PSWR Co-Regional Ministers Travel to China with Week of Compassion

In the beginning – October 23, 1939 – the board members of the United Christian Missionary Society came together and sought to call attention to “the appalling distress resulting from the hostilities in China and urge generous support”.  They recommended that the Committee for China Relief serve as the agency for churches in the United States to administer aid.

One of the sources reporting the appalling distress was likely a Disciples of Christ missionary from Illinois, Minnie Vautrin.  Minnie was born in 1886 and received her teacher training at Illinois Normal University and University of Illinois. She attended the University Church and was part of the Bethany Circle – a woman’s church group on campus.  The pastor brought Minnie to the attention of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society (Disciples of Christ) who asked her to consider a teaching position in China.  Minnie arrived in China in 1912, studied the language for a year and began teaching at a small Christian school for girls.  In 1918 she returned to the states to obtain her Master’s degree from Columbia University, and when she returned to China in 1919 she went to Nanjing to help establish the first women’s college- Ginling College. 

There was considerable turbulence within China in the 20’s, but much more serious troubles with Japan began in 1931.  Initially, the violence remained in the north.  But by 1937, China and Japan were officially at war.  As the fighting increased in the south – around Shanghai – refugees moved west towards Nanjing.  Minnie’s diaries, which are kept in the Disciples Historical Society, located at Bethany College, contain her daily reports and observations during this terrible time.  Under Minnie’s guidance, the staff did their best to prepare a “safety zone” for the refugees.  They put a large American flag on the courtyard and anticipated they could house about 2,750 women and children at the college.  At the height of the violence, there were over 10,000 women and children staying on the campus.  There is no doubt that this Safety Zone – and Minnie’s interventions – spared many women and children from brutal attacks by the Japanese.  But she could not save and protect them all.  By May of 1938 it had become “safer” for the refugees to leave the campus, but they had little to return to because homes and crops had been destroyed. Minnie’s spirit had been destroyed as well.  She returned to the states in 1940 to receive treatment for a nervous breakdown.  In 1941 she wrote a letter to her friends saying she preferred death to insanity, and took her own life. 

This tragedy is part of the foundation of Week of Compassion.  The Committee for China Relief has grown into an organization that is able to respond to disasters all over the world of both natural and manmade origins, provide personal and financial resources that support sustainable development, and be an agent of connectivity between those in need, and those who care.  We cannot heal every wound, save every life, or repair every village, but we have no doubts that our outreach ministry is truly the work of Disciples of Christ.   That is who we are.  Thank God.

The 12 members of the Week of Compassion Board will be traveling to China to visit the Nanjing Massacre Museum as well as some of the programs Week of Compassion has supported. Susan, who serves on the WoC Board and myself are privileged to travel on this mission trip to China with Week of Compassion. We will travel from October 16-30.

Every 4-5 years the committee has been able to travel out of the US to actually visit some of the overseas programs.  In 1998 a few members of the committee went to El Salvador – right on the heels of hurricane Mitch.  They were a response team – as they pooled all their money, purchased supplies, hired a truck, and drove over washed out roads, avoiding bandits, to deliver supplies to a remote village.  We hope that our experience will not be as harrowing! 

During this election season – with the focus on the need for transparency – we want you to know that ALL of the expenses in China for WoC Board members are being covered by an anonymous donor.  The flight tickets were purchased by WoC at the remarkable price of $533 – round trip.  That cost is not much more than the cost for people to travel to Indianapolis for a 3-day meeting. 

The group arrives in Shanghai on Oct. 17 and hopes to follow a very full itinerary guided by Dr. Rev. Xiaoling Zhu, the Executive Director of Global Ministries in East Asia.  He has scheduled visits to many Christian organizations, Week of Compassion programs, as well as traditional tourist sites.  In China, we are traveling as tourists, not a religious group. In Shanghai we will visit the China Christian Council, before going to Nanjing where we will see the Nanjing Massacre Museum and then the Terracotta Soldier Museum in Xi’an.  On Sunday 23rd about 13 hours before you gather, we will worship with the Shaanxi Chinese Christian Church, and have lunch with seminary students.  Our next stop is Zhoukou where will have the chance to see the goat project and tree farm supported by WoC.   AIDS has had a devastating impact on small villages in this region because those who had limited income sold their blood – that was gathered with contaminated needles.  The personal impact as well as the stigma has severely limited their ability to support families. 

On the 26th we will travel to Xuchang to visit an orphanage where WoC has provided funds to dig a well deep enough to obtain clean water.  We take a train that afternoon to Beijing where we will meet with the Religious Affairs of the State Administration of China, and the Beijing Christian Council.  We’re scheduled to have lunch at the Yanjing seminary the next day, and in between squeeze in visits to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Forbidden City.  

According to this very tight itinerary – we can go shopping on Saturday afternoon!  We return home on Sunday, Oct. 30th –arriving by the clock – 20 minutes before we left!

This is an opportunity to build relationships with our partners in China, and build a foundation of friendship and understanding with the people of China. We will be able to see the work that has been done with the support of Week of Compassion and allow the people in China to put names and faces to some of the Disciples of Christ who care.   We would ask you to offer up some prayers for the safety and health of the travelers on the WoC team.  Lift us up that our hearts and minds remain open and strong.  Send us some courage, stamina, and good humor!  And be prepared to hear our stories.

Together on the journey,
Don and Susan
Co-Regional Ministers, PSWR

Mile Marker #83: We are the PSWR

by Revs. Don and Susan Dewey, Co-Regional Ministers

“All of you are Christ’s body, and each one is a part of it.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:27

As much as we hate to let it go, summer is fading and the fall season is unfolding. As fall begins, our beautifully warm days give way to cooler ones; vacations and summer fun around the beach or pool give way to family gatherings around festive tables and beautifully decorated trees.

For us in the PSWR, fall also marks the time for Regional Assembly and the wonderful opportunity to gather with our church family around the Region. This year’s theme, WE ARE THE PSWR, focuses on the beauty, the diversity and the blessing we share as part of this Regional family of Disciples of Christ.

We would like to highlight just a few of the exciting and fun things that will be a part of this year’s Regional Assembly. In the past we have been inspired and challenged by outstanding speakers/preachers who represent the wide diversity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from National leaders and speakers, like our General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, as well as renowned preachers like our own Rev. Jose Morales!

This year, given our theme WE ARE THE PSWR, we are going to be blessed with speakers/preachers right here in our own Region! Four powerful and inspiring worship experiences are being created for this years Assembly. A key part in each one will be the “message” portion that will be done with a different panel or what we are calling “curated testimonies” at each worship service by pastors and laity from our congregations representing the diversity of our great Region.

Our scripture focus is 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 reminding us that we all have been given gifts from the Holy Spirit, though different, we are still a part of the one body of Christ. Therefore, we will hear reflections/testimonies from our speakers on four different questions taken from this scriptural text:

·      What does one church one body mean to you?
·      How do we honor all the different parts of the body?
·      What does it mean that Jesus is the head of the body?
·      How do we care for the body when different parts have different needs?

Another wonderful highlight for our Assembly will be our Bible study scholar the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon. Dr. Kinnamon will be exploring each morning the deeper understandings of our 1 Corinthians 12 passage and what it means for us as members of the body of Christ.

We are also excited to announce that there will be 40 different workshop offerings to inspire and enhance the ministries of our churches for greater witness. There will be workshops on social media, going Green, Interfaith connections, justice concerns, healthy lifestyles, Elders, Mission First and many others. In addition there will be workshops for our Spanish and Korean speaking communities at each of the four offered times. New this year will be a 4-part Camp Track for strengthening our camping program.

We are also excited about this years Children’s Assembly program and our amazing Youth Assembly program – “Disciples Go!” so please get your children and youth registered for these wonderful opportunities.

All our pastors will gather together on Friday evening for dinner and fellowship and to share in a delightful time of fun as some of our fellow pastors share their “talents” in a light hearted program of “Clergy Got Talent”.

We hope you are planning to attend this year’s Regional Assembly as we gather together as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ and as members of the PSWR (Disciples of Christ). To register simply go to our Regional website at www.disciplespswr.org  and click on Events. Then scroll down to Regional Assembly, October 2016 and click on the page.  If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to call the Regional Church office at 626-296-0385 and we’d be happy to assist you.

We are honored to serve this Region with all its beauty, diversity and blessing for WE ARE THE PSWR!

Together on the journey,

Don and Susan

Co-Regional Ministers, PSWR

10 PRACTICAL WAYS TO SAY "THANKS" TO YOUR PASTOR

by Matt Rosine, Director of Employer Services
Pension Fund of the Christian Church

Somewhere in history, some group decided October is Minister's Appreciation Month. It's also Hispanic Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I can see how it may get overlooked. But if you know a minister, I bet she or he could use a word of thanks, so read on:

Your minister doesn't have to just be your pastor, but also your squash partner, the bassist in your cover band, the retired fellow you see reading every Tuesday at Starbucks or the person who works at the church down the road. Whoever it is, it helps to say thanks. Here are 10 practical things you can do to say thanks to a minister:

1. Leave an anonymous note (a kind one!) under the windshield wiper of their car. Minister's love anonymous Thank You notes - they'll probably even refer to it in their sermon the next week!
2. Give them a $5 gift card for iTunes or Amazon.com. Music and books are stress relievers for a lot of ministers.
3. Drop off a plant or a bouquet of flowers for the minister's office.
4. Make a casserole or pie (or pick up a bucket of chicken) and drop it off at his/her house after work. (Just drop it off - don't go in. Their house is just as messy as yours! They'll be grateful for the gesture.)
5. Plant a tree in the church yard as a symbol of the congregation's gratitude.
6. If you attend a church, take a handful of blank "thank you" notes to church with you this Sunday. Then hand them out to other worshipers before the service starts. Tell them it's "Minister's Appreciation Month" and invite them to write a brief note to the pastor and drop it in the offering plate.
7. Get the youth group together and play a (loving) prank on the pastor. A few years ago, my office was foiled by the youth group and I smiled about it for a month!
8. If you're a musical person, recruit some choir members or other singers and dedicate a worship song to your minister.
9. Take a video camera with you to a nursing home and invite homebound members to record their words of gratitude for the pastor. (You'll probably want to call ahead and let them know what you're planning to do!) You can then show the video during a luncheon or just slide it under the preacher's door for them to watch.
10. Perform a non-random act of kindness for your minister. Take a hose to the church parking lot and wash her car while she's in the office. Or stop by his house and rake leaves or mow the yard while he's at work.
11. (BONUS) - just say thanks. Take a moment to tell the minister one way that he or she has been helpful to you in the last year - no matter how small it is. Just say it - your minister needs to hear it!

Mile Marker #82: HOPE

By Revs. Don and Susan Dewey, Co-Regional Ministers

“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” ~Psalm 147:11

Hope is subversive according to Old Testament Scholar and Theologian Walter Brueggemann. He writes, “Hope, on one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts. Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of reality, which is the majority opinion; and one does that only at great political and existential risk. On the other hand, hope is subversive, for it limits the grandiose pretension of the present, daring to announce that the present to which we have all made commitments is now called into question.”

In the face of our current political divisiveness and growing proliferation of hateful rhetoric and violence, hope that envisions a more grace-filled and compassionate future can be both inspiring and empowering.

One could not help but be inspired by the incredible success of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, or “The Final Five,” at the Olympics in Rio last month. Those five amazing women showed us the power of camaraderie and community across racial, cultural, economic, and religious lines. They showed us that when marginalized people lift each other up with love and laughter, even in the face of hate, everyone benefits. For us at least, “The Final Five” were a sign of hope in our turbulent world today.

In the midst of the shifting sands of our religious climate, how do we as the church offer relevance and hope to our communities affected by brokenness and fear? How do we demonstrate an alternative reality based on restorative justice and love?

Again Dr. Brueggemann invites us to consider the ancient practice of lament.  “The surprise of Israel’s prayer is that the extravagance of praise does not silence or censor Israel’s need, but seems to legitimate and authorize a second extravagance, the extravagance of complaint, lament, accusation, petition, indignation, assault, and insistence.” To genuinely lament the shifts in our current reality from what has been frees us to be ready to embrace the new and more hopeful future God is inviting us into.

We often listen to voices that tell us the church is dying or no longer relevant. The truth is that the church is alive and well and even growing in many parts of the world. What appears to be dying is our western Anglo-Saxon style of church. Our traditional models of church are giving way to new models and expressions of church that are reaching younger generations.

We must be willing to give one another permission to genuinely lament practices and styles of our corporate worship and ministry that have sustained us and that have been the primary source of our security and strength as faith communities as new forms and ministries emerge. It is not that these former ways are no longer valid or important, rather we must be open to new expressions and practices that are reconnecting us to the communities we are entrusted to serve.

The medium is changing, but the message is still the same – love, grace, compassion, justice and peace lead to life.

Fear arises when the current arrangements are being called into question and are no longer working. With fear there is always a push to hold onto the way things have always been even when those ways run counter to our call to love and justice. Hope on the other hand inspires us to imagine an alternative future where God’s shalom is restored for all.

Brueggemann writes, “It is there within and among us, for we are ordained of God to be people of hope. It is there by virtue of our being in the image of the promissory God. It is sealed there in the sacrament of baptism. It is dramatized in the Eucharist—‘until he come.’ It is the structure of every creed that ends by trusting in God’s promises. Hope is the decision to which God invites Israel, a decision against despair, against permanent consignment to chaos (Isa 45:18), oppression, barrenness, and exile.”

Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). What was new was not the command to love – the Hebrew Scriptures were full of such commands – but the command to love as Jesus did – expansively, unconditionally, and inclusively.

In his ministry and teachings, Jesus broke down the barriers he encountered and refused to limit God’s favor to a chosen few. Jesus demonstrated in his life and in his death that love cannot be stopped. If God is love, then it is a love that cannot be fully measured, cannot be fully known, cannot be fully comprehended; and it is a love that includes every person. Thinking back to the opening of the recent Olympics in Rio, and watching the parade of participants from countries all over the world as they made their way into the stadium, I imagined this to be a hopeful image of what God would desire for us as human beings; coming together to demonstrate our best in love and justice.

May we be bearers of God’s hope for our world that is in desperate need of this Good News!

Together on the journey,

Don and Susan
Your Co-Regional Ministers

Getting Comfortable at the Table

By Jessika Perez, Hatchery Innovator

I was sitting at an otherwise empty table waiting for a group of DOC ministers to arrive so I could talk to them about my experience with Hatchery LA. Saying I was nervous would be an understatement. It would probably be more accurate to say that I was seconds away from hyperventilating. For some reason, my anxiety does not schedule appointments to meet with me at convenient times. Thankfully, another Hatchery person noticed and asked if I wanted to go over a few things. He started going through some general networking tips before I interrupted him.

“Thanks, I appreciate that. But, what I’m worried about right now is that I don’t know what to do with all this.” I pointed to my place setting. There was more silverware in front of me than I had ever seen in my life. I’ve had the standard knife, spoon and fork. But nothing like the hoard of silverware mocking me smugly just then. Obviously, that wasn’t really the issue. It was really how I interpreted and related to it, influenced by my own experiences. The silverware became a symbol of how I felt that I probably didn’t belong in that room. That was clearly not the silverware’s fault. It was what I brought and projected onto the silverware.

The guy seemed a little taken aback for a second but then replied, “Oh… well… I wouldn’t really worry about that.” I was relieved that no one else seemed to focus on silverware technique when they arrived. It ended up being a wonderful evening and I really appreciated the opportunity to have some meaningful conversations. For me the takeaway was not, “just try new things and all obstacles are really in your head.” No and no. But it was helpful to realize what was influencing me in that moment. Also, I’m not saying that if we just sit around a table together, all problems will be solved. That wasn’t even true for this friendly, low-stakes situation. Here’s another story from the very same dinner.

One of the people at the table began talking about a “unique call to ministry” that someone had received to a particular church. Some context, I grew up in the Assemblies of God, a pentecostal denomination. I was interested and asked not only about that person’s call to ministry, but several people around the table. The expressions I received seemed a little confused. But they kindly listed for me the different churches in which they had served. I’m sure that I also had a confused look on my face. I felt like we were misunderstanding something, but didn’t know exactly what. Later, I asked about the situation and was told that the “call” being talked about in this specific case was a phone call. A phone call from a committee letting the pastor know they had the job. Sure. That seems obvious and makes complete sense. But my automatic and unconsciously made assumption was that the phrase, “call to ministry” is talking about a personal, spiritual experience where a person senses God's direction. Now, I've heard some DOC folks talk about a calling from God... and growing up pentecostal, I still distinctly remember having a phone. It was a classic case of misunderstanding.

In the dinner stories I shared, the worst thing that happened on my end was that I felt awkward. Twice. At least for me, that's a good dinner though! Hopefully it sets a quirky and still relatable scene. Being a human with other humans means being with the various relationships and events, past and present, that influence how we experience and understand the world. Not the world abstractly. But like getting a little freaked out by large amounts of formal silverware. Or like understanding a seemingly simple phrase or word in very different ways. It gets messy. I think that's what is hopeful about sharing our meals and stories. There's the possibility to be welcome, known and loved. It's essential and beautiful. Whenever I'm asked about the Disciples, I always talk about an open Communion Table. It'sa challenge to work toward “our daily bread” rather than settling for “my daily bread.” It's making sure I'm showing up at tables where I may be uncomfortable and making space for others as well. I've loved the opportunity to be able to sit down at different tables in the South Bay and LA region. I'm looking forward to this next year as I'll be creating a platform to share these stories and working alongside neighbors in addressing food system issues locally. If you'd like to know more... and especially if you'd like to share your story and and a meal or coffee with me, I'd love to connect. My e-mail is jessika@hatcheryla.com.