UMCOR in Afghanistan: A Better Place to Learn

NEW YORK, September 22, 2006—More than 8,000 children now have a better place to go to school because of a recently-completed project by UMCOR Afghanistan. Three schools in Gardez city, located in the south eastern region of the country, were damaged and in disrepair from the long years of war, then during the winter recess the government opened the schools to families returning from refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran. They built fires and kept livestock indoors for lack of other options. This rendered the schools unusable after the families left for another place to live.

UMCOR Afghanistan heard the concerns of these communities and helped them refurbish the three schools, repairing damage from the war and misuse. The students are excited to have a better place to go to school. “Now our classrooms are looking very nice as they are well painted and lighted,” says Zarifah. “Finally we are studying in very peaceful and calm conditions.”

UMCOR is also helping students in Gardez and other parts of Afghanistan by giving them school kits. These notebooks, pencils and other items will help them have what they need to go to school. Some 9,073 school kits are currently enroute from UMCOR Sager Brown, the United Methodist relief supply depot.

UMCOR established its work in Afghanistan in May 2002. UMCOR Afghanistan actively engages in helping the people of Afghanistan recover from decades of conflict and four years of drought. To accomplish this, UMCOR Afghanistan implements programs in reconstruction; income generation; health and education; emergency response and intervention; and demobilization, disarmament, rehabilitation and reintegration of former combatants.

How You Can Help
Cash gifts support UMCOR’s work in Afghanistan. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write “UMCOR Advance #602225, Afghanistan Emergency” on the memo line of your check. One hundred percent of your gift will contribute to UMCOR’s work in Afghanistan.

Commentary by WIlson T. Boots: Reflections on 100 years of Methodism in Bolivia

Francis M. Harrington, the Methodist missionary who led the Methodist witness to Bolivia in 1906, reflected on the difficult beginnings: "I have put faith into my work, and I know it will bear good fruit."

A hundred years later, on the Aug. 20 anniversary of the initiation of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia, some 6,500 Methodists, representing the 10,000-member denomination, marched through the center of the capital city of La Paz, accompanied by the stirring music of 16 bands, to celebrate and savor the abundant fruits of Gospel witness that Harrington had envisioned.

As the Methodists, many in colorful indigenous dress, streamed into the public coliseum, the depth of my emotional response was beyond words. My wife, Nora Quiroga Boots, a native of Bolivia, and I have been personally involved in more than half of the history of Bolivian Methodism, so the celebration was one of the most significant moments of our lives.

We remembered the 1950s when there were only about 300 members in six churches throughout the entire country. We recalled the discouraging days when the leaders felt that the mission was a failure and should be terminated. In the 1970s and 1980s, a Spirit-led people's movement among the Aymara peoples led to significant church growth.

During the centennial celebration, Bolivia's president, vice president and cabinet members expressed gratitude for the impact and service of Methodists, and the national leaders bestowed the Order of the Condor upon the Evangelical Methodist Church - the highest honor the nation can bestow. The assembly also received greetings from Methodist lay leader Casimira Rodriguez, who is Bolivia's minister of justice and recipient of the 2003 World Methodist Peace Award.

Violence and hardship
In his sermon, Bishop Carlos Poma, leader of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia, reminded the congregation of the cost of discipleship for many of the early church leaders. He recalled the great "cloud of witnesses" that includes pastors and lay people who were "victims of mob violence, threatened by death, tortured, imprisoned, beaten, forced in ignominy to ride backward on a donkey while being mocked, and silenced with irons in their mouths."

The bishop recalled "the many years in which Methodist converts lived in a largely hostile society, often oppressed by the official religious body and marginalized in their relationships in society."

The Evangelical Methodist Church now constitutes 190 congregations with some 10,000 members. Most members are from the Aymara indigenous culture, but the church also includes Quechua and Guarani peoples. Bishop Poma affirmed the denomination's multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual nature.

The diversified, democratic and prophetic church is forming a "new people in a new society, struggling to be free of oppression: a church with outreach ministries in education, evangelization, rural health development and social witness throughout the nation," he said. The 14 districts of the denomination were presented during the centennial service.

Lifting up the poor
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America; more than half of its eight million residents live in abject poverty. But Poma noted that God defends the poor and those excluded from society.

"The church has received the mission to declare God's good news of the liberation and redemption of the poor through the spirit of justice, to make whole those with broken hearts, to cure the sick, to feed the hungry, to declare liberty to the captives, to denounce the structures of injustice that lead to death, to give sight to those who are physically and spiritually blind - and to preach the year of the Lord's favor," he said.

The church's theological perspective reflects the Wesleyan understanding of salvation as both social and personal. An incarnational theology of mission takes root in the multiple cultures of Bolivia and finds expression in discipleship that is grounded in the cultural, social and political realities of Bolivia.

The Evangelical Methodist Church is an ecumenical church, committed to ministry with other churches on behalf of the reign of God, and an active participant in the World Council of Churches. Many Methodist clergy and laity work closely with top leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. The outstanding ecumenical record of Methodists was recognized by the president and vice president of Bolivia during the centennial service.

United Methodists may remember that the denomination designated Bolivia as a "Land of Witness and Decision" in 1956. Many churches in the United States supported mission work in the nation and a large number of missionaries were sent by the then-Board of Missions.

Although much reduced, a significant United Methodist missionary presence remains today. The nation also hosts Volunteer in Mission teams from the United States.

The people called Methodist in Bolivia, filled with new Spirit energy inspired through the centennial events, are moving into their second century with renewed commitment and hope.

*Boots is a clergy member of New York Annual Conference. He and his wife, Nora Quiroga Boots, served as missionaries in Bolivia through the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Personal tragedies drive church members to combat suicide rate

A UMNS Feature By Annette Spence* Nineteen years ago, the Rev. Jean Layell's sister was the mother of six-week-old twins. She asked her sister to come over and babysit because she hadn't slept well the night before.

When Layell arrived, she took the babies in her arms and encouraged her younger sister to "go and take a hot shower." Within moments, Layell heard what sounded like an explosion.

She remembers looking out the window, trying to figure out what happened. She remembers calling her sister's name and hearing the shower running. She remembers hearing her father scream at some point. She doesn't remember much else about that day.

"They tell me that I found my sister, and that I called my brother," says Layell, wiping the tears from her eyes.

When the family arrived at her sister's mobile home, they found Layell just sitting in a chair, holding the babies.

Nineteen years later, the Norton (Va.) United Methodist Church pastor tells her grief-stricken story as if it happened months ago.

"I'm the last person she talked to," says Layell, age 55. "Why didn't I know what she was going to do? What if I could have stopped her?"

Haunted by questions like those, Layell and Bill and Phyllis Russell are on a mission to educate people about the warning signs of suicide, as well as intervention and referral. All three live in the Big Stone Gap District of the United Methodist Church's Holston Annual (regional) Conference in southwest Virginia.

'Silent epidemic'
Through the Lenowisco Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition, Layell and the Russells are reaching out to schools to educate teachers and youth, since suicide ranks third as a cause of death among Americans ages 15 to 24.

But they're also trying to educate clergy, who are on the front line when people reach out for help with mental-health issues. Last year, the Russells presented a suicide-prevention program to clergy in the Big Stone Gap District, an area where suicide rates are reportedly two to two and a half times higher than the rest of Virginia.

Bill Russell, who lost his 36-year-old son to suicide in 2001, partially attributes southwest Virginia's high suicide rate to a cultural stigma of mental illness.

"They call suicide 'the silent epidemic,'" he says. "In Appalachia, people don't want to talk about it."

"People in southwest Virginia are very private," says Layell. "They don't want anyone knowing their business."

Like Layell's sister, the Russells' son took his life with a firearm, the most common way of committing suicide. Both Jean Layell and the Russells now realize their loved ones struggled with depression, which has a strong relationship to suicide.

"If we had just recognized the signs and symptoms of depression, there was the possibility of getting him help," says Phyllis Russell, a member of Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church.

Warning signs
Before he died on Jan. 2, 2001, the Russells' son seemed withdrawn through the Christmas holidays. His weight had changed dramatically, and he suddenly didn't seem to care about his personal appearance.

Later, the Russells learned that he had thrown his personal belongings in a dumpster, perhaps to keep his family from having to dispose of them after he died. Although increased alcohol and drug use is a suicide warning sign, the Russells say their son did not have a substance abuse problem.

"It was such a shock," says Phyllis Russell. "He knew we loved him dearly - his whole family loved him. It's something we'll never get over."

The Russells began attending the closest suicide survivors' support group in Johnson City, Tenn., until they saw a need to begin a local support group through their pastor, the Rev. Betty Marshall, and Pleasant Hill Church. The Lee County Survivors of Suicide Support Group started in April 2005.

In late 2005, while on the way from a suicide prevention conference in Roanoke, Va., they decided to form a regional coalition after learning that southwest Virginia's suicide rate is double the state's and nearly double the nationwide rate.

"We were really alarmed," says Bill Russell. Since then, the Lenowisco Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition has made about 300 presentations to groups in southwest Virginia. Layell is now chairperson of the coalition's Wise County branch. (Lenowisco stands for Lee, Wise, and Scott Counties and the town of Norton.)

Suicide warning signs include low self-esteem, anger-management problems, irritability, getting into trouble with the law, becoming pregnant early in life, increased physical health problems, abusing alcohol or drugs, significant changes in appetite or weight, feelings of worthlessness or excess guilt, fatigue or loss of energy. People at risk for suicide often threaten to hurt or kill themselves. They may talk or write about suicide or death or look for ways to kill themselves by seeking access to guns, pills, or other means, according to the American Association of Suicidology.

A high-risk group, other than youth, is the elderly. The elderly make up 12.4 percent of the population but account for 16.7 percent of all suicides. Elderly white men are at the highest risk with a rate of about 32 suicides per 100,000. Overall, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the country, the AAS reports.

"They get old, have been independent all their lives, and don't want to go to the nursing home," Layell says of the elderly. "So they starve themselves or don't take their medication. It's more common than we know."

How to take action
If you a think a person is at risk for depression or suicide, the next step is to actively intervene and refer the person to proper help, according to the Virginia Department of Health:

oTake immediate steps to ensure safety, including eliminating access to firearms.
oExplore individual, family, or group therapy.
oEnlist family and community support.
oInvolve mental-health professionals trained to recognize and treat depression and related disorders.

Several online resources exist to help clergy and others address suicide prevention. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center, available at www.sprc.org, provides information such as "The Role of Clergy in Preventing Suicide" and "After a Suicide: Recommendations for Religious Services and Other Public Memorial Observances."

Other resources include the American Association of Suicidology (www.suicidology.org) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (www.afsp.org).

Holston's Outreach/Advocacy Ministry Team also offers "Caring Congregations" resources for ministering to the mentally ill on the conference Web site (http://www.holston.org/outreach). In June, the Holston Conference approved a "Mental Health Awareness" resolution proposed by the Outreach/Advocacy Team. The resolution requests that each Holston congregation use "Caring Congregations" resources.

Layell says the ministry of suicide prevention is one of "great passion" for her because she is daily reminded of her family's loss.

The twin daughters left behind by her sister are 19 years old now. In August, one of the girls was married. Layell attended the wedding.

"My sister should have been there," Layell says. "She should have been there."

*Spence is editor of The Call, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Holston Annual Conference. This story originally appeared in slightly different form in that publication.

Personal tragedies drive church members to combat suicide rate

A UMNS Feature By Annette Spence* Nineteen years ago, the Rev. Jean Layell's sister was the mother of six-week-old twins. She asked her sister to come over and babysit because she hadn't slept well the night before.

When Layell arrived, she took the babies in her arms and encouraged her younger sister to "go and take a hot shower." Within moments, Layell heard what sounded like an explosion.

She remembers looking out the window, trying to figure out what happened. She remembers calling her sister's name and hearing the shower running. She remembers hearing her father scream at some point. She doesn't remember much else about that day.

"They tell me that I found my sister, and that I called my brother," says Layell, wiping the tears from her eyes.

When the family arrived at her sister's mobile home, they found Layell just sitting in a chair, holding the babies.

Nineteen years later, the Norton (Va.) United Methodist Church pastor tells her grief-stricken story as if it happened months ago.

"I'm the last person she talked to," says Layell, age 55. "Why didn't I know what she was going to do? What if I could have stopped her?"

Haunted by questions like those, Layell and Bill and Phyllis Russell are on a mission to educate people about the warning signs of suicide, as well as intervention and referral. All three live in the Big Stone Gap District of the United Methodist Church's Holston Annual (regional) Conference in southwest Virginia.

'Silent epidemic'
Through the Lenowisco Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition, Layell and the Russells are reaching out to schools to educate teachers and youth, since suicide ranks third as a cause of death among Americans ages 15 to 24.

But they're also trying to educate clergy, who are on the front line when people reach out for help with mental-health issues. Last year, the Russells presented a suicide-prevention program to clergy in the Big Stone Gap District, an area where suicide rates are reportedly two to two and a half times higher than the rest of Virginia.

Bill Russell, who lost his 36-year-old son to suicide in 2001, partially attributes southwest Virginia's high suicide rate to a cultural stigma of mental illness.

"They call suicide 'the silent epidemic,'" he says. "In Appalachia, people don't want to talk about it."

"People in southwest Virginia are very private," says Layell. "They don't want anyone knowing their business."

Like Layell's sister, the Russells' son took his life with a firearm, the most common way of committing suicide. Both Jean Layell and the Russells now realize their loved ones struggled with depression, which has a strong relationship to suicide.

"If we had just recognized the signs and symptoms of depression, there was the possibility of getting him help," says Phyllis Russell, a member of Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church.

Warning signs
Before he died on Jan. 2, 2001, the Russells' son seemed withdrawn through the Christmas holidays. His weight had changed dramatically, and he suddenly didn't seem to care about his personal appearance.

Later, the Russells learned that he had thrown his personal belongings in a dumpster, perhaps to keep his family from having to dispose of them after he died. Although increased alcohol and drug use is a suicide warning sign, the Russells say their son did not have a substance abuse problem.

"It was such a shock," says Phyllis Russell. "He knew we loved him dearly - his whole family loved him. It's something we'll never get over."

The Russells began attending the closest suicide survivors' support group in Johnson City, Tenn., until they saw a need to begin a local support group through their pastor, the Rev. Betty Marshall, and Pleasant Hill Church. The Lee County Survivors of Suicide Support Group started in April 2005.

In late 2005, while on the way from a suicide prevention conference in Roanoke, Va., they decided to form a regional coalition after learning that southwest Virginia's suicide rate is double the state's and nearly double the nationwide rate.

"We were really alarmed," says Bill Russell. Since then, the Lenowisco Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition has made about 300 presentations to groups in southwest Virginia. Layell is now chairperson of the coalition's Wise County branch. (Lenowisco stands for Lee, Wise, and Scott Counties and the town of Norton.)

Suicide warning signs include low self-esteem, anger-management problems, irritability, getting into trouble with the law, becoming pregnant early in life, increased physical health problems, abusing alcohol or drugs, significant changes in appetite or weight, feelings of worthlessness or excess guilt, fatigue or loss of energy. People at risk for suicide often threaten to hurt or kill themselves. They may talk or write about suicide or death or look for ways to kill themselves by seeking access to guns, pills, or other means, according to the American Association of Suicidology.

A high-risk group, other than youth, is the elderly. The elderly make up 12.4 percent of the population but account for 16.7 percent of all suicides. Elderly white men are at the highest risk with a rate of about 32 suicides per 100,000. Overall, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the country, the AAS reports.

"They get old, have been independent all their lives, and don't want to go to the nursing home," Layell says of the elderly. "So they starve themselves or don't take their medication. It's more common than we know."

How to take action
If you a think a person is at risk for depression or suicide, the next step is to actively intervene and refer the person to proper help, according to the Virginia Department of Health:

oTake immediate steps to ensure safety, including eliminating access to firearms.
oExplore individual, family, or group therapy.
oEnlist family and community support.
oInvolve mental-health professionals trained to recognize and treat depression and related disorders.

Several online resources exist to help clergy and others address suicide prevention. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center, available at www.sprc.org, provides information such as "The Role of Clergy in Preventing Suicide" and "After a Suicide: Recommendations for Religious Services and Other Public Memorial Observances."

Other resources include the American Association of Suicidology (www.suicidology.org) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (www.afsp.org).

Holston's Outreach/Advocacy Ministry Team also offers "Caring Congregations" resources for ministering to the mentally ill on the conference Web site (http://www.holston.org/outreach). In June, the Holston Conference approved a "Mental Health Awareness" resolution proposed by the Outreach/Advocacy Team. The resolution requests that each Holston congregation use "Caring Congregations" resources.

Layell says the ministry of suicide prevention is one of "great passion" for her because she is daily reminded of her family's loss.

The twin daughters left behind by her sister are 19 years old now. In August, one of the girls was married. Layell attended the wedding.

"My sister should have been there," Layell says. "She should have been there."

*Spence is editor of The Call, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Holston Annual Conference. This story originally appeared in slightly different form in that publication.

Youth invited to participate in international event

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn.(UMNS) - Young United Methodists from around the world will have an opportunity to attend the first international convocation sponsored by the division of the church created to make them "world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ."

The United Methodist Division on Ministries with Young People will host the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly Dec. 28-Jan. 1, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"Our ultimate goal is 'to empower young people as world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ' as stated in the 2004 Book of Discipline," said the Rev. Micki McCorkle, interim associate general secretary for the division, which is part of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

"As young people come together in Johannesburg and share with each other what it is like to be a young person in their contexts, we hope that all of them will begin to see the beauty of the global mosaic that God has created," she said.

The international convocation will involve United Methodist youth, young adults, and adult workers with young people. Participants will engage in worship, Bible study, leadership development training and cultural exchange.

Guest speakers for the event include Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, the first woman elected bishop in a United Methodist central conference (regional units in Africa, Europe, and Asia). Her episcopal area is Germany, which covers three annual conferences in the north, central and east sections and has 65,000 members.

Other speakers include:
+The Rev. Liberato "Levi" Bautista, assistant general secretary for United Nations and International Affairs of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
+Bishop Eben Kanukayi Nhiwatiwa, Zimbabwe Annual Conferences.
+Sarah Crawford-Browne, an African clinical social worker with a vocation to support community healing after violence and social justice.
+Beauty Rosebery Maenzanise, dean of the Faculty of Theology at United Methodist-related Africa University in Zimbabwe.

The Africa University Choir will serve as event choir for the convocation and legislative assembly.

Time to register
"This will be an event to remember and a great time for young people and adult workers from around the world to connect, learn and share with each other," said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for the Board of Discipleship.

"We are extremely excited to see the response and anticipation from all participants and leadership involved in this one-of-a-kind event," said McCorkle.

"We'd like to remind all our United Methodist youth, young adults and adult workers with young people to register as soon as possible. Travel arrangements and preparations need to be completed soon," said Kenia Guimaraes, director of Central Conference Relations in the division.

"We hope and pray that young people will have opportunities to experience other cultures, share their faith journeys with each other, and find ways to network and share ministry ideas and resources among themselves," McCorkle said.

Holding the first convocation in Africa reflects the division's commitment to young people around the globe, she said. "South Africa is also a country for which many of our central conference United Methodists can obtain visas," she added.

"Young people will have opportunities to make friends from other parts of the world, hear the faith stories and journeys of other young people, share with others about their cultures, and learn and experience the culture of South Africa," McCorkle said. "Also, young people will have the opportunity to dialogue with each other about the global issues, concerns and hope they experience and see."

Legislative gathering
The convocation will include opportunities for jurisdiction and central conference delegations and individuals to propose legislation in a forum known as the United Methodist Young People's Legislative Assembly.

Jurisdictions and Central Conferences will elect delegates who will be voting members of the legislative assembly. The assembly will vote on legislation to send to the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The legislative assembly will have five youth, five young adult and two adult workers with young people from each of the five U.S. jurisdictions and the seven central conferences. Sixty people from the United States and 84 people from the central conferences will attend the legislative assembly as delegates.

"Even those who are not delegates will get to participate in the conversations and discussions around the legislation which is brought forth," McCorkle added.

Registration, event and travel information can be obtained from the official Web site www.globalconvo.org or by sending an e-mail to globalconvo@gbod.org. For more information, call Miriam Castro directly at (615) 340-7182.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Jeanette Pinkston, director of media relations at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, contributed to this report.

'House of Friends' helps dementia patients, families

A UMNS Feature By Lilla Marigza*

Louise Sellars and her friends forget sometimes why they are wearing flower leis around their necks. They are dressed for a Hawaiian luau at the "House of Friends."

All of the "friends" at this weekly gathering suffer from dementia. Some are in various stages of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Bethany United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, provides activities designed for seniors like Sellars.

"I talk to a lot of people, and I just enjoy myself," she says. "It's helping me - it really is. I am coming out of my shell a little bit."

The group has time each week for arts, crafts, music, snacks and conversation. Volunteers are close by as participants paint watercolor pictures of Hawaiian scenes.

A volleyball net, with chairs on either side, is set up in one of the three designated meeting rooms. After brief stretching, the friends share a volleyball game, bouncing a balloon across the net. The exercise nourishes both body and mind.

"I love the House of Friends," Sellars says. "It's a nice place and a nice group of people. We're busy from the time we get there until the time we leave."

Her daughter, Sandy Fritz, says the House of Friends has given her mom a whole new peer group and outlook on life. "I know my mother felt very isolated, like she was the only one experiencing this. Before we found the House of Friends, we were more frightened … more homebound. We had a lot of concerns about my mother not having enough social interaction."

A weekly respite
Church members say the House of Friends grew out of a support group for families caring for loved ones with dementia. The round-the-clock care these seniors require can pose hardships for families trying to provide that care. The program was designed to give these caregivers a weekly respite. While Sellars enjoys the luau with the friends, her husband and daughter can also enjoy much-needed time off.

Fritz, a widow, sold her home to move in with her parents. "I found myself in a position a lot of my peers are finding themselves in," she says. "We have aging parents that we do not wish to be institutionalized."

Bethany Care Ministries Pastor David Lutz says the support the program keeps families together by sustaining caregivers who often suffer burnout. "

Because it's 24-7, it makes it extremely difficult for a person who is a caregiver…," he says. After about three years, they have to put their loved one in a care facility, he says.

Fritz says the weekly program at Bethany United Methodist gives her and her father a break.

"For Dad and I, we are much more relaxed. We are better able to cope with the day-to-day things that naturally surround a person with dementia. It gives us a four-hour window every week when we know we are going to have mother in a happy and safe spiritual environment where she is going to be among her peers and engaged in activities that she dearly loves."

Fritz runs a business from home and uses the weekly break to update her Web site and catch up on orders. Her father, Ben Sellars, likes to play golf and have lunch with a friend. As Ben enjoys his leisure time, he takes comfort in knowing his wife is having fun too. "We are really pleased with her eagerness to go each week."

The House of Friends is offered, free of charge, to participants of all faiths. The ministry is supported by donations and grants.

Heartbreak and joy
Church members would like to expand the program to reach more families, but the biggest challenge is finding enough volunteers. Burnout can be a problem for them too. The work is rewarding but emotionally exhausting. Pastor Lutz says it's tough to keep morale up.

"The discouraging part of the program is you know people in the program are not going to get better," he says. "They are going to deteriorate. After a certain period of time, they leave and go into a care facility, or a number of them have passed away."

Church member Susie Peterson founded the House of Friends ministry after years of caring for her parents, who both suffered from dementia. She recognizes the emotions the volunteers feel when they see participants decline. "It's caused a lot of tears and a lot of sadness. We have had workshops on grief and loss. We learn along the way, and we grow."

While the job is demanding, Peterson says a dedicated group of volunteers finds the rewards here week after week. "It brings us a lot of joy to be touching other people's lives," she says. The volunteers range in age from 15 to 90. Usually the encouragement they need is found in knowing the difference they are making for the participants and their families.

Louise Sellars gives a big smile at the mention of her weekly visit to the House of Friends. "I love it. I really love it. They could have it every day; it would be fine with me."

Her daughter says the whole family is grateful for these "friends." "She is flourishing," Fritz says, "and because of this respite that we get, Dad and I are flourishing."

*Marigza is a freelance producer in Nashville, Tenn.

Pakistani teenager barely escapes death at the hands of her family!

Diana grew up in a strict Islamic family in Pakistan. Her life was pretty typical until she met a girl named Mary who was a Christian. Now Diana is also a Christian and on the run.

When Diana's family learned that she had become a Christian, they repeatedly beat her and insisted she return to Islam. But Diana refused. She was then forced to a local canal where her uncle put a pistol to her head and gave her one last chance to return to Islam. Diana replied, "You can kill me if you want. I will not leave Christ."

It was then that Diana's uncle noticed an extremely poisonous black cobra swimming in the canal. Believing he could escape any prosecution for his niece's death, he threw her into the path of the cobra. He also knew she could not swim.

Diana miraculously escaped from the canal and is in hiding today. She is a new Christian but has already learned what it means to suffer for Christ. She recently told The Voice of the Martyrs, "Jesus was crucified for us. Can we not endure some of the same for Him?"

Every month The Voice of the Martyrs reports on what is really happening around the world where our brothers and sisters are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Now you can receive a free subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs award winning monthly newsletter. You will be inspired, you will learn to pray and even discover practical ways to get involved. Subscribe today!


Click here for more information. (or copy and paste this link into your browser) http://etools.ncol.com/a/jgroup/bg_wwwpersecutioncom_cfc-fl_9.html

Art program helps inner-city kids improve grades

By Heidi J. Robinson*

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UMNS) - To a casual passerby, the scene might look like an extreme sports exhibition: an enormous slingshot stretched between field stakes, participants cloaked in protective plastic garb, and the cheers and shrieks of the crowd.

Twelve kids take turns firing projectiles of paint at oversized canvases, creating a colorful masterpiece worthy of a gallery, and noise reminiscent of a football game.

But what is taking place in a field behind Christ United Methodist Church is far more significant than a casual competition. Children from Chattanooga's inner city are experiencing the thrill of seeing their own artistic talent make an impact.

"It makes me feel special, and that I can do a good job and make things happen in my life," says rising seventh-grader Sierra Daniels.

The enormous slingshot, paint-soaked tennis balls, and happy faces are the kids' payoff for voluntarily spending summer mornings hitting the books, as part of a program aimed at raising the academic performance of children in the inner city.

"These kids will remember how much fun it is creating the art," says Becky Hall, Christ Church director of missions. "They remember how rewarding it is to create something beautiful, and that is an insurance policy that they will return to our literacy program next year."

Two dozen women prep canvases, soak paintballs and instruct pottery embellishment. The women, who call themselves Moms on a Mission, use the extreme art in tandem with the academic instruction offered at the Bethlehem Center, a United Methodist neighborhood center in the inner city. The art and other enrichment activities are a lure to keep middle-school students involved in the academic tutoring program during the lazy days of summer.

"Our students have scored below grade level during their academic year," explains the Rev. Lurone Jennings, Bethlehem Center executive director. "They must have intensive work in both language arts and mathematics if they are to reach their full potential in high school. We must reach them now. The problem is that there are a lot of distractions and reasons not to come to get the help they need."

Enter Moms on a Mission and extreme art classes. Several professional artists count themselves among the group of moms. They lend their talents to a number of diverse artistic expressions that draw the students' attention and fire their collective imagination.

"Today, I had a group of boys who were very apprehensive about coming out here to paint because they think that's a girl thing," says professional painter Jane Newman. "Once they got started, they simply got lost in the beauty and freedom of the art process."

Sharing gifts
In the three years since the program's inception, students have had opportunities to create oil paintings, in both abstract and representational styles. One boy says painting taught him new things about himself.

"It makes me feel good," says Jeremy Davis, a rising ninth-grader. "I didn't know I could paint. I know Miss Jane has faith in me."

The moms say they have learned alongside the kids and have gained insight into the purpose in their own lives.

"I think it's our mission. God gives each one of us a gift, and we're supposed to use it," Newman says. "I need to share my gift."

Jenny Smith says exploring the creative process with the middle-school students reinforces her belief that faith takes action. "I think it is very important that we show other mothers and parts of our community that all children are important, and every child deserves an opportunity. We have to give children new experiences so they can truly grow."

Demand for art
In all, more than 100 pieces of art are created in the program. Some of the canvasses span three or four feet, and some are glazed ceramic. At the end of the summer, the art will be auctioned and the proceeds will help fund the tutoring and academic support for next summer.

"One of the best parts of this program is that the students have some ownership in it," Jennings says. "Their work impacts the program."

The art is already in high demand. A local BMW dealership says it plans to purchase and hang some of the art in its new showroom.

"It's quality work. They put all their effort into it," says Leslie Williams, BMW of Chattanooga. "I think it's fresh inspiration for us to purchase this and put it up in our new facility, rather than purchase elsewhere."

The combination of art and academics appears to be a master stroke. Tutors report that by the summer's end, they see a 28 percent increase in the number of students who can pass a grade-level reading test. This means the students start this school year with a firm grasp of the scholastic, and also a confidence in their God-given talents.

Jeremy Davis sums up the feeling of the young artists: "I did a very good job."

*Robinson is a freelance producer based near Cleveland, Tenn.

Commentary by Rev. Micki McCorkle: Young people's ministries grow in Russia

A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Micki McCorkle*

This summer, I had the privilege of visiting Russia, where I witnessed the passion and excitement young people there have for God and what God can do in everyone's life.

In the short, 15-year history of United Methodism in Russia, young people are already strong leaders. As musicians and small-group facilitators, pastors and teachers, prayer partners and event coordinators, young people are creating the future of the United Methodist Church in Russia today.

From youth ministry training events in St. Petersburg to young adult retreats in Moscow and day camps in Ulyonsk, young people's ministries in the United Methodist Church are making a difference in the lives of people in Russia.

The young people in many congregations play a vital role in the overall ministry of the church. In one community, the youth group (youth and young adults) raises money for a local children's hospital, helping the children obtain games that develop motor skills.

In another community, the young people have a rock band that plays at worship services and offers messages of hope and life to many. This worship service draws new young people weekly.

Elsewhere, young people help the elderly wash windows, do shopping and prepare meals. And still other young people prepare and lead Bible camps for children, offering games, food, skits, Bible readings and plenty of music.

Ministries with alcoholics and prisoners are also places where United Methodist young people can be found in Russia.

Throughout the United Methodist Church in Russia, small groups are forming. Some are Bible studies; others are prayer groups. All of these groups provide ways for young people to learn more about God's work in their lives and in the world. It is not unusual, then, for these small groups to find ways to serve in their communities as well.

There is a healthy vision among young people in the United Methodist Church in Russia.

They are committed to deepening their personal faith and sharing with others, through outreach, what God has personally done for them. Today's young people are actively building a strong United Methodist Church in Russia for tomorrow.

*McCorkle is interim director of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship's Division on Ministries with Young People.

Men's commission moves four-year gathering from Purdue

By Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The governing body for United Methodist Men is moving the denomination's quadrennial men's conference from Purdue University to Nashville.
On Sept. 16, the churchwide Commission on United Methodist Men voted to hold the 10th national United Methodist Men's gathering July 9-12, 2009, at a university to be determined in Nashville, Tenn.

The tradition of gathering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., began in 1953. The conference has been described as a "life-changing event" that allows men from across the world to gather for fellowship, spiritual renewal, instruction and inspiration.

The men's organization, once part of a division on men's ministry at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, became a churchwide agency in 1996. Its purpose is to help the United Methodist Church help men make Jesus Christ the center of their lives.

"We are not going back to Purdue for the 10th gathering," said Glenn Wintemberg, Saint Charles, Mo., chairperson of the gathering committee and president of the National Association of Conference Presidents of United Methodist Men "We have nothing against Purdue University," he said. "It has run its course."

The commission, which met Sept. 14-17, voted for the change in response to requests for a more family-friendly locale, better access to an airport or metropolitan area, and more confined spaces for workshops and other options, instead of having to walk long distances to participate in gathering events.

"It's a new day with a new opportunity for us to provide this meeting," said Gil Hanke of Nacogdoches, Texas, president of the men's commission. "The transportation to Nashville is must easier than our previous location. The facilities that we are considering are very accommodating ... and we felt that it was a time to move this event closer to the center of the population centers of the United Methodist Church."

He emphasized that Purdue has "done an excellent job for well over 30 years," but he said Nashville offers better logistics, a more family-oriented type of atmosphere and "comparable facilities that can provide an event that will be an exciting and spiritually dynamic encounter with God." He said he is delighted at the move because "Nashville really shows off the center of the United Methodist Church."

According to Wintemberg, the attendance at the gathering at Purdue had been declining over the years. "Purdue is a difficult place to get to, both by plane and by car. And at the same time, I think we have run the course of Purdue. It is a large campus, and we need to make the gathering more accessible to those men who are attending."

Reaching younger men
The Rev. David Adams, the top executive of the men's commission for the past three months, is excited about the decision to move. "We've had a wonderful relationship with Purdue University; they've been very supportive of us, and we've had a good ministry there," he said. "But in order to reach the younger men and in order to improve the ability to come to one of our gatherings with comfort and ease . . . we decided that we needed to move to a new venue that would allow for better accessibility to the event."

Each quadrennium, the decision will be made on where to hold the event, Adams said. "Having it here in 2009 does not mean that it is going to remain here."

The commission said the decision would be well received by a large number of United Methodist Men across the country. "I think (there) is a new, fresh spirit among the men of the United Methodist Church," Adams said. "They are ready for change and they are ready to see some new vision for the ministry of men, and I think this will help facilitate that."

In the past, both the image and message of the organization have been centered around the purpose of United Methodist Men, which is to declare the centrality of Christ in the lives of men and in all their relationships, but there is a disconnect between the programs offered by the commission and the programs reaching into the hearts and lives of men, he said.

"Part of our challenge is recreating a positive image throughout the entire organization of United Methodist Men and the church. I have heard far too many negative comments about UMM, not only from bishops and pastors, but also from laymen and women across the church," he said. "Part of their assumptions are erroneous and some a reality."

Men's centennial in 2008
The commission also:

+Passed a resolution in support of reducing teen smoking.
+Learned that the United Methodist Church completed 2005 with 376,472 scouts - boys and girls - meeting in 11,864 units in more than 8,000 of the denomination's 35,000 churches; and that while losing traditional Boy and Cub Scout memberships, the size of Venturing crews has doubled.
+Learned that Boy Scouts of America experienced a 6.6 percent loss in overall membership in 2005, including among mainline denominations.
+Heard that more than 230,000 copies of the Strength for Service to God and Country devotional have been distributed to military personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries in Southwest Asia.
+Learned that 2008 will be the centennial anniversary of United Methodist Men and that the commission will propose some type of celebration at the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
+Heard a presentation on men's ministry by staff executive Larry Malone to help determine ways that "create, capture and sustain the spiritual growth process for men to become spiritual fathers and Wesley Men."
+Received an update on the men's study of the United Methodist Church as directed by the 2004 General Conference, a study that is still under way.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Sept. 11 attack energizes effort to republish devotional

A UMNS Report By J. Richard Peck*

Boy Scout Evan Hunsberger had just completed his Eagle project - an effort to republish a book of daily devotions - when terrorists hijacked four U.S. passenger planes on Sept. 11, 2001.
The book became available at the right time to provide spiritual support to a military that was being mobilized to fight a war on terror.

Evan, a 15-year-old Roman Catholic from Orange County, Calif., had adopted as his Eagle project the updating and republishing of a book of daily devotions that his grandfather had carried as a corpsman in World War II and the Korean conflict.

Since the book, titled Strength for Service to God and Country, had been published originally in 1942 by the Methodist Publishing House, Evan had asked the Nashville, Tenn., agency - now the United Methodist Publishing House - for permission to reprint the volume. The churchwide Commission on United Methodist Men, the agency responsible for scouting, was also encouraged to support the project.

After the 9/11 attacks, staff executives of United Methodist Men read the Sept. 11 devotion titled "Chosen to Suffer." It became obvious that the volume written in 1942 for men leaving for Italy, France, Germany and the Philippines was just as relevant for troops leaving their homes in 2001 for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The commission immediately set about helping Evan raise money, and by April 2002, the Nashville-based agency had shipped 20,000 copies of Strength for Service to troops being deployed to the Middle East.

With donations from people across the United States, some 250,000 copies of the book have now been printed. The new version contains an additional 40 devotions by contemporary religious and civic leaders.

Captain Pete Keough, an Army chaplain stationed in Iraq, recently wrote a note of thanks to the commission for sending Strength for Service to God and Country books.

"I have been carrying copies with me as I go 'outside the wire' to visit soldiers at the places of duty within the Baghdad region," he wrote. "I have worked it out to where at least one book goes with every squad. The feedback from the soldiers is unanimous: 'It is the perfect devotional for the warrior/soldier on the go.' I keep mine in my left leg pocket, a perfect fit. Your ministry is a huge blessing. May God richly bless you all!"

The 400-page books are also given to men following their basic training before they are deployed. "Strength for Service speaks right to the heart of a warrior and hits on the topics that are at the forefront of our thoughts," said Marine Lt. Jason Rochester, a chaplain at Parris Island, S.C., training center. "The size is ideal for carrying in a cargo pocket or in the pouch of a pack."

"I read a passage every night at lights out, and it always strengthens me and gives me motivation," said Pvt. Schmidtberger, a recruit at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The historic book was also sent to staff members of the Pentagon, which was hit by a hijacked plane on Sept. 11. Pentagon Chaplain Jim Driscoll said the books have "been much appreciated and used by civilian and military personnel throughout the Pentagon."

Ongoing support
One of the men who helped launch the project was Air Force Col. James E. Townsend who served as a chaplain in Vietnam. Now deceased, one of the last efforts of his life was to get this book distributed to the troops.

"In 1968, when I was part of our armed forces in Vietnam, we worked hard to provide spiritual support both to our local troops and to the flow of casualties moving through our hospital," Townsend once said. "Two things we desperately needed in our ministry were pocket-sized scriptures and pocket-sized devotional materials. We had neither during my tour. Because of the sheer number of casualties, we chaplains rarely had more than a few minutes to spend with each patient.

"A printed source of ongoing spiritual support would have significantly expanded the reach of our ministry. The timeless writings in Strength for Service to God and Country may provide inspiration and answers for many people in many walks of life."

As the United States marks the fifth anniversary of the terrorists' attacks, U.S. service men and women are again reading a Strength for Service entry for Sept. 11 that ends with a prayer: "Dedicate us anew to the high cause of world unity and give us the victory of an enduring peace. And so shall our suffering be not in vain. In the spirit of Christ we pray. Amen."

For information about Strength for Service, contact Larry Coppock, director, Strength For Service Devotional Project, at LCoppock@gcumm.org or (615) 620-7262, or visit www.strengthforservice.org.
*Peck is a retired clergy member of New York Annual Conference and communications coordinator for the General Commission on United Methodist Men.

Pentagon attack painful memory for retired chaplain

A UMNS Feature By Kathy L. Gilbert*

The Rev. Terry Bradfield fears a heinous tragedy has been compounded by grievous errors after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Bradfield was an Army chaplain on assignment at the Pentagon's Army Chief of Chaplain's office on that fateful day five years ago. He was assigned to mortuary detail in the first days after the attacks.

"I think there's a lot more fear in the world now than there was before," he says. "I don't want to say it's unwarranted fear because the world's a dangerous place. There's just a boldness now that wasn't there before 9/11; there is a quickness to blame and that's a sad circumstance."

Bradfield remembers in the first days after the attack an Air Force general was walking around the Pentagon grounds. Someone asked him, "General, what are we going to do about this?"

Bradfield says the general replied, "One of the things we don't want to do is take a heinous tragedy and compound it with a grievous error."

"I'm not sure that we've been able to live into those words of caution," Bradfield says.

The empathy and support of the international community were with the United States immediately following 9/11, he says, even after military operations in Afghanistan.

"I feel like our national leaders have squandered that good will by demonizing an entire culture, cultivating a climate of perpetual fear, and bullying the world into an 'us-or-them' paradigm that is unhealthy and dangerous," he says. "Whatever the result of the 'war on terror,' I am fearful that we have solidified a cultural rift that will take generations, if not centuries, to heal."

Tuesday, Sept. 11
The Pentagon was undergoing renovations at the time of the attack, and Bradfield's office had been moved to another building. That is where he was when the plane hit.

"Where the plane entered the Pentagon was only about 45 feet from our old offices," he says.

Like so many Americans, he heard the news report that a plane had hit the World Trade Centers in New York. Everyone was gathered around watching CNN when the second plane hit.

"It wasn't but a few minutes later we looked out the window and could see black smoke coming from the direction of the Pentagon," he says.

Most of the chaplains immediately left the building to render aid. Something made Bradfield look back over his shoulder.

"I saw all the civilian employees standing in the office with a puzzled look on their face, sort of like, 'Where are these guys going?' I tapped the shoulder on the chaplain in front of me and said I was going to stay back for a while."

He says that turned out to be a good decision because for the next few hours that office became the communications center for most of the Army leadership as the Pentagon was evacuated.

Wednesday, Sept. 12
The next day, after the fires were out, he became part of a four-man team on mortuary detail.
His place on the team was in the refrigerator trucks tagged as mortuary vans. One chaplain accompanied the search and rescue team as they went into the building. The remains would be brought out and handed off to a team of stretcher bearers. A chaplain would accompany the stretcher to the truck and Bradfield would help bring the remains into the truck.

While a doctor was uncovering the remains and pronouncing death, Bradfield was saying a prayer.

"Then we would cover the remains up, move them to a place in the van and bring in the next set. I did that for several days. I think we were on 12-hour shifts during that time."

The rest of the days
It is not easy for Bradfield to live with the memories of those days, and most of the time he tries to not think about them.

"When you are in the middle of it, the training kicks in," he says. "There were a lot of soldiers from Arlington Cemetery - the soldiers who normally are on the burial details - who had volunteered to come down and assist with the removal of the remains. So in a lot of ways it felt like I was back in my early days in the chaplaincy when I was a lieutenant and a captain and I had my unit and I was out with the troops."

Being a chaplain meant he also tried to help "young kids" who were soldiers deal with issues of death, dying, mortality and fear. He says he probably still suffers from post-traumatic syndrome because of Sept. 11.

"When I'm in groups where people start saying, 'Where were you on 9/11?' and they start talking about where they were, I get tight. I probably get a little angry when I listen to the stories until I can remind myself that all of us were there on 9/11. And all of us were impacted in some way on 9/11. There's just no way to avoid it."

Hearing about other perspectives has been part of the healing process, he says.

'Taken the joy away'
Bradfield's wife, Maile, says up until 9/11 they had been living "a charmed life."

"It showed me a level of hatred that to this day I still can't wrap my heart around," she says. The worst effect for her is seeing what it has done to her husband.

"It has taken the joy away from Terry," she says. "He's like the most care-free, loving, joyful person I've ever met in my life, and for him to have to deal with that on a daily basis just makes me angry."

Bradfield, who has retired from the military and is now an executive with the United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration, says being a chaplain was a great career for nearly 23 years.

"I have loved almost every moment of those 23 years.

"The worst thing that happened in my entire career was 9/11 and the Pentagon attack."

* Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Liberian president says education key to country's success

By Anne Dukes*

ATLANTA (UMNS) - When Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke at the fall convocation of Clark Atlanta University, she lauded the school's "rich Christian tradition" and noted that its religious affiliation is the same as hers: United Methodist.

Sirleaf was at the ceremony Sept. 12 to receive an honorary doctor of laws degree given in recognition of her accomplishments and leadership as the first woman president of an African country. Clark Atlanta is one of 13 historically black colleges and universities related to the United Methodist Church in the United States.

Dorcas D. Bowles, provost and vice president of academic affairs, presented Sirleaf with the degree, calling her "a beacon of hope for Liberia." Bowles also noted that the president had graduated from a United Methodist high school in Liberia. She is an active member of Monrovia (Liberia) First United Methodist Church.

Sirleaf spoke to the audience of students, faculty, guests and a local contingent of Liberians who cheered her speech while waving Liberian flags. She offered not only a history lesson on the "devastated past" of her country, but also set forth plans for a national renewal.

"It is our delayed destiny to rise from the ashes to a successful, united and prosperous nation," she said. She emphasized that education will be the key to improving the quality of life for Liberia's people.

Located on Africa's west coast, Liberia suffered through almost 15 years of civil war, which brought death, destruction and the displacement of many Liberians to other countries.

Sirleaf called education "the most potent guard against ignorance, disease and poverty," and offered ideas for joint educational efforts between Liberians and institutions such as Clark Atlanta. She suggested scholarships for Liberian students and programs encouraging U.S. university faculty to work in Liberia.

Liberia is "rich in natural resources - including gold, diamonds, iron ore, forests, fertile soil, edible fish and 400 miles of coastline," she said. "Our human resources are our most valuable asset … and with proper education, we will be empowered to join in a national renewal."

Liberia is at "a historical fork in the road" as it embarks on an "ambitious task: nation building," she said.

She predicted a "national identity, a shared national vision, a secure and stable environment, a reconciled people with freedom of choice, a democracy with equal opportunity and opportunity for development." Education will be the key to a successful transition from war to peace, she said.

"We will have and must maintain a universal primary education system," she said. Diversified and technical instruction will be tools to improve the quality of life, much "as food, water and oxygen feed the body," she said.

Such education will be "indispensable for national success and will promote gender equity through equal access to education." It will also empower Liberians to compete in the marketplace, she said, and she invited U.S. businesses to seize the opportunities that exist in her country.

Often referred to as "the Iron Lady," she has a four-decade career in both the private sector as well as international statesmanship, and holds a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University. Elected president of Liberia last November, she was inaugurated in January and became the first elected black female head of state in the world. Forbes magazine ranked her 51st on its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world this year.

Sirleaf has lived in both Liberia and the United States, holding posts in business as an economist for financial institutions such as the World Bank and Citibank, and in international public policy, serving at one time as an assistant secretary-general for the United Nations and as assistant administrator and director of the U.N. Development Program Regional Bureau for Africa.

In closing, the president encouraged her audience to "join hands with Africa's oldest democracy, to walk away from disappointments … toward a future of hope and promise."

Said Sirleaf: "If we mobilize our resources, both natural and human, Liberia indeed will rise again."

*Dukes is staff writer for the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's North and South Georgia annual conferences.

California, Nevada churches challenge CBS over 'Survivor'

By Jeneane Jones and Chuck Myer*

SAN FRANCISCO (UMNS) - In four cities in California and Nevada, United Methodists turned out Sept. 10 to send a message of disapproval to CBS over its new format for the "Survivor" television series.

Aware of the CBS network's decision to start its new "Survivor" season with a plan to segregate contestants by race and pit them against each other, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana put a call out to churches around the conference to protest "Survivor: Cook Island."

In San Francisco, Fresno and Sacramento, Calif., and Reno, Nev., United Methodists representing the ethnic diversity of the denomination's California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference gathered outside the offices of CBS affiliates KPIX-TV, KOVR, KTVN and KJEO.

The Cal-Nevada Conference represents more than 24 different ethnic groups, and many responded to the call.

In San Francisco, a crowd of more than 100 from Glide Memorial, Epworth, Temple, Downs Memorial and Taylor United Methodist churches, and as far away as San Jose Calvary, carried signs in Spanish, Tongan and English, with messages such as "God did not divide us by race - why let CBS divide us." People from other faith groups joined them.

"It was something to see so many different ethnic groups take part in the protest," said Irene Jones, a member from Downs Memorial United Methodist Church. "We may have been from different ethnic groups, but we were all in agreement. We just wanted CBS to know that their show sends the wrong message."

In Sacramento, Shamana and the Rev. Ted Virts, Delta District superintendent, were among the approximately 100 protesters who held their vigil on the streets leading to KOVR studios in West Sacramento.

Shamana, interviewed live for the evening news, called "Survivor: Cook Island" an affront because it sought to make money from pitting ethnic groups against each other, under the guise of entertainment. "Race-baiting for commercial ratings and profit is unacceptable," she said.

In the tiny community of Chester, Calif., in the shadows of Mount Lassen, the youth group of Chester Community United Methodist Church, unable to make the trip to neighboring Reno, decided to make their stand on the downtown streets.

"There were only eight of us, not including their pastor, but I was really proud to see them put their faith into action," said the Rev. Norma Powell.

In her letter calling churches to be aware of the program, Shamana stated, "As God's people of the California-Nevada Annual Conference we have declared we are one in Christ - people of diverse cultures, diverse geography and one in Christ. It is time for us to provide visual proof that we will not tolerate television programming in our communities that places our human race on the commercial auction block, to be divided and sold for the profit of a 60-second commercial."

Bruno Cohen, KOVR general manager, met with protesters following the vigil. Talking with Shamana, he agreed to include her in an upcoming dialogue with other members of the community on issues relating to faith and culture.

"I see this as an opportunity we can use to offer a faith perspective on issues that are impacting our culture in many different ways," Shamana said.

Earlier, in a news interview responding to the vigil, Cohen said, "CBS is absolutely confident that the producers will handle the program appropriately and sensitively, and we think it will be an interesting, provocative and worthwhile viewing experience."

When asked whether he thought CBS would stand down on the "Survivor" episodes, Cohen said not likely. Despite losing some longtime sponsors to the show - General Motors, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Home Depot have all pulled their sponsorship - CBS has sponsors ready to roll when the show premieres Sept. 14. CBS is refusing to release the list of current sponsors.

Shamana has urged churches to send letters of protest to CBS New York. She said targeting the sponsors will be the next step in making CBS aware that the show's premise is unacceptable.

The conference is making letters of protest available through the Instant Connection link on its Web site, www.cnumc.org.

"Unfortunately, we must assume that CBS will continue to allow profit gain to take priority over the well-being of the community it serves," the bishop said. But we must remain vigilant in our plans to hold the network accountable for the impact poor programming choices have on those who tune them in."

*Jones is director of communications and Myer is Connection editor for the California-Nevada Conference.

A UMNS Commentary by Rev. Chester Jones: A prescription for racism, our chronic affliction

A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Chester R. Jones, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

Recent and ongoing incidents of racial bigotry and stereotypes reported and portrayed in the media, particularly targeting racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants, are poisoning the atmosphere and values of the United States, while injuring the dignity and humanity of all people.

It is past time to stop this sinful insanity. But can we?

Lately, we've had to endure a series of hurtful racial-ethnic insults and apologies by embarrassed public figures who, admittedly, should have known better.

Actor-director Mel Gibson, when arrested in a drunken rage, accused Jews of being warmongers.

Sen. George Allen of Virginia, at a campaign rally, called a young man of Indian descent a "macaca," a species of monkey, although Allen claims his gaffe was unwitting.

And former congressman, mayor and U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, a civil rights icon, bitterly criticized Jewish, Korean and Arab merchants, seemingly en masse, for exploiting low-income, African-American communities by charging high prices for inferior goods and then taking their profits home with them.

These gentlemen - and they are not alone - could have benefited from my grandmother's wisdom about using common sense, which she defined as "that sense which keeps all the other senses from acting a fool."

In each case, public shock and dismay led to swift, contrite and multiple apologies along with attempts to contain the public relations damage unleashed by obsessive media coverage.

Such indiscretions usually reap consequences: Gibson lost some fans and, ironically, a Holocaust-themed movie deal. Allen, a future presidential aspirant, may lose votes. And Young, who described a real problem but sinned in specifying and stereotyping its alleged culprits, lost a job he probably never should have had: promoting the intrusion of Wal-Mart stores - with their low wages and lack of health insurance - into inner-city black communities.

These foolish faux pas have become achingly familiar to watch, and the apologies are wearing thin. What also wears thin are the dubious denials by transgressors that their errant statements manifest what they actually feel or believe.

Where is the balm?
Fear, ignorance, envy, chauvinistic pride - these and other learned human flaws can fuel bigotry and, when empowered, can catalyze the sin of oppression. It is a sad part of who we are as a nation - past, present and foreseeable future.

But, to paraphrase the prophet Jeremiah, where is the balm in our modern-day Gilead that can heal the sin-sick soul? Where do the sin and insanity stop, and how can healing begin?

It begins with honesty, with offering a shining example of true insight, confession and repentance because the truth can set anyone free, including anyone suffering from racial bigotry and prejudice.

It begins with the invocation of that popular but largely unheeded scripture from Micah 6:8: "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God?"

Truth, repentance, justice, kindness, humility: these divinely prescribed Christian values offer an effective antidote to our human flaws and to the sickness of racial bigotry and oppression, if we would only nurture and employ them in our public and private expressions and our dealings with one another.

Racial insults will continue to surprise and vex us, as long as there are loosened tongues, exploitive political and economic agendas, backlash against what some misname "political correctness," and misguided passions around such high-stakes issues as immigration and national security. My fear is that these slings and arrows of outrageous behavior may become commonplace, and we may become inured to them.

Battles looming
After decades of struggle, we are only beginning to see progress in the fight against sports teams and mascots that purport to honor Native Americans but actually insult them instead. I commend our United Methodist Commission on General Conference and NCAA college basketball officials for setting examples of long-overdue respect and compassion for the dignity of native people.

Still, other battles challenge us now or loom on the horizon. To no one's surprise, the recent congressional field hearings inviting public dialogue on immigration policies exposed more hostility aimed at the immigrants who cross the southwest U.S. border.

What the hearings did not yield were any viable, humane solutions. The worst outbursts, crudely echoed by several despicable political campaign ads, were those that irrationally linked undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Latin America with our fear of foreign terrorists slipping across our borders to do us harm. Such targeted paranoia can only leave innocent victims and distract us from attending to legitimate security concerns and defending ourselves against real terrorists.

Now comes word that the popular TV show "Survivor" will is beginning its new season this month with a format that pits white, African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic "tribes" against each other in a contest to become the last tribe standing. The show's producers are desperate to find a plot device that will keep viewers tuned in, but this risky and uncreative ploy may instead heighten racial tensions, chauvinism and separatism among viewers.

Again I ask, where does the sin and insanity stop, and where can healing begin?

Churches must shine light
Maybe the answer will come when individuals, families, coworkers and churches - especially churches - begin to dissect comments and controversies to grasp their true meanings and motivations. Then they can examine the inherent flaws in character and logic and find the lessons that can dispel the darkest intents and impulses with the light of truth and reason.

Let us forgive but not forget because each racial faux pas represents an opportunity to stop and work on the problem, to fix the missteps, and maybe even change the dance so that we can stop tripping over ourselves.

Our congregations should take the lead in a new movement of change. They should study and interpret Micah 6:8 prayerfully and exhaustively, and strive to apply it to their every thought, word and deed. Then they should use it as a plumb line to judge and correct every racial expression they encounter in private or public, face to face or through the media.

We at the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race have resources that can help churches in this effort, and we are eager to share them.

It is time to move in rhythm with our multiple partners to dance the sure steps that God has choreographed for us as God's people. It is time to move from being mere spectators to being students who learn and live and then teach Micah's prescription for all people.

It is a simple but challenging prescription that bears repeating to public figures and the public at-large: "Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God."

Response to 9/11 leaves lasting legacy in New York

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The response by New York faith groups to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks left a lasting legacy.

That legacy is New York Disaster Interfaith Services, whose mission is to "develop and support faith-based disaster readiness, response and recovery services for New York City."

According to the Rev. Charles "Chick" Straut, a United Methodist who serves as the organization's treasurer, NYDIS is "the best part of the story" in the recovery from the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Rev. Ramon Nieves ran the New York 9/11 case management program for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. He said the interfaith effort is the long-lasting result of a process that allows the faith community to respond immediately to future disasters. He described Peter Gudaitis, an Episcopalian who serves as the organization's executive director, as "a visionary."

Nieves, who was instrumental in the development of NYDIS, said he and his ecumenical colleagues "felt we had to put something together in the context of interfaith services so if this happens again, the religious community is ready to respond. I give credit to UMCOR for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of it."

Five Protestant organizations, including UMCOR, put up $50,000 apiece for the financial organization's financial foundation, while other groups made smaller contributions. "That gave this operation a fiscal foundation and has enabled it to continue to work," Straut explained.

Gudaitis acknowledged the importance of United Methodist involvement in NYDIS. The denomination's leadership and expertise after 9/11 "was really a critical factor" in the organization becoming a sponsoring partner for unmet needs and the forum for a long-term interfaith partnership, he said.

UMCOR has given more than $1 million in grants for the unmet needs roundtable and continues to provide funds for projects, including a recovery program for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in the New York area, he added. Straut and the Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie of the United Methodist New York Annual (regional) Conference continue to sit on the NYDIS board.

Today, the organization has a partnership of more than 20 faith communities, a full-time staff of 13 and a $2.5 million annual budget. Most of the budget is raised through grants, according to Gudaitis. The largest donor for 2006 was the American Red Cross, with a grant of just more than $1.1 million.

"We have evolved quite a bit since 9/11, although we still focus a significant part of our work on 9/11 recovery," he said.

A significant amount of time is also spent on showing others around the country "a new model of how individual communities can sustain long-term capacity for readiness and response in addition to recovery," Gudaitis added.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Conference rallies faithful to global challenges of AIDS

By Mary Beth Coudal*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Sharon Thomas, vivacious and funny, appears to be the picture of health. You might not think of her contagious smile when you put a face on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

But there she is, living with AIDS for 18 years.

"We're not all 60-pound skeletal people anymore. Not in the United States anyway."

Thomas is one of 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States. Twenty-seven percent of them are older than 50. People in the United States are living longer with AIDS due to the antiretroviral medications available, known as cocktails.

The 40 million across the globe living with the HIV/AIDS virus, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, are not as likely to have access to the pharmaceutical cocktails to extend their lives.

Thomas, the vice chairperson of the board of directors of the West Ohio AIDS Ministries Committee, was one of more than 150 United Methodists from all over the United States to network, strategize, and energize one another for the continuing fight against HIV/AIDS during a Sept. 8-9 conference in Washington.

Dr. Cherian Thomas, of the United Methodist Global Ministries' health and welfare unit, told the conference attendees that the HIV/AIDS disease can be compared to "a forest fire that is blazing."

"Our immediate response is to put the fire out, but sometimes we cannot douse the fire," he said.

Dr. Thomas detailed four interventions - prevention, treatment, care and support - to battle the flames of what the United Nations has called a "global emergency."

"If you really want to fight a forest fire, you have to have forest fighters trained, an organizational structure in place and a system that prevents the fire," said Dr. Thomas. He lifted up the revitalized United Methodist hospitals in Asia and Africa as such a system.

In particular, Dr. Thomas praised the United Methodist Church's Chicuque Hospital in Mozambique, under the leadership of Bishop João Machado, another speaker at the conference.

The last conference for United Methodists on HIV/AIDS was held 20 years ago in San Francisco.

"We're not going to drop the ball this time," said the Rev. Donald Messer, director of the Center for the Church and Global AIDS Fund.

* Coudal is a staff writer for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

New York sidewalk vigil is reminder of Sept. 11

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - In the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Rev. William Shillady took his ministry to the streets.

As pastor of Park Avenue United Methodist Church, near the corner of Park and E. 86th Street in Manhattan, Shillady found that people in the community appreciated his presence - as well as the presence of others - on the busy sidewalk outside the building.

"Now people expect this of me," he said.

So, as they did on the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2002, the Park Avenue staff had a morning-long sidewalk remembrance service for the fifth anniversary.

The attacks are still very much on the mind of New Yorkers, according to a recent poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News. Two-thirds said they remained "very concerned" about the possibility of another attack on New York. Nearly a third said they think about Sept. 11 on a daily basis and nearly a third are still coping with changes brought about by the attacks.

Joined by his associate pastor, the Rev. Sara Lamar-Sterling, and a few other clergy - including the Rev. Noel Chin, Metropolitan New York District superintendent - Shillady gently offered a printed prayer card to passers-by. "Would you like to pray for one of the heroes of 9/11?" he would ask, holding out the card, each of which listed a name of someone lost that day.

"Thank you for being here five years ago for us," a passing woman told Shillady. Dressed in a black suit with an American flag lapel pin, she was on her way to a memorial service.

The Rev. Truman Brooks, pastor of Westchester (Pa.) United Methodist Church, left his Pennsylvania home at 5 a.m. to assist Shillady, arriving on the Upper East Side after a three-and-a-half-hour drive.

Brooks had participated in the denomination's listening post at the Park Avenue church about a week and a half after the Sept. 11 tragedy, talking with some 80 people seeking solace. "Five years ago, it was an amazing day of ministry," he recalled.

On this day, people hurried along the sidewalk to work or to school, but many took the prayer cards. One woman in a medical uniform murmured that she was late for work but then stopped to take the copy of Prayers from Ground Zero that Brooks handed to her.

Copies of the book, written by the Rev. James McGraw - who was pastor of John Street United Methodist Church, a few blocks from Ground Zero, in 2001 - were donated by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Another downtown pastor, the Rev. James K. Law, pastor of Chinese United Methodist Church, also was distributing the book to passersby. "I find this a very powerful resource," he said. "I hope a lot of people just keep this and use it."

A few people lingered as Lamar-Sterling rang a bell at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m. to mark the times the planes hit the towers. The bell sat on a table covered with a cloth full of comments written with markers in the weeks after Sept. 11. Prayers followed those and later tolling of the bells.

The Rev. Elizabeth Perry, pastor of Lexington Avenue United Methodist Church, also on the Upper East Side, said she believes New Yorkers are dealing with the fifth anniversary in different ways.

"Some people are tired of hearing about it and think we should move on," she noted. But then she pointed out that a woman who stood next to her in front of the Park Avenue church as the bell rang at 9:03 a.m. had shared that she had been only three blocks from the towers when they fell and had feared she would not live to make it home to Brooklyn.

The Rev. Clayton Miller of Larchmont, N.Y., the retired council director of the denomination's New York Annual (regional) Conference, said area clergy had felt the effects of 9/11 and some had left the conference to pursue other goals.

After the attacks, he added, "I think clergy, like many other people, began to evaluate, 'Is this what I want to do with my life?'"

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

United Methodists assisted secondary victims of 9/11 attacks

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Some victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York never made the news.

They were the people who worked at small businesses near the World Trade Center or were hired to help with the cleanup downtown. Some were left unemployed when factories in Chinatown closed in the aftermath or were simply unable to find a job after the economic downturn. A number were undocumented immigrants who were ineligible for government assistance.

Using donations from church members, the United Methodist Committee on Relief was able to assist these secondary victims as well as some of those directly affected by the 2001 attacks.

From May 7, 2002, through April 29, 2005, UMCOR estimated that 5,346 individuals and their families, or a total of some 26,000 people, received direct assistance through the UMCOR New York 9/11 Program. Indirect services, such as referrals to food pantries, legal assistance and medical and mental health care, were provided to another 2,000 people.

Additional assistance to New Yorkers and local church members also came from the disaster response program of the denomination's New York Annual (regional) Conference.

Case management
The Rev. Ramon Nieves, a United Methodist from Illinois with social service experience, was hired to run the UMCOR program. "When I got to New York, my task was to move quickly," he recalled.

The Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's chief executive, acknowledged that the program "was an innovation and we had to see whether it would work." He was pleased with the end result.
Supported by the UMCOR staff, Nieves said he developed a case management system "that would geographically cover those persons impacted by 9/11 directly and indirectly."

With assistance from other faith groups, he set up 10 satellite offices around New York. The idea was to go where the needs were and to be "as compassionate as possible and as sensitive as possible," he said.

"I had to hire people who really knew the communities," Nieves explained. In some areas, Muslims were afraid to come forward for help, "so we went to them."

The Twin Towers had a lot of businesses both inside and outside the buildings. "When all these businesses closed in lower Manhattan, you had collateral damage," he pointed out. The economic impact was so great that "some moved to other states."

An estimated $2 million of the UMCOR 9/11 program's $5 million budget went to rental assistance, he added. At least 60 percent of the clients were undocumented and had no health insurance or benefits.

Near the end of the program, new clients came in who were suffering from health problems after being hired for the cleanup process downtown. Others who lived in lower Manhattan also developed health problems that were thought to be related to the thick smoke and scattered debris that spread after the collapse of the World Trade Center.

At UMCOR's downtown satellite offices at Metropolitan-Duane United Methodist Church and Chinese United Methodist Church, Nieves said, "We were seeing a lot of people, especially Chinese children, who had developed asthma and chronic respiratory problems."

Post-traumatic stress
He estimated that 80 percent of the clients suffered some type of post-traumatic stress to the point where some would not come to the program's main offices at 475 Riverside Drive, where UMCOR is based, because the offices are in a 19-story building. He also was struck by the high burnout rate among case managers at other agencies. "You'd go home and you'd have all these stories (about the attacks) on your mind," he said.

On a personal level, "I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my life," added Nieves, who now is executive director of Tuesday's Child, a social service organization in Chicago.

Counseling for stress was an issue for the New York Annual Conference, which used a grant from UMCOR to fund a partnership with Blanton Peale Institute. That arrangement allowed any clergy member to refer people with trauma-related distress to professional pastoral counselors and psychotherapists.

About 1,000 individuals were assisted, according to the Rev. Charles "Chick" Straut, program administrator for the conference's disaster response task force, which became known as DART.

"My overall impression is it was highly effective," Straut said. "It was handled very professionally, and I think it probably made a difference in the lives of a lot of people."

But not everyone is quick to seek counseling after a disaster, he pointed out. Some refused to recognize the stress and "used every defense mechanism available to avoid seeking counseling."

In some cases, Straut believes that by providing training to clergy so they could help their congregations deal with stress, "we got them to deal with their stresses as well."

DART provided some initial case management until the UMCOR program was up and running.

The task force did advocacy work among the working-class poor, immigrants and undocumented workers; dispersed 87 grants to local congregations for 9/11 recovery projects and cooperated with partners throughout the city.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Survey to help assess 'State of Church' for United Methodists

By United Methodist News Service

United Methodists are encouraged to participate in an online survey to help collect information for the denomination's "State of the Church" project.

The project is sponsored by the Connectional Table, created by the 2004 United Methodist General Conference - the denomination's top legislative body - to guide mission and ministries.

The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=242972529614 or by going to www.umc.org. It may be placed on other official denominational Web sites as well, and United Methodist Communications is sending the link to its e-mail lists.

The Martec Group, a research firm based in Chicago, is collecting information for the State of the Church project. The firm is interviewing bishops, pastors, district superintendents, annual conference treasurers and administrative service directors, connectional ministries directors and designated lay leaders. The first draft of the project report should be completed by the end of the year.

Meera Buck, a United Methodist, is the principal researcher for United Methodist data for Martec. Data will be gathered from church members in the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and the Philippines.

The survey will be used as research for the state of the church report, says United Methodist Bishop John L. Hopkins, chairperson of the Connectional Table.

"It seems when agencies of our church do surveys, they tend to do it from that agencies' perspective," he said. "The Connectional Table is trying to do something above and beyond any particular perspective, and that is why we went with an outside firm."

The online survey asks respondents how important certain core beliefs are to their spiritual journey and to what extent the church offers opportunities to study, pray about and practice those beliefs.

Respondents also are presented with five core values of the United Methodist Church and asked how important the values are to their spiritual journey. One of the core values, for example, is: "Faith in Jesus Christ is expressed in work for justice and by providing for the needs of the poor, and all who are 'pushed aside or left out.'"

Survey takers judge how important prayer, worship with others, financial giving, Bible study and working for social justice is to their religious life. They also are presented with a list of issues facing the world today and asked how important it is for the church to focus on each issue.

Other questions focus on how the church operates as a connectional system, its organizational structure and the effectiveness of pastors.

Respondents are asked to offer opinions about what the church needs to do to attract young people as members; to voice agreement or disagreement with the official denominational policy on homosexuality; to list their primary reason for becoming a member of the United Methodist Church and express how hopeful they are for future of the local church and denomination as a whole.

The survey complements a telephone survey that Martec was already doing.

Church executive recalls how 9/11 changed life for her family

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Christine Lee was in her office at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries when she learned of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Life for her family has never been the same.

Lee's sister, Nancy Yuen Ngo, was last seen on the 95th floor of Tower 1, according to a 9/11 victims Web site. She was 36 years old, with a husband and two daughters, ages 2 and 6.

Although Lee believes the healing process has begun, the last five years have been very difficult -- for her brother-in-law and nieces, her mother, her three other siblings and herself. Their father died the year before attack occurred.

Ngo, 12 years younger than Lee, held a degree in electrical engineering and had moved to Harrington Park, N.J., where Lee lived. But she had grown up in New York's Chinatown and still was involved in the Chinese United Methodist Church there.

"About two or three months before the terrorist attacks, she had accepted a new job at the World Trade Center," Lee recalls. "My mother was caring for the kids while they both worked."

Working as a network consultant for Marsh & McLennan, Ngo had to be at work in the World Trade Center before 8 a.m. Prior to the Sept. 11 attack, she had called her mother to tell her she was there. "That was the last ..." says Lee.

Of the 1,908 Marsh & McLennan employees who were working in or visiting the company's offices in the twin towers that day, 295 were killed. One employee was a passenger on one of the hijacked planes. The company has a memorial to its lost employees adjacent to its offices at 1166 Avenue of the Americas.

After the destruction of the towers, the family went to hospitals in Manhattan, searching for Ngo. But, Lee admits, "By then, your hope is gone."

The months following the attack were "horrible," she recalls. Her oldest niece refused to attend her mother's memorial service at Christ United Methodist Church in Manhattan. Her brother-in-law, Nick Ngo, was devastated and has never remarried. "He'd rather that he'd died instead of her," Lee says.

His parents and her mother pitched in to help with the girls, and the family received counseling.

"My mother lost lots of weight," Lee reports. "Later on, she just couldn't stay in the house anymore. She wanted to go back to China." Although her mother had moved to the United States 40 years earlier and had few relatives in China, she started making trips back there.

Time has helped with the healing. Lee's nieces, now 11 and 7 years old, have become very attached to their father, who, in turn, is very protective of them. "It's just hard for the kids," Lee says. "There are pictures all over, but they can't replace her."

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

United Methodist has two roles on 9/11: pastor, griever

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Each year, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Rev. Myrna Bethke has two roles: pastor and grieving family member.

During the family service at the World Trade Center site, she remembers her brother, William Bethke, who perished in the towers that day. Later, in her own community, she helps lead a general memorial service.

"Those roles merge into one and the same," says Bethke, who has served as pastor at Red Bank United Methodist Church in New Jersey the past two years. "There's no way you can separate yourself from it."

Her 36-year-old brother worked in the computer processing department at Marsh & McLennan, which lost 295 employees on Sept. 11. His name is etched on the company's memorial to its lost employees, adjacent to its offices at 1166 Avenue of the Americas. Beneath each name is a facsimile of the employee's signature.

Since his death, her mother, Marie, has started leading workshops "helping people learn the healing power of laughter" as a way "to keep life in perspective." Her father, Brud, tags along. He was diagnosed with cancer this year.

Bethke herself has discovered that the basic foundations of her life have been strengthened and reinforced since the tragedy.

"We really do need to be conscious of the fact that we're in a global community and working for peace and justice in very real and concrete ways," she explained. "For me, it was the church that gave the foundation for that and a way to respond to 9/11."

Visit to Afghanistan
In June 2002, she was part of an interfaith delegation to Afghanistan, sponsored by Global Exchange, an international human rights organization. United Methodist Bishop Joseph Sprague was also a member of the delegation.

Bethke joined the delegation in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the circumstances that led to the terrorist attacks and to see how religious groups could make tentative connections with Muslims there.

While she found a capital city, Kabul, devastated by war and drought, there did seem to be a fragile hope as the country tried to emerge from Taliban control.

But Bethke is discouraged about the recent news she's heard out of Afghanistan and hates the thought of the places she visited, such as the markets, being bombed. "I suspect it's a lot less safe than it was when I was there," she says.

While a pastor at First United Methodist Church in Freehold, she led a clergy effort of reconciliation when the New Jersey community became polarized over the issue of undocumented immigrants. The Freehold Clergy Association, which includes Christians, Muslims and Jews, hosted a community forum about the immigrants, many from Mexico, who come to work in landscaping and construction or at race tracks and restaurants.

Bethke believes the United Methodist Church needs to be more intentional about involvement in interfaith and ecumenical discussions.

Interfaith outreach
Since 9/11, she has sought out relationships with Muslims in her community. This year, for example, she took her confirmation class to a mosque during Ramadan. When the group drove up to the mosque, they saw a CROP walk sign, and an instant connection was made.

Bethke also is involved with an organization called "Peaceful Tomorrows," founded by some family members of those who were killed on Sept. 11, and has participated in occasional speaking engagements for the group.

"By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, we hope to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism," Peaceful Tomorrows said in its mission statement. "Acknowledging our common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, we work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone."

Such an emphasis appeals to Bethke, who has a daughter, Christa, entering college this fall, and a 15-year-old son, Daniel.

"My kids have always been involved in being at peace marches," she says. "We have to convince kids that life still has meaning and the little things still matter, even in the midst of all that terrorizes and confronts us."

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.