The Fast and Furious

I’m writing this from my hotel room near La Guardia airport in New York City. I always feel an extra jolt of energy when I’m in the Big Apple. The combination of densely populated neighborhoods, traffic, incredible ethnic diversity, and interesting sites set in the midst of beautiful rivers and harbors make it unlike any other city in the United States, maybe the world. If you’ve been here, you know what I mean.

Out of this energetic city sprouts some really innovative ministries as the church shares health and hope with others in Christ’s name. I am glad for the opportunities Wheat Ridge has to help seed new ministries here. This week I visited congregations who are currently receiving our help developing programs ranging from health care for the uninsured to ESL classes for recent immigrants to providing quality Christian education and social services through urban Lutheran schools.

I’m in New York just before Thanksgiving. It’s been a fast and furious few weeks for all of us on the Wheat Ridge staff and the upcoming break over the Thanksgiving weekend is certainly welcome. I know our staff would agree, however, that the events we’ve hosted and the projects with which we’ve been involved since mid-October reflect the dynamic and exciting opportunities that are always before us as we pursue our seeding mission. These have included:

 Hosting a reception in San Francisco at the home of one of our board members (Thanks, Lois!) featuring the presentation of our “Seeds of Hope” Award to Dr. Mary Gundelach, a great friend, encourager, teacher, and philanthropist who continues to share the love of Christ with so many individuals and organizations.

 Hosting “Living Well Days for Professional Church Workers” for over 200 pastors and other church workers in Minneapolis and Chicago. These events are designed to help these servant leaders refresh and renew as they consider God’s great gift of health and wellness.

 Visiting organizations and projects seeded by Wheat Ridge in Pennsylvania, California, New York, Kansas, Michigan and Florida to encourage them, to help them assess their efforts and capture what they are learning so we can share their experiences with others.

 Sponsoring a lecture and panel discussion featuring Dr. Robert Putnam, author of the best selling book Bowling Alone, and the newly released American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. Attended by over 200 people in downtown Chicago, this lecture and discussion provided new insights regarding the critically important role of the faith community in civic life.

 Facilitating the most recent meeting of our Wheat Ridge board of directors. Our board of 18 talented and wise leaders from around the United States is passionate about the seeding of new ministries of health and hope. They work hard to govern our organization effectively and efficiently and always seem to have fun together in the process!

 Convening a military ministry stakeholder meeting of 15 leaders who have been active in promoting awareness around the needs of service members and their families before, during and after deployment and encouraging congregations to be centers of healing for them.

Praise and thanks to God who inspires leaders to impact the lives of people in new and creative ways. And thanks to God for the entire Wheat Ridge family of friends, donors, volunteers and staff who make it possible for us to serve these leaders through our seeding mission.

I hope you had a wonderful time gathering with family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday last week and may you be touched by God’s presence on your journey to the manger as the Advent season begins!

Congregations and Community

Recent Wheat Ridge travels allowed me to join congregations in California and in northern Wisconsin on consecutive Sundays for worship and Bible study. As always, it was great to talk with people in these congregations about the seeding of new ministries of health and hope and to share examples of the creative and exciting initiatives that we are privileged to assist.

Visiting congregations is always so interesting. Every church is very unique, yet has so much in common with others. This was clearly evident as I visited Zion Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California, and Bay View Lutheran Church in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. One is located in a highly urban area, a neighborhood of interconnected homes in the center of densely populated San Francisco. The other is located in Door County, Wisconsin, a tourist mecca surrounded by the waters of Lake Michigan. Those who gather for worship at Zion are very diverse in age and ethnicity, with a strong representation of Asian Americans. The worship community at Bay View includes many retirees who, at some point in their life, discovered this beautiful part of God’s creation and are enjoying life there.

While the setting and the demographics are quite different, they are united in their practice of gathering to praise and worship God, confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness, and experiencing God’s grace through Word and sacrament. Young pastors who are excited about ministry and who are loved by those they serve lead both of these congregations. In both churches, a great sense of community exists. And in both I was grateful to be warmly welcomed as a guest.

These congregations share in common a high level of commitment to serving people in need, both within the congregation and in their neighborhood and community. When this is the case, I’m never surprised to learn that an active health ministry, led by a parish nurse, is an important part of the congregation’s leadership team. Indeed, this is the case at both Zion and Bay View. While neither congregation would be considered a large church, both provide volunteers and financial support for a wide variety of outreach activities, including Crop Walks, health fairs, Habitat for Humanity projects, food pantries, “meals on wheels,” and many others. When I asked people in these congregations to name all of their areas of service involvement and impact in which the congregation is engaged, even they were surprised at the length of the list!

It is always exciting to visit congregations that, like Zion and Bay View, clearly envision themselves as centers of health and healing in their community. God’s spirit is undoubtedly at work in these places, moving people to respond to His grace by serving others. I am thankful whenever Wheat Ridge Ministries has the opportunity to encourage and assist congregation leaders whose response to the Gospel leads them to develop impactful new health and human care initiatives offered in the name of our healing Christ!!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Perhaps you remember this Bobby McFerrin song that was a big hit in the late 1980s. If you do, you’re probably already tapping your toes and swaying to the music in your head! Click here for a link to the song in case you don’t remember it!

I almost always have a tune or two playing in my head, often triggered by a conversation or something I’m reading. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” has been on my mind’s play list a couple of times recently. One of these occasions was a discussion at our Wheat Ridge staff retreat. We were talking about Jesus’ encouragement in Matthew 25 to “not worry about your life.” As always, our Lord was expressing concern for the wellness of our bodies, minds and spirits … our whole being. Worry is a spiritual issue, to be sure, a sign of our reluctance to trust God. Worry also impacts us physically and emotionally. It produces unhealthy stress that, if not managed, negatively impacts our minds and bodies. The stress that worries produce can detract from the quality of our life and even shorten our life.

I confess that I’m much better at considering the problems that worry causes than I am about not worrying. In fact, without trying too hard, I can find myself worrying about the problems I cause when I worry! So, I’m grateful for Jesus’ reminder not to worry and to be happy because God loves and provides for me.

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” came to mind again this week when Holly Fiala, our Vice President of Advancement, forwarded an article highlighting The World Giving Index. This index is a tool resulting from new research by the Charities Aid Foundation in Britain. It’s based on a Gallup Survey which examined the charitable behavior of people in 153 countries representing 95 percent of the world's population. The foundation claims the survey is the largest ever to examine charitable behavior worldwide.

The headline of the brief article in the Philanthropy Journal describes one of the key findings in the research: “Giving Tied More to Happiness than Wealth.” The researchers compared responses from people worldwide to two questions: have you given money to a charity in the last month? And, how happy are you with life? They found that happier people tend to give more than unhappy people. They also found that happiness is a better predictor of generosity than personal wealth.

I’m sure this research will cause fundraisers around the world to search for ways to keep their donors happy, happy, happy! Fortunately, we don’t face this challenge at Wheat Ridge. Our supporters are already happy people (or as my good friend Rich Bimler, past president of Wheat Ridge, would say “Easter people”) who experience joy each day in the knowledge of God’s love made possible in Christ. Their happiness is evident in their generous support for the seeding of new ministries of health and hope through Wheat Ridge, and in their generosity to many other causes.

Long before Gallup polls came along, the apostle Paul understood the connection between happiness and generosity when he wrote that “each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) We know that God’s love is what makes us cheerful givers!

I don’t know whether Bobby McFerrin wrote his signature song as an expression of his Christian faith. Regardless, I’m grateful that God’s Spirit finds many ways, including Bobby’s delightful and fun song, to remind us of two of God’s great gifts – freedom from worry and the ability to be truly happy…

Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy...

Go Team Go!

I’m thinking a lot about teams as I write this at the start of a late August weekend. Being a Chicago Bears fan, I’m anticipating tonight’s pre-season game hoping for signs that the Bears can return to “Monsters of the Midway” status this year. And thanks to a gift of tickets from some good friends, my wife, Deb, and I are taking in a Cubs game tomorrow afternoon. We’re in full “wait ‘til next year” mode with the Cubs right now. In the midst of a very disappointing season, many of their premier players have been traded in hopes that they can rebuild for next year. While I’ll know they’re the Cubs by their uniforms, we’re seeing a lot of names on the back of the uniforms that we don’t know. But, there’s always the hope that we’re watching the next Ernie Banks or Ryne Sandburg!

Watching these teams in action will make for an enjoyable weekend. But the team activity that I’m really looking forward to is next week’s retreat with colleagues from our Wheat Ridge staff. Each year about this time, the members of our team who have executive responsibilities meet in a setting away from the office for three days of conversation, visioning, decision-making and relaxation. It’s been a busy summer for us, filled with travel, budget development and work planning for the year ahead, so it will be great to enjoy each other’s company while we fine tune our plans and think creatively about the possibilities that the Lord is providing for us to impact lives by the seeding of new health and human service ventures.

I’ve been incredibly blessed through the years to serve on some outstanding teams, including the team at Wheat Ridge Ministries. I know many people who enjoy working as independent consultants or deployed staff. While there are occasions when I value time on my own, I can’t imagine a work environment without the energy, stimulation, encouragement and fun that comes with serving with others.

This is not to say that our team’s work is always easy. As is the case with all relationships, we have to work at it. Our executive team, for example, includes individuals who have a wide range of perspectives and differing work and thinking styles. Amidst very full work schedules and the stress that comes with managing an effective organization in today’s uncertain environment, having patience with one another can sometimes be a challenge and misunderstandings do happen. At the end of the day, however, I can honestly say that my colleagues on the Wheat Ridge staff “have my back,” that each of them is trustworthy, competent, accountable, responsible and dedicated to our mission. It’s an honor to work with them and I try my best to be a worthy member of our team.

A few years ago, Wheat Ridge hosted a series of “Healthy Teams Workshops” for leadership teams in congregations and other non-profit organizations. Our goal at Wheat Ridge is to seed sustainable new health and human service ventures, and we believe the best environment for these new ministries to develop is in organizations where leaders and teams work together effectively. During these workshops, we stressed eight elements present in healthy work teams:

• A charter that defines the team’s reason for existence;
• The ability to manage conflict effectively;
• A clearly understood process for making decisions;
• The ability to provide and receive honest feedback;
• Identified norms that guide team behavior;
• Clearly defined roles for team members;
• Intentional nurturing of the spiritual wellness of the team and its members;
• The belief among team members that they can accomplish more together than individually.

One element that I think is missing from this list is the ability for a team to laugh and play together. It’s been my experience and observation that healthy teams laugh a lot, even as they work hard to achieve their mission. The ability for team members to take themselves, and each other, “lightly” in the midst of the very serious and important work they do is a great gift from God and one that is necessary for individual and collective health and effectiveness.

Perhaps you’re part of a team that is meeting at the end of these summer days to prepare for the seasons ahead. If so, give some thought to the health of your team. Do the eight elements mentioned above match up against your team’s experience? What elements would you add? How do you nurture the health of your team? If you’re willing to share your thoughts, please post your comments below!

Thank God for the gift of community and the blessing of serving on a team!

Church Bodies, Changes and Churches

If you’ve never attended a churchwide assembly or convention, imagine your church council meeting on steroids! It was my pleasure to represent Wheat Ridge Ministries at The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod’s National Convention in Houston in mid-July. As is also the case with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s churchwide assembly, it is a remarkable event for a number of reasons, including the size and scope. To see hundreds and hundreds of delegates from across the United States gathered together to make decisions on behalf of all member congregations is really something!

A few reflections on the convention in Houston and other national assemblies and conventions I’ve attended:

• It’s inspiring to see such large gatherings of God’s people in one place and united in their desire to further the mission of the church.

• It’s an awesome experience to worship and to praise God with so many others.

• The meeting-management skills of bishops and synodical presidents are impressive! I don’t know where they learn these skills – the last time I checked, they weren’t being taught at seminaries – but somehow our church bodies always seem to elect people who lead these meetings with great care, sensitivity and effectiveness.

• The men and women who attend as delegates take their responsibilities very seriously. For lay delegates, serving in this way often includes using vacation days from work. Imagine a vacation spent reading through volumes and volumes of background material and resolutions, and then sitting for a week listening carefully to presentations and arguments related to various issues!

• I always leave these gatherings grateful that the governance and decision-making systems at Wheat Ridge are so very simple in comparison!

Of course, these national gatherings provide a great opportunity for connections to so many people who provide great encouragement for the seeding of new health and human care ministries as friends and donors. As you may know, Wheat Ridge is blessed to have the support of, and to serve as a resource to, the congregations and leaders of the various Lutheran Church bodies and to be formally recognized by the LCMS and ELCA.

Church body assemblies and conventions reflect the changing shape of the church. The recent LCMS Convention adopted plans for significant restructuring. The ELCA churchwide office has reorganized its staff several times in the past few years. Differences of opinions about focus, direction and practice seem to be getting more and more pronounced within and among church bodies as leaders attempt to faithfully interpret God’s Word and discern God’s Will for the church’s mission in our rapidly changing world.

In the midst of the uncertainties of changing structures and practices, God’s Word to Jeremiah provides great reassurance to today’s church, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I was also reassured about God’s plans for the church as I recently read The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle (Baker Books, 2008). The author reviews church history from the time of Christ and observes major cycles of radical change during the past 2,000 years. She concludes that about every 500 years, one of these cycles occurs (the last being the Reformation). In the midst of these emergent periods there is much chaos, struggle and uncertainty. But ultimately, the result has been a stronger, healthier and more effective Christian church. Dr. Tickle contends that we are currently in the midst of one of these waves of emergent change. Seen in this context, the current uncertainties about our church structures and practices make it very exciting to consider what will emerge!

While church bodies make important decisions about structure and produce important statements regarding the work of the church, a great place to observe God’s plans for the church unfolding is in the actions of local congregations and faith-based organizations. God’s Spirit continues to inspire their leaders to recognize and creatively address the needs of people in their neighborhood and community. Giving evidence to this is the record number of grant requests Wheat Ridge is currently receiving. Thank God for these expressions of care and compassion! Hopefully, our larger church body structures will continue to be shaped by a desire to support and encourage this important work of congregations and agencies!

P.S. Back to our record number of grant requests … your prayers and financial support are especially needed right now as we want to say “yes” to as many of these new ministries as possible. Thanks for being a seeder of new ministries!

Rocky Mountain High

My wife, Deb, and I had great fun recently revisiting the beautiful town of Aspen, Colorado. We had last been there 35 years ago for our honeymoon. The trip by car from Denver to this mountaintop village gives great evidence of God’s awesome creative power. I suppose it’s possible for those who live in mountainous environments to take the beauty for granted. But since Deb and I spent most of our lives in the flat lands of Illinois and Florida, time spent in the mountains is always exhilarating.

One of the places we visited along the numerous hiking trails in Aspen was a small nature sanctuary established in memory of one of Aspen’s most famous former residents … singer and songwriter John Denver. In the center of the sanctuary is a rock garden that serves as a memorial to him and his music. Several of his well-known songs are inscribed on large boulders. Reading these lyrics in this beautiful setting was as rich an experience as hearing his beautiful voice.

Our real Rocky Mountain high, however, occurred after we descended the mountain and returned to Denver. The trip down the mountain, though, became especially exciting when the warning light in our rental car signaled “low tire pressure” in the middle of Independence Pass. It’s so helpful to see this when winding around a narrow mountain road at 13,000 feet with no gas station for 70 miles! We did safely make it back to Denver where we attended a weekend of celebration for two good friends and outstanding church leaders … Don and Margaret Hinchey.

The celebration was in honor of Don’s retirement after 36 years as senior pastor of Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, Colorado, and the conclusion of Margaret’s over 21 years of service as Minister of Music. Don is the only senior pastor this congregation has ever known! He was called as mission developer for a new outreach in the Denver area. Today, Our Father worships an average of 500 people each weekend and has a baptized membership of over 1,300. The congregation is highly respected for its quality of worship, outstanding music ministry, attention to nurturing the faith of people of all ages, and its support for mission and service opportunities around the world. I am very grateful that one expression of this commitment to ministry is Our Father’s strong history of support for the seeding of new ministries of health and hope through Wheat Ridge Ministries!

Our Rocky Mountain high came as we observed, and got caught up in, the warmth and caring for Don and Margaret as the congregation thanked God for them and their years of ministry. It was impossible not to be captured by the outpouring of love by God’s people in this place, as people cried tears of joy and sadness at the transition of these servant leaders and as they laughed and joked and told great stories gleaned from 36 years of ministry together.

The centerpiece of the celebration weekend was a service of “remembrance, relinquishment and recommitment.” In the presence of a sanctuary filled with members and guests, including many local clergy, Don and Margaret returned to the congregation various symbols of the pastoral office, including Bible, hymnal, baptismal shell, communion vessels, keys to the sanctuary and pastoral stole. After this moving ceremony, the congregation recommitted itself to ministry in the community and to sending Don and Margaret forward on their ministry journey with their blessing. What a wonderful way to remember faithful service, to bring closure to one greatly cherished phase of the congregation’s ministry, and to acknowledge God’s presence in the days of transition ahead.

Fortunately, this weekend in Denver is but one of so many examples of congregations as caring communities expressing love and appreciation for their leaders. What wonderful signs of health and hope such occasions are in a day and age when it is all too common to hear about conflicted congregations, hurting church leaders and financial challenges. For Deb and I it was refreshing and inspiring to experience, in the short span of this weekend, one example of the church at its best. My friend Rich Bimler would call Our Father congregation, and others like it, Holy Huddles of believers whose high comes not from the Rockies or anywhere else but from God’s love and grace, which frees them to embrace leaders who have served faithfully and well, and to confidently anticipate changes ahead as the future unfolds.

Praise God for Don and Margaret and church leaders everywhere, for the natural highs that come from experiencing God’s creation, and for congregations across the globe where people experience and share health and hope in the name of our healing Christ! One more thing … in case it’s been awhile since you’ve heard John Denver sing this great song, click here. Enjoy!

Our Lutheran Social Service Agencies Partners

This month's reflections are dedicated to the 300+ social service agencies and their leaders who comprise Lutheran Services in America. Wheat Ridge Ministries is proud to be an active member of LSA.

Wheat Ridge is unique as an LSA member in that we serve our fellow LSA members through our seeding mission. On the list of new ministries seeded through Wheat Ridge over the years you’ll find many new and creative ministry projects initiated by LSA organizations. One of my personal favorites is The Good News Garage, a ministry developed by Lutheran Social Services of New England that rehabs donated automobiles and gives them to people who need transportation to get or stay employed. The Good News Garage also provides repair and maintenance on a sliding fee scale for those who have received a car. This project grew out of another Wheat Ridge seed grant to LSSNE that helped them bring together clusters of congregation leaders to explore how they could work together to address needs in their communities. Today, there are multiple sites for the Good News Garage around New England making it possible for hundreds of people to find employment, to stay employed, and to have access to resources that would be impossible without the gift of reliable transportation.

The Lutheran church’s impact on people in need through its social service agencies is quite astounding. Last year, one in 50 Americans was served by a Lutheran social service agency or related affiliate! The combined budget of these organizations exceeds $15 billion. LSA agencies provide services in 16 different areas of health and human care, touching lives that range from infants to older adults and from ex-offenders to persons with disabilities.

Participating in the annual LSA National Conference is always an inspiring experience, and this year was no exception. Our church is incredibly blessed by the outstanding servant leaders who serve as CEOs, staff and board for these agencies. They serve with care and compassion, creatively finding ways to address the needs of people who are often overlooked and underserved in our society. The leaders of our social services organizations exemplify the encouragement to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord.” (Micah 6:8)

The LSA conference is an important time for these leaders to connect with colleagues from across the country, to re-energize, and to celebrate the healing power of Jesus. This year, I found the spirit of mutual care among the participants to be especially high. I suspect this was due to the extreme challenges these leaders are facing. The economic realities of the past two years have elevated the need for services by our LSA agencies. At the same time, they struggle to secure resources to meet these needs as state and federal government funding has declined and as individual, corporate and foundation donors have also faced tough economic times. As a result, “do more with less” has become a common expectation. In the midst of these challenges, it’s inspiring to be among leaders who continue to be enthusiastic and excited about the work they do!

Thanks for your prayers on behalf of our Lutheran social service organizations across the country and the people who lead them. And thanks for your faithful charitable support for these organizations and for Wheat Ridge Ministries, support that is needed more than ever. With your help, Wheat Ridge will continue to serve our social service agencies by encouraging and assisting them in the development of sustainable new health and human care ministries that impact so many people in the name of our healing Christ!

Able to Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound ... It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's ...

Just the other day I thought of this exciting introduction to the Superman television series I watched so often as a kid. In those days, George Reeves played Superman, long before Christopher Reeve. I was having an interesting conversation with a member of the senior pastor search committee for a large congregation. The committee had surveyed congregation members about the top qualities they desire in their next pastor. When I asked what qualities surfaced in the survey, she laughed and then shared the following list: powerful preacher, outstanding theologian, heart for the poor, enjoys visiting shut-ins, engaging personality, effective counselor, friendly, energetic, visionary leader, comfortable with children, youth and older adults, good at managing staff and financial resources, able to attract new people to the church, and spiritually mature. I thought, “They want Super Pastor!”

If your church has searched for a new pastor recently, perhaps you have your own super pastor list! There’s no question that the expectations we have of our pastors are extensive. Today’s congregations are complex systems and each has a unique culture. I’m guessing that more than one pastor has wondered whether Jesus himself could satisfy the expectations of congregation members!

Given these numerous and diverse expectations, it is no wonder that clergy health has become a significant issue for the church. Recent studies of clergy indicate that physical and emotional ailments related to or caused by stress are higher for clergy than for the general population. Nor is it a surprise when clergy spouses and families struggle or when the moral expectations of the pastoral office are violated.

We have observed over the years that new and creative ideas for new health and human care programs in congregations most often come from those congregations whose clergy and congregation systems enjoy a reasonably high sense of wellness. Since we want to continue to see new ministry ideas develop in congregations and to have the opportunity to help seed them, Wheat Ridge has invested in a number of efforts to encourage clergy and congregation wellness. These have ranged from Peter Steinke’s “Bridge Builders” process to the Grace Place Retreats founded by Dr. John Eckrich. Wheat Ridge regularly hosts “Living Well Days for Professional Church Workers” and we have developed a Sabbatical Resource Center to encourage this important tool for clergy health.

Earlier this month, I was on site at another of these creative and impactful efforts to assist clergy leaders, the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI). I am proud that Wheat Ridge Ministries helped seed two major components of PLI during its early years of development.

PLI is an intensive process of leadership training, spiritual discernment and emotional and physical health encouragement for pastors who are recommended to the program by their district presidents. It’s not designed to rescue pastors who are ineffective or in the midst of significant struggle. Rather, it’s a proactive process designed to assist capable pastors who are serving effectively but who desire to grow personally and professionally for the sake of the expansion of God’s kingdom. One of the unique features of the PLI process is the inclusion, for married clergy, of the pastor’s spouse, recognizing that the pastor and spouse are both in ministry in a congregation and that they can serve most effectively when they grow together.

Another unique aspect of PLI is its commitment to address not only the intellectual aspects of leadership skills and style, but also the importance of self-care and growth – spiritually, emotionally and physically. PLI gatherings include much time in Bible study and in worship, of course. Counselors are provided as well as access to physicians. Collegial teams are formed for mutual encouragement and support. There is also an international requirement that places the pastor and, in the case of a married pastor, the pastor’s spouse in short-term service outside of the United States.

The pastor’s congregation invests significantly in the process both financially and in other ways. The prayers and support of the congregation are critical, as is the congregation’s willingness to allow the pastor and spouse to attend multiple events and training experiences each of the four years of the PLI process. It is encouraging that several hundred pastors and their congregations have participated in the PLI process to date!

I’ve appreciated so much that the leaders of PLI have studied and adapted as appropriate best practices from other denominations as well as from the civic and corporate world and that they’ve been so willing to share the PLI model with others. If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.plinstitute.org.

Please keep PLI and efforts in Christian denominations to assist and encourage our clergy in your prayers! Let’s keep finding new clergy wellness models to seed and support! And, of course, let’s do all that we can to support and encourage all clergy, teachers, staff and lay leaders who God calls to service!

Necessity is Still the Mother of Invention

The fiscal situation in many of our states is bad and certainly seems to be getting worse. In Chicago, where our office is located, the public school system has just eliminated a significant portion of their spring sports programs for high schools as they grapple with a $475 million budget shortfall. The second largest school district in the State of Illinois, Elgin District U46, just announced it may eliminate more than 1,100 jobs in an effort to address a $60 million anticipated deficit for the next school year. Making matters worse is the fact that the State of Illinois is delaying payment of funds that were already committed to our public school districts. What a mess.

One of the few good things that can be said about situations such as these is that they force people to come up with inventive solutions they might not otherwise consider. Among the emerging creative solutions for our public schools are collaborations with faith-based institutions in their neighborhoods. Wheat Ridge Ministries is helping seed one such venture in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In recent years, McClintock Middle School has been an underperforming school. Many students are not achieving to their potential and most come from low-income families. A few years ago, a new school principal arrived. She decided that new ways of serving these students and their families were necessary and began to seek help from outside the school district. At the same time, the leaders at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte were looking for new ways to make an impact in their community. Long story short, the McClintock Partners in Education Program (McPIE) now exists. It’s a wonderful example of how a public school and a Christian church can work together for the good of children and families.

On two different occasions I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to observe the main focus of this collaboration, the Tuesday “Family Night” at the middle school. Over 150 students and family members typically attend an evening of food, fellowship, tutoring and special interest classes staffed by volunteers from Christ Lutheran with the full cooperation and encouragement of the school’s faculty and staff. In addition to tutoring, classes are offered and range from martial arts to sewing to robotics. Parenting and ESL classes are among classes offered for parents. Vans travel throughout the area for anyone who needs transportation.

Out of this effort has grown a significant summer enrichment program offered on Christ Lutheran’s campus. The “Freedom School” uses a model developed by the Children’s Defense Fund. The program served 30 students last year and will grow to 50 this summer. It provides children and teens with an opportunity to enjoy a safe environment while keeping their minds sharp during the summer vacation.


As always, partnerships such as this one require inspired and creative leaders. At Christ Lutheran these leaders include Senior Pastor Scott Suskovic and Program Director Amy Daniels. Through their dedicated efforts, over 400 people from Christ Lutheran serve as volunteers for McPIE, doing everything from teaching to serving meals to driving the Tuesday night van.

Not all of our congregations have the capacity or the right set of circumstances to develop an effort on this scale. But McPIE sure gets me excited about the many ways that congregations can use their unique assets and connections to bring health, hope and healing to people in need in their neighborhood. There is a lot of necessity out there these days … let’s get inventive!

Have a blessed Easter celebration!

Refugees: America’s Seeds of Hope

These are not easy days for those who desire to enter the United States as immigrants and refugees, or for those who have already entered our country. Concerns about national security and unemployment cause many of us to be skeptical of the need for the United States to allow new arrivals. Challenges related to illegal immigration and undocumented workers make it even easier for some to view all who come to our shores as immigrants or refugees in a negative light.

Yet, a hallmark that we celebrate is that we are a country of immigrants and refugees. Almost all of us trace our ancestry to another country. Even if you were born in the United States, it’s likely that someone not too far up your family tree was born in another country … maybe your parents, grandparents or great grandparents.

Recently, Greg Wangerin, a respected leader in the Chicago community, received a “Seeds of Hope” award from Wheat Ridge Ministries in recognition of his life of service to refugees. Greg and his family spent many years working in refugee camps and helping find new homes for those who were displaced by war, political oppression or natural disaster. Currently, Greg is the executive director of Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries (soon to be known as “Refugee 1”), a wonderful agency in Chicago that is the initial point of contact for many who arrive in the area as their first destination in the United States.

Those who were present at the dinner during which Greg received his award were touched by the remarks he shared in his acceptance. True to his nature, Greg focused not on himself as an award recipient, but on the people he and his staff serve. With Greg’s permission, I share his remarks with you. I hope that they provide for you, as they do for me, a fresh, hopeful and encouraging perspective as we welcome new arrivals to our shores:

Thank you for giving me a few minutes to talk about why refugees merit this special Seeds of Hope Award.

Through the years, I've seen how refugees are like seeds themselves: so vulnerable to their environments that they can readily die - or live. Die if neglected; thrive and grow if nurtured properly.

And what do seeds need in order to grow, but good, rich soil. HUMUS! The Latin root for this word “humus” is the very same for “humility.” Now - who knows more about lowliness, modesty and insignificance than a refugee?

Refugees are folks who run for their very lives, forsaking everything, and leaving homelands behind out of fear of persecution. They’re experts at knowing something about humility. And humiliation.

Vulnerable. Humble. Yet sturdy, hardy and hearty are refugees. They’re survivors - just like seeds that survive the cold, hard ground of the long, dark winter, blossoming in springtime.

And one key ingredient to the refugees’ daily survival is hope. Hope to go forward. Hope for a better day.

Ibrahim, an African refugee, once told me, “Greg, when I ran from Sierra Leone, all I had was hope: hope that I’d be safe. Hoping not to be shot. Hoping my wife and kids were safe - and that I'd find them again. Hoping for a drink of water, and some bit of food to eat; and a quiet, safe place to rest. Greg, refugees survive on hope,” my friend Ibrahim told me.

Refugees are the walking embodiment of hope! I’ve got countless stories to illustrate this - but in the interest of time, I‘ll spare you.

Yet, I tell you, resettled refugees are America’s seeds of hope: growing and producing, enriching and strengthening our great country. And not only do they grow - they help us to grow and expand our own horizons, too. I‘ve seen it so often: those who welcome refugees become transformed themselves.

So all of us - resettled refugees and us American-born - benefit. And while each of our stories is singular, our destiny as Americans is shared, as President Obama says.

Refugees resettled into our communities represent the future of America. As we give them a chance to start over, to regenerate, we and they, together, become one in what we want for our own families and neighborhoods: dignified lives of peaceful co-existence and self-reliance, reaching for the American dream.

Thank you for listening. And deepest thanks to Wheat Ridge Ministries for your invaluable partnership in welcoming refugees, the seeds of hope for our communities and country.

Thank you, Greg! And, thank you to all who welcome, assist and support the refugee families who are resettled in the United States each year!

Thank God for Wise Men from the East (North, South and West)!

A wonderful and mysterious part of the story of Jesus’ birth is the visit from the wise men, whose study of the stars led them to take the long journey to visit the baby Jesus. Even though scholars remind us that their visit took place many months after Jesus was born, I still prefer the image of these scholarly people joining the shepherds paying tribute to the newborn baby in the manger!

I thought of the wise men (and women) as I recently read the moving devotional tribute on our website to one wise man, Herb Brokering, written by another wise man, Rich Bimler, the past president of Wheat Ridge Ministries. Seeing Rich’s and Herb’s names on the page together reminds me that God continues to send wise men and women, not just from the east, but from all directions, and places them in our lives to provide counsel, care and encouragement.

I know I haven’t always been wise enough myself to recognize the wise people in my life. But, when I do take time to rerun my life journey, it’s clear that I’ve been greatly blessed and continue to be blessed by wise mentors and guides who have reached out to help me mature spiritually, emotionally and vocationally. While not all of these people have been older than me, I still think of them as “elders,” experienced people who have walked the walk, who know who they are and whose they are, and who have been willing to invest time in the growth of others.

Who are the wise people in your life for whom you are most thankful? Who are the elders God has used as mentors, role models and guides in your life?

As 2010 begins, what a great time to consider the gifts we each offer the Christ child! Let’s pray that one of the gifts we offer is an open heart that invites God to use us as a wise person in the life of a friend, colleague, grandchild or grandparent whose journey through life and faith can be blessed by our encouragement, care and listening ears, offered in the name of the healing Christ child!

Blessings to you and yours throughout the new year!