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#ReconciliationGeneration: School Yards not Prison Yards
By Rev. April Johnson, Reconciliation Ministry
In her famous poem from 1976 "Children Learn What They Live", Dorothy Law Nolte lays out a prescription for teaching children self-worth and compassion. Contrasting the impacts of criticism versus praise and encouragement she says, "If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. ...If children live with acceptance, they learn to love." The poem marked a shift in our shared consciousness of our responsibility to provide environments that handle their sweet souls with tender care. It also reminded readers of their own frailties and our blindness to the truth that in God's eyes, we are more than enough.
Imagine all our children in homes and schools that handled their sweet souls with care. Would we continue to have gaping disparities in access to quality education? Would black and brown children continue to comprise a disproportionate number of school suspensions, expulsions and dropouts? Recent reports of unequal treatment in our school and judicial systems compels the church and faith community to act. Department of Education 2011 - 2012 data show that although African American youth comprise only 18% of pre-school enrollment but 42% were subject to suspension at least once that year. It shows that we are all shaped in a paradigm of implicit bias that requires intentional effort to dismantle. Data from the Bureau of Justice shows a direct relationship between school suspensions to increased dropout rates and incarceration for discouraged black, brown and poor youth.
Hopelessness is a major contributor to the current phenomenon known as the 'School-to-Prison Pipeline.'
Reconciliation Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is our church's intentional effort to confront historical fractures in the body of Christ caused by structural and systemic racism and instead building life-giving communities for the whole family of God. Our Church recognizes our call to love ALL of God's children and to offer reconciliation within the body of believers.
This year's Reconciliation Offering theme is intended to demonstrate that Disciples are sincerely invested in the wholeness of our most precious members of the family of God - our children. The offering funds grants to our ministries that i restore our children to their rightful place in our communities and churches. Our funds currently support projects that decrease juvenile detentions, promote leadership development and provide educational opportunities that help dismantle the sin of racism.
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Ministry still matters
by Pension Fund staff
Did you know that half of all ministers starting out will leave the ministry within five years, and only 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form?
In a new "Ministry Still Matters" video sponsored by Pension Fund of the Christian Church, Disciples-UCC pastor and spoken word artist Julian DeShazier shares his own ministry story and thought-provoking comments on why ministry still matters.
"The talented these days dream of what they can be," says DeShazier in the video. "We tell them, 'You can be anything'-doctor, lawyer, teacher, poet. But rarely do we ask them, 'So, when are you going into ministry?'"
While the statistics on sustaining ministry are troubling, Pension Fund hopes to inspire current and future generations of ministry leaders through their "Ministry Still Matters" campaign.
"We hope it's a reminder for the reason you accepted the call to ministry or Christian service," said James P. Hamlett, president of Pension Fund.
Pension Fund is asking for your help in making an impact: If this is something you're passionate about
- Share the "Ministry Still Matters" video via email and social media
- Use the hashtag #ministrystillmatters
- OR submit your ministry story to Pension Fund at www.pensionfund.org/ministrystillmatters (How does ministry still matter to you? How can you encourage those in ministry? When did you first accept the call to ministry?)
"It's one of the best things you can do, to dedicate your life to serving others," says DeShazier. "It matters to the ones whose lives you influence, it matters to those whose lives you save-even if it's just one."
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New Week of Compassion partner offers wide variety of learning resources
by Lynette Johnson, director of church relations
The Society of St. Andrew'engages volunteers in hands-on mission to glean (pick, dig, bag, or gather) fresh fruits and vegetables that otherwise would go to waste, and share that gleaned food food banks, soup kitchens, senior/child nutrition programs, etc.)
Beyond hands-on opportunities, though, the Society of St. Andrew offers educational and devotional resources to congregations. All resources are available free of charge and can be ordered from the Society of St. Andrew's website, www.endhunger.org. Many resources can be downloaded from the website as well.
- Food Waste Quiz DVD : This 18 ½ minute, narrated, interactive presentation offers a quick introduction to the Society of St. Andrew's work.
- National Hunger Action Month Calendar for Prayer and Action
- Simple Supper : educational and devotional material to support a simple congregational meal of rice and beans
- Advent and Lenten Devotional Booklets : available in quantity at no charge. Individuals may sign up to receive the devotions via daily emails.
- Good Friday Fast :: devotional guide to accompany a fast for a period of one to three days.
- The Fast That I Choose : A six- or twelve- session hunger-focused Bible study, suitable for adults or senior highs.
- Abundance Orchard : Five session curriculum for preschool and elementary-aged children. Designed for Vacation Bible School or rotation model Sunday School
- Harvest of Hope : Work/study mission retreats for middle schoolers, intergenerational groups (ages 10+), senior highs and alternative spring break experiences
Please visit the Society of St. Andrew's website, www.endhunger.org or contact Director of Church Relations, Lynette Johnson, 800-333-4597 or church@endhunger.org for more information about any of these programs or resources.
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Class for congregational videographers and historians offered Sept. 12-13
The Buffalo Seminary at Bethany College is offering a unique class for congregational videographers and historians to find out how to make video productions from historical records. See promotional video | More info
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