By the Time We Got to Phoenix …

I admit that my reasons for looking forward to a recent trip southwest on behalf of Wheat Ridge Ministries included the hope of relief from this year’s endless Chicago winter.  Phoenix, Arizona in March.  No snow.  No sub-zero temperatures.  Clean cars.  No potholes. No heavy coats.  Sunshine.  A parting blow as Deb and I made our way to O’Hare airport was yet another “snow event” that resulted in a two-hour flight delay.

Fortunately, once we arrived in Phoenix, it didn’t take long to remember the real purpose of our trip and experience the joys of this journey to the Grand Canyon State.  I was so pleased to be part of two great gatherings there - our Board of Directors meeting and our annual President’s Circle donor retreat.  Here are just a few “snapshots” from these meetings:

Kathy Anderson, Executive
Director of Survivors of
Torture International

• Getting to know Shahzad, an amazing young man from Pakistan, who is bringing the concept of parish nursing to his home country in spite of the many risks involved.  Shahzad’s story of faith and courage is amazing!
• Receiving a report from Susan Work, CEO of Holy Family Ministries in Chicago, that posted the first successful project on our new WeRaise crowdfunding platform for the “Peace Exchange” project, an innovative effort to teach and promote peace and end violence in urban neighborhoods.
• Touring the Christ Cares Clinic, an amazing new ministry developed by Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix that is already serving hundreds of uninsured and underinsured people.
• Learning about the important work of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services to train volunteers who provide a caring presence for refugees who often must live in prison-like conditions in U.S. detention centers before they are allowed into our country.
• Getting updated on the important work of Survivors of Torture International, an organization in southern California that received seed funding from Wheat Ridge a number of years ago. They continue to share health and hope with people struggling to recover from the trauma of physical and emotional torture that resulted in being forced to flee their home country.
• Being inspired, challenged, and encouraged by excellent speakers and resource people who joined us for these meetings, including Paul Miles, VP for Development for the Make A Wish Foundation; Dr. Don Christian, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University in Austin, Texas; and Dr. Rich Bimler, past President of Wheat Ridge Ministries.

Dr. Rich Bimler with
Jan and Dale Van Wulfen

During the retreat, Rich Bimler suggested to us that the letters ‘WRM’ not only stand for Wheat Ridge Ministries, but also for Where Relationships Matter.  These gatherings in Phoenix of our board and other key supporters of our mission are great examples of the immense blessing of significant relationships that are so much a part of our ministry.  It is wonderful to gather with such caring and generous people, to be honored by their friendship and support, to learn from them, and to be inspired by their spirit of generosity in response to the Good News of Jesus Christ.  This spirit of generosity was especially evident in the testimony that several of our President’s Circle participants provided as they shared with other attendees what motivates their generosity and why they continue to make our work a priority in their charitable giving.

Deb and I are back in Chicago.  It’s only snowed twice (so far) since we have returned!  In spite of the weather, we returned warmed by great relationships and the reminders of how people around the world continue to be moved by God’s Spirit to initiate and support new ministries of health and hope that are offered in the name of our healing Christ.

Blessings as you visit the empty tomb this Easter season to celebrate Christ’s ultimate act of healing!

Wow!

I returned last week from our annual President’s Circle Retreat, a gathering of Wheat Ridge supporters who receive updates on our seeding ministry, hear from leaders of projects we are supporting or have supported, and enjoy Christian fellowship. This year’s retreat took place in Orlando, Florida, and we highlighted several ministries, many of them located in Florida, that were seeded by Wheat Ridge. What a joy it is to receive encouragement, ideas and perspectives from these people who support our work so generously.

 

The retreat was a “Wow!!” experience for me again this year. It’s so great to hear from leaders whose hearts God has touched with a passion for serving others. As is always the case when I’m around such leaders, I came away inspired by their commitment to impact lives by sharing health and hope in Christ’s name. These leaders all have questions on their hearts and minds and are determined to pursue answers …

 

• How can we help new people who have fled their homeland due to war or persecution and find themselves in prison-like detention centers in the U.S., often times for years, while they wait for a resolution? Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service’s CEO, Linda Hartke, and her team answered this question by designing a training program for volunteers from congregations who enter detention centers to visit with and offer a caring presence to people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in this lonely and vulnerable situation. 

• How can our congregation take seriously its commitment to reach out to homeless and disenfranchised people in our community? Buy a strip mall and fill it with a variety of needed services! That’s what Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Lake Mary, Florida, with help from some partner congregations, has done. One of the ministries in the mall is called “The Oasis.” It’s a drop-in center for homeless people who need a safe place to take a shower, access the internet, or get referrals for needed services available elsewhere in the community. Another ministry in the strip mall is “Shepherd’s Hope,” a fully equipped medical clinic staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses.  

• How can we help young adults who have never been exposed to the Good News of Jesus or who have been hurt or disillusioned by the organized church, or have never been exposed to a worshipping community? Young pastor Ben Hoyer has answered this question by starting “Downtown Credo,” a coffee shop designed with intention to create and nurture authentic relationships among young adults. This commitment to building relationships has resulted in a growing Christian community called, “The Cross.”

• What do we do with the lessons we learned after a tragedy struck our congregation in the form of a loved family of the congregation viciously murdered in their home? Rev. Rick Armstrong and school psychologist Ann Eissfeldt decided to help other congregations and schools develop crisis plans so that people in communities impacted by such tragedies can be ministered with love and in appropriate ways as they experience loss and grief. Leaders of hundreds of congregations and schools around the country have benefitted from “God’s Care in Times of Crisis” training. Rick and Ann have also provided needed assistance for caregivers in places like New Orleans, Louisiana; Columbine, Colorado; and, most recently, Newtown, Connecticut.

• How can the church serve older adults who can no longer manage their own lives and resources?  This question resulted in the development of a guardianship program that became one of the initial services provided by Lutheran Services Florida in the early 1990s. This important service continues to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of older adults who do not have family or loved ones to help care for them. 

• What do I do when I visit a city in Ghana, Africa, and find tons and tons of plastic water bags littering the street? And what do I do after I learn of the plight of hundreds of young women with babies who are living on these same streets? And what is my response when the poor and orphaned children of Lesotho, Africa, capture my heart and seek ways to serve their needs? Rebecca Brandt and her college friends founded “A Ban Against Neglect,” a non-profit organization that provides shelter, education, vocational and parenting skills to help young women and their children live full and productive lives. Andrew Steele and his friends started “Bloom Africa,” a new organization that is helping children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic access educational opportunities.

• How can my congregation serve the caregivers of elderly adults who require full-time care from family members? Terri Ziegler and Jane Corcoran of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo, Florida, answered this question by starting “Ruth’s Promise,” a community of care for senior adults that provides a safe and caring environment several days a week, thus allowing family members of these older adults an opportunity to renew and take care of important chores and commitments that are otherwise difficult to accomplish when their loved one requires full-time care.

I was also “wowed” during our President’s Circle Retreat by the reminder our participants provide of the awesome blessing of thousands of other people whose generosity makes possible the seeding ministry of Wheat Ridge. We have been able to seed all of the ministries described above, but only because of the support we receive from so many who believe in the importance of assisting inspired leaders during the fragile initial stages of new ministry development. If you are reading this, you are most likely one of these generous people. Without you, our ability to seed new ministries in Florida and around the world simply would not be possible. Thank you!!  

Blessings as you continue your journey through Lent on the way to the empty tomb. Wow!!