UMRA news & updates

October 2021

WE ARE ...
THE UNITED
METHODIST
RURAL
ADVOCATES
You would not ignore a
community more than seven
times larger than New York
City. Yet the rural population
in the United States, with
over 60 million people, is
often overlooked because
they are not all living in the
same area. 

Whether your church is

urban or rural church, large Lessons on Loss
or small, the UMRA invites October 1, 2021 by Beth Richardson
you to join our association of
clergy and laity in reaching Each year about this time, I start using light therapy
out to meet the needs of
to counteract the increasing hours of darkness that
people from rural
communities, their churches
we’re experiencing here in the Northern
and their pastors.  hemisphere. While many people love this time of
year there are others, like me, who struggle with
We provide advocacy at “Seasonal Affective Disorder” and the feelings of
General Conference and sadness and grief which are a part of that.
Annual Conferences to affect
rule changes that enable This fall seems to be especially difficult for many—
churches to better minister in
and not just because the days are shortening. Last
their communities, provide
educational opportunities for
year at this time, we knew the winter was going to

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the leaders of rural churches be long and hard. But we were hanging on to the
to better serve their church hope that a vaccine would free us. The vaccine did
bodies, and support church come—and has changed the threat of a COVID-19
leaders in personal growth
and ministry.  death for most vaccinated people. But here we are,
again, facing a long and hard winter ahead of us.

Officers We find ourselves in a difficult, lingering season of

2021-2024 loss. As I wrote last month, all of this is
Chair - Randy Wall -  complicated by the fact that we have not had a
RandyLWall@aol.com chance to fully ritualize the losses of our friends, co-
Vice Chair - Peggy -
peggy4249@yahoo.com workers, and family members. The pandemic has
Secretary - Doug Flinn -  meant that we have been unable to gather together
doug.flinn64@gmail.com
Spiritual Director - for the stories, the collective grieving, and the
Orrinda Stockton - services that humans need in order to process such
ostockton@hotmail.com
Communications Dir - feelings of grief.
Michele Holloway -
chele101953@gmail.com
Advocacy Dir - Mollie Stewart -
Molliecstewart0128@gmail Lessons on Grief
.com
Membership - Sue Grace
smgrlg51@yahoo.com        I’ve been thinking a lot about loss and grief,
Treasurer - Judy Hill       especially following the death of my friend, Dave,
judyh@plainstel.com
who passed away in July. I’ll offer some learnings
on grief and loss and then a few tools that help me
process the losses of the past season.

1. Grief is messy.
I was in seminary in Tennessee when my mother
was dying. Mom had an inoperable brain tumor
which had grown back after two earlier surgeries.

To finish reading this article, go to:

https://www.upperroom.org/news/1706

 "This material is reprinted from The Upper Room®

website dated October 1, 2021 by The Upper Room®, Inc.,
P.O. Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004, and is used
by permission of the publisher."

A Letter to My Churches on Mental Wellness

by Michele Holloway, UMRA Communications Director

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

       I feel compelled to share my struggles with you with the hope that you will all have
time to ponder and pray and consider how you are coping and how you might respond in

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your own circumstances. I know that I’m not the only person having trouble dealing with
these difficult times.
       There has been quite a bit in the news recently about people choosing to care for
their own mental well-being and letting go of other people’s expectations. Simone Biles,
the US gold medal gymnast, stepped away from certain levels of competition during the
Olympics for the sake of her mental health. She was ridiculed, shamed, reviled, and
disrespected. However, she was able to find those people who offered her support and
encouragement. I applaud her for seeing the good around her. She is 24 years old and
has been under this pressure since 2003, when she was only 6 years old.
       Naomi Osaka, tennis player and four-time Grand Slam singles winner, was fined
$15,000 for skipping a mandatory press interview. For the sake of her own mental
health, she withdrew from the French Open. She said “It’s okay, not to be okay.” She is
23.
 The Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps, age 36, has contemplated suicide. He
recognized his need for help and has been actively supporting a mental health campaign
in conjunction with an online therapy organization called TalkSpace.
       You might be wondering why I’m discussing world champion athletes. What does
this have anything to do with us in Baker County, Oregon? So, I’ll bring it closer to home.
       Several times over the past few months, I have been in tears over a number of things
that were outside my control and I didn’t know where to go with these concerns. I don’t
often get depressed, but I was definitely feeling the depression and hopelessness of our
current health situation and how to keep everyone safe, even when not everyone feels
there is a danger. I sent an email to the District Superintendent who responded with
grace and support, as she always does.
       I was feeling a bit better until I learned, the following week, about a pastor friend
who has had multiple hospitalizations with suicidal ideation. This is a person I always
saw as strong and really having a plan for life. What I saw on the outside was not what
this person was dealing with on the inside. I wish I had been a better friend.
       For the first time in my life, during a doctor’s visit in July, I had to admit that I
wasn’t okay mentally. I know this has been a hard 18 plus months for everyone, but I feel
an added pressure, as the pastor, to make things work, to make certain that everyone is
cared for, to be a shepherd, a guide, a skilled tech person without any training, and a
bringer of light, while realizing that there is a deadly virus just outside the doors. It is
difficult to make the “right” decisions. Whether I am placing these pressures on myself or
whether others are feeling this way about me, doesn’t really matter as what I feel is very
real.
 The Greater Northwest COVID Team gave permission to have indoor,
congregational singing, at the very moment when the number of COVID cases in Baker
County increased to the critical level and had risen by 200% in the last two weeks. This
has a direct impact on my mental well-being and how I am going to work with these
numbers while trying to keep everyone safe. I am incredibly grateful for the support of
the Imagine New Life team and how they help to navigate this craziness, but the final
decisions are mine.
       I am 67. Mental wellness issues know no age limits. Mental health is vital and it’s
not easy to come by, especially in these times. I am sleeping more and getting less rest; I
have gained weight; I find it difficult to laugh or take things lightly, as I once did. And so,
in an attempt to give myself some breathing space, I will be out of the pulpit for three
Sundays in October. 10/17 is Laity Sunday and I plan on attending worship, just not in
charge. Because I expect our churches to still be closed, something different needs to be

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planned for Laity Sunday as the two churches will be worshiping together on Zoom. I will
then take 10/24 and 10/31 as vacation (with a four-day Board of Ministry meeting in the
middle). If any of you would like to provide respite by taking over leading worship,
preaching, running tech in Baker, on these or any other Sundays, please let me know.
       There are scriptures that can offer hope. They don’t take away the problems but they
can offer us new ways of seeing.

Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they
shall walk and not faint.”

John 16:33 ‘I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the
world.’

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

       May we all practice good mental and physical care. Don’t take on too much. Ask for
help. Seek to be with people who offer encouragement. Depend on God at all times.

I discovered, much to my joy, that in sharing my reality with my congregations, I felt a

burden lifted from my shoulders. I was able to laugh and smile without feeling guilty.
Share your burdens with someone today.

The Challenges of These Days

by Randy Wall, UMRA Chair
This is a challenging time to be the church of Jesus
Christ.  As this pandemic rages on, our congregation, like
so many others, faces low attendance and dwindling
offerings. Two years ago, it was no question that we would
gather regularly for Bible study and breakfast and annually
for Homecoming.  Today, the question is more likely to be
“Is it safe for us to gather?” 

We had another death in our congregation this month. It is

the 4th death we have had since the pandemic began.   While that might not seem to be
many deaths over the course of 18 months for a large membership church, it is large
number of deaths for our church of small membership.    Again, we stepped up to be in
mission to a grieving family providing a meal for family members far and near to share in
the throes of their grief.    When the call went out to assist the people in Haiti with
earthquake relief, the people on the Gulf Coast to recover from Hurricaine Irma, and for

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the flooded mountain folks in North Carolina who seek to pick up the pieces of their
broken lives, our church stepped up and gave an offering. 

Despite the challenges of these days, our congregation keeps on giving and giving and
being in ministry.  I am reminded of the words Paul spoke about the Macedonian Church
in II Corinthians 8: 1-5 where we read:    

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given
the Macedonian churches.  2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and
their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  3 For I testify that they gave as much
as they were able,  and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,  4  they urgently
pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing  in this service  to the Lord’s people.  5  And
they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then
by the will of God also to us. 

Thanks be to God for the opportunity we have to be the Church of Jesus Christ in these
days and for the people in the pew whatever the size of their congregation who continue
to give and serve despite the challenges of these days. - Rev. Randy Wall

Thank You For the Good You Didn't Do

by Patrick Scriven, Director of Communications, Pacific-NW Conference

I've had that confusing sentence stuck in my head for much of the week. One of the
challenges of navigating a pandemic is that we can't really see the good we are doing,
only the missed opportunities of more people getting sick, hospitals overwhelmed, and
far too many lives lost.

Local churches across the GNW (Greater Northwest) Area have been sacrificial in their
embrace of COVID-19 related precautions and restrictions and surprisingly open in
adopting new technology. Our congregations are often among the most cautious in their
communities, something which has not been easy. Members (and leaders) have
grumbled, but who would have ever predicted how resilient and adaptive the majority
have been!

It is easy for us to see the things we have set aside, and that can be painful. It is much
harder to see the good we have done when that good is something that didn't happen.
I have absolutely no doubt that you have saved lives over these past 18 months. I can't
tell you how many, but I know it is more than just one or two. I hope you can take a
moment to absorb that – our churches have saved lives.

A number of the pastors I know have mixed feelings about pastor appreciation month
(which is October), and in normal times, I would probably side with those who feel it is
yet another Hallmark holiday.

But this year, I hope our congregations find ways to acknowledge their pastors and the
life-saving work they are doing. AND I hope they will also extend that same appreciation

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to all the other staff and lay leaders who are invested in this important work too.
So, again. Thank you for the good you didn't do. And apologies if you still find that
confusing.

Devotions
by Orrinda Stockton, UMRA Spiritual Director
This skein of yarn totally deconstructed itself yesterday as I attempted to
wind it into a ball. So far, I have spent about six hours (not all at once!) in
my slow progress toward having a usable ball of yarn with which to knit.
The tangles and knots are wearing me down. It may have to go into a
"time out" bag.

Tangles and knots seem to be taking up a lot of my time--and

not just the ones in my yarn. We are currently at our
Sacramento house continuing the seemingly never-ending task
of purging the unneeded and packing the semi-relevant (and
hoping to be able to discern which is which). The lack of
significant progress is wearing me down. There are days when I
just want to walk out the door and declare myself "Done".

But that's not how this works. Life is a continuous series of

tangles and knots and sometimes we just have to take a pair of
scissors to those obstructions and make some kind of surgical
intervention so that we can keep going and find our way to the
other end. (No--I do NOT cut the knots out of the pricey yarn--
that's why it takes so long!)

What is your favorite method of detangling and unknotting

your life? I keep reminding myself of how much lighter I will feel when the current blight has
been kicked to the curb. And then I just start picking at those knots.

Keep safe. Keep each other in your prayers. With God's help, we will find our way past the
tangles.

The Academy for Rural Church Ministry

by Carl Ellis, Director
If you have felt the call to serve the small membership church or want
to improve your leadership and preaching skills as a small
membership pastor, The Academy for Small Membership Church
Ministries Foundations for Ministry & Discovering Your Call
and Gifts classes can help.

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Don't let this opportunity pass you by. Classes begin August 29, 2021 and registration is now open.
If you have questions please visit our website at https://larcm.org/lay-training or feel free to call 785-445-
2595

Grace & Peace

Carl
Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis
cellis@tasmcm.org

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

The national organization, United Methodist Rural Advocates, is pleased to announce we have a
limited number of scholarships to offer for attending programs or trainings that can enhance rural
ministry. An applicant can be considered for a scholarship of up to the lesser of $400 or one half of
program/event fees, etc. It is through the UMRA IGNITE fundraising campaign that these
scholarships are being offered.

Please contact Treasurer Judy Hill to learn more. Contact information is listed below.

Judy Hill, Treasurer UMRA

3642 Road D
Joes, CO 80822

Email: judyh@plainstel.com

RURAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

NETworX WEBINAR sponsored by UMRA. Information may be found on the

UMRA website under events. http://www.umruraladvocates.org/vision--
mission-webinar.html
RURAL MINISTRY CERTIFICATE is not sponsored by UMRA. This is an online
program through Southwestern College in Winfield, KS. There are currently
two courses being offered: Engaging the Bible in Rural Ministry and Practical
Theology in Rural Communities.
ACADEMY FOR SMALL CHURCH MINISTRIES in affiliation with UMRA. Check
out larcm.org for ongoing and upcoming training opportunities.

NETworX INFORMATION

NETworX-Securing Well-being Together 

Measurable outcomes, measured at six-month

intervals throughout NETworX participation, include:
Increase in income to at or above 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines,
Decrease in use of public assistance,
Decrease in revolving debt from credit cards, rent-to-own, or predatory
lending,

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Increase in assets,
Increase in safe, supportive, and nurturing relationships, and
Increase in perception of overall quality of life.
If you are interested in hearing more, contact Alan Rice, a member of the UMRA
Executive Committee at 336-239-1526 or visit www.NETworXUSA.org

SHARE MINISTRY/BEST PRACTICES STORIES WITH US

Are there ministries and outreach in your churches that you want others to
know about? We celebrate the truth that rural/town and country churches are
vital and active within their communities and we want to share that information
around the country. Do you have a story of joy or hope that you would like to
have shared here? There are others who could greatly benefit from what has
worked for you and even what hasn't worked but that has allowed you to
grow. Send stories to Michele Holloway at chele101953@gmail.com  and your
stories will be published in upcoming editions of this eCommunication.
This newsletter is published every other month: February, April, June, August,
October, and December. Please send all submissions to the above email address
no later than the 25th of the month prior to publication.

UMRA MEMBERSHIP

Memberships are available in the following categories:

Limited Income (What you can afford.)

Student $10.00

Basic One-Year $30.00

Church One-Year $50.00

Advocacy Membership One-Year $250.00

Membership Letter and Form - click here

Two Easy Steps to Membership

1. Please fill out membership form:

United Methodist Rural Advocates Membership

2. Pay Membership Dues through PayPal

For more information or membership, contact:

Email: smgrlg51@yahoo.com

Sue Grace - Membership Secretary 

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2755 Independence Ct,

Grove City, OH 43123

740-707-2901

Five Reasons to Join UMRA

5. Network and collaborate with other rural groups and agencies around issues of
concern for the rural church and rural places.

4. Utilize technologies which will help us build relationships, share information and
resources, and connect rural leaders.

3. Discover and learn about sustainable, effective, replicable, generative ministries.

2. Be part of an organization which creates and advocates for General Conference

legislation that has had a positive effect on the rural church; such as NOW (Nurture,
Outreach, Witness) leadership format, development of "Born Again in Every Place," and
the Certified Lay Minister.  An Organization which will continue to create and advocate
for General Conference legislation that may affect ministry in town and country
churches and their communities.

1. Together we can make a difference as we advocate for the work of Jesus Christ in
rural and town and country communities.

UMRA membership provides not only voice and vote in the organization, but also
includes a subscription to the UMRA E NEWSLETTER. 

United Methodist
Rural Advocates
Click links to the right to find us.

UMRA | 4845 Renfrew Drive, Concord, NC 28027

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