Transformation Vo l u m e 3 I s s u e 1
Ministry Magazine
of
The Desert Southwest Conference
What does it look like to make disciples?
Spring 2011 | Desert Southwest Conference Communications | www.desertsouthwestconference.org
Spring 2011
Contents
Contents
3 Publisher’s Pen 4 R eal, Relevant, and RiskTaking Discipleship 10 H anging on to some Dangerous Discipling A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert
Special Features
16 Nature and Invitation 18 Cross-Cultural Discipleship for the Transformation of the World 22 Even Babies Learn to Serve
5
Discipleship at the Margins
12
Young adults: ‘What should church look like?’
A UMNS photo by Ray Morgan
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M inistry M agazine
of
T he D esert S outhwest C onference
Spring 2011 Volume 3, Issue 1 Contributors Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, Stephen J. Hustedt, Andrea Andress, Joey Butler, Mary Sue Ingraham, Jenny Smith, Buzz Stevens, Anthony Tang, & Joanie Faust
Transformation is provided quarterly in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter by the Communications Department of The Desert Southwest Conference. Transformation is also available online by going to www.desertsouthwestconference.org/ transformation. Individual articles and photos may be used by DSC churches and organizations. Views in Transformation come from representatives of official Conference groups or by request of Conference Staff. Viewpoints may only be those of the writer and may not be representative of the entire Conference. Questions about the reproduction of individual articles or photos should be directed to Stephen J. Hustedt, Conference Director of Communications (602-2666956 ext. 220 or steve@desertsw.org).
T
he word discipleship can mean a lot of things. In the context of The Desert Southwest Conference, we know we are called to make disciples for the transformation of the world, and often we think of this in terms of evangelism. Surely, an entire issue of Transformation could be devoted to evangelism. Since Transformation is designed to tell the story of who we are as followers of Jesus in The Desert Southwest Conference and The United Methodist Church, it could even be said that every issue of Transformation is devoted to evangelism. However, the idea of discipleship goes much deeper than sharing our story and bringing new people into our faith communities. Discipleship is about how people of faith go deeper and learn to truly follow the path set forth by Jesus. This may take the form of spiritual formation, learning to
When people think about discipleship, they may think of things such as spiritual practices, church growth, evangelism, and much more.
Stephen J. Hustedt worship in new or different ways, engaging in social justice, or simply learning to overcome our own fears and continue down the sometimes uncertain path that Jesus has set before us. In this context, it is only through the deepest kind of discipleship that we can make disciples that will impact and, yes, even transform the world. Simply attending a United Methodist church is only a first step on a very long spiritual journey. It is through the deeper spiritual practices encompassed in the idea of discipleship that disciples learn and are empowered to transform the world as we have been called to do. This issue of Transformation will further explore examples of where discipleship is taking place in The Desert Southwest Conference, and ways in which we can all go deeper in our faith. While discipleship takes many forms, not all of which can be covered by a single issue of Transformation, the connection is that it requires commitment and often sacrifice. It is the spiritual challenge that forges disciples. It is not and should not be easy to be a disciple of Jesus, but the way is clear. †
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By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications
For general inquiries or subscription information, e-mail: communications@desertsw.org, call 602-266-6956, or mail Communications Department, 1550 E. Meadowbrook Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014-4040.
What Makes a Disciple?
Publisher’s Pen
Transformation
Real, Relevant, and Risk-Taking Discipleship By Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
D
iscipleship in the name of Jesus is real, relevant, and risk-taking! Our faith is in the Son of God who became real—a real man among real people. Jesus came to live as one among us, bringing with him the fullness of God’s transforming love. He took on our suffering and our pain as well as our joy out of love for us. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, challenged and expelled the demons that hold humanity captive. Jesus was never some distant presence. He walked with humanity and responded to our human needs. People knew him by name because he stood with
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them. Are we real? Do people know us by name because, like Jesus, we stand with them in life’s struggles and joys? For Jesus, being real came hand in hand with being relevant. He knew what was happening in the world in the moment and stepped out into life ready to respond with a word of mercy and hope. As faithful and fruitful disciples of Jesus, we step out into life in the confidence that what we have to share in the name of Jesus is relevant and critical for the world. What would have happened if on his way out of Jericho, Jesus had not stopped to respond to blind Bartimaeus’ cry for healing and wholeness? Bartimaeus would have un-
necessarily continued blind and the world would never have seen that each person is of sacred worth, that there is healing power in the name of Jesus, and that the world can be transformed from darkness to light! We should also remember, however, that relevance often led Jesus to risk-taking. In fact, risk-taking seems to be in Jesus’ DNA! He took on all the oppressive powers of the world, risked and lost his life on a cross for the sake of the world that God loves. His entire life proclaims, “The world is worth the risk!” Do we love the world as God loves it? If we do, our discipleship will lead us to risk-taking! Christian Discipleship brings great joy and peace, but the very nature of being Jesus’ disciples also brings discomfort and pain and sometimes even the loss of life because Jesus holds up a vision in tension with the world we live in. Jesus’ vision of a world free of sin and full of justice and peace collides daily with the world we have created, but the world of Jesus’ vision will have the last word! We have made a life commitment to be disciples of Jesus because our hearts have been profoundly touched and our lives transformed by Jesus’ hope for us and for the world. The world is worth the risk and the promise from him who is ever faithful is that in losing our life for his name’s sake, we will gain our life! Let us walk together and serve together being the real, relevant, and risk-taking disciples of Christ Jesus in the world! †
Discipleship
at the Margins By Rev. Jenny Smith
“I
A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose The homeless are often ignored or viewed as an issue to deal with, but at the Justa Center those who are having services provided often take a lead in worship and spiritual practices.
t all began with razors.” That’s what Paul Browning will say if you ask him how his Justa Center adventure began. About four years ago, Paul attended a weekly bible study that I lead at the day resource center for homeless adults over the age of 55 in downtown Phoenix. On the way out the door, he asked Rev. Scott Ritchey, the director of Justa Center, if there was anything he needed. Scott told him that they were low on razors. The next thing he knew he was not only bringing razors and attending weekly bible study, but doing tax returns for the Justa Center members, working on the computer network, using his truck to pick up furniture donations or move members into their new homes, speaking at fundraisers, and serving on their Board of Directors, to name just some of the ways he is involved. Paul has also introduced others to the Justa Center, inviting people from our church who have particular gifts to offer them, asking those who are out of work or retired to share some of their time, inviting the youth group to worship with members story continues on page 6
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Discipleship at the margins | Continued from page 5
one-directional or one-dimensional. The idea is not that volunand collect items for starter kits that will help supply a new home teers come to teach the members, but rather that the members with some of the basic necessities. have something to teach the volunteers about discipleship and Justa Center, like so many agencies that serve the marginalwhat it is to bear the good news of the kingdom of God to the ized, has its fair share of volunteers who come, certain that world. The goal is to not have an “us” and “them” at all. they are going to bring the good news to the poor, certain that The greatest teachers about this kingdom of God approach by teaching “them” about Jesus, they will find a path out of aren’t the clergy or the volunteers that come in from churches. the struggles they face. I can see it in the faces of the men and They are the members themselves. women when I introduce myself and invite people to bible study A group from a local Episcoeach week. They are palian church, who continues to skeptical and weary of come once or twice a month for bible-toters, come to music and morning prayer from “save” them. To be sure, the Book of Common Prayer, Justa Center is a place will tell you this. The first time where the gospel is they came to Justa Center, they preached and members had a nice enough turnout at do indeed have optheir prayer meeting. They prayed portunities to grow straight through the prayer in the as disciples. There are book, just as one would expect, currently three United just as they were used to. The next Methodist clergy on the time they came, though, they had staff. There are opno takers for their prayer experiportunities for regular ence; no one wanted to join them. bible study and prayer. While reflecting on this with diA dedicated chapel rector Scott Ritchey, he suggested hosts worship services they try again, but next time, get each week, bursting to know members in the day room with powerful liturgy first, and then let those who come befitting the context, teach them how to pray. And that’s connecting the social exactly what happened. After their and political aspects of next session, the Episcopalians told our community to the Scott that this was the first time life situations of the they had ever truly prayed. They people, many of whom were transformed by the vulnerare members. There is something Voluteers at the Justa Center often come thinking they are going to ability, honesty, authenticity and unique, however, about teach the members that are served, but end up being the ones that rawness of the members as they prayed. They were moved by the the approach to minlearn something about their own spiritual journey. ways that the members prayed for istry and disciple-making one another, rather than for themselves. In that hour of prayer, here. Built into the fabric of the organization is the anticipation a chasm was crossed, and boundaries were broken down. They of the kingdom of God, which constantly turns our assumpwere no longer housed and homeless, rich and poor. They were tions and expectations upside-down and inside-out. There is an one group who came together to share gifts and graces. understanding that Justa Center’s calling to make disciples is not
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Photos courtesy of Rev. Jenny Smith The Justa Center is a day resource center specifically designed to help those over the age of 55 find appropriate housing, employment, and other needed services.
The members are not trained theologians or church practitioners. They have simply had life experiences that have taken them to places few of us in our typical United Methodist congregations have gone. For a great many, these experiences have changed their orientation to society and to God. The economic
The Justa Center is the only facility in the Phoenix area that caters specifically to older homeless adults. Staff members work with individuals to locate earned benefits (i.e. social security, AHCCCS, VA), obtain housing and medical assistance, and provide referrals to other services for the poor and homeless in the community.
circumstances, the addictions, the mental and physical illnesses and disabilities, the series of life choices that the members contend with daily, paired with the social structures or lack thereof, shape the daily lives of the members. They stand in line for meals, for shelter, for showers. They tell their sensitive life story over and over to strangers. They bounce around from agency to agency, trying to find the one which will actually help. As older adults, they are even more vulnerable to the elements and the dangers of the streets, often the victims of violence. It would be easy for so many to think of themselves as victims. Though, again, the approach of Justa Center is rooted in the kingdom of God. The way they organize the services they offer, the relationships that are formed, the worship on Sundays, is all designed to help members stay out of victim mode, be empowered to make changes in their life situation, and have opportunities to have their voices heard, not only in their own lives, but also in the Justa Center organization itself and increasingly in the political process. One of the goals of Justa Center is to be a stronger advocate and a major political player in the city, county, and state. This would not be done so much on behalf of the members, but rather, the members
story continues on page 8
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Discipleship at the Margins | Continued from page 7
themselves would be the letter-writers, the testifiers, the voice, taking them from the margins to the very heart of power in our community. Isn’t this, too, a path of discipleship, following the way of Christ? There are many from the ecumenical church community who come for a myriad of reasons. Though some find themselves surprised by the direction of their spiritual growth. “It can sneak up on somebody,” says Rev. Bob Mitchell, a retired pastor who serves part time on the staff. “It’s an example of how spiritual growth happens in unspectacular ways. People tend to realize it after the fact. People grow as disciples as a result of relationships with sex offenders, felons, and people with serious mental illnesses.” Bob says that it was the direction of his own discipleship journey that contributed to his decision last year to retire and make Justa Center a priority in his retirement ministry. He found himself at a place in which the next steps of his growth as a disciple could only be taken alongside people on the margins. He had spent years at arm’s length from this type of ministry in the church, promoting it, supporting it, encouraging people to volunteer, to give. His experience now is like a cross-cultural immersion, he says. He is humbled by his work with the Justa Center members, and they have changed his vision and understanding of people and of God. They have revealed to him the generalizations he tends to make about people. They have taught him how to be much more open to the gifts all people have to offer, the way that people on the fringes participate in life. He says that he has encountered Christ in different ways by being here. “It’s an interpersonal living out of the message of Christ. Our faith must be experiential.” Paul says that it began with razors, but that is only part of the story. In fact, if you press him a bit more, he says, “Over my life I have had many experiences. Some good, some bad. Many of these life experiences seem to have been preparing me for the next leg in my journey of faith. The first time I walked into Justa, I felt at home. I knew this was where God wanted me now.” As Paul’s pastor, I think there’s even more to the story. Early on in my time at Desert Foothills, where Paul has been a mem-
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Rev. Scott Ritchey is the driving force behind the work and ministry done by the Justa Center. ber for about a dozen years, he responded to two invitations. I invited people who wanted to go deeper in prayer to come talk with me. And I invited people to come join me any time for the weekly bible study I lead at Justa Center. I don’t think it was coincidence that Paul took both steps nearly simultaneously. In our Methodist tradition, our inward and outward discipleship journeys are marked by acts of piety and acts of mercy, respectively. These are interwoven paths, each strengthening the
other. I can see in Paul, that as he learns to just be in relationship with God through prayer, he is also able to just be present on the journey with members at Justa Center, rather than feel a compulsion to do or fix for them. And I can see that as he journeys with those on the margins, he is more and more open to giving and
receiving God’s grace. Continuing to ground their approach to ministry in an understanding of the kingdom of God, Justa Center has set as one of its upcoming priorities that members begin to reach out to the suburbs. We in the suburbs and upper economic levels so often understand that it’s we who reach out to those less fortunate. What will it be like when those on the margins begin to reach out the other way? Steve Davis, a regular at Sunday morning worship at the Justa Center says that he has discovered, after years of serving and being amongst members at Justa Center, that “it’s not the rich people coming to teach the poor people. It’s the other way around. They have it figured out. They get transformed to go evangelize to the rich.” How exciting that God is working in surprising ways to make disciples among us! †
The idea is not that volunteers come to teach the members, but rather that the members have something to teach the volunteers about discipleship and what it is to bear the good news of the kingdom of God to the world.
The streets are not safe for homeless individuals, but older people are particularly vulnerable. Justa Center is a day resource center for those individuals over the age of 55 who have nowhere to live.
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Hanging on to some
A
round my second year of seminary I learned enough about John Wesley’s demands upon his followers to cause me to wonder whether or not I could truly qualify to be a Methodist. Years later I came across a graphic account of why I had felt that way. A biographer of John Wesley describes what it might have been like to follow the founder’s lead in his day. He states “It is a proof of the irresistible vitality of the Methodist movement, that neither danger, violence, nor intimidation had the slightest effect upon its advance. The number of people who were frightened away from Methodism was exceedingly small; the number of those who were gained by the Methodist example of courage [. . .] and above all by the superb coolness of Wesley himself, was exceedingly great.” (John Wesley, C.E. Vulliamy). When I was asked to offer my views on the meaning of Discipleship in the United Methodist Church, my mind went right to that quote. Evidently the kind of discipleship Wesley had in mind could not promise safe passage. I recall being around some bold
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Methodists who were willing to sign on for such hazardous duty. Before I graduated from seminary a few of my classmates were jeopardizing their physical welfare by volunteering to be present on or near the front lines during the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. It was during the Watts Riots where professors and students dared to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A few were jailed for their actions. A seminary student was sent to South Africa to learn from and engage with clergy risking their lives while protesting against the government over the Apartheid stronghold. I bumped into a Methodist missionary in those years who was on leave after having risked his life, and was nearly killed, shuttling Congolese Methodists across a border during a rebellion. He planned to return to the Congo to continue his ministry. When I asked him why, he replied “Why not?” During my first church appointment, we lived next door to an Episcopalian priest who had confronted the L. A. County Sheriff for allowing police to brutalize Hispanics and gays while being apprehended. An unmarked
Dangerous Discipling By Buzz Stevens
car with plain clothes officials kept a vigil for months in front of his house. On an evening when they were not present, his home was riddled with bullets. Father John managed to live through those harrowing years. I asked him if he thought he had some John Wesley blood in him. He smiled and uttered “I just might.” I kept thinking where and when I might earn my stripes as a Methodist. Some of the fear I experienced early on during my Skid Row chaplaincy stint was tough but that angst diminished after a few weeks. While serving as a campus minister during the Vietnam years we provided draft counseling for those interested in signing on for Conscientious Objector status. We were vilified by church members and the campus community. I never received a death threat, but I was spat upon by a few irate citizens who disagreed with our ministry. I figured it was all part of being a disciple of Christ in the spirit of Methodism. When I became a pastor of a local church, the daring part of ministry began to subside. It was also about the time my wife and I had two children. The church took on some justice issues related to
seniors in the secular community in the vicinity of our church but there was very little if any “danger, violence, nor intimidation” Villiamy alludes to among Wesley’s followers in the 18 century. Do we have to be threatened, hassled, harangued or hanged to be eligible to be a follower of Wesley these days? Robert Hutchins, a gutsy educator, claims, “A civilization in which there is not a continuous controversy about important issues […] is on the way to totalitarianism and death.” (University of Utopia, 1953). Maybe denominations can spiral into demise by staying out of controversial waters. Perhaps we have not been curious or furious enough over issues; maybe we have stifled our truest convictions. Frankly, just by merely being a pastor of a local church I often felt hassled and harangued. In my later years in active ministry I was scrambling just to keep up with the responsibilities of increasing the attendance, membership, and hanging on financially. I felt I succeeded by just keeping the buildings up, making endless pastoral calls, conducting infinite weddings and memorial services, attending never-ending congregational, district and
conference meetings, and trying to have a home life. And, by the way, Wesley didn’t have kids nor did he have much of a marriage and don’t think I didn’t keep that in mind throughout my tenure. But I’ll have to confess that the terrifying moments of ministry kept me hanging on during the times I felt our churches were mostly caught up in providing safe havens for their members. I’ve been shaped deeply by my parishioners and colleagues whether through beyond-localchurch ministries or inside my congregations. I just wish I could have witnessed a bit more boldness and courage among our laity and clergy…including more boldness and courage from myself. We need to keep in mind, especially in this time of institutional decline, that “the number of people who were frightened away from Methodism was exceedingly small; the number of those who were gained by the Methodist example of courage […] was exceedingly great.” At my age I take some comfort in the sentiments of Seneca. He admitted that “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” (Letters to Lucilius, circa 60). †
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Young adults:
“What should church look like? ” By Joey Butler, UMNS
W
hen one thinks of Las Vegas, a lot of images come to mind: Bright lights. Palatial casinos. Extravagant music, comedy and magic shows. “Sin City” just doesn’t seem the ideal place to hold a church event. But when 150 young adults converged on University United Methodist Church in Las Vegas Feb. 18-20 for Relevance X 2011, where they shared their faith and their dreams for how to move the church toward the future. Through energetic worship services, sermons, dialogue and a unique “field trip,” participants focused on service and how that is a key component to their faith. They were challenged to exhibit their personal faith by being a servant to those in need. The Desert Southwest Annual (regional) Conference began hosting Relevance X in 2010. The annual event aims to reach young adults who often find themselves without a voice in the church. “As we continue to see numbers decline in the way of attendance by young people, it is now or never that this generation stands up and begins to ‘rethink’ how we are doing things as a body,” said Glen Simpson, 25, young adult ministry coordinator for the Desert Southwest Conference. “Relevance X was only meant to begin the conversation.”
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Young adults must be heard Polls by the Barna Group and Pew Research Center on young people’s religious views offer some sobering findings. Pew reports 18- to 25-year-olds are among the least likely to attend church regularly — 32 percent attend at least once a week. Even young Christians are wary. A 2007 Barna study reports half of young churchgoers perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical and too political. One-third called it old-fashioned and out of touch with reality. When Barna asked young people to identify their impressions of Christianity, one common theme was “Christianity is changed from what it used to be” and “Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus.” The United Methodist Church is not immune to these challenges. “We have to get past the churches that claim they don’t have a spot in young adult ministry,” Simpson said. “The entire body of the church plays a role in connecting with young people and truly rethinking how we do church.” Tara Davis Barnes, a staff member of the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, echoed those sentiments.
A UMNS photo by Ray Morgan Glen Simpson, young adult coordinator for the Desert Southwest Conference and coordinator of Relevance X.
“Among young adults (I spoke with) I heard some frustration that they weren’t supported in their church, even when they took the initiative to host young-adult activities,” she said. Barnes said none of the young women she spoke with were members of the United Methodist Women group at their church. “The activities of the group did not speak to the young women’s interests. I suggested they begin their own young women’s UMW group, and the common response was, ‘We can do that?’ Hopefully, now, some of them will.” Tony Jones, author of “The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier,” delivered the keynote address. Jones
encouraged those in attendance to consider the current church and whether the model still works. “Just because we can’t imagine what the church will look like in the future doesn’t mean it’s not just as vital a church as what we have now,” he said. Jones said one of the main problems with modern Christianity is how much it relies on big, ineffective institutions and traditions that are considered “sacred.” The Barna and Pew research studies emphasize repeatedly how young people mistrust such large institutions and this contributes to their lack of interest in church. Rather than a movestory continues on page 14
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Young adults | Continued from page 13
ment that speaks to their personal faith, many young people view religion as simply a list of rules that incur punishment if broken. Jones pointed to Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, as someone whose faith didn’t fit into the rules of the day. “Wesley rode around on a horse, ordaining people as he went. He didn’t insist they attend seminary,” Jones said. “He was kicked out of Anglicanism because he broke the rules, yet I think he’d struggle with the modern institutionalism of his own movement.” Derrick Scott III, 30, who directs college and young adult ministries at Crossroad United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, agreed the current church model needs to change to speak to young people. “I don’t know if my peers feel like it’s relevant,” he said. “I don’t know if we know why we do what we do, even at the core of our church. Since we don’t know why, we’re just trying to get
people to jump on this bus that might not be going anywhere fast.” But Scott said moving forward doesn’t mean the church should abandon its foundation. “There is something really profound in what Wesley did and the reasons and motivations behind the movement he started. I still think our best days are ahead of us, but to really pull again from the reasons why our movement began would be a great source of inspiration.” Service sustains faith The centerpiece of Relevance X 2011 was a service experience with the Dream Center, an outreach ministry in a part of Las Vegas that doesn’t get shown on TV. Just a few miles from the lights on “The Strip,” the neighborhoods are far from glamorous. Visitors see rows and rows of homes badly in need of repair,
Relevance X participants assemble sack lunches to distribute to the homeless as part of a service project through the Dream Center, an outreach ministry in Las Vegas.
A UMNS photo by Joey Butler
with bars over their windows to prevent burglaries. Nearby, homeless people sleep in tent cities by the interstate. Relevance X participants stocked a warehouse full of furniture and household items to be distributed to disaster victims and others in need. Others packed sack lunches and health kits and distributed them to homeless people on the neighborhood streets. When they returned to the conference, they broke into groups to discuss the impact the project had on them and the ways they might serve others when they return home. “People who go out and feed the homeless may be the only form of Jesus that they see. It would let them know that Jesus is real,” said Wayne Minert, 27, a Relevance X participant from Las Vegas. Simpson said he feels young people are drawn to mission and service as a way to sustain their faith.
“I’m discovering that young adults … want to physically see that what they do in this world will leave a lasting impression on it,” he said. “By doing service we begin building the other key piece to reaching young people: the relationship. It is the building of relationships that will ultimately lead to young people reconnecting with the church.” The most important of those relationships is a young person’s relationship to Christ, said Derrick Scott. “The more in love I’ve become with Jesus over my life, the more I’ve been pushed into compassion and justice,” he said. As Relevance X came to a close and participants prepared to head back to their communities, Simpson asked them to take their ministry experience back with them. Borrowing from his city’s famous slogan, he said, “The hope is that what happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas.” †
Young adults attend Relevance X, a three-day leadership conference for ages 18-30 held in Las Vegas.
A UMNS photo by Joey Butler
Nature and Invitation
By Mary Sue Ingraham
A
Saturday afternoon in March. I’m sitting at a table outside Webster Auditorium, in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Crowned sparrows forage the concrete patio near my feet. A plaid-shirted boy runs on the sidewalk. To the east, columnar cacti grow in massive globe shapes, with saguaros dotted between them. The boy running on the sidewalk reminds me of my sons, now young adults. Perhaps the plaid-shirted boy is who calls me to compare what wasn’t in this garden or in our culture when I brought my boys here in their early years. Cell phones, iPods, iPads, Google, YouTube, Facebook— all are part of our daily lives, yet all of these technologies erupted in our culture in the brief time it took my boys to move from preschool to young adult. These technologies make possible a myriad of inquiries, connections and activities that we could not have dreamed of when I was a child. But, with American children and teens ages eight through eighteen now reportedly spending almost eight hours a day on media, one wonders: When do children and teens (and adults, for that matter) have time to wonder? Our society is experiencing a duality of trends. Bombarded with input, we are wired to our technologies for most of our waking hours. At the same time, curiously, more of us are undertaking vegetable gardening than at any time since the victory gardens of WWII, with more than one third of families in the United States growing at least a portion of their food. Food prices and the economy clearly play a role in the increase in gardening. The economy alone, however,
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does not explain the notable increase in visitation at public gardens across the United States. What might the reality of this duality—that we’re media-addicted and that we’re increasingly seeking experiences in nature—have to say to us, the church, about opportunity? How might we, the church, carve out a niche in the noise of the day to help people experience the presence of the divine? The stories of our scripture—inspiration, encounter, discernment, awareness, formation, discipleship— are painted on a canvas of nature. Humanity encounters God in the Garden. Moses experiences the I Am in a bush and receives the Law on a mountaintop. Jesus withdraws to the desert for discernment, calls disciples on the shores of a lake, teaches in the hills of the Galilee. Again and again, Jesus relates story and parable and illustration to the natural world around him. Mustard seed. Vineyard. Birds of the air. Fig tree. A sower sowing seeds. Periodically, Jesus withdraws from the crowds, after spending himself fully or in preparation for the most challenging of encounters. Peter, James and John experience a transfigured Jesus in a mountaintop moment. After the resurrection, the disciples experience Jesus on the shore of the lake. These familiar stories take place in the natural world, and our deep appreciation of them is enhanced by our own experience with nature. Having served for the last twenty-two years as a teacher of young people in the church, I have observed the explosion in their use of media and technology. They are sophisticated, savvy, and their world provides them opportunities for information
and connection that I couldn’t have predicted. But, when I ask them, as I periodically do, where they have most deeply experienced God, their answers are almost always linked to an experience in nature. One young person describes time spent swinging from a particular tree at her grandparents’ home in Texas. Another describes a starlit night at one of our United Methodist elementary camps, campfire blazing, when the shout of “Praise God” echoed across the mountain. Story after story involves a context of a natural setting. Perhaps we adults shouldn’t be surprised that young people share these stories, because for many of us adults they are quite familiar. In a recent research project relating to the history of one of our United Methodist camps, I encountered multiple stories of clergy who received their call to ministry at a church camp, and I was privileged to hear from several generations of laity their mountaintop stories of inspiration, of coping with grief, of discernment, of awakening. I caught glimpses of the hearts and minds of pioneers who founded our United Methodist camps so that we would have dedicated venues where we can invite people into community and nature. Where do we remember first experiencing God? My hunch is that for many of us, we were in the presence of people we trusted and in a setting of nature. How and where did Jesus make disciples? Admittedly, the backdrop of first century Palestine bears little resemblance to our culture today. But we know that nature and invitation were inextricably linked to Jesus’ activities. As we go about the work of making disciples in our time, might we learn from our scripture and from history that experiences in nature allow people to break through cultural noise to perceive the presence of the divine? Might we seek to increase our invitation for people of all ages to join us in nature?
Might we realize the strategic significance of time spent in retreats and camps on the formation of disciples? Leslie Weatherhead, the Methodist pastor who led the Temple Church in London during the perilous days of World War II, shared these words of adoration in A Private House of Prayer: O God, my Father, I adore and praise and thank Thee because of the splendours Thou hast shown to me. Thou art the Consummate Artist, the Creator of a Beauty before which I stand in awe, and yet in regard to which in some way I feel akin…. I praise Thee for what mighty mountains have done for me, and wooded glades in which the dusk falls like a benediction in some vast cathedral…. I thank Thee for sunsets of breath-taking splendour, and even more for those long, quiet afterglows, when mountains and pine trees have stood out black against the daffodil and green of the evening sky. I thank Thee for certain dawns that have made me feel that there must be eternal joy at the heart of things…. I thank Thee for the quiet and solemn majesty of the stars, with the unutterable hunger to understand the “why” of Thy great universe which the night sky evokes. O God of beauty, Who hast allowed me through my senses to catch some faint echoes of Thy nature, accept my tribute of praise. Amen. Oh, that we too would renew our spirits in the beauty of our natural world. May we invite people of all ages to the desert and to the mountaintop, where the divine breaks through the noise and clutter of our lives to touch hearts and souls. †
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Cross-Cultural Discipleship for the By Anthony Tang
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n 2009, I was appointed to University UMC of Las Vegas, Nevada, an urban, ethnically diverse congregation whose regular participants include both the homeless and the wealthy, both liberals and conservatives, both gays and lesbians and their families and those who think homosexuality is a sin, both recovering addicts and addicts, and both those who can talk about their mental illness(es) and people like me who are good at pretending to be “normal,” although sometimes it feels as if I’m losing that skill. It’s a church that struggles to be inclusive of everyone, including those that disagree about being inclusive. When I arrived, we had ten worship services meeting on campus including four English-speaking services of UUMC, one English-speaking service by First-Filipino UMF, one Spanishspeaking service by Las Naciones, one African service that speaks multiple languages by Shalom African Fellowship, and one Korean service by A Grain of Mustard Seed UMF (although since that time, AGOMS moved locations to be closer to its members). In addition, we make space available in our church for two Malayalam-speaking services. Having worked in four churches that were suburban, mostly Euro-American, and fairly affluent, I knew I had a responsibility and a challenge to cross cultural barriers, including my own. If we are to embrace our calling to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in the context of a diverse congregation and community, eventually one must ask, “How do we make disciples and what can be transformed?” Or, as Reinhold Niebuhr prayed, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” It would be foolish for me to believe that discipleship can happen via the homogenization of experience or culture. Assuming that everyone will conform to my understanding of culture or that everyone can be treated in the same way despite his/her culture would be a mistake. On the other extreme, we cannot be effective at our calling if we believe that every person must be addressed individually and that there is no direction that may apply to everyone. Over the last year and a half, another church leader and I
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struggled through these same questions over worship’s chronemics: the non-verbal perceptions of time. In worship leadership, I tend to lean toward being monochronic (e.g. start on time and do one thing at a time) while the participants of another worship service lean toward being polychronic (e.g. start when ready to start and change direction readily). Concern developed over the question, “How do we get this service to grow and make disciples and is the loose time structure hindering that growth?” The imposition of my culture onto its culture is insensitive, but no less insensitive to our calling by allowing this service to stagnate and not make new disciples of Jesus Christ. Finally, we began to make progress by reframing the question away from cultural differences over to a question of what connects cross-culturally. Monochronic and polychronic people both value time, but in different ways: monochronic people tend to value time for what it can accomplish while polychronic people tend to value time for its relationships. Perhaps both cultures may be engaged when overall value increases. From its earliest advertised start time until the latest that worship ever ends, we are going to work to eliminate “dead time” where there might be no accomplishment and low relationship development and also increase the value per minute of total worth so that whether someone is monochronic or polychronic, they will want to keep coming back, being here longer, and bringing friends. There are other cultural differences beyond time perception. There are cultural differences in personal space, communication styles, priorities, and how respect and conflict are addressed. Any one of these can potentially be a source of disagreement or disengagement, but can also create opportunity to clarify what really matters. For example, cultural differences may affect how well people engage different aspects of discipleship. Evangelization, integration, spiritual disciplines, education, charity, and social justice are different aspects of discipleship that may be greatly affected by cultural sensitivities. One may find different ethnic and cultural concerns that highlight some practices more than others or may dictate how they are received, whether they are practiced, and
Transformation of the World Photo courtesy of Anthony Tang
University UMC uses the multicultural aspects of their church both as a learning tool and a means of discipleship.
how effective they are at overall discipleship. The more leaders are invested in an outcome and the greater the cultural misunderstanding, the more likely a highly conflicted relationship may develop. What happens, however, when questions are reframed to ask what really matters? What if individual members engage a wide variety of disciplines that may connect to different cultures, but address our true calling from the point that transcends the cultural differences? First, what is the transformation that transcends culture? Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan wrote in their popular 2009 song, Mighty to Save: “Everyone needs compassion, a love that’s never
failing. Let mercy fall on me. Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior, the hope of nations.” Isn’t this true? Aren’t there certain things that everyone needs no matter what culture they come from, by the fact that we are human? Everyone needs forgiveness because everyone has sinned. The problem is that while many people know how to forgive others, they don’t necessarily know how to forgive themselves, to receive the forgiveness of others, or especially to receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. When we show others how our lives have been story continues on page 20
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Cross-cultural | Continued from page 19
Photo courtesy of Anthony Tang Anthony Tang, Pastor of University UMC, has embraced the celebration of diversity as a means of discipleship that is not always thought of. transformed by forgiveness, they have the opportunity to grow in forgiveness. Everyone needs hope. Hope is to believe that there is goodness in others and goodness within ourselves. Hope is to believe that God will make tomorrow better than yesterday because of today. Hope is to believe that the evil of this world does not and cannot compare with the good that God has placed within our hearts. Hope is the belief that God believes in us. Everyone needs courage. As John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death—but saddling up anyway.” Courage is to do what we fear doing because we know that with God, all things are possible. The list could go on, but the point is that there are some things that unite us all as human beings and there are some things that make us different and unique by culture. As leaders in the church, let’s let our primary focus be on those things that unite us. Second, even the communication of these uniting values can be hindered by cultural differences. Leaders may need to look at the communication issues specific to the inter-cultural dynamics when broaching these topics... unless we use a communication 20 | Transformation | Spring 2011
style that unites us as human beings. We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How will the world be transformed? Only if our disciples will be transformed. How will our disciples be transformed? Only if we, ourselves, are transformed, and not just from the moment that we accepted Christ into our hearts, but each and every day, over and over again. This is what it means to engage discipleship via sanctification, a process by the grace of God that transforms our lives as we move toward holiness and Christian perfection. There are some things that will transform all lives, but the conveying or communicating of these values is not possible if cultural differences get in the way or if we haven’t yet gone through that transformation ourselves. Values that transform can cross cultural and communication boundaries when we give personal testimony to the transformation we experience from those values. In what way has Jesus Christ transformed your life for the better? Share that story, and no matter what culture others come from, they’ll start to listen. †
Even Babies Learn to Serve By Rev. Andrea Andress
Photos courtesy of Andrea Andress Paradise Valley UMC’s Sunday school focuses on showing God’s love to babies and toddlers with strong repetition and loving care.
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t is rare for people to think about what discipleship means to young children, but, of course, it is important for children to grow as disciples. Paradise Valley United Methodist Church is one church that has given this concept significant thought and taken action. At PVUMC’s Baby Sunday School, also known as Early Christian Awareness (ECA), the focus is on showing God’s love to babies and toddlers with strong repetition and loving care. The children sit around a u-shaped table with a teacher in the center and one on the outside. The lead teacher brings out a little baby doll for each child. They kiss their babies and give them a name. Then the teacher brings out a baby bottle for each child, who then begins to feed and care for the baby. The teacher constantly talks and engages the children in sing-song rhythms, which help them
to learn, remember, and embody the actions of caring, serving, and loving. They are shown how to love the babies, not instructed with words, and these actions and affirming words are repeated over and over so the children learn. The children touch, they taste, and they look forward to it the next time they arrive. After each class, caretakers clean all the items the children touch. They allow the children to touch and put things in their mouths. That is how they learn at their age. The curriculum is simple, repetitive and takes full advantage of the recent surge of knowledge in how children learn. It is known that a child’s intelligence grows as much during the first four years of life as it will in the next thirteen. When churches intentionally develop ways to teach and impact children in experiential ways, they grow with a firm foundation.
story continues on page 22 Spring 2011 | Transformation | 21
Even babies | Continued from page 21
New Directions Institute (NDI) headed by Jill Stamm, a professor at Arizona State University, has developed new understanding in how children learn in the first five years of life. “As neuroscientists uncover new information about how the brain develops and learning occurs, NDI translates these findings into ways that caregivers can interact with children to increase their ability to pay attention, to be securely bonded with caregivers and to lay the foundations for language and literacy,” Stamm said. “The greatest emphasis is on birth to three when 90 percent of brain development occurs.” Before the launch of ECA, Paradise Valley had a traditional nursery that lovingly cared for their children. ECA adds the dimension of consciously and intentionally using this time to help children experience the love of the church and of God. Because they carry out this program in the nursery child-care area, all nursery-aged children (eight to twenty-four months) participate. Parents are amazed at the positive re-enforcement the program gives. They report that at home they see their children playing with their toys that repeat the caring rituals they learn at ECA. They feed the baby, wash the baby, and tell them that Jesus loves them. Children who learn their own self worth early can pass it on to others and when they are taught how to do that, they will incorporate it themselves. From ECA through FaithQuakes, an exciting program for
4th-6th Grades, Paradise Valley is intentional about teaching and helping children become disciples. Over the years, the church continues to evaluate and revamp the ministries to make sure they are developmentally appropriate and as engaging and experiential they can be. From current brain research, like that at the New Directions Institute, to their own observations, such as seeing children develop and show evidence of being shaped as disciples in their lives beyond church, they know that disciple-making is happening. One program along the way will not necessarily change a child. But the continuation of providing intentional programs that build on one another will create a feeling and reminiscence deep in the consciousness that will strongly affect children as they grow to adulthood. And one cannot start too early in the disciple-making process. Even babies can learn to serve. † Editor’s Note: For more information on the New Directions Institute, please visit http://newdirectionsinstitute.org.
Children engage in spiritual practices and spiritual formation from the time they are babies on, at Paradise Valley UMC.
A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose
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Classes at ECA introduce children to four biblical themes during the year: The Bible – children see it, touch it, handle it lovingly, sing songs about it, learn to recognize it, and know it is precious to us. God’s Creation – each child touches and cares for his or her own baby animal. God’s Family – the children learn that the church is a safe, caring place they like to be. They get to hold their family and talk and play with them. Serving Others – children learn they have something to give when they feed and clean the baby and animals, smile at others and begin to share their love. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose (Above) Children are an important part of life at Paradise Valley UMC and are active participants in a variety of spiritual practices in the life of the church.
(Left) Children are taught that they can not only be loved, but can show God’s love in the world as they are formed as disciples from a very early age. What they are taught in Sunday school is often repeated in the home.
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