We Are Who God Made Us by Frank Ramirez

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Steve

I have always made it a high priority of my ministry to visit people who are homebound or living in nursing homes. Many times people tell me that they can’t go visit their loved ones in nursing homes because it depresses them. That’s not the attitude of one assistant who accompanies me at least once a week to local institutions. As far as he’s concerned, all people need visits, and they’re all wonderful just the way they are.

Of course his perspective is hardly human. Toby is a collie, who we met through a breeder in upper Michigan, a twelve-hour drive from our home. He was bred for gentleness. He is a people dog.

Thanks to training and persistence, Toby now accompanies me to local nursing homes. Staff members stop to pet Toby and take time for conversation, and I’m able to listen about the difficulties they encounter. We are invited into many rooms. Residents who miss their own dogs love to tug on Toby’s ears and scratch him under his chin. Toby evidently looks on this as his job, and is very patient, standing still by the side of a wheelchair in order to receive attention. Of course he also gets treats at various moments during our visits.

Toby seems to accept each resident for who they are – right now. They are not people with limitations. He does not define them (as we sometimes define ourselves) by what they do, or can no longer do. There’s a sense of the present in all his relationships.

Toby also clues me in that language is not as important as the cues we give each other in our posture, tone of voice, and most of all, in our acceptance. Words are a blessing, but aren’t as necessary as we sometimes think.

For my part, it’s important that I accept Toby for who he is: a dog, not a furry person. He is not “cute.” He is what he is. Just like we all are what we are. We all deserve to be loved and cared for, not for what we can do for each other, but simply because we are as God made us.

You may contact Frank (and Toby) at frankramirez@embarqmail.com.

 

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Reflections on Sabbathing by Andrea Anastos

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Steve

 In my previous post, I was in the midst of a sabbatical. Now, as I slowly reintegrate into what we like to call “normal” life, I find myself in a deep tension between the sabbath experience of resting in kairos, which ideally is a state of being in the infinite unfolding Now, and my reality as a creature in chronos. After living without a watch or a phone for four months, I am feeling bewilderment at the tug back to a schedule of meetings, timed events, deadlines, and the challenges of staying ahead of it all.

I realized recently that I am heartened that I am bewildered. It is alerting me to how stressful and unproductive “normal” can be. I am resistant to putting things into my date book – and to being asked to do so at an escalating pace. So, I don’t automatically pick up a pen and look for an open expanse of time to fill. Increasingly I am questioning the purpose of meetings and the urgency of requests.  I am aware of an internal dialogue that asks, “Is this a wise or productive use of those minutes or hours?”

Without having fully explored what it might mean, I notice that in the past week or two the resistance has blossomed into a blessing that I offer to you. The blessing is finding myself able to sit more patiently and dispassionately with the anxiety of others.  A frantic call and a demand for attention do not spark an instant reflex to pick up the anxiety and carry it in my own heart.

 My (somewhat stronger) ability to remain emotionally centered allows me to ask fruitful questions rather than instantly engaging in the purported “crisis” because in our increasingly fast-paced culture, many of us have so much adrenaline pumping steadily that we live in perpetual “crisis.” Indeed, some of us are so stressed that we are literally unable to sleep deeply enough to process the day’s events in dreams.

I have noticed that the mantra I developed as an Interim-Transitional minister – “This is not a crisis” – sank its roots even more deeply into my heart and soul during the four months away.  I invite you to use that mantra in your own work. Before you pick up the phone, before you take out your daily planner, before you respond in a meeting, I invite you to say quietly, “This is not a crisis.” I invite you to resist (even just a little, maybe once a day) the demand for an appointment . . . right now or sooner! I invite you to feel beyond the anxiety of the person speaking (and your instinct to soothe that anxiety because we feel “responsible” for comforting folks) and notice that the situation causing the anxiety or necessitating the appointment has likely been developing over months or years. It can wait another week or, even, two.

I invite you to consider offering something even more valuable than comfort: your own centered confidence that “all will be well and all will be well and all manner of thing will be well.”

Andrea Anastos (click for information on Andrea or to contact her directly)

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Putting an “M” in Stewardship by Christy Olson

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Steve

I’ll just bet that 99% of you think this article is about getting money in the fall stewardship drive. The rest probably just know I cannot spell. Well, you would all be wrong this time. This article is not even about the fall stewardship drive. This article is about how money connects to Mission in the world.

For the past decade, churches collected pledges to support the programs, staff, and property of the church. In the case of older churches, this sometimes feels like money to keep the museum going. Patching 100-year-old historic roofs is expensive. Getting staff with office skills and computers is expensive. Sending youth on an international Mission trip is expensive. Congregational members feel as though they have fewer dollars to give. All churches and all denominations are struggling economically.

Now “the church” has a life outside a building as well as inside a building. Ministry in daily life and ministry through our Mission are the center of church life. The trick to this is linking all the budgetary pieces to the Mission of the church. That’s where we get the capital “M.” It stands for Mission.

Can we separate “M” for Mission and “m” for money? It is hard, but research says that givers give more when they understand they are disciples of God who are giving to the Mission of the church. It would be interesting to list 10 or 20 Missions of the church (activities in the church, community, and world) and ask people to discuss during a worship service why they think each is important. It would also be interesting to ask your finance people to come up with a number that represents the cost in building, staff, supplies, and utilities for some of these Missional activities. This helps to educate the community of believers about the relationship between Mission and money.

If a congregation supports the Mission of sending African children to school, they give so much per student. But how much does the Mission of Sunday school or vacation Bible school or confirmation or adult education cost per student? Or if we know how much it costs to send youth on a trip, do we know how much it costs to host 10 fundraisers at the church? We are not quite as good about costs in our own buildings. There is not doubt that connecting a community of believers to Missions outside the church enhances giving. We need to be sure that we also connect to the importance of the Mission inside our building and its importance to God’s work.

If you are looking for materials to study the Mission of the church through stewardship look at these materials from Logos Productions. Although these are presented in the usual fall stewardship format, they do a great job of connecting “M” and “m”:

 If you are looking for some more Mission ideas from both inside and outside the church, here are some ideas.

 Okay, so maybe we talked a little about that little m called money but what you really need to emphasize is that great big M for Mission in our churches and in our world.

Blessing on your M!

Christy Olson (click for information on Christy or to contact her directly)

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Curriculum Tasting Party by Christy Olson

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Steve

Have you ever been to a tasting party? No, not a church potluck; a real live planned tasting party. Maybe you have attended a wine and cheese party or visited a delectable candy tasting party. Perhaps you meet with others to try gourmet foods. Foods just taste better when they involve new fresh flavors, unique preparation, and creative combinations.

If you are drooling by now, great! We are going to talk about new flavors, combinations, preparation tips, and creative combinations in faith curriculum. You may not think of curriculum as the same as food, but curriculum is what we bring in to help us grow in faith.

We know what happens if we eat junk food. and the same is true for curriculum. Faith growth can be stunted by theologically unsound curriculum or cutesy projects that emphasize product rather than process. So how can you hold a tasting party for curriculum in your faith community?

Have a curriculum tasting party anytime. January might work for a change in following fall. Or try the summer right after programming ends. Ask members who have a passion for faith formation to preview curriculum for all ages and present their offering at a prearranged time. For ideas and downloadable samples, check www.LogosProductions.com. Try to include both paper and online curriculum options.

Prepare your space with table space for each resource. You might use the church narthex, fellowship hall, or hallway space. Each table should have a large sign with the name of the curriculum and the ages that could use this resource. The presenters will display the curriculum, list the ingredients, and perhaps make a few samples to give away.

Invite the entire church to the tasting party and prepare a brief questionnaire so that those who attend can offer feedback. Use these questions as a starting point and add others that are important to your congregation:

  1. How did you immediately feel about the curriculum?
  2. Which age group do you think would like this curriculum best?
  3. How might we use this curriculum at our church or in the community?
  4. Do you have any concerns about this curriculum?

Have a basket at each table where people can leave their responses. Invite everyone can answer no matter the age. For example, if a preschooler comes through, the presenter can record their answers.

Lastly, put what you’ve learned to good use. Much like a new recipe, gather all the reviews and weigh the comments. Talk with those who guide faith formation about the pluses and minuses of each resource; then put together a plan to serve all, much like a restaurant menu. Decide what works best for the kid’s meals and the senior menu. Be creative with textures and tastes for everyone.

Then sit back and let the Holy Spirit work as you renew faith formation by mixing in new flavors and for creative combinations.

May your journey of curriculum exploration be blessed. 

Christy Olson (click for information on Christy or to contact her directly)

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Practicing ‘Now’ by Andrea Anastos

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Steve

In my last post (Preparing for the Journey, March 28) I was anticipating the start of a sabbatical with my husband – the third sabbatical we have experienced in over a quarter-century of ordained ministry.

Now four weeks into this sabbatical, I need to own that I tend to conserve things. My Vermont Yankee genes urge me to save for a rainy day; I was the child who could make her Easter candy last all the way to the next Ash Wednesday. It was stale, but I had a piece stored “for when I needed it.”

However, traveling is reminding me that there are aspects of life that simply cannot be put by for another time; they need to be savored right now. I experienced this lesson in Prague on our first day in the city. We arrived at the glorious Cathedral of St. Vitus to discover that it was jammed with a jostling crowd of other tourists, making it impossible to pray or absorb its atmosphere.

Disappointed, I pushed my way outside, trying to find a quiet spot to catch my breath. Turning a corner, I came on something I had never seen before: a corral of straw animals decorated with pots of flowers and arches of ribbons. Even without understanding the Czech sign explaining its purpose, I was enchanted and found myself grinning at the whimsy. Although the light was not ideal, I snapped a quick photo.

The next day, the mysterious animals were gone and the space where they had been was just another corner of the plaza.  I stood there remembering the delightful scene, cherishing the memory and feeling an upwelling of gratitude that I had found it at all.

Now in England, the lesson is unfolding all around me. We are in the transition between seasons and the vine that surrounds our front door dropped all its petals in a windstorm the day after we arrived. I have a memory of it at its peak of glory, but I also have the delight, each time I go through the door, of watching its berries grow larger. The pint of beer I had with a lunch is made in only one place: the pub where I drank it. I will never have it again; the keg is gone by now. But, oh, it was delicious.

So I continue to practice “now,” to sit with open hands and open heart, allowing what has been to pass away and resting empty for what will come. It is not easy to break the habit of clinging. Breathing helps. As does the list I have started in my diary which is reminding me that there is no end (no end!) to the amazing abundance of God’s gifts. I invite you to breathe with me and to keep your own list as summer emerges.

Andrea Anastos (click for information on Andrea or to contact her directly)

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Winding Down Programs in the Spring, by Christy Olson

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Steve

I love spring in the merry month of May. Longer days, more sunshine, and cleansing rains make me happy. However, I find that in faith communities, the post-Easter winding down process can be painful. As nice weather returns in the North and as people in the South prepare for the hot season, community life starts to dwindle. After the Lent/Easter rush of activities, congregations seem to pause.

We know we lose attendance as spring winds down, so this makes a perfect time to change directions. Check when the last week of schools, preschools, and colleges occur. Gather up information about summer that may already have been announced in Lenten newsletters or bulletins but ended up in recycling and advertise with a new delivery system.

Although May Day is not on the traditional church calendar, May 1 is a great way to start this process. Christianity celebrates May 1 as the feast day of Saint Phillip, one of the original 12 disciples. Historically a pagan celebration associated with seasonal change, it now has significance in some countries as a bank holiday and others as a way to celebrate spring. It’s a great day to start fresh, using an old but new delivery system!

Prepare May baskets and recruit volunteers who will deliver them to members as well as to the neighborhood surrounding the church on May 1. I love to make teams of returning college students and returning snowbirds. If you have visitation groups used for a stewardship drive in the fall, recruit them for May Day.

Deliveries could include activities for children, youth, families, and adults for summer. (For a free sample of activities, go to www.thefaithgardener.com/free-downloads.shtml.) Add Vacation Bible School registrations, camp information, and any other pertinent summer materials. When possible, add a refrigerator magnet to things so that items can be displayed differently. I would also add a laminated bookmark with the summer worship times. Yes, this information has all been in newsletters and bulletins, but spring in the season for transition. The good thing is that most of these items will already be prepared.

The interesting thing about anything that can wind down, be it a toy or a church, is it can also be rewound, and natural transitional times are the best times to do this. Identifying new groups of people will help. The result is congregational excitement, connection, and energy. I can feel things winding UP!

Christy Olson (click for information on Christy or to contact her directly)

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A Name Is Just a Name, or Is It? by Christy Olson

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Steve

Although my name is Christy, for some reason people often call me Cindy. I don’t know why this name seems to fit me, but I don’t feel anxious about not being called Christy. I know who I am, so what does it matter? A friend who heard someone call me Cindy said, “You need to claim all that is good about Christy and demand to be called yourself.”  I guess that makes sense. By allowing others to misname me, perhaps I am not being true to my unique experiences and relationships.

In congregations, faith formation is sometimes called “church school” or “Sunday school.” These names come from using the public schools as the model for faith formation. Today we know that lifelong learning happens more 9 months at a time and more than in the pattern school calendars. Perhaps we need to rethink the labels church school and Sunday school.

What about “Christian education”? We’ve been using that name for years to describe faith in our context as Christians. This might not be an issue if we were teaching only to Christianity. What would become our connection to the Old Testament? Jesus was Jewish so what does that do to the term Christian education? In today’s global culture, can we educate to only Christianity, or might the Spirit be calling us to reconsider how we educate to the many faces of God?

 Some places use the term “religious education.” This is very general and could include many topics. Religious education could include historical, cultural, or denominational information. Stained glass classes are religious education. Does this describe what is happening in your congregation?

For me, faith formation is the best description of what we do. It identifies the importance of our unique experiences and relationships as we explore and embrace our life with God in community. Faith forms differently for each person. For example, although it may be the practice for your congregation to give a Bible to each third grader on a particular Sunday, this does not mean that faith is forming in the same way for each child. Children will experience the Bible differently in their families. Children will have different history with the Bible. Children will have different reading abilities and comprehension abilities. All these individual things will effect how our receiving a Bible evolves into forming faith.

Faith communities walk with people through their lifelong faith journey. Faith formation, like a person’s name, honors the uniqueness of each person’s experiences and relationships on his or her journey in faith.

Christy Olson (click for information on Christy or to contact her directly)

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Preparing for the Journey, by Andrea Anastos

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Steve

Last summer, my very tired husband was granted a sabbatical which will begin just after Easter this year. This will be the third sabbatical we have experienced in over a quarter-century of ordained ministry. It will be the third time we have intentionally sought the transformation and re-creation of a long sojourn in the inner wilderness.

I find myself both excited and anxious about this long “Sabbathing.” I have been practicing weekly Sabbath for the past three years; ever since I woke up to how much I lived as a “human doing” and how much of my identity was defined by tasks and roles. With my spiritual director as companion, I committed to exploring what it might mean to truly live as a human being.

What I have discovered is that for someone whose life is about leading and visioning, the discipline of being is not quite as easy as I anticipated. Sabbath-keeping is undergirded by the belief that we can safely leave the world in God’s hands and heart for 24 hours without creation coming to an end. If you are like me, however, the impulse to tweak things just a little every 10 minutes or so is almost uncontrollable. So, my Sabbath walk has been neither smooth nor straight, but it has alerted me to some preparations it might be wise to make before I leave for distant lands.

I offer them to you for your prayerful consideration because I have discovered that the Sabbath journey teaches a wisdom that will bless the other six days, too, if I let it. I am trying to remember:

  • to travel lightly. God is always pouring out abundance, but I can only receive it when there is some empty space in my hands, my heart, my mind, my spirit.
  • to appreciate the landscape as I pass through it rather than wondering if there is something more interesting or more worthy of my attention around the next bend.
  • to remain curious. Expectations and “knowing” tend to blind me to wonder, to unimaginable gifts, to surprise, and to miracle.

I will write from the road and share what I am learning in the hope that it will spark new perspectives for each of you and that your responses will help guide me in turn.

Andrea Anastos (click for information on Andrea or to contact her directly)

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A Community of Care

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Steve

In the days that have passed since we first learned of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan you have probably spent some time processing this event in your own family, community, and congregation. The horrors of these disasters have affected and united people around the world, mobilizing us to prayer and action.

Up-to-the-minute reporting brings vivid scenes of chaos crashing into our lives, but we know that loss and grief also come in less dramatic ways. We live in the midst of death all the time. It is familiar to us, yet many of us are uncomfortable talking about these experiences.

For some, events in Japan have brought their own fragile mortality plainly into view. Witnessing others’ losses can also magnify our own sense of vulnerability. And so I encourage you, both now and on a regular basis, pay attention to your responses to tragedies like these; notice what draws your attention. What does this tell you about you own fears? How can your vulnerable feelings cause you to be more open and willing to receive both pain and joy in daily living?

Whether you are working on the fringe of a natural disaster or balancing the needs of a challenging personal life, seek the help and support of others as you prepare to teach and lead. Be sure that in offering yourself to others you allow others to care for you as well. In Christ’s community of care, we shoulder one another’s burdens and walk together in the way of the cross.

Lori Rosenkvist is Editor of Logos Faith Network

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Preparing for Lent, by Andrea Anastos

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Steve

If we are open to the blessing, Lent can be a season of deepening discipleship (yes, even for worship leaders.) So, I find it wise to ponder the many spiritual possibilities, then intentionally select the areas of soul growth that I most need to nurture during this stage of my journey. What was appropriate for me as a young parent is very different from what will provide challenge and inspiration for someone in her late 50s.

I have also discovered in 25 years of ministry that church leaders entrusted with worship, Christian formation, and pastoral care who are not thoughtfully prepared for this season are in danger of exhaustion (physical, psychological and spiritual) and burn-out. I know; I was there.

If you are a church leader, tasked with guiding a congregation through the chaotic birth-waters of Lent and Eastertide, may I urge you to attend to self-care fiercely and lovingly, pausing right now to put in place the support systems you will need for the next seven to twelve weeks.

May I suggest some practices that have helped me?

  • If you don’t have a spiritual director, select a colleague or trusted spiritual friend who will covenant with you to be available once a week for an hour of focus on your own journey through Lent.
  • If you are a member of a clergy group, pay attention to services available at other churches. Make an appointment with yourself to attend one that happens when you are not officiating yourself so that you can experience some part of this season under the guidance and care of a colleague. It will feed and renew you.
  • Consider whether it is possible to conduct services or study groups with other congregations, so that not every worship or CE team is responsible for every possible event. Ecumenical witness is particularly apt in this season.
  • Don’t leave everything until the last minute so that Holy Week becomes a mad scramble of stress. And remember that sometimes less is more.
  • Rest and pray. Take 15 minutes every day to sip a cup of tea and watch the sunrise, to simply breathe with a mantra, to listen to an inspiring piece of music, to read a refreshing book, or to close your eyes and float in a hot tub before bed.

And may you be enriched, renewed and inspired as you journey with the community with whom you are in covenant.

Andrea Anastos (click for information on Andrea or to contact her directly)

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