Homelessness and hunger can never be good news

Good News

Homelessness and hunger can never be good news; however, when I look at the ways in which members of St. Stephen have stepped up to help the children who are homeless and hungry in our “neighborhood” I can reflect that there is good news. Since June 12th, we have delivered several carloads of food to schools in the surrounding area who distribute food to homeless families. This effort has not been satisfied to go to only the closest schools, but, at the direction of Families in Transition has traveled to other Seminole County schools where the food pantry was either low or non-existent. If you’re able to distribute food during the daytime, please contact Cyd Law at gisellel@earthlink.net or Diane Bechtold at dbechtold@cfl.rr.com and one of us will “hook you up” for this opportunity.

We have another group of St. Stephen members who are seeking funding for the feeding effort and are writing grants and finding sources to continue this work. As a result, this group has facilitated the receipt of $500 from Thrivent Financial to purchase meals from Second Harvest at a very reasonable rate. If you’re willing to contribute, just send a check to St Stephen Lutheran Church and indicate “Feeding Homeless Children” in the memo line. Another way to find funding is to ask. You can figure out who to ask.

Another effort underway is for some St. Stephen volunteers to participate in the IDignity effort in Orlando on July 21st and possibly in Sanford sometime in August. We’re not sure when the August event will be scheduled – but I’ll keep you posted. If you want more information about how this works to provide social security cards and ID cards for the homeless – or how you can volunteer – log on to their website at www.idignity.org and get all you need to sign up.

ConAgra Foods has a national campaign to help feed the homeless. If you go to this website, http://www.childhungerendshere.com/Html/EnterCode.html and enter the UPC codes, they will donate a meal to 2nd Harvest for each entry. You can then donate these items to our food for homeless children campaign and effectively double your contribution. ConAgra foods include Chef Boyardee, Marie Calendar, Healthy Choice, Peter Pan, Kids Cuisine, and Banquet foods. Please consider taking this extra step. You can even do this right from your own home.

We have over 70 people who volunteered to help this effort. If you’re one of them, or would like to jump in – do it! We’re not having any meetings, not developing an organization – what we’re doing is finding ways to fill the ranks of existing organizations. The Sharing Center needs us, school food programs need us, and people need us. So – think about what you can do – and do it!

Author: Diane Bechtold

In a Couple of Words…

By: Dennis McClellan

As I write this, we’re coming up on the 4th of July. When you read this, the 4th will be past.

However, like anyone who blogs, I wonder how many of you will actually read this and how many others will let this gem get by unread. Needless-to-say, odds aren’t in my favor, I fear.

With that said, let’s look at a natural topic for this first week in July: FREEDOM. That’s certainly a topic that’s bandied about and a word that’s been used (and often misused) over the years. But still, its one of those words that represents the true essence of our nation – what the United States stands for (or, is supposed to stand for).

So…here’s my short-and-sweet blog (and challenge) for the week: Let me know what freedom means to you. In one or two (OK, even three) words, express yourselves, and let me know what “FREEDOM” means to you. When you see me on campus or around church, when we bump into each other at Publix or the movie theater, just come up to me and give me the code. Your one, two or three words will express what you’ve been thinking about, since reading this, and what freedom means to you.

Aren’t we fortunate?! Some people actually have to pray for freedom. We’ve actually got to think about what it means – because we’ve got so much of it to immerse ourselves in. Aren’t we fortunate?!

Doing Community in a Netflix World:

The Long View

The Power of
a FUEL Quad
June 2011

You’ve probably heard Nicole Eastwood talk about them, or me reference them. At present, 1 in 10 of you are involved in one and many of you are beginning to ask questions about them. I’m talking, of course, about FUEL Quads, small discipleship communities that commit to intentional faith development with each other over the space of a year or two.

Remember for a second that FUEL is an acronym that stands for Faith Unleashed in Everyday Life. Our identities as baptized children of God formed as a community that follows the voice of Jesus in the world may begin in worship…but its goal is living the Grace of Jesus in our everyday lives. Faith is MEANT to be unleashed in everyday life. This is God’s intent for the power of the gospel that flows through each of us.

We know however, as a matter of pragmatism, that faith in our lives is nurtured and grown. We give it water, fertilizer, sunlight and good soil, and God takes care of the rest. What FUEL Quads recognize is that Jesus’ best discipleship didn’t occur with 70 or 12. Jesus was most effective with just three…Peter, James, and John. Discipleship can and does occur in larger groups of 8 to 12 in intentional faith conversation, accountability, community and study. But the power to develop real spiritual intimacy, accountability, trust, and growth comes from very small community.

I met with my Quad recently. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to spending that time with those three men twice a month. One of those encounters occurs face to face. One of us brings dinner in and we break bread together. Then we share our faith journeys together, have conversation about faith materials we are reading and interacting with, and then pray for each other. It’s awesome. My particular Quad then meets one other time each month via a SKYPE video call. It’s been hard to get used to this part of our monthly gatherings…mostly working out of the technological bugs, but it’s again a face-to-face encounter with one another, deep faith conversation, and again prayer. Each of us would say we’re stronger for it.

Last month I talked about what it means to be the Church in a Netflix, on demand, world. Not surprisingly as our lives become increasingly digital and privatized, the community of faith formation becomes ever more important. This faith community can and does occur through digital media. The conversations we have on the St. Stephen Facebook page for instance, or at the Spirit Porch blog are rich and deep. But human contact isn’t going to go by the wayside anytime soon. If anything, in our world, it’s going to become increasingly precious and valuable…and we’ll engage these times with more intentionality and appreciation.

Please consider how faith in Jesus is growing in your life right now. If you’re in a faith stall and God seems far away, then it’s time to do your faith life differently. And personally, I think it will begin with an intentional small Christian community.

If you are interested in joining a FUEL Quad (they are always gender specific), please let me or Nicole Eastwood know. We’ll get you equipped and coached and empowered to embarq on this journey.

Don’t be surprised if you discover a whole new depth and richness to life.

Here’s to hearing the voice of Jesus in our lives more clearly! More importantly, here’s to hearing that voice with others!

God loves you and I do too!

Pastor Nathan

What does hunger look like?

I grew up hearing about children starving in far-away lands – lands I just knew, as a child coming from a working-class household, that I would never see. There were the admonitions to eat everything on my plate because starving children in China would just love to have what I was ignoring on my plate. There were the pictures of starving children in African countries with distended abdomens and rail-thin limbs, hungry children in South American countries who were victims of the never-ending civil wars, pictures of hungry children in the projects of Philadelphia who were victims of racial and social injustice. None of these pictures seemed any more real to me than those I saw in National Geographic - tales that just as likely could have been from the Brothers Grimm.

Several weeks ago, my brother-in-law told me about what the real faces of hunger look like. A 60 Minutes piece aired, and reported that there are over 1,000 homeless children in Seminole county schools. So….. hunger might look like the children who sit next to your child or mine in classrooms or play with them on playgrounds, or who ask if they are going to finish their lunches and ask for whatever remains.

Many of the families are not in shelters, as I thought, where they might lose their dignity, but are at least fed and provided shelter. Because many of the shelters separate families across gender lines, or are full – those who have minimal access to work are living in the cheap motels all around the county – some very close to St Stephen Lutheran Church.

How do we assure that the face of hunger is not the face of our next-door neighbors?

I’m not real sure, but I’m going to investigate. We do know meals were being provided while the children were in school; now that there is a summer break, we have discovered that there are still feeding centers at local schools – Altamonte Springs Elementary is one. Our church has provided some support for the Sharing Center and we are now going to begin to expand that outreach to the school feeding centers to help send food home for weekends. Please consider helping the hungry children right in our community by participating in a drive for foodstuff. Perhaps your child has a classmate who was always asking for extra food, or who you heard was living in a motel, or a car – could you seek him/her out to help? Check out this link and see what else you can do http://cmfmedia.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/50_Ways.pdf

Could you suggest other ways to help?

Author: Diane Bechtold

What does the face of a leader look like?

By:Dennis McClellan

The concept of leadership will NOT be tackled in his this brief commentary. Besides, there are way too many books on the topic, and I’m not an expert by any stretch of the term. That doesn’t mean that I don’t know one, when I see one…or work with one.

The idea behind taking someone with talent, skills, understanding, or “the right chemistry,” who isn’t involved in a leadership position…or…doesn’t want to be involved or take on a project…and turning them into a reluctant success story, is something that I find interesting. It isn’t unfamiliar to us. We’ve been raised on such stories. Remember Moses? Boy, he sure didn’t want the job he was given by God – and, as I recall, he fought long and hard not to take on the leadership of the ancient Hebrews. As the Biblical story goes, he lost that battle with God.

It was Joseph Campbell, who described persons, such as Moses, as “Heroes with a Thousand Faces.” In a book that was written when I was a small boy, and reprinted many times, and reissued in 2008, Campbell (the former Catholic priest and expert on myths and the importance of mythology) wrote:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region
of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and
a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious
adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

Well, that very well may have been a fair description of Moses, or some of the others that he wrote about – including Osiris, Prometheus, the Buddha, and Christ.

So…here’s my question: “What does the face of a St. Stephen Lutheran leader (our local heroes) look like?” And, once we identify those faces among us, how do we get them to put their natural and learned skills and talents to work for the betterment of our congregation and the community at large?” Here’s my answer: “The next time you’re in the sanctuary or parish hall or church office, look to your left and right. There’s a leader sitting or standing (even if they aren’t aware of that fact).”

This isn’t a myth. It’s a fact. What fact?

St. Stephen is ripe with people who are leaders. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and interests. Some are younger than might be typically expected. And, they are both male and female. Some already serve on the church council. Others head up quad groups. A few are charged with ministry roles. And the real fact is that we are blessed with members who volunteer to feed the homeless, those who mentor teens in Solid Rock, assist with communion, sing in choirs, take charge of audio-visual projects – all without being called “leaders.” They just “are.”

What is, is! There is no standard face of leadership. There is no standard level of education, work experience, or parental background that renders someone more appropriate to be a leader at St. Stephen.

The primary ingredient is making one a leader is “desire to serve.” If anyone has the attitude of a disciple and servant, they have the basic DNA. Around our campus, you’ll see a endless flow of bodies doing the work needed to help us grow, spreading the DNA to others, and keeping the flame burning.

The first weekend in June saw some 60+ people gather for a leadership retreat here on campus. It was an honor to be included. It was quite a gathering – and we didn’t stop until the clock ran out. I observed first hand the high level of desire to serve that permeated the group, and came to appreciate more than ever that leadership isn’t about the leader. It isn’t about me. It’s about others – the people served, the people led, the people encouraged to “join” in, and about helping others to grow, take over and become leaders.

The face of leadership might be compared to looking into a bowl of M & M’s. When you pick a handful out of that bowl, the grouping is always different. It never looks the same. You can’t expect the appearance of that selection to always appear the same. The same is true with how leaders appear. They don’t look alike, think alike or sound alike. And when mixed with others, the groupings will always take on a different look. That diversity can make for some interesting “flavors.” And, it can make for some outstanding examples of leadership.

Why not give yourself the opportunity to experience personal growth and work toward becoming a leader at St. Stephen? Your skills, talents, interests, desire to serve, and willingness to set ego aside and become a servant leader might be the best move of your life – and add to the life at St. Stephen.

How do you become a leader? Just show up. The best leaders around our campus are those who you might not immediately suspect are leaders. They are involved; they don’t always wear a nametag; they might be the ones sweating or with the dirty hands. They’re the ones that lead by example.

Aren’t we fortunate?!

What to do? What to do? What to do?

Since I was old enough to form opinions, I have been an advocate for social justice. I believe that all people have the right to lives that are without hunger and want. I believe that opportunities should be available to all without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, age, etc.

Today, I have been questioning my “beliefs” because I am realizing that “sayin’ ain’t doin.’” Sure, I write checks to support worthy causes, both at church and in the community. Sure, I donate items I can no longer use. Sure, I even crochet shawls and lap afghans for our support of the women’s shelter.

I know I could do more.

Smokey, my husband, recently had the opportunity to attend the Florida-Bahamas Synod gathering and has made me think about how we could more fully participate in helping others who are in real need. He was introduced to the notion that there really ARE programs and agencies that are in place locally – all we need to do is support what they are doing to relieve suffering and want. We do not have to spend energy re-inventing programs and processes – we just have to roll up our sleeves and get involved in their good work.

We’re supporting the mission work in which our youth are engaged, and have been impressed with the impact of their giving when they return from such trips. They have talked about how they felt closer to God and each other when they engaged in helping in the most basic ways. Those feelings don’t have to be limited to youth; there are plenty of ways for adults to get involved in helping those facing really devastating times right now and right here.

I’m going to look for a way to serve right in my own community. Please join me in this effort to operationalize what social justice really means.

Author: Diane Bechtold

What Made Me Happy…

Blog – May 4, 2011

Dennis McClellan

Recently I had an experience that caused me great happiness – one that I really wasn’t looking forward to – an event that I thought was going to be laborious and boring. My wife had volunteered and I followed along like a lifeless mannequin.

After the lengthy evenings she had put into preparing for Holy Week and the festivities centered around Easter, I could only imagine how tired she was (as were all the others involved in evening practices and rehearsals). I found it easy to put myself into her place (even though I wasn’t part of all those long hours), and I became “tired” for her. Somehow, by the end of services on Easter, I had convinced myself that I deserved a break as much as she did.

And so, on the Sunday following Easter, I “sort of reluctantly” followed her to the church campus and into the Parish Hall to pack 50,000 meals for Haiti.

I’m sure anyone reading this can relate, in some way, to that feeling – a feeling that says, “No more right now; I just want to roll up in a ball and veg.”

Well, as it is said, “God moves in mysterious ways.” Boy did I find that out on May 1, 2011.

That afternoon I watched as bunches of adults and kids jammed into the Parish Hall, lined up at 10 pre-set tables, and spent the next two hours (just two hours) filling clear plastic bags with a mixture of food products and vitamins that can sustain life for thousands of individuals and families.

The work was joyous and the sound was overwhelming. That sound was a combination of laughter and chatter brought on by all those assembled – many of whom didn’t really know each other before that day. Many had seen each other, but didn’t know names or hadn’t interacted due to age differences or because they attend different services. Nevertheless, they lined up on either side of a production line, where barriers of age and being nameless were broken down quickly – and, I believe, permanently. By the time we all departed that afternoon, we had done a lot more than pack 50,000 meals for Haiti --- All of us had made new friends. We had a great time communicating and discovering and laughing. The competition between tables was hilarious and just plain fun.

What’s the bottom line here? It’s simple.

I had a tremendous time that afternoon. I forgot about my “supposed tiredness” and overlooked my desire to lie on the sofa and watch golf on TV. And seeing my wife have a great time supervising her table – and not allowing all the time she had spent (like so many others) preparing for Easter get in her way – became a strong wake-up call for me. It was apparent that it is possible to find strength and enjoyment when doing something for others – even when you won’t see the results. Just knowing that you are doing something of value for others can be very invigorating. And, nothing can beat being part of a winning team.