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PASTORAL CARE
October 22, 2018
Find tips and resources for self-care, material to assist you in providing pastoral care, and general information to help you in your practice of ministry. Information will be updated every two weeks concurrent with the East Ohio E-news. Archives Here ...
“I have looked our destruction, our miserable end, which has already begun in so many small ways in our daily life, straight in the eye . . .” writes [Etty Hillesum, a holocaust victim], “and my love of life has not been diminished.” To look life straight in the eye, to see its pain and to see its beauty—this is an essential part of glimpsing the way forward.
The Resurgence of Patriarchy
by Terry Real
Rev. Howard Humpress writes, "Terry Real, a feminist psychotherapist, writes about a shift that has been taking place over the last few years that is of ominous concern. In this article he reflects on the global phenomenon of regressive political systems and describes it as a response to what he calls the resurgence of patriarchy. This disturbing, destructive, and dangerous swing has seemingly gained strength as tolerance for incivility and hate speech has increased. I strongly recommend this article to you as you strive to minister and live in these troubled times."
Read here ...Together at the Table
by Karen Oliveto
Together at the Table is the personal story and public message of Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected a bishop in The United Methodist Church. Her election was and is controversial, with opponents seeking to have her removed and some even threatening violence against her. The denomination has been debating the inclusion of LGBTQ people for decades and will be gathering in February 2019 to determine whether it can agree to let conferences within the church ordain as they see fit and let congregations decide what weddings to hold or whether conservative and liberal factions will break off from the denominational body.
Bishop Oliveto believes that the church can stay together—that people of different convictions can remain in communion with one another. Woven together with her own story of coming out and following God's call to ordained ministry is her guidance for how to live together despite differences—by practicing empathy, living with ambiguity, appreciating the diversity of creation, and embracing unity without uniformity.
Persecuted for My Sake
by Richard Rohr
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. . . . And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. —Matthew 5:10,12, The Message
Today [Sunday, October 15, 2018] Óscar Romero (1917–1980) will be named a saint by the Catholic Church. As Archbishop of San Salvador for the last four years of his life, Romero was a strong, public voice for the many voiceless and anonymous poor of El Salvador and Latin America. When he preached in the cathedral on Sunday mornings, I’m told that the streets were empty and all the radios where on full volume, to hear truth and sanity in an insane and corrupt world.
Here is a man who suffered with and for those who suffered. His loving heart shines through clearly in his homilies:
“A Gospel that doesn’t take into account the rights of human beings, a Christianity that doesn’t make a positive contribution to the history of the world, is not the authentic doctrine of Christ, but rather simply an instrument of power. We . . . don’t want to be a plaything of the worldly powers, rather we want to be the Church that carries the authentic, courageous Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, even when it might become necessary to die like he did, on a cross.”
In his homily on March 23, 1980, the day before he was murdered, Romero addressed the Salvadoran military directly. The next day, following his sermon, a U.S.-supported government hit squad shot him through his heart as he stood at the altar.
Only a few weeks earlier, Romero had said:
I have often been threatened with death. I must tell you, as a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people. I say so without boasting, with the greatest humility. . . . A bishop will die, but God’s church, which is the people, will never perish.
Watch Father Richard's reflection on Óscar Romero in this 3-minute video
View article online ...
A Prayer
written by Oscar Romero, former and assassinated Archbishop of El Salvador
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Focus of the Year: “Being Peace”
Considering the conflict and lack of civility in our world and communities, our churches and families, and within ourselves, the focus for the year is: “Being Peace.” Following Jesus’ practice of going into a quiet place to spend time alone with Abba, we will seek to find our center and listen for what God is calling us to, so that we may emerge as agents of transformation in the world.
Locations:
Ashland—2nd Wednesdays, 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Canton—3rd Thursdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Solon—2nd Thursday, 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Vermilion—3rd Friday, 11:00 am -12:30 pm
To Register:
Please indicate your interest, including location preference, by email: hkhumphress@gmail.com, or call the Office of Pastoral Care: 330-456-0486.
The Program in Pastoral Care and Counseling encourages the spiritual formation of our pastors believing a strong spiritual base is the greatest resource a church leader can possess. It helps us weather the many storms of ministry and deepens the incredible joys ministry provides. Following is a list of Spiritual Directors in our area. We encourage you to take advantage of this rich resource. This listing will appear in each edition of our bi-monthly webpage updates and new names and contact information will be provided as we learn of them and have permission to include them. If you are a director or know of a director that is not included here please let us know.
Spritual Directors:
Debbie Baker - connectingministries@gmail.com
Bruce Batchler-Glader – brucebg@yahoo.com
Harry Finkbone - Finkbone1@gmail.com
Joyce Gordon - joytgordon@gmail.com
Karen Hollingsworth - karenj.hollingsworth@gmail.com
Liz Nau – mlnau2002@gmail.com
Hazel Partington – lakehavenministries.com
Jennifer Olin-Hitt – jolinhitt@gmail.com
Sharon Seyfarth Garner – spiritualdirection@att.net
Carol Topping - cptopping@gmail.com
Laurie Tucker - ltfriendship188@gmail.com
Self-Care Strategies for Survival: Sustaining Oneself in Social Justice Movements
by Lauren Lofton
I noticed that I was also engaging in [dismissive] behaviors, at times rolling my eyes at the concept of self-care. As my burnout level rose, I found myself unable to participate in [social justice] movement work. I found myself hiding out, staring at the ceiling, and holding my cat more often. At some point, I realized that my body was shutting down, forcing me to focus on myself. These inadvertent moments of self-care created more emotional space and allowed me to show up in ways I was unable to show up without it. In the process of reaching a self-care low, I was reminded that our incredible capacity to commit to one another’s struggles is only as strong as our ability to care for ourselves within structures typically not set up to support self-care.
I began focusing on asking myself questions like: . . .
Over time, these questions became simpler. Instead, I began asking myself: . . .
I realized that if I could answer the simpler questions I had more space to get to the complex questions. For the first time, I started thinking about how to make the choice best rooted in emotional and physical self-preservation. This act is certainly radical in a society set up to value workaholism, and productivity over emotional well-being; financial means over personal connection. Whether your labor is in a corporate setting, an under-funded non-profit, or attempting to survive on a fixed-income due to your disability and or age status, it is incredibly difficult to take care of yourself and not have feelings of self-judgment and sadness come up at times.
Finding ways to be kind to ourselves is a gift we can offer to ourselves and our community because of the space it gives us to engage in the emotional labor of deconstructing oppressive structures related to a seemingly endless list of “isms.” I offer the above, my own strategies for self-care, in the hope it may inspire others in this community to find their own path for healing themselves, and for our communities as a whole.
If you have any questions or issues you would like for us to address or would like to get email alerts when new resources have been posted please contact Howard Humphress at hkhumphress@gmail.com or use our quick contact form.
Or contact our office at pastoralcareeoc@gmail.com or call 330-456-0486.
The East Ohio Conference Pastoral Care Office:
Howard Humphress, D. Min.
Executive Director
E-mail
Office Administrator
Lynn Smith
E-mail
Address:
1445 Harrison Avenue NW · Suite 301
Canton, Ohio 44708
Phones/Fax:
Local: 330-456-0486
Toll Free: 866-456-3600
Fax: 330-456-6421
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
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