meals with them and attending events with them.

Recently, I approached one of our non-ambulatory, wheelchair-bound women. In spite of her abnormal overbite and contorted body, her joyful smile and welcoming eyes reminded me that housed within this physical shell is a beautiful human being named Dawn. While her body is indeed the temple of the Holy Spirit, it is also the temple of a human being—a humble, vulnerable, humorous being that calls us to approach with trust, openness, reverence, and dignity.

Another one of my friends is Dan. Housed within the body of Dan is the gift of hospitality. In the summer of 2008, Dan invited me to attend the Catholic mass he attends. I watched as Dan greeted parishioners and ushered and directed latecomers to open seats. After the service, he introduced me to his longtime friends and invited us to join them at a local diner for breakfast. It was evident Dan was among friends he had known for decades. Thanks to Dan, I experienced true belonging that day.

Within Dan’s temple also resides the gift of mercy. As 2018 ended, my mother-in-law was in her last days. A few days before she passed away, I sat in my car feeling somber and reflective. Just before I got out of the car, my phone rang. It was Dan.

“How is your mother-in-law?” he asked. I sat quietly holding back the tears as he waited silently.

“Not good,” I said.

“Sorry to hear that,” he said. More silence.

She died just a few days later. Even now, I choke back tears when I think about how Dan was the only person to pick up the phone and call to ask about an important person in my life who was dying. I know others cared, but it was Dan who picked up the phone and embodied compassion and empathy. I honor him for that. I honor the body in which these qualities and gifts reside.

Within the body of all of us–including Dawn and Dan–lives a bundle of fullness, God’s most precious creation, you. Someday this physical body will decline and die. In that moment, who we are within will reside eternally without bodily limitations. Until then, let us honor and dignify our bodies to the fullest.

Founded in 2000, Peaceful Living is a faith-based nonprofit organization, which identifies and seeks to engage the gifts of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to create belonging for as many people as possible. Through their three primary programs—Residential Services, Day Programs, and Family Services—Peaceful Living’s work impacts more than 180 individuals and their families in Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware counties. Peaceful Living is sponsored by Mennonite Health Services and is an Eastern District & Franconia Conference CRM (Conference Related Ministry).

A longer version of this article originally appeared in The Mennonite. Reprinted with permission.

Prayer requests for Peaceful Living:

 

§  That the people we support would experience true belonging as they live and serve in our local community

§  Recruit and hire dedicated direct care professionals

§  Raise financial support to enable us to add sites and programs, so we can serve more better