over and around the rainbow

Church attendance can be sporadic during the summer months. Our Office Manger Ashton Wells kept wanting (wisely) to print fewer bulletins and I (naively) kept assuming that attendance wouldn’t change that drastically and that perhaps we might even gain some visitors here and there.

The truth is that for many people summer is filled with many activities and challenges: House projects, vacations, medical appointments and procedures, managing extreme temperatures, hosting guests, school shopping, day trips, camping trips, hikes, camps, etc. And some people do these things in addition to a 40 plus hour work week! Church is not necessarily something people plan their summers around. In fact, just recently I was talking to a good friend about church. My friend’s daughter happened to be listening in and finally blurted out, “You mean some people actually go to church in the summer?!” This child had assumed there was such a thing as church summer vacation.

I often tell people that one of the greatest lessons during a recent summer sabbatical was remembering just how many things there are to do on a Sunday other than attending church! Pastors sometimes forget that I think.  (That being said, you can ask my husband just how annoying it is to travel with someone who has to fit visiting a church into EVERY vacation EVER.)

With all the summer coming and going (and this includes the coming and going of the pastor), churches/pastors can begin to feel disconnected. Perhaps that is why many churches, including Rainbow, often schedule a September church retreat. It’s a chance to gather in again, fellowship and reconnect. This year our church retreat will be at Rainbow September 20-21. Hope everyone can come.

Here are some other ways to gather back in as Rainbow Mennonite Church:

• A good way to catch up on what’s happening: Click on the Rainbow Facebook Page
• Consider writing a note to someone at church (maybe me?) telling them how you are doing, especially if you haven’t been to church for awhile.
• Listen to some of sermons from this summer by clicking here.  Contact Phil Rhoades if you want to view videos of past services.
• Review past bulletins by clicking here

Wishing everyone safe travels, comfortable temperatures, good health, and the good company of friends and family. Of course I’m also wishing for a full Sanctuary on Sunday and Sundays to come!

I asked our office manager Ashton Wells to light the enemy candle this week so I could take this photo. It wouldn’t light?! Go figure.

For several months now we have begun worship with a candle lighting prayer/ritual. We light a flame of love within ourselves, we light a flame for our loved ones, our neighbors and yes, even to our enemies.

Offering light to those we dislike, even hate, is……well,  complicated.

And yet Jesus often told those who would listen to love our enemies and to pray for them. We are not to smother another person’s light or potential for light, even when we have been wronged. Easier said than done.

Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki in her book “In God’s Presence,” puts it this way:

It is relatively easy to enter into prayer for causes or persons that engage our care, but we are bidden by the teachings of Jesus Christ to pray not only for our friends, but for our enemies. This would also be easy if in fact we were always open and loving to those whom we have reason to consider our enemies, but the reality is that we often return the feelings of enmity. In cases where the perceived enemy is a different country or ethnic group, then we easily demonize the enemy so as to more “righteously” destroy in a “just” war. In cases of personal injury our natural attitude is to hope that the other will suffer even as he or she has made us suffer. In other cases the injury has been violation of an innocent one, such as in child abuse, and our feelings toward the one who has so violated the dear child are rage and indignation. We do not wish this person’s well-being! When we are victims of crimes, we tend more often to will the ill-being of the violators.

But we are called to pray for our enemies. How shall we enter into this mode of prayer and why?…

We must pray for the other’s well-being, even through gritted teach, in the honesty of our souls. Sometimes the prayer will be as crude as “Oh God, I wish they would rot in hell, but I pray for their well-being anyway, and ask you to forgive my own wishes even though I prefer to keep on wishing them; God help us both.”

There is seldom great release in such praying, since we are in the grip of hatred. But my experience is that responding to my wishes for vengeance with a prayer for the other’s well-being actually begins to release me from my own participation in hatred and transform me. God universally desires well-being, and God desires my enemy’s well-being. Should I not be in conformity with God’s own great will toward well-being?

…The prayer that begins begrudgingly can slowly become a willing prayer, till at last we know the release of being one with God in praying for the other’s well-being.

Are you in the midst of conflict with someone? Do you feel wracked with anger over a situation that feels out of control? Where  and how are you experiencing the smothering of light?  How are you contributing to the smothering of another person’s light and well-being?

Leave it to a pastor to ask these “light” questions on a Wednesday morning. (That terrible pun goes out to pun master Patty Shelly!)

I have officiated at 11 weddings thus far. I have good memories from each of them and I look forward to being a part of many wedding ceremonies in the future. Of course each time I officiate at a wedding my heart aches. That’s because I look out and see people who are single and who long to have a partner, people who are single and who wish others would stop assuming there is something wrong with them, people who have had their hearts broken and stomped on or worse, people who wonder if they will ever have the chance to be married, people who are divorced (sometimes 2, 3, 4 times) and people who are denied the opportunity to stand with their beloved, before a community and before God, because of their sexual orientation.

So in between the smiles, the beauty, the blessings, the sacredness of the services I have attended and led, my heart often aches. I know I’m not alone.

My heart aches because so many of us have questions, uncertainty and pain when it comes to past and current relationships. Many of us have regrets, shame and trauma having to do with what has been done to our bodies, or what we have chosen to do with our bodies, or how or whom we have been denied.

No matter how we define our sexuality or our relationship status, we all wonder at times, “Are we alright?” We often wonder whether we are living out our sexuality in healthy ways, in ways that don’t degrade or exploit ourselves and others.

I once attended a sexuality and faith workshop in Lawrence, KS.  In preparation for that workshop, participants were asked to reflect on the following questions:

• When did you realize that you were a sexual being?
• What did it mean to be a boy/girl/child in your family?
• How did your parents or caregivers tell you about your sexuality?
• How and when did you discover your sexual orientation?
• If you have had negative or violent experiences, how have you dealt with them?
• How do they currently affect your view of the world?

We were told by the leaders that if we didn’t feel comfortable answering these questions, that we probably wouldn’t be ready for this workshop.

I have since wondered what it would be like if we, who proclaim to be Jesus followers, would spend more time with these questions. What if only those who have spent time with these questions were allowed to speak?  And what if I made these questions part of future pre-marital counseling sessions? And finally, what if, before reading and reacting to the following Rainbow resolution, you spent time with these questions?

Rainbow Resolution

This resolution along with this TEXAS presentation was offered to the delegate body of Western District Conference.

I stand by what I told the delegates: I’m grateful to be a member of a congregation that is working patiently and persistently toward greater inclusion and justice. My aching heart has found a community to work with as we seek healing and wholeness.

I’m not suggesting that this resolution is all right, or that we are always right. I do hope and trust that it is a step in the right direction. God, who called creation more than alright, help us all.

Drawing by Jesse Graber

This year I’ll be spending YET ANOTHER 4th of July with Mennonites. That’s because 4th of July is often when Mennonites schedule their assemblies and conventions. From what I understand this is done on purpose because there is often a discount attached, sometimes a sizable one.  I guess convention centers figure that MOST people have better things to do over the holiday than to have delegate sessions, workshops, and worship service after worship service after worship service.

So early Friday morning it’s off to Waxahachie, TX for the Western District Conference annual assembly. I didn’t see fireworks on the schedule but you never know what kind of symbolic fireworks we’ll set off Saturday afternoon when we present our Rainbow resolution regarding same-sex unions and pastoral leadership. I will post more about this next week, as well as offer some thoughts regarding the following press release issued by MCUSA Executive Board today: EBReport_June30_2014(1) I confess that my heart is heavy following this release. Sometimes I can write with a heavy heart, other times it’s more difficult. Today it’s more difficult. I join those like Luke Yoder who pray with a heavy heart, but an “ongoing optimism that love will prevail.”

Of course that is how I approach holidays like 4th of July–with a heavy heart.  I know I’m not the only one who feels ambivalent and uncertain at times about topics like faith, allegiance, citizenship, patriotism, peace, war, etc.  Jesse expresses this beautifully in this week’s bulletin cover image.

I’m grateful that Leroy Seat has agreed to preach this Sunday and not only that, offer his reflections on this question: Am I doing this right? Mennonites and 4th of July.

These are people we’ll hear more about on Sunday morning at Rainbow. That’s because our Mennonite Voluntary Service unit consisting of Ben, Angela, Fabian and Sophie, will be sharing about their MVS experience in Kansas City. The names Mary and Martha refer to Jesus’ friends in the Bible (Luke 10:38-42). We will be referring to that story on Sunday as the Vs’ers reflect on the question, “Are we serving right?”

Our Kansas City Vs’ers

Rainbow has a long history of supporting and recruiting volunteers. Some day it would be neat to compile that very long list. Our current volunteers live in a house owned by the church. This house used to be the Methodist parsonage (where the pastor and pastor’s family lived).

All four of our current VS’ers work as volunteers at local non-profit organizations. They do not get paid per se. What they do get is $50 a month for personal things, $95 each for food, which they put together each month, and $10 a month for Education/Recreation. They share household chores, at least in theory. I imagine each MVS household has a resident Mary and Martha! Each volunteer has a Rainbow host(s) and they are supported by the MVS Support Board: Eric Jantzen, Carrie Parsons, Tanya Ortman, Clyde Corriel, Joe Duerksen, and Elaine Bartel.  Here’s a little more info about each of them:

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Hot Dogs In the Park was a fiery success with Terry Rouse and Clif Hostetler tending to the hot dogs (and experimental pizza!) and Riley Long providing entertainment for all! In between the applause and squeals of delight, the saying of the night was: “DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME. RILEY IS A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL!”

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Do you ever wonder if you are doing the right thing or doing something in the right way? Of course! We ALL carry around our share of self-doubt, concern, ethical quandaries, vexing questions, as well as a desire, even if buried, to do the right thing. As the great Gillian Welch song goes, even if you “want to do right but not right now,” the desire is still there for most of us.

Therefore…

Am I/Are we doing this right? will be a guiding question at Rainbow this summer. Hannah Unruh a soon-to-be senior in high school first sparked this idea. It went something like this: In my first month at Rainbow Hannah told me she wanted to preach. “Sure, why not?” I told her. A few months later she approached me after worship with big eyes to tell me that she had her sermon title: “Am I doing this right?” A week later the worship committee saw my eyes get big as we wondered if this question might become our summer-long worship focus. Again with the “sure, why not?”

And so…I began recruiting some people to share about times faith or lack of faith has prompted the question, “Am I/are we doing this right?” 

We don’t have the entire summer worship schedule figured out but many people have already agreed to reflect on this question in the form of preaching and/or reflection. Perhaps you, too, have something you would want to share?! If so, please let me know.

This Sunday we’ll consider a topic that I hear many, many people wondering about: Prayer. Then on the 29th we’ll hear our Mennonite Voluntary Service team ask questions about what it means to serve and then on July 6 Leroy Seat will reflect on the tough topic of how we as followers of Jesus might think about patriotism and citizenship.

I’ll end with this gem of a prayer. I found it one day when I was a hospital chaplain. Simple and yet profound.

Recently Rainbow received one of 31 grants awarded by the Vital Worship Grant program of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

The 31 awarded grants represent 21 states, 2 provinces, and 31 denominations. We were the only Mennonite congregation to receive a 2014 grant, as well as the only KS project!

We stated in our grant application that we would center our grant year around further developing and enhancing our existing WorshipArts program.What is WorshipArts you ask? It’s a program which provides music, worship, and art opportunities for our Kindergarten-5th grade congregants. Click here to see our church website description of WorshipArts.

One major event of the year will be an all-church retreat, held on September 20-21, led by composer Paul Rudy and educator/musician Lana Maree Haas. Look for registration details soon.

The grant project director is Rosi Penner Kaufman. Parents of K-5th graders, you will soon receive a letter from Rosi outlining our hopes for the year.

And now for some photos. As grant recipients Rosi and I had the privilege of attending the WorshipArts colloquium June 9-11. It was held on the beautiful Calvin College campus. We attended seminars, worship, visited with the 2013 grant recipients, and we received many new books for our library.

We have much to look forward to in this year of celebrating and enhancing our WorshipArts program!

Rosi in the choir directed by Michael Hawn!

Calvin College Chapel

Rosi blessing a Dobson.

So many books!

The parking lot at church is a lot fuller these days, the lines for the bathroom are longer, and there are a few more things on the walls in classrooms and in fellowship hall. That’s all because Freedom School begins Monday, June 16. Here are some of the many talented Freedom School staff members that I/we have the honor of getting to know this summer: (Hover your computer mouse over each picture to learn their names and a fun fact or two about everyone.)

Diane is the Project Director. She will offer a reflection on Sunday.

James is the Site Coordinator. He also loves thunderstorms.

Michelle loves cats!

Rashad plays football.

Ryan is in honor choir.

Jessica was born on Mother’s Day.

Rachelle loves Tinkerbell.

Elizabeth plays the violin.

Victoria likes clowns!

Ramona is a comedian.

Ver-Lyssa has been a FS intern four years.

Briana can rap.

Claire is a member of RMC and will be student teaching in the fall.

Michael is in the army reserves.

On Sunday we’ll get to know these fine people better since many of them will be here to lead worship.

If you want to learn more about Freedom School at Rainbow, click here.

What a summer this will be!

At Easter I studied John 21. One detail that jumped out at me was that Thomas was called the Twin. Jacob and Esau of course were twins, as were Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38…a harrowing story in the Bible!) Were Cain and Abel twins, some wonder? Or what about Ephraim and Manasseh? And why don’t we name children with these cool sounding names?!

This prompted me to locate the twins at Rainbow. Please tell me if I’ve left anyone out!

The first pair is Mary Lou Duerksen and Betty Jean Bodine.

Betty Lou and Mary Jean

Betty came first and blames her bruised head on Mary Lou who was close behind. Of course Mary Lou was a complete surprise to EVERYONE. In fact, the only name their parents had picked out ahead of time was for the one boy they assumed they were having! The boy would come later, as in six years later.

Naturally, I asked them if people ever had a hard time telling them apart. “Their boyfriends had trouble,” said Mary Lou’s husband Joe. I didn’t press him for more information!

After many of life’s twists and turns, ups and downs and prolonged times apart, they are again side by side, and if you look in the front few pew on the west side of the sanctuary you’re bound to see the sisters along with Joe. (I don’t think he has trouble telling them apart now 🙂

Now check out this photo of Alison and Arlen, twin daughters of Kathleen and John Bush. In a recent conversation with Alison she said that it was always great to have someone to talk to, “a shadow that can laugh, talk back and answer.” Yes, they have been mistaken as the other and in random places and situations like St. Louis and even Hawaii! Even Alison gets confused when looking at certain photos.

Alison also has twin cousins who recently celebrated their 16th birthday. For a present Alison created ’16’ origami pieces made out of money. Wow!
Some may know that Becky and Larry Bartel also have twin boys.

Are there other twins here at Rainbow?