ReChurch – Healing Your Way Back to the People of God
By Allan McLean. Have you ever been hurt by the church? It comes in different forms and at different levels of involvement, but regardless of how it comes, the results can be devastating and leave scars. These things are hard to deal with and we easily feel alone in our hurt which isn’t the case at all. Many have gone before us and are around us suffering from wounds inflicted by fellow church members and/or church officers and pastors. I recently had the privilege of being involved in a small way in the restoration process of a pastor and his wife who suffered through years of pain inflicted by church officers and members who turned away rather than implementing biblical restoration.
The title of this book is probably one of the most blatant paradoxes you will ever read. Let the words sink in and think about what they reveal. The church inflicting wounds and having to heal its way back to “…a people drawn from darkness to God and to one another.” This seems so contradictory however the local church is not immune to the tentacles of the evil one trying to dismantle the promises of God and taking a toll on her members.
God in his wisdom and infinite grace has described his Church, the body of Christ, as the bride of Christ. In the author’s words, “She is the fulfillment of God’s plan for creation and revelation of God’s wisdom to the powers of the age. She is the lover for whom Jesus eagerly awaits, the dispenser of justice and truth the devil dearly fears, and the body of the Christlike called from the nations of the earth. This is the Church-universal and invisible and pure. She is splendid and glowing, the mystical vision of believers through time.”
Do you belong to a church like this? If you are a believer embracing Jesus as your Savior you do belong to this church but what we see this side of heaven as church members is the version that meets locally and has walls and where we become involved in all aspects of church life. This is where Satan is busy doing what he can to destroy, wound, and cause friction leaving hurting people in his wake.
Not only does God tell us what his Church looks like and how majestic and glorious it is, he tells us what we look like and the potential that resides in all of us, both good and bad. “In fact, one of the most endearing features of the Bible is how God chose to portray people without apology in their raw and fallen state.” We learn about David and his sin as a liar, a murderer, an adulterer, and a thief; yet God called him a friend. What we see in the Scriptures is the nature of humanity and the many ways this nature is played out in our lives. The author explains, “Christianity is not the absence of stupidity and hurt. Christianity is the message of God who uses our stupidity and hurt to make us what we are destined to be. It is the truth of God who became like us in order to lift us from our smallness and our spite and make us into a people he is willing to call friends.”
Stephen Mansfield brings to the forefront through personal testimony and from others who have been kicked while down how deeply and severely we can be hurt by the church. Mansfield reminds us: “Every Christian has a capacity for the potential to commit the most disgusting and horrible acts of the flesh. This is the reality of the Christian life and we fool ourselves if we think otherwise.”
In the last chapter of the book, Mansfield gives “…three practical bits of wisdom…” that are very practical in helping people who have “suffered a church hurt.” Every pastor and ruling elder if not every member of the church should read this book. We are called to make disciples and sometimes this means helping wounded brothers and sisters recover.
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Dory, Optical Illusions, and the 2010 WIC Love Gift
By Step Hubach
Over the years, our family has established a funny pattern of associating different people we know with characters in movies that we watch. This all started with my youngest son Tim, who has Down syndrome. When he was little, as a movie progressed, we’d all wait for him to identity the “who’s who” of that particular film. For example, if the movie was Sleeping Beauty (and it had been a tough parenting week) I pretty much cringed, expecting to be assigned the role of “Maleficent, the wicked fairy.” A better week might earn me a slot as “Princess Aurora, gifted with grace and beauty.” No one was exempt from a potential role. Family members, friends, and even church elders received assignments from time to time. (A balding elder at our church was once named “Yoda” from Star Wars. Sadly for him the name has stuck!) When the movie Finding Nemo came out a number of years ago, both my boys decided that I was definitely “Dory, the friendly but forgetful regal blue tang fish.” As a character that is both optimistic and somewhat easily distracted, I have to admit…oh, I forgot, what was I going to say? Anyway, Dory has a hard time staying focused.
In our Christian life, we all have struggle with focus. And it often stems from focusing on the wrong things. You’ve probably seen the image before. It is a black and white optical illusion that reveals two totally different pictures depending on where you focus. If your eyes focus one way, you will see a vase. If they focus another way, you will see the silhouettes of two faces pointed towards each other. It all depends on your perspective. Both images are real-but only one can be the focus of the viewer.
In a similar way, our perspective on others in the body of Christ will impact what we see in them. When you focus on another individual, do you tend to see their deficits or do you tend to focus on their competencies? More often than not, we tend to view people-especially people with disabilities-from the orientation of what they cannot do. This view comes, in part, from an unbiblical worldview of disability-and therefore an inaccurate view of not only others, but also of us. The Bible teaches us that disability is a normal part of life in an abnormal world. Brokenness occurs across a spectrum-in differences of degree for each of us-in every area of life. None of us exists in a state of complete and utter brokenness on every level. None of us exists in a state of complete and utter blessing or “wholeness” on any level. Disability is a normal part of living in a world where there is a complicated mix of the blessedness of creation and the brokenness of the fall. All of us need encouragement and supports to deal with our limitations and to build on our strengths.
Now, think about the grace of God for a moment. When the Father looks at us, does he focus on our inadequacies, or does His gaze focus only on the ultimate, beautiful competency of Christ alone on our behalf? God knows what our deficits are more fully than we do-but instead of condemning us for our inabilities He supplied the supports we needed to be successful in a relationship with Him-the perfect sacrifice of His Son, and His perfect life lived on our behalf. Can we do any less? How can we be any less than intentional about sacrificially making the Gospel-the good news of the coming of the Kingdom-accessible to all, in word and deed?
In addition, not only do we all struggle with perspective when we look at the disabilities and abilities of ourselves and of others-we also all struggle, at times, with having a sense of perspective on God’s purposes in our lives too. That struggle can manifest itself in a variety of ways for different people. Parents who have children with special needs often have difficulty letting go of the life they anticipated and embracing the life that God has called them to, in His Providence. This can be a normal part of the grieving process. But if a family gets “stuck” in that place, it is easy for frustration to set in. By fixating on “what might have been” the optical illusion can become stuck in the mind of the viewer, making it very difficult to switch focus and see “the great opportunities that God has provided.” When we interviewed families for the 2010 WIC Love Gift DVD, we heard countless stories of God at work changing the focus of lives from their agenda to His. Recently, I received an email from a mother of an adult child with disabilities. Here is an excerpt of it…
Henry Blackaby once wrote that “God is always at work and He invites you to join Him.” Great is Thy Faithfulness is my favorite hymn and I’ve asked my family to make sure that it’s sung at my funeral. But more than a hymn, it’s been a “sacred echo” or theme in my life the last 3 years as God brought Briarwood’s Special Needs Ministry, Missions and Multiplication, Flower Guild and ESL ministries together in my life.
My name is Donna Evans. My husband Bruce and I have been married for 35 years. We have four adult children ages 22-31. Our 26 year old son, James Bruce, is autistic and mentally challenged. Bruce and I have been members at Briarwood for almost 23 years. I work as a pharmacist at UAB Hospital, teach women’s Sunday School classes and weekly Bible studies, and speak at women’s conferences/retreats across the Southeast.I say all of that only to give you a little background for the story below which I hope will encourage you.
About 3 years ago, I really started praying about taking a short term mission trip anywhere. We have participated in Faith Promise at Briarwood for over 20 years, but I’ve never been able to go to another part of the world due to child care arrangements for James Bruce. Still I prayed. God, however, didn’t answer my prayer as I planned. (He seldom does!) What He did was send three internationals to me: one a Hungarian, special needs mom who “happened” to be a pharmacist; a Japanese non-believer who joined our flower guild as a way to “pay back” the church for ESL lessons; and a Vietnamese atheist co-worker, also a special needs mom who is willing to come to our parent support groups. Each has a different story but God has given me a different perspective on “segregating” ministries. And the one thing that I thought was “holding me back” (ie: James Bruce and special needs) really became the vehicle for ministry.
Perspective. Godly focus. We all need it. We all lack it. That’s what this year’s 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries is all about.
- Learning to see people with disabilities through a biblical lens, and thereby seeing ourselves more accurately as a result.
- Learning to view our life’s circumstances through God’s eyes, and thereby fully embracing the life that was always in His plan for us-even if it was never in ours.
- Learning to make the Gospel-the good news of the coming of the Kingdom-accessible to all of us-in word and deed.
Won’t you help your church focus on these things this year? And give generously?
Oh, look…there goes a bird! Gotta go… :>)
Steph “Dory” Hubach
MNA Special Needs Ministries Director
For more information on the 2010 WIC Love Gift:
2010 WIC Love Gift FAQs
2010 WIC Love Gift FAQs
Q: Who is the recipient of the 2010 WIC Love Gift?
A: MNA (Mission to North America) Special Needs Ministries. This outreach ministry of MNA was launched in 2007. Stephanie Hubach serves as MNA Special Needs Ministries Director.
Q: Is there anywhere I can watch the DVD online?
A: Of course! It IS the 21st century! It is posted on YouTube here.
Q: Where can I order my FREE copy of the DVD and FREE bulletin inserts?
A: You can order your DVD and bulletin inserts on the CEP Bookstore site here. Please try to coordinate with others in your congregation so that there is only one DVD ordered per church.
Q: Is there an information page on the 2010 WIC Love Gift that I can print off?
A: Yes! It is a two-sided paper called Love Gift Program Information. It provides great background on why Women in the Church sponsors the Love Gift each year, how to promote it, and what it will be used for in 2010.
Q: Is there a website I can go to where I can find everything I need to know in one place?
A: Better than that, there are TWO! CEP has a devoted webpage here. And MNA has a different webpage here.
Q: How can I find out what vehicles other churches are using to promote the WIC Love Gift? It seems silly to reinvent the wheel if other people already have great ideas.
A: Ah, so glad you asked. We just started an MNA Special Needs Ministries Facebook page. We’ve started a “Discussion” thread on this topic. Please feel free to contribute! (You can also “like us” while you’re there!)
Q: What if my church is interested in receiving one of the Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs that the 2010 WIC Love Gift funds will be underwriting? How do we get one?
A: We’re glad you’re planning ahead! Information will be going out in the Summer of 2011. There will be an online signup link on the MNA Special Needs Ministries website at that time. (www.pca-mna.org/specialneeds)
Q: When will Trainers from the “Train the Trainers” aspect of the Love Gift be available to visit and work with PCA churches?
A: You can get some support from MNA Special Needs Ministries right now…(see the Resources section of this newsletter). However, the 2010 WIC Love Gift will allow MNA Special Needs Ministries to greatly expand its services to provide a group of trainers who have 1) subject area expertise, and 2) have geographic proximity to where you live-making it easier to do face-to-face meetings. Most church consultations currently are done by email, phone and/or Skype with Steph Hubach. Trainers should become increasingly available to the denomination throughout 2011.
Q: What if our church is interested in acquiring a Luke 14 matching grant, once the Love Gift funds have been collected and are available? How would we go about doing that?
A: Starting in January 2012, there will be a simple grant proposal process in place. All the information you’ll need to apply for a Luke 14 Matching Grant will be available on the MNA Special Needs Ministries website. (www.pca-mna.org/specialneeds) The size of the Love Gift offering will affect how much grant money will be available. The Love Gift will first pay for Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs, then for “Train the Trainers” and any residual monies will be available for grants. Hopefully, that will be a significant amount!
Q: I’d like to learn more about the families and the churches featured on the 2010 WIC Love Gift DVD. How can I do that?
A: We thought you might ask us that… That’s why we’ve been posting “The Rest of the Story” on our website. So far, you can read Behind the Scenes: How the WIC Love Gift Video Was Made, meet The Smith Family, and meet Nada Ghattas. By early October, you will be able to read about Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church’s Sonbeams Ministry and Reformed Presbyterian Church’s Special Needs Ministry. More will follow each month.
Q: How much time do we have to give to the 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries?
A: The 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries can be collected through May 2011. May 2011 is the last month that donations can be accepted. Please note that there is always an overlap in the spring months between the end of one WIC Love Gift and the launching of another.
Q: How do I donate? Can I donate online?
A: Well, remember how I said this IS the 21st century? Well, we’re not that far into the 21st century yet, so online donations to the WIC Love Gift cannot be processed that way. All donations need to be made out/mailed to:
2010 WIC Love Gift
Women in the Church
Christian Education and Publications
1700 N. Brown Road, Suite 102
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Where’s Steph?
Asking “Where can I find Steph Hubach” is kind of like asking “Where’s Waldo?” While Steph usually has a pretty busy speaking schedule in the fall, this year, she’s busy filming a 13-week DVD series on her book Same Lake, Different Boat for inclusion in the Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs. Grant funding from the Harris-Harper Family Foundation, matched by MNA, is providing the money for the creation of the video series itself. Replication and distribution will occur with Love Gift funds next year.
Here are a few places that Steph will be in the next few months. Her travel/speaking schedule is usually booked about a year in advance. So, if you’d like Steph to come speak to your congregation, PresWIC, presbytery, retreat, or at a larger event, please plan ahead and contact her at shubach@pcanet.org. (BTW, she is conversant on subjects besides disability!) One of the best ways to get on the schedule is to “piggy-back” off another already scheduled event. If you live in the same region as one of the events listed below, feel free to contact Steph to see if she could add your church or group to her plans while she’s in your area.
- October 17th, St. Mark’s Church, Wheaton, IL
- October 20th, Chicago Metro Presbytery, Naperville, IL
- November TBD, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Abingdon, MD (tentative)
- December 4th-5th, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Sebring, FL
- January 26th-28th, Joni and Friends Int’l Disability Center (meetings), Agoura Hills, CA (tentative)
- February 12th 2011, Southwest Florida Presbytery, Location TBD (tentative)
- February 24th-26th 2011, WIC Leadership Training, Atlanta, GA
- February 26th 2011, Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Duluth, GA
- April 1st 2011, College Church, Wheaton, IL
- April 2nd 2011, Voice of Care, Chicago, IL
- April 3rd 2011, All Souls Anglican Church, Wheaton, IL (tentative)
- July TBD 2011, YXL Northeast, Stevens, PA (tentative)
Unfortunately, Steph will not be at General Assembly in 2011 as Tim (her younger son with Down syndrome) is graduating from high school that week! (Go Tim!) Instead, Martie Kwasny-who serves on Steph’s MNA Special Needs Advisory Team-will be working at the MNA Special Needs Ministries booth that week. So please stop in and meet Martie!
Picture of Steph and Timmy 10 years ago…
Picture of Tim Hubach now…
Picture of Martie Kwasny