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One metaphor that helped me understand God’s masterful orchestration of my life’s seasons Leslie Gates

One metaphor that helped me understand God’s masterful orchestration of my life’s seasons

Illustration by Leslie Gates “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens . . .” —Ecclesiastes 3:1

One spring day in 2006, a semester before I would graduate with my master’s degree, I found myself sitting in the office of the Dean of the Graduate School, who also happened to be my academic advisor. At his invitation, we were meeting to discuss what I might do with my life after I completed my degree. I told him of my hopes: to continue teaching art, to have children, to continue being meaningfully involved at church. He added that he had a further hope for me: to pursue a Ph.D.

I didn’t know what pursuing a Ph.D. would mean exactly, and I wondered how it would affect the other things I had hoped to do. I must have been thinking aloud. My advisor’s voice took on a fatherly tone as he interrupted me to say, “Leslie, you can have it all, but not all at once.”

I knew that my advisor was a busy man—teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, running the graduate program at the college, as well as instructing classes within the Church of Latter-day Saints. I’d also heard that he was in a difficult chapter of his home life. So when I looked at him, I realized that this observation wasn’t an insult to my commitment or work ethic but a truth spoken from someone who was currently in the throes of trying to find a balance between the things life was demanding of him.

“We listened. The silence was so vast, it had a life all its own. It was not the absence of sound. It was the presence of something very old, very still, very watchful.” —Mark Buchanan, The Sabbath Rest of God

In 2007, my husband had a growing conviction that God wanted him to become involved in church planting. I initially resisted this idea, realizing that it would mean having to leave Fairview Avenue, the BIC church in Waynesboro, Pa., we were attending . . . the one I had grown to love like no other. During our time at that church, had come to a new understanding of my gifts and how I should use them among the body, eventually serving as a leader in a small group and in our music ministry. In a way, I felt like I had found my place among this community, and I did not want to leave.

However, God has a better record than I do for making decisions, and I wanted to follow God’s call, even if I didn’t particularly like it. So, in September of that year, our church commissioned us to begin regularly attending Hollowell BIC (Waynesboro, Pa.), with the intention of being involved in a church planting initiative. At our new church, my husband began to thrive in many ways. He formed relationships quickly with church members of all ages. I saw God working to develop his speaking and mentoring skills, preparing him to pastor the next church plant.

I, on the other hand, felt a bit lost. I had just resigned from my full-time teaching job and enrolled in a doctoral program. My relationships with folks at our old church changed as we transitioned from one church to another. Our new church had a fantastic worship leader in place, and it did not have small groups, so the two gifts that I’d been able to practice and develop at our last church were not immediately of use.

The identities that I’d eagerly embraced in the last chapter of my life were fading, and there was no clear path leading forward. I was left wondering what God was up to. Why would God provide opportunities for me to identify and hone certain skills, only to then put me in a context where they were no longer needed? Was God calling me to something else? What if, in this silence, He was calling me to rest? Did I even know how to rest? Could one serve God by resting?

“I'm half Jewish, I'm half black, I look in-between. I dress funny. I play all these different styles of music on one record. It's like, What is he doing?”
—Lenny Kravitz

As it turns out, that Sabbath period was God’s wise design. For almost two years, I learned how to be still and permit God to use (or suspend) my gifts as He saw fit. Looking back, I see how that time of rest prepared me for the three brand new identities I now assume: mother, pastor’s wife, and college professor. Several roles have also been renewed, including that of worship leader, one of the main roles I have played in the church plant my husband leads, The Well BIC (Waynesboro, Pa.). At the same time, other titles and identities—such as small group leader—remain dormant.

My life has changed in many ways over the past five years. The conglomeration of items on our kitchen table—currently including Play-Doh, my laptop, an APA writing manual, extra church bulletins, and washable markers—evidence the ways in which these identities are all active and interwoven in this season of life.

At times, these seasons of my life have felt overwhelming. I think people might look at me and wonder, What is she doing? As I reflected on the changes to my identities and life, God provided me with a metaphor to help me better understand how carefully He has been orchestrating things behind the scenes.

Life as a soundboard

A soundboard is one of the tools that technicians use to control amplified audio signals. Unlike most televisions, which only transmit one channel at a time, soundboards allow multiple audio channels to be heard simultaneously and at different volume levels. This enables someone to combine and regulate the amplified sounds and volumes of drums, guitar, and voices when a band is playing, for example.

Imagine this: God sits behind a soundboard that represents my life. The soundboard has many different channels, each labeled with one of my identities: wife, mom, professor, artist, worship leader, friend, daughter, author, etc. Some of the channels have labels that I don’t yet recognize or that I can barely remember.

As I live, God sensitively, carefully, and masterfully sits and mixes channels. Certain seasons of life and specific situations that God ordains mean “turning up” some of my identities while leaving others unknown, unpracticed, or unused for a time. Other seasons require an entirely new mix.

Currently, the volume on the “mom channel” is very loud for me, as young children scurry around my feet. But the “artist channel” still plays softly in the background, as I delight in the temporary masterpiece my daughter creates with bathtub crayons. Sometimes, as my second vignette demonstrates, God orchestrates silence. He is wise.

Understanding my identities as soundboard channels that God masterfully controls releases me from lies I once accepted as true. I believed the lie that I can or should do all of these things excellently all of the time. I believed lies about which of these channels are most important and to whom. I believed the lie that I am actually the one in control of the mix.

But God has revealed that he is the one behind the ebb and flow of my life. This truth has helped me to believe that God has called me to different things at different times and with different intensities. Trying to be all things at all times would result in cacophonous noise. My current season of life attests to God’s careful mix of channels and my dependency on His orchestration.

Leslie Gates lives in Waynesboro, Pa., with her husband, Sam (pastor of The Well BIC), and daughter, Evelyn. She works as an arts education researcher and as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Four ways to respond to (rather than shrink from) suffering in the world Fred Miller

Four ways to respond to (rather than shrink from) suffering in the world

The magazines arrive in my mailbox. On their covers are pictures of people who look a lot different than I do and who live in a world a lot different from mine. Their eyes are vacant, their bodies shabbily clothed. They often look poor. And needy. I wonder, Am I supposed to meet such great need?

Then there are those missions trips I’ve taken to Chicago, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Zambia. I’ve seen people suffering—from poverty, injustice, violence, and destruction—firsthand and returned home troubled by the question, What does God want me to do?

And added to these experiences, are the articles in this magazine about believers in South Asia facing obstacles and trials that I probably never will. Again, How does God want me to respond?

The words of James hauntingly come to mind: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

So sometimes I write a check or click the “donate now” button. It’s loving; I sense God’s pleasure in it, and I view it as one way for me to care for others out of my own abundance. But the reality is that most of the time I do nothing. And I’m acutely aware that these needs are way beyond my limited monetary gifts.

Then how should we respond to world needs that we encounter? How can we avoid apathy (because we tune them out), spiritual dullness (because we don’t use them as an opportunity to turn to God), and heavy guilt (because we do nothing or because we don’t experience them in the same way as others do)? When we encounter stories of suffering, what might God want us to do?

FEEL.

And guard ourselves against feeling nothing. Scripture speaks of having “tenderness and compassion” for one another, even towards those we don’t know or will never meet (Philippians 2:1). In Matthew 5:7, Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful,” which implies a heartfelt awareness of the needs of others, and Romans 12:15 instructs us to share in one another’s sadness and joys. Just as Christ took on flesh and endured the suffering of humanity, so should we strive to walk in the shoes of others, that we might gain insights into love.

In a world of hope

Feeling, loving, praying, and growing are lifelong endeavors. But here are a couple practical ways to pursue them.

FEEL.

• • Find out all you can about the context.
• • Listen to people in the situation talk about what they are experiencing.
• • Ask yourself some questions. (You may even want to write down your responses.)
• • Have I ever been in this situation or a similar one? What was that like?
• • What might I be feeling if this happened to me?
• • What things might be keeping me from feeling (fear, busyness, pain, etc.)?

LOVE.

• • Ask others to tell you what they need and seek to provide them with it.
• • Take the time to “mourn with those who mourn.”
• • Give to the BIC World Hunger Fund in cases of global emergency relief assistance.
• • Go with BIC World Missions if visitation is the best approach.

PRAY.

• • Use the Prayer Focus, a weekly list of prayer requests from the worldwide BIC community.
• • Sign up to receive The Challenge, a monthly newsletter of prayer requests from BIC global workers.

GROW.

• • Subscribe to Shalom!, a quarterly journal that shares stories of peace and reconciliation from around the world.
• • Engage in conversation with others at InPart.org.
• • Challenge yourself with new ideas using the resources offered by the BIC Church.

LOVE.

Compassionately act in the best interests of others (Romans 12:10–13). This can feel overwhelming, especially when we see news stories of thousands or even millions of people who are suffering. But we should remember that not all expressions of love need to be complicated. A place to start might be the simple gift of feeling their sorrow and not reducing their experiences to a news-bite. They may never know you joined them in this way, but it is one way to honor people’s humanity and enter into the story with them. At the same time, true love will be open to other expressions—like giving money, working to correct social injustices, and sometimes offering comfort and support through direct communication, visitation, and service. God knows we can’t do every one of these things each time we hear of a need, but we must regularly respond, even if it’s in small ways.

PRAY.

Through this act, we bring the needs we know of to God, telling Him what’s on our hearts. Then, we listen, letting God say what’s on His heart. We let Him speak to us about how we feel (or don’t feel) and how we love (or don’t love). Through heart-to-heart conversation with God, we ask for His kingdom-will; we cry with Him; we confess our apathy; we pursue the heart of Jesus in us (Ephesians 6:18).

GROW.

We must allow every encounter to shape our minds and hearts. Romans 8:28 says that God works good things out of bad when we love Him and embrace His purposes. God is not the author of evil, sin, and suffering—they’re the results of twisted free will and a groaning fallen world—but He can redeem them. He can show up, with mercy, power, and even redemptive judgment. And in the midst of it all, He desires to change us. The Lord wants to use these encounters with pain to make us more merciful, more sensitive, more globally-minded. He desires to increase our awareness of evil so we can fight it, to show us our own failings even as we see those of others, to move from self-centeredness to selflessness, even to increase our convictions so that we might increase our courage to take radical actions on behalf of the oppressed.

A wide path of freedom

I find it helpful to understand God’s will as a wide bike path, rather than a narrow, single-file trail. Most of the time, I believe God is not trying to get me to discern one single, God-pleasing response to human suffering. Rather, He’s pleased if I stay on the wide path of compassion, moving forward and not going off to the left or the right. The four guidelines above assist me in this process.

For example, my wife and I seek to practice these responses when we encounter hurting people in our church and community. We discuss human needs and pray for them with our children and grandchildren. For a broader perspective, I set my homepage to a site that highlights world events. I subscribe to secular and missions-oriented magazines that inform me of global, regional, and local issues, and I try to periodically visit places where I may encounter these issues. I also do my best to engage and be open to different voices that propose spiritual, social, or political solutions to needs.

In all of these things, our main call is to follow Christ. In the words of the worship song “Hosanna,” we must ask Jesus to:

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause

As I walk from earth into eternity.*

*Lyrics by Brooke Fraser

Fred Miller is the senior pastor of Cumberland Valley Church (Dillsburg, Pa.). Fred loves to read theology, to coach youth lacrosse, and to watch and evaluate movies with his wife, Cathy.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Stories of struggle and hope from brothers and sisters in South Asia Susan K. Getty

Stories of struggle and hope from brothers and sisters in South Asia

Believers in South Asia* face many challenges. There are socioeconomic obstacles that hinder church development; there are threats and attacks against precious lives; and there are forces of nature that create chaos. What does it mean to rely on God? The answer may be radically different for different people. But just maybe it has to do with where we put our confidence. Where we think the ultimate power is. And what we do with fear.

Sharing in Christ’s sufferings in Nepal

Sanjay was 13 years old when he decided to follow Jesus, after reading a pamphlet that a Brethren in Christ missionary left in his home 16 years earlier. He knew that the decision was not going to assure him of an easier life. Members of his family and community, who practiced a mix of tribal faith and Hinduism, rejected him. He left home to live with an uncle. For the next two years, he suffered alienation and rejection. Then, due to his witness, others in his family began to understand the truth he had responded to and became believers themselves.

Sanjay has served the BIC Church in Nepal as a pastor, teacher, and chairman for much of his adult life. In September 2008, he and a fellow church leader were kidnapped by the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), a faction looking to re-establish Nepal as a Hindu nation. We were taken to an unknown place in a jungle,” Sanjay recalls. They were held at gunpoint while they were verbally assaulted and interrogated by their captors: “Why do you preach? Why do you convert people to a foreign religion?” Never given a chance to answer any of the charges, Sanjay and his companion were released after a five-hour ordeal, along with a demand for payment and an order to stop preaching and converting Nepalese people.

“Life in Christ is not easy, and we have chosen this life willingly, and no one has forced us to follow the life that is full of challenges,” the faithful pastor says. “Opposition and persecution are not the end of our life but it is headed to the glorious life in Christ when we meet Him face to face.”

For hundreds of years, Nepal was officially a Hindu country, ruled by a Hindu monarchy. Many Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians who lived there have been imprisoned, driven underground by threats and violence, or beaten, dragged to the Hindu temple, and forced to bow to idols. Since 2000, prayer and worship outside the Hindu faith have been allowed, but preaching and evangelism still are considered serious crimes. A new constitution declaring Nepal a federal republic nation is scheduled to be approved in May 2012 and may guarantee religious freedom to the people of Nepal.

Yet until that happens, Nepalese Christians remain in danger.

Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Moppet (left) | Peter Zelei (right) Difficult paths in west India

Since 2000, Dan and Karen D. have lived part time in a thriving tourist beach town in West India. But it has not been a vacation. As North Americans serving as affiliate global workers through BIC World Missions, the D.’s have faced intimidation and a bureaucracy that makes every forward step a major accomplishment. Even securing access into the country is not a given. Due to restrictions on their visas, Dan and Karen must leave the country every six months. And the Indian government once revoked the visa of a friend simply because he listed his employment as “clergy.”

One vital dimension of Dan and Karen’s work has centered around starting a new congregation, All Nations Center. As a part of their church planting, they have served as visionaries and mentors while identifying and developing a team of national leaders to carry out the work of the church. This model mitigates the potential of dependency upon North American workers and resources, and it equips new ministers. It also sustains the church during the time when Dan and Karen must leave the country, as their visas require.

With all the challenges of financing a ministry in an area with limited financial resources and of raising up new leaders in the church, Karen shares, Still our greatest concern is local organized groups from the Catholic community coming against us.” In other parts of India, persecution comes from other religious and political groups. But in their area, the predominantly Roman Catholic community teaches that any Jesus-followers who are not part of the Catholic Church are heretics. This plays out in many areas of day-to-day life. For example, landlords may be pressured by priests of the local parish to refuse to rent to those outside of the Catholic faith or even to evict them from the homes they currently rent.

At times, the tension has escalated to include physical threats. One night, the church had rented a hall to present a drama to communicate the Gospel. A truckload of men arrived and stormed the hall, smashing chairs, throwing things, and breaking every window in the place. The terrified children were forced into a closet, and two adults suffered bodily injury. Before the attackers left, they stole microphones and electrical cords, putting an end to the program. It turns out that a local priest had instigated the attack. The police, whose allegiance was also with the local Catholic parish, came to the scene but stood by without acting.

Yet the Lord has provided help through an unlikely means: The next chief of police to take office was a Hindu man who had read about the account in the newspapers. When he got to town, he followed up on the story and learned about the harassment that these believers were experiencing. He gave church members his private cell phone number and welcomes calls when they hear news of potential threats.

Now, this influential member of the community serves as an advocate for tolerance between faith communities. And so it has been that, as a result of trusting God while facing opposition, the family of believers there has actually gained a measure of security.

Photo: Associated Press/Aftab Alam Siddiqui By the waters in Bihar, India

Brethren in Christ brothers and sisters in Bihar, India, struggle with hostility and persecution from other religious groups in the region, but they also do battle with natural disasters. Each year brings heavy rains to the villages along the Kosi River at the base of the Himalaya Mountains. For some time, flood control efforts had addressed the problem. But at the end of the rainy season in 2010, the river—which was unintentionally diverted by the engineering—breached its banks and brought disaster to communities in which several Brethren in Christ churches exist.

Homes and businesses were destroyed. Food and clean water were in short supply. Travel was severely inhibited as both roads and railroads were impassable. The flood had affected everyone, causing many deaths and leaving survivors in great need.

In the midst of overwhelming personal and communal loss, a group of young leaders in the BIC Church of Bihar stepped out of their own suffering and offered to serve their neighbors, many of whom had disregarded them previously because of their Christian faith. These young people volunteered as members of a first-response team with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches that offers disaster relief. In the past, MCC has worked through another local agency to administer aid, but this time they chose to accept the offer of the BIC in Bihar to act as a direct conduit for assistance.

Kenneth Hoke, executive director of the International Brethren in Christ Association, says, “These were people in their 30s and 40s who were able to come with aid and resources that clearly made a difference in the lives of some very hurting people.”

The Brethren in Christ believers saw the need of their neighbors. They took the opportunity to bring their faith into the public and show God’s love in a very tangible form.

Hindus, Muslims, and spirit worshippers who had carried a low opinion of their Christian neighbors began to see them in a different light. They realized that Christians are, in Ken’s words, people who are responsive to who they are and what’s happening in their lives.” One leader in the Bihar Church even commented to Ken that people in the community were suggesting that some members of the team run for government office!

Relationships have improved because the Church in Bihar took a risk, trusting God to honor their efforts.

In John 16:33, Jesus recognizes the existence of fear and suffering in life, saying, “In this world, you will have trouble.” Right on the heels of this acknowledgment, He offers this hope: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In South Asia, challenges and struggles are a reality for Christ-followers. Yet many are using this time to turn from fear and “take heart,” putting their confidence in God’s provision and guidance.

In Sanjay’s words, “God empowers believers to be able to stand for faith and bear the persecution. It is hard to face these situations, but at the same time, it is a precious opportunity to come closer to God. As I come closer to God, it reminds me how much more Jesus had to go through. The life and death of Jesus is more meaningful when I face certain opposition and persecution. It helps me live a daily life worthy of my calling.”

*Part of the reality is that the people in this article have to be careful not to attract attention that would increase opposition to their ministry. We will do what we can to ensure their safety by not revealing their full names or precisely where they live and work. And in some cases, we have changed their names. However, these stories and the people sharing them are real.

Susan K. Getty is a freelance writer and artist from Dillsburg, Pa. She works part time in the admissions office at Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.), where her husband also works and her two sons are students.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

So don’t keep Him in the trunk Perry Engle

I’ve been trying to figure out if “praying like it all depends on God and working like it all depends on you” has any parallels in Scripture.

I’ve never been much for overly simplistic sayings (sorry, Twitter), so I always approach catch phrases with a questioning eye. One I’ve been processing recently is the admonition to “pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you.”

It took me awhile to find the originator of the quote. One source cited reformer Martin Luther; another, revival preacher Charles Finney. Eventually, my research led me to a fellow bishop, Saint Augustine of Hippo, having made the statement sometime in the fourth or fifth century.

The adage has a lot of close relatives. The most familiar is, “God helps those who help themselves,” which, disappointingly to many, comes from Benjamin Franklin and not from Jesus. Another says, “Don’t wait until your ship comes in. Swim out to meet it.” There’s also an Indian proverb that encourages those in trouble to “call upon God, but row away from the rocks.”

I’ve been trying to figure out if “praying like it all depends on God and working like it all depends on you” has any parallels in Scripture. Certainly, we are called to “pray without ceasing” and to “work as unto the Lord.” God says, “Those who seek me find me,” and also declares, “I will bless the work of their hands.” It seems that Scripture affirms, in most contexts, an active human participation in bringing about the blessings of God.

The problem is that my default setting most always is to depend on myself prior to depending on God. More often than not, I use God like a spare tire. He only comes out in emergencies when one of the others goes flat. My tendency is to rely on God only when I run out of other options.

I’m thinking that there is nothing wrong with working like everything depends on us, as long as we recognize that everything doesn’t depend on us. As Paul told the God-seekers at the Areopagus in Athens, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In other words, this God, who for Athenians was “unknown,” is the source of everything for those of us who believe. We’re fooling ourselves if we think we can do anything apart from Him.

The clearest view of Scripture seems to be that God helps those who cannot help themselves—whether it be Moses and his band of panicking Israelites trapped by the Red Sea, or a woman with a decades-old hemorrhage straining to touch the edge of Jesus’ robe, or a desperate Roman centurion seeking healing for his paralyzed servant. Yet, remarkably, in helping the helpless, God often involves them in the saving process. Moses raises his staff and the waters part; the woman touches the hem of Jesus’ garment and her bleeding stops; and the centurion simply believes Jesus, and his servant is healed.

As we rely on God for everything, we are expected to respond to this dependence with words, prayers, and actions of faith. Even though we work as if everything depends on us, still we know in our hearts that everything really depends on God.

Saint Augustine was also quoted as saying, “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” I think that’s another way of saying that God doesn’t need to—but finds great pleasure in—including us in the process of redemption. It’s a profound truth and a beautiful partnership that we can work for God like it all depends on us, while knowing with absolute certainty that we can do nothing apart from His help.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Perry Engle can’t help himself and knows it. He is bishop of the Midwest and Pacific Conferences of the BIC Church and lives with his wife, Marta, and their family, in Ontario, Calif.

How are you connecting to, learning from, and serving with the worldwide family of faith?

How are you connecting to, learning from, and serving with the worldwide family of faith? Keith Tyson Ashland (Ohio) BIC

This spring, I’m taking a six-week sabbatical trip to India, Tanzania, Kenya, and Britain. I want to learn from these brothers and sisters—what keeps them strong and what challenges they face, even as they faithfully minister. At the same time, I’m eager to accept their invitation for me to teach and share out of the training I’ve received. It’s exciting to be a part of this type of exchange where all parties are learning and growing together, based upon the unique resources and experiences we have been given!

Timothy Fisher Walkersville (Md.) Community Church

Walkersville Community Church has partnered with a missions organization, Ekta Indian Missions, by providing an office in the church free of charge. The church has also partnered with Ekta by providing local volunteer staff and clothing and materials for a Vacation Bible School in India.

In addition, our church has recently welcomed a Spanish-speaking congregation to use our facilities for its services.

Jeremy Blount Pathway Community Church (York, Pa.)

We have a vision for Pathway to become a congregation that is for the nations. As we look into what this means for our church, we want to commit by praying, giving, and going.

For the past several years, we have given to support the work of God around the world through BIC Cooperative Ministries. We have also partnered with other organizations in our giving efforts. And for the last couple of years, we have taken teams to support the work of BIC workers serving at the Navajo BIC Mission (Bloomfield, N.M.).

Grace Holland Dillsburg (Pa.) BIC

For more than 10 years, groups of believers have prayed for the BIC Church by using the Prayer Focus, a list of prayer requests and praises from around the world that I compile each week. It is posted online at bic-church.org/connect/prayer/prayer_focus.asp. I hear from people who appreciate being connected and use the Prayer Focus for personal prayer times, as well as for group prayer meetings.

Praying is a powerful ministry that anyone can do. It connects us with all of our brothers and sisters around the world. We can learn of God’s work in battles and victories everywhere. It’s been amazing to see how, with almost every request in the Prayer Focus, there is a praise for some other need that was met—and often, that need was prayed for in a previous week. .

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

One song is about ability. The other is about inability. But i see truth in both. Scott Elkins

One song is about ability. The other is about inability. But i see truth in both.

Raised in a working-class home in Appalachia, I saw both of my parents laboring long and hard to put food on the table. We were not poor, but only because we stayed busy. It never crossed our minds to have someone mow our grass, fix our car or our house. Charity was something we gave; it was never to be received. We stood our ground, paid our debts, and didn’t ask anyone for anything.

As an adult, I still do most things myself. Isn’t that the American way? This idea is at the heart of who we are as people. We prefer to stand on our own two feet, to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Does anyone really like to admit that they need help? I doubt it. Yet as a Christian, I wonder if “self-reliance” is a healthy attitude.

At the same time, the alternative—doing nothing or failing to use our gifts and skills—seems equally unhealthy. Humankind has accomplished amazing things. These wouldn’t have happened if people had just sat around moaning about their limitations.

But when do our actions come from our being made in the image of God, and when do they come from our broken, sinful nature? Two recent popular songs highlight this tension between our inevitable weakness and our incredible capacity as people.

With my own two hands

Ben Harper’s 2003 hit “With My Own Two Hands” is an upbeat reggae romp full of Les Paul guitars and B3 organs. As a listener, it makes me want to open my sunroof, crank up the stereo, and take on the world. Here is a sample of the lyrics:

I can change the world with my own two hands

Make a better place with my own two hands

Make a kinder place with my own two hands

I can make peace on earth with my own two hands

And I can clean up the earth with my own two hands

And I can reach out to you with my own two hands

Who hasn’t felt like this on a spring day? This song makes me feel strong. It causes me to dream big dreams. Listening to this song inspires me get out there and fix this world—and it makes me believe that I can. I love this song because it moves me out of my comfort zone and encourages me to get my hands dirty.

However, I have a confession to make. Most of the times that I have risked, I have failed. More often than not, when I have stuck out my neck and tried to change even a small situation, I find that I am not capable of much at all. I turned 47 this year, and I did not celebrate. Each birthday is a bitter pill to me: a reminder that my time is running short and that, despite my best intentions, I am not accomplishing what I thought I would have accomplished by this age. When I was a young man, I felt I could do anything. But the unbridled optimism of my 20s is now tempered with frustration and brokenness.

While I am quite happily married, have four great kids, and pastor a wonderful church, I used to dream bigger dreams, like those in Ben Harper’s song. I still haven’t contributed much to world peace, cleaning up the earth, or changing the world. Most days I don’t feel very self-reliant. As I try to tackle a problem, I feel as if I am trying to bale water out of a sinking ship using a bucket with no bottom. It doesn’t matter how hard I try, it just doesn’t seem to work.

I’m not able

That same sentiment reverberates through NeedToBreathe’s 2011 song “Able,” a soulful, piano-laced introspection featuring a sweet dobro solo. These lyrics speak well to how I feel most days:

Carry round the secrets

Only heaven knows

Crawl into our darkened rooms

Where only victims go

Though I feel I'm strong enough to carry all this load

I'm not able on my own

This song understands that North Americans are enmeshed in a culture that tells us to “just try harder.” But I have yet to find anyone who is this utterly self-reliant and capable of standing solely on their own two feet. Perhaps the most offensive part of the Gospel is the revelation that “I’m not able on my own.”

But equally scandalous are the words in John 14:12, where Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these [. . .].” Jesus Himself believes that we will do bigger and better things than He did. So far, I haven’t turned any water into wine, restored sight, or healed a lame man. Am I doing something wrong? Or did He mean that the things I would be able to do are greater than miracles? In Acts 1:8, we read, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” Could it be that the witness of my simple life of obedience—a preview of the coming Kingdom—is greater than feeding 5,000 people?

About halfway through “Able,” the lead male voice is joined by a whole choir, which belts, “Find your patience, find your truth / Love is all we have to lose.” The sudden flood of voices reminds me that we’re all in the same boat, and no one’s bail bucket is of any use. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but perhaps it is in our daily rubbing of shoulders with other broken people that we find our patience and our truth—the truth that we are desperately needy.

Together

So who is right, Ben Harper or NeedToBreathe? I think both are on the right path, depending on where you are in life. Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, “Able” is correct in saying that “Though I feel I'm just as strong as any man I know / I'm not able on my own.” But once we have surrendered to Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, then maybe we can sing with Harper, “I can change the world with my own two hands.”

Where does that leave me? I need to remember that when I act upon my own plans and desires, I find myself in the same predicament as Adam and Eve: afraid, standing naked in front of God, ashamed of eating my own apples and searching for fig leaves of self-importance, self-reliance, and self-indulgence. I must learn to wait on God in prayer for the right plan to change the world and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to make that plan reality.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Scott Elkins is pastor of Canoe Creek BIC (Hollidaysburg, Pa.). When he's not spending time with his wife and four children, Scott can be found racing kayaks or playing guitar, dobro, and bass guitar.

A new program offered in Spanish helps disciples explore BIC beliefs and pursue ordination

A new program offered in Spanish helps disciples explore BIC beliefs and pursue ordination

This January, 17 men and women donned caps and gowns to graduate as the first class of Instituto Biblico Zoe, a new 12-course program designed to help Spanish-speaking Brethren in Christ explore BIC beliefs or pursue ordination. The ceremony was the culmination of the innovation and vision of Mirta Colloca, Zoe founder and co-pastor of Vida Abundante BIC (Hialeah, Fla.), and the team of administrators and course instructors she has assembled. Enrollment for Zoe’s next semester has already necessitated the rental of a larger space, and in the second phase of the program, video recordings of each class will be available for use around the world.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

For one family, relying on God meant opening its home to two new additions Andrew Meiser

For one family, relying on God meant opening its home to two new additions.

Relying on God: We confess our dependence on God for everything and seek to deepen our intimacy with Him by living prayerfully.

Early on in our marriage, my wife, Mary, and I had talked about adoption, but the fire of our passion to pursue it had been mostly dormant for 20 years. I had recently changed careers to become a pastor, our two children were in high school, and it didn’t seem like the time for any other major family life changes. Yet the embers of our vision glowed when I heard about how a church in Colorado had adopted hundreds of children, transforming the state’s foster care system.

The coals fanned into flame as Mary and I completed training toward the goal of adopting a 4- to 10-year-old child out of the foster care system. Soon, the paperwork was done, the new room was ready, and our kids were on-board.

We were prepared—but not for the news that we ourselves were expecting. College shopping for our 18-year-old son was about to run concurrent with buying clothes for a baby. And as for adoption, we didn’t talk much about it.

Then, about a month after our pregnancy revelation, I received a call from the foster agency.

“We have a 5-month-old hospitalized baby who needs a home by today, or tomorrow at the latest,” a caseworker informed me. “Are you interested?”

“Can I have a few hours to talk and pray with my wife?” I heard myself asking.

The caseworker agreed but called back just a few minutes later.

“It’d be really good if you could let us know sooner. Would an hour be enough?”

Waves of misgiving and confusion slammed into my spirit as I hung up and stumbled into my church. We had virtually no baby accessories in our home. We had scarcely even thought of foster care possibilities since the pregnancy announcement, and we had never considered taking in a baby. “No” seemed the only reasonable response.

As I prayed, God didn’t respond to my objections with answers; He answered with the blunt, searing majesty of His grace. I exited the church with a changed heart. The decision was made soon after: Two babies would be entering our home.

Over the weeks to come, I noticed that no one at our church ever suggested that we reconsider our decision to remain foster parents. I was staggered by the outpouring of support through prayer, encouragement, and mountains of donated baby items. But more than that, I was humbled, and then convicted, as I heard the stories of those in my congregation who were under circumstances far more challenging than mine yet had opened their homes to hurting people. I was learning reliance on God—not only as a flash of faith or spark of discipline but, as my brothers and sisters already understood, a way of life illuminated by Christ’s light.

Update: The Meisers cared for “Jack” for four months before his parents met the requirements to regain custody. Fortunately, the relationship between the two families has continued. Jack’s parents have invited the Meisers over for holidays, and they allow Jack to spend the night with them once a week. Allyson, the newest addition to the Meiser family, was born on Jack’s first birthday.

spring 2012 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Andrew Meiser serves as pastor of Eshcol BIC (Ickesburg, Pa.). He adds that the people in his family “enjoy each other outrageously.”

Enabling people of all (dis)abilities to take part in the community of faith Nancy J. Patrick

Enabling people of all (dis)abilities to take part in the community of faith

When my brother was two years of age, he contracted measles. The disease’s high fevers caused minimal brain dysfunction, resulting in severe hyperactivity and other learning disabilities.

Despite these difficulties, he entered school like most children—with wide eyes of anticipation and a great joy for learning. In his first school photo, he grinned from ear to ear with happiness.

Over the next few years, these yearly snapshots told the story of the toll that life was taking on him. His smile sank, and his bright eyes grew weary. School was a hard and sad place for him.

So was the neighborhood. I was still a child myself when I first began defending my little brother from the taunts and bullying of neighborhood children.

Believing the Church to be the community of all who trust Jesus as Savior and follow Him as Lord, I expected that this would be a place of full acceptance and inclusion for all people, including those with disability. Unfortunately, this has not been the case; individuals with disability are often no more accepted or included in our churches than they are in schools or neighborhoods. Yet I remain hopeful that, with education, training, and the work of the Holy Spirit, this can change.

Uncovering the disparities

In 2000, a report from the U.S. National Organization on Disability found that approximately 84 percent of people with disabilities state their religious faith is important in their lives. But only 47 percent of those attend church at least once a month.

This disparity can be explained by a variety of means, including barriers on the part of the individuals themselves. However, congregational barriers—architectural, programmatic, communication, and attitudinal—have undoubtedly also contributed to it.

Individuals with disability are often no more accepted or included in our churches than they are in schools or neighborhoods.

In order to challenge this trend, there are steps that we, as church leaders and members, need to take. By identifying and removing the barriers that limit access to people with disability, our church communities can better reflect the entire population, instead of a disproportionate number of temporarily able-bodied and able-minded.

Examining our attitudinal barriers

In a 2009 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ginny Thornburgh, director of the American Association of People with Disabilities’ Interfaith Initiative, noted, “Of all the barriers to full participation and inclusion, the barrier of unexamined attitudes is the most difficult to address.”

I would tend to agree with her, since our thoughts and feelings about disability are often deeply imbedded within our minds by culture. It takes time and effort to discover what we think, and even more time and effort to change. And so, I offer these considerations as a starting point for us today:

Make every effort to acknowledge that every human being can experience a decrease in health and thereby experience some degree of disability. Disability is not something that only happens to a minority of humanity; it is a universal human experience. Our encounter with disability might be traumatic and life-changing—such as a dementia diagnosis or a car accident that leaves us permanently physically disabled—or it might be temporary—something that a cast or pair of glasses can fix. Either way, if we live long enough, every one of us will experience disability in one way or another.

Recognize that an individual’s functioning and disability occurs in a context. For instance, an individual with limited sight may have an advantage over a sighted person when needing to evacuate a dark building that is on fire, while the same person may have very limited opportunity to participate in a Bible study if materials are not enlarged or provided in Braille. The strengths and needs of an individual with a disability must be addressed in context.

Appreciate the function of brokenness in the life of all believers. People often want to relieve the perceived suffering of a person with disability through healing or a cure, although one may not be possible. It is important for the Church to appreciate the place of brokenness in the life of all believers, as permitted by God, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness and who uses our limitations to demonstrate His grace, mercy, and power.

Expect individuals with disability to seek and connect with God. A Core Value of the Brethren in Christ is “Experiencing God’s love and grace.” It only makes sense that along with this, we should have an attitude of expectancy—that all types of people would respond to the invitation to the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, followed by a desire to enter into a covenant relationship with other believers. Individuals with disability are as capable of responding to God’s love and His invitation to salvation as any other person. The depth of the experience and relationship will differ, as it does with all people.

Refrain from thinking of individuals with disability as always being on the receiving end of ministry. While some assistance may be required, this should not be the overwhelming focus of the body related to those with disability. Upon conversion, the Holy Spirit grants to all believers the spiritual gifts necessary to carry out the work of the Church. When believers with disability are excluded from opportunities to exercise their spiritual gifts, that work is incomplete.

Defining disability

The concept of “disability” is complex, and its definition varies based upon context. The chair of United Nations Enable has offered this working definition for discussion:

Disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments, conditions, or illnesses and the environmental and attitudinal barriers they face. Such impairments, conditions, or illnesses may be permanent, temporary, intermittent, or imputed, and include those that are physical, sensory, psychosocial, neurological, medical, or intellectual.

Further Research

In addition to the disparity in religious service attendance, the 2004 National Organization on Disability/Harris survey documented the following critical gaps between Americans with disabilities and the general population:

• » Only 35 percent of people with disabilities reported being employed full time or part time, compared to 78 percent of those who do not have disabilities.
• » People with disabilities are three times more likely to live in poverty and have an annual household income below $15,000 (26 percent versus 9 percent).
• » People with disabilities remain twice as likely to drop out of high school (21 percent versus 10 percent).
• » People with disabilities are twice as likely to have inadequate transportation (31 percent versus 13 percent), and a higher percentage go without needed health care (18 percent versus 7 percent).
• » Life satisfaction for people with disabilities also trails, with only 34 percent saying they are very satisfied, compared to 61 percent of those without disabilities.

Examining our congregational barriers

Once we have reflected upon the underlying assumptions and attitudes we have about disability—a process that will need to happen again and again in order for our hearts and minds to be continually renewed—it’s time to turn to topics that might be more concrete in nature. In order to fully include people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, languages, and giftings, we’ll need to consider the various programmatic offerings of our churches.

Be intentional about making the church physically accessible to as many people as possible. Apply the principles of Universal Design (UD) to all of the places people meet, including the inside and outside spaces. Ron Mace, the architect who created the term Universal Design, defines this concept as “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”

Be intentional about making your message intellectually accessible to as many people as possible. Apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to the curriculum and all learning programs. UDL provides a framework that addresses the primary barrier to learning for many individuals, especially those with disability: inflexible, “one-size-fits-all” curricula and instruction. By providing students with multiple means of representation (the “what” of learning), multiple means of action and expression (the “how” of learning), and multiple means of engagement (the “why” of learning), individuals are able to acquire higher levels of comprehension and mastery of the material to be learned.

Educate the church on disability awareness and appreciation. Provide courses on disability awareness and theological instruction on the significance of suffering and brokenness—whether it be mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual—in the life of all believers.

Provide opportunities for individuals to participate in every area of church life—worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission—and to exercise their spiritual gifts within the body. For instance, a person with an intellectual disability may find it easier to drop pretenses and love others in the body unconditionally. Another individual with a disability may acquire a more mature faith in Christ at a younger age, because the isolation that comes from living with a disability forces the person to trust the Lord more fully than another believer without the same perceived need. We are all to acknowledge our dependence on God for everything. Some people, because of their circumstances, have an advantage in this area. Seek to discover areas of strength among all people and plug them into an area of service where they could use those gifts.

When practicing ordinances—such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper—take into account the needs of each person, not only those who are able-bodied and able-minded. Ask individuals with disability if they need an accommodation, and, if so, seek to provide it. This may take some creativity. For example, if an individual with a disability is afraid to make a public profession of faith during baptism, provide this person with as many opportunities to become comfortable with the process as possible. Have the person observe the ordinances, assist with the ordinances, and even practice the ordinances.

Breaking down barriers

Jesus Christ commissioned the Church to make disciples of all the world’s peoples, including those from every culture and stratum of society. Yet statistics indicate a failure on the part of the Church to fully include those with disability in this mandate. Historical attitudes and long-held beliefs inhibit progress in this area. Focused attention on removing attitudinal and other programmatic hinderances could potentially permit the Church to realize this vision more fully. Let us work toward the day when there will be no barriers between us.

Nancy J. Patrick is an associate professor of special education and the director of the graduate program in education at Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.). She’s authored several books on autism spectrum disorders, the most recent entitled Social Skills for Teenagers and Adults with Asperger Syndrome (2008). She and her husband serve as core team members at a church plant, Living Legacy Church, in Hershey, Pa.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Adapting traditional forms of baptism to enhance journeys of faith Joe Whalen

Adapting traditional forms of baptism to enhance journeys of faith

An active response

The load of firewood had been dumped in my driveway, and, reaching from my wheelchair, I was taking it, piece by piece, into my garage. It was 1997, and I’d been in a wheelchair for five years after breaking my back in a bad fall.

Two men and the pastor, Tim, from Sauble Christian Fellowship happened to be driving by on their way to the church. They stopped and asked if I could use some help. My wood got piled much faster!

A few months later, I was in serious difficulty with a bed sore (a common but serious problem for paraplegics), and the same group from Sauble came and anointed me with oil. They prayed for me, and I firmly believe it was the Lord’s hand that healed me.

Shortly after that, I was in the hospital with lung problems. Tim came to see me, and he invited me out to church, a place I had not been for many years. But I decided to give Sauble a try. After all, it was the only church that I could get into with the wheelchair.

As soon as I was released from the hospital, I went to the community centre, where the church was meeting. The people were helpful, and I enjoyed the friendship and fellowship.

It was not long after that I committed my life to Christ, and my wife, Carolyn, started to attend the church with me. I was baptized at a nearby lake by tipping my wheelchair back and having water poured on my head. (Usually, this BIC church baptizes by immersion, but an exception was made for me because of my disability.)

After that, Sauble grew by leaps and bounds. We moved to the school, because we needed more room. Then we got some land and decided to build a large new facility. I was able to make many of the truss extensions for the porch in my garage workshop, in spite of my mobility challenges. I thought that was the least I could do. The church also made plans with wheelchair access in mind, and I was the one who cut the ribbon when we dedicated the elevator!

The Lord has blessed Carolyn and me again and again; I’m learning that He always gives us what we need.

Joe Whalen is a member of Sauble Christian Fellowship in Sauble Beach, ON. He and Carolyn joined the church in 2004.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Adapting traditional forms of baptism to enhance journeys of faith Ray Kipe

Adapting traditional forms of baptism to enhance journeys of faith

The coffee cup

The woman was not able to even sit up, but she was awake and alert enough to talk. So I pulled up a chair beside the bed and explained that I was there because her neighbors had said she wanted to speak to a minister. “Here I am,” I said. “What would you like to talk about?”

She told me she would like to be baptized. Because of my belief that baptism is, at least, a public profession of faith in Christ for salvation, I inquired about her relationship with Jesus. She told me that she had invited Jesus to be her Savior when she was younger but had never been baptized. After asking a few more questions, I felt assured that she had a genuine faith in Christ.

“I believe I can baptize you,” I said. “When would you like for it to happen?”

I was thinking, There is no way this lady can get into a baptismal pool, the way I’m used to baptizing people, and I am not sure she has the strength to be dunked under water three times.

“Can I be baptized now?” she asked.

I guess I was feeling a little bit like Philip in Acts 8:36, when the Ethiopian eunuch said, “Look, here is some water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” I could not think of any reason that the lady should not be baptized, except that the mode I was familiar with was not feasible. I remember looking around the room and spying a coffee cup on her bedside stand.

“I can sprinkle you with water to baptize you now, if you want to,” I offered.

She replied, “That would be okay.”

I poured water from a small pitcher into the mug, leaned over her bed, and said, “Because of your profession of faith and obedience to Christ, the head of the Church, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” I distinctly remember trying to fit my big fingers into the cup to get them wet enough to give her a legitimate sprinkle.

I then prayed for her, and she fell asleep during my prayer, even though it was not a long one. I learned from her neighbors that the woman died about a week later.

From time to time, I’ve found myself wondering about that baptism. Is it valid if the person falls asleep during the service”? Does a testimony count, even if it’s a series of “yes” and “no” responses to leading questions?

I don’t profess to have answered these questions completely. But I do know this: that if our Lord has power over sin and death, then He can certainly use water—whether it’s out of a lake, a baptismal font, a pool, or a coffee cup—to baptize someone with His Spirit.

Ray Kipe, who serves as a pastor at Five Forks BIC in Waynesboro, Pa., was baptized in a muddy river in Africa. He and his wife, Darlyss, live in Waynesboro.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

The baptism story of one young man with Asperger’s syndrome Dee Steele

The baptism story of one young man with Asperger’s syndrome

Daniel was a young boy when he and his family started coming to Pequea (Pa.) BIC Church. Even then, I knew he didn’t have the carefree existence of many teens. As a matter of fact, he had quite a few challenges.

The oldest of five children, Daniel became the man of the house at age 13, when his father was diagnosed with and then passed away from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). Then, in sixth grade, Daniel was formally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (AS), an autism spectrum disorder characterized by difficulties in communication and behavior. For Daniel, situations in which he must interact with others or that make him feel like he’s the center of attention can be overwhelming and cause immense anxiety.

Today, at age 23, Daniel continues to navigate life with Asperger’s, and he often finds himself trying to avoid all social contact. At times, this is okay. But he realized that this might not be possible at our church’s baptism service in 2011—because, despite his fierce desire to blend into the background, Daniel had decided that he wanted to be baptized.

Learning and growing

Social interactions play a big role in Daniel’s life, which means that he must confront his fears and emotions on a daily basis. I ask him how he copes, and he explains that being alone is very soothing to him, so he often spends time in his room. He also benefits from the companionship of his dog and cat.

Yet he’s been intentional about challenging himself to adjust to his surroundings. For example, while studying architectural design at an area technical institute, Daniel encountered times when all eyes were on him. “I had to learn how to cope, because I had to present my projects to my classmates,” he notes.

Daniel is wholeheartedly committed to the Lord. In our congregation, Pequea Church, he helps with both the youth group and the technical arts team. And each year, he’s our go-to-guy when we embark on the project of making thousands of chocolate Easter eggs for community members. But for Daniel, taking the step of baptism required a lot of thought. He had the desire but did not want to be “in the spotlight.”

While many people can relate to this aversion to being the center of attention, for those among us who have Asperger’s or other conditions, this takes on a whole other dimension of intensity. When the week of baptism arrived, Daniel’s fears threatened to overtake him. He shares that he would often tell himself that he would not go through with it. “I didn’t even tell my family that I was going to be baptized,” he relates.

Knowing that Daniel was having difficulty, our senior pastor, Dale Shaw, encouraged him over the course of several months. Dale was about to conclude his time at our church before moving to pastor Sherkston (ON) BIC, and he kept saying, “Daniel, I want you to be the last person I baptize here at Pequea!”

A step of victory

On August 21, 2011, the day of our scheduled baptismal service, I sat in the back of the room. It was a packed house; 19 people were in line to be baptized. Daniel would be going last. I feared that his position in line might escalate his anxiety, so I checked in with him.
“Are you ready to do this?” I asked.
He confidently replied, “Yep, I am going to do it.”

Every second of that evening was a struggle for Daniel, but I watched as he stepped into the baptistery. Even though he stands over six feet tall, in that moment, he seemed small. I think it was his humble, gentle spirit shining through. I knew this was a bold step for Daniel—God was enabling him to tackle yet another obstacle in his life. We were all seeing Christ’s love in action.

Daniel could have been baptized in a more private setting, but in speaking to him today, I am so glad that he chose this route. I can see how empowering this experience has been for him, and I know his example has helped me examine how I can have the courage to take up my own cross—a lifelong struggle with weight and eating—daily.

I later asked Daniel about how he felt after being baptized, to which he replied, “I felt great, I felt relieved. I was washed clean!”

Dee Steele and her husband, Ivan, have two boys, Cameron (14) and Braden (12). (She thinks it seems funny to call them boys because they are taller than she!) The Steeles are members of Pequea Church (Lancaster, Pa.), where Dee is on staff as the director of communications.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

A mother joins a roller derby team

"You need to go out for roller derby." This was the message that reached Sara Donovall during prayer.

“You need to go out for roller derby.” This was the message that reached Sara Donovall, of Grantham (Pa.) BIC, during prayer. Despite her fears and questions, the mother of two joined Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (H.A.R.D.). Her involvement has opened doors for her to love and encourage several teammates, including one experiencing a hip injury and another facing homelessness. “I hope to continue building relationships with my teammates to share Christ’s love with them,” she says.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Our job isn’t to keep young people in the BIC but to love and follow Jesus, which just might accomplish the same thing Perry Engle

Our job isn’t to keep young people in the BIC but to love and follow Jesus, which just might accomplish the same thing

My 14-year-old daughter’s recent History Day Project on the anti-war protests of the 1960s reminded me anew of the generation gap that was so prevalent during that period. I was 16 years old when the Viet Nam War came to an end in 1975, and so I remember well the radical disconnect between my generation and the one that preceded it.

In his most recent book, You Lost Me, David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Research Group, suggests that “the generation gap [between young people and their elders] is bigger today than ever, but it is also a continuation, a deepening of the rifts introduced by the youth culture of the 1960s.” The alienation from institutions and skepticism toward authority that began with my generation (the Baby Boomers) in the 1960s has now become even more prevalent among Mosaics (people born between 1984 and 2002).

This has led Kinnaman and others to conclude that today, “most young Christians are struggling less with their faith in Christ than with their experience of Church.” No longer is loyalty to a denomination or a local congregation a given, as a younger generation raises questions about the consistency, transparency, and relevance of the Church.

This has led me to the conviction that the next generation of believers will connect with a church to the extent that they find Jesus at its core. They will be encouraged by it, loyal to it, and ready to give of themselves to it as they experience within it a clear and unwavering commitment to Christ and His mission to engage the world and change lives.

What they won’t do is connect because their parents or their grandparents connected. They won’t connect out of a sense of obligation or guilt. The next generation, because of its built-in skepticism of authority and institutions, will not automatically offer their allegiance to an entity that has not listened to their concerns nor gained their trust.

If they are looking for one thing, it is to join a family of believers that consistently and unashamedly has Jesus at the center of everything it says and does. Here is a glimpse of the Jesus that I believe this younger generation is looking to follow:

• This Jesus is overwhelmingly optimistic about the future

• He doesn’t shrink from people who have doubts about Him. He mentors His disciples patiently and thoroughly.

• This Jesus is clearly more relationally-minded than institutionally-minded.

• He engages with a broken world, instead of avoiding it. His primary mission is transforming lives.

• He challenges His followers to a deeper life of self-sacrifice. He says there is something worth living for and dying for. He describes it openly as “taking up one’s cross.”

I always wince when I hear language that suggests that one of our primary tasks is to develop followers loyal to the Brethren in Christ Church. To me, nothing is further from the truth. As a leader in this denomination, I have no intention of calling people to commitment to anything other than Christ Jesus Himself.

My suggestion would be that we stop obsessing about connecting the next generation to our denomination. As a matter of fact, I believe that if Jesus in all of His glory is revealed in our midst, then the significant generation gap described by David Kinnaman will begin to be bridged, and the next generation’s connection to the denomination will take care of itself.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Perry Engle is under the illusion that he’s a 20-something trapped in a 52-year-old’s body. He is bishop of the Midwest and Pacific Conferences of the BIC Church in North America and lives with his wife, Marta, and their family in Ontario, Calif.

What are baptisms at your church like?

What are baptisms at your church like? Chris Hutton The Meeting House (Ottawa)

In the capital of Ottawa, we have a very large French Roman Catholic population. For many of our friends and neighbours, Anabaptism is very unknown and very new.

You can imagine their surprise, then, when we first hosted some baptisms on the back deck of our house. We rented a hot tub and had it delivered to our house, and many of our neighbours came out to watch this all unfold on the street. When they asked what the hot tub was for, I replied, “We’re going to have some baptisms in it this weekend.” They responded with looks of sheer horror. You have to understand that for our French Catholic neighbours, baptism happens when you are a baby, not when you are an adult. So my neighbours actually believed we were about to baptize babies in the rented hot tub!

I calmly explained that we only baptize adults in this hot tub. They still didn’t understand the point of it (Why do you need to be re-baptized when you were already baptized as a child?), but at least they were assured that we weren’t barbarians.

Brad Stutzman Acts Fellowship Network (Shippensburg, Pa.)

The four churches of the Acts Fellowship Network partner with Luz, Alegria, y Esperanza (York Springs, Pa.), and we do two baptisms a year. One of these takes place on Father’s Day at a state park, where we always have a giant picnic and soccer game. The other takes place in the Lions Club Creek across from Roxbury (Pa.) Holiness Camp. At both events, we generally invite a guest speaker to share with us, and we always grill thin Mexican steaks!

Jerry Stonge NewCreation Church (Dillsburg, Pa.)

The first 10 years of our existence as a church, we held our baptisms during a regular morning service. People would share testimonies and the children would all gather around the baptistery for a closer look. Then, we would have a fellowship time afterwards to celebrate. This year, we changed that. Because we’re renting another building and have only a morning service, we had a Sunday evening baptism at a member’s home in the family swimming pool. We shared testimonies, had the baptisms, and then had a pool party/picnic.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Examining the BIC Church’s distinctive beliefs on baptism R. Donald Shafer

Examining the BIC Church’s distinctive beliefs on baptism

Experiencing God’s Love and Grace: We value the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Nearly all Christians agree that water baptisms should be performed. But when it comes to what the practice should look like, that’s when the questions begin to surface. Should baptism occur at infancy or after one has decided to believe? Should the water be sprinkled or poured, or should the person be fully immersed? If immersed, should that be backwards or forwards? One time or three?

Drawing from Anabaptist thought and theology, the BIC Church has adopted the following distinctive practices when it comes to baptism:

Immersion
The accepted mode for the Brethren in Christ Church is a forward-kneeling immersion, to demonstrate humble obedience. As Christ bowed His head in death, so a believer kneels or bows in submission to God. The three immersions are done in honor of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Believers’ baptism
The Brethren in Christ believes that the New Testament teaches baptism for believers. Not until someone comes to saving faith in Christ does the BIC Church believe he or she should be baptized. Thus, rather than baptizing infants, the Brethren in Christ provide a ceremony of dedication for children.

Symbolic
The Brethren in Christ understand that baptism in and of itself has no power. In other words, choosing to be baptized doesn’t automatically guarantee eternal life. Rather, it is a symbol of the believer’s repentance, of Christ’s sacrifice, of God’s forgiveness, and of belonging to the new Kingdom.

Community
Baptism is a sign of new life that is personal but is not in isolation. It is the outward sign that a person not only believes in Jesus but is also entering into a covenant relationship with the body of Christ. Therefore, baptisms usually involve a whole community of faith, and baptism is required for membership in a church.

For the Brethren in Christ, baptism is the sign that a believer is publicly beginning the new life and is becoming a responsible member of a congregation and denomination. Believers’ baptism is indeed a significant event, a deliberate act based on personal belief in Jesus as Lord. It is also the symbol of a new life and belonging to a new family. It is a commitment to a lifelong journey with fellow believers, an act of obedience to follow the Lord and love His people.

winter 2011 issue of <em>In Part</em>

Don Shafer is general secretary emeritus of the BIC Church, having served as an ordained minister in pastorates and church administration for over 42 years. He and his wife, Marlene (Engle), have been married for 55 years and have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Pinon Hills, Calif., and are members of the Upland (Calif.) BIC Church.