The ASP Experience

A couple weeks ago I went on the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). It was an amazing and rewarding experience. I had not heard of ASP until I started at my placement site and up until recently I did not know much about it. ASP is a service opportunity across five states, there are various projects but during the summer the primary projects are construction on homes. Metropolitan Memorial’s youth go on an ASP experience once a year and this year I was able to attend.

At the beginning of the week I had no idea what to expect, and after the first couple of days I realized I loved the experience. My love for the experience stemmed from a few things:

1. Every step of ASP felt like fellowship. The youth got to know each other better, the adults learned ways in which to encourage the youth to believe in their abilities, and together we all got to know the families that we were working with.

 

2. Youth empowerment is one of the main goals of Metropolitan Memorial’s ASP experience, and I got to see that in action. There were challenges, and sacrifices; there were achievements, and personal and group victories.

 

3. The ASP experience was, for me, joy-filled. There was a restaurant, Ma and Pa’s at which we spent almost every night. On the second night we went to Ma and Pa’s and was able to dance and sing with persons from the town. Toward the end of the week we went to a park and enjoyed a picnic for the ASP crews and the homeowners, this offered a great opportunity to further connect with people and enjoy the beauty of Virginia.

These three aspects of the ASP experience were beautiful to be a part of and to witness.

I heard many times ASP called, “A relational ministry with construction on the side.” I was struck during the week with how much the tenets of ASP remind me of the tenets of Generation Transformation such as, “‘Engage. Connect. Grow.,’ or,’ ministry with, not to or for.'” I felt engaged by the work we were all doing together. The only way the projects would be done successfully is if we all worked together, with the youth making choices and plans along the way.  I felt connected to the families we were working with during the times when we would stop our work and just chat together for a while, or when a family member would give us freeze pops on our way out at the end of the day. I sensed growth in seeing the youth dynamically ask questions and come to realizations through the entire experience.

The ASP experience was a great way to spend a week during the summer months, I feel grateful for the time there and all that was learned.

Stephanie Quammen

GMF US-2, Class of 2016-2018

Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church

Washington DC

#3022240

Who Am I?

Who am I?

It isn’t a complete tragedy that I’ve never known the answer to this question.  I have never defined myself, making me vulnerable to letting others define who I am.

Who am I?  Thankfully, my quarter life crisis, my life long identity crisis, as well as the cultural crisis (due to leaving home for the first time in my life) would culminate the perfect storm of the ideal timing, season, motivation, and environment for me to get my hands dirty and discover the answer to this question.  I’ve avoided the question for 24 years for various reasons.

There have been times that I could literally feel the electricity in the atmosphere shock my heart- bringing me back from the hell of mundane and meaningless routine that I willingly embraced because of the expectations society thrust upon me.

The main thing I learned in my 24^th year of life is that I am too young to know anything and therefore, I am certain that who I am today will not be the same as when I am 35. But, I hope that I will continue to make progress by continuing to evolve and be enlightened.

Truth Seeker

One of the strongest desires that dwells within me is the unquenchable thirst for knowledge; a curiosity that fuels the gears in my mind to constantly work overtime.  I am not comfortable accepting reality from a country/government/society/institution/individual that has intentionally, or unintentionally, deceived or withheld the true nature of my history, culture, or my people.

Realizing, seeking, and understand these important pillars (history, culture, people) helped me understand myself, my family, and my community  as well as the position we occupy in this social order – then determine if I will accept that position or rebel against it.  It was the beginning of liberating and painful transformation that would ultimately determine the direction of my life.

Truth Teller

Since I was a little girl, I have been told to shut up.  A consistent wave of complaints concerning my excessive talkativeness convinced me at a young age that I had better shut my mouth.  As a result, I’ve wasted a lot of time in silence and have suppressed everything about myself that did not fit into the mold given to me as a black Christian woman in the South.

Upon realizing that living with no authority over myself and without the right to express myself was a form of enslavement. I was restrained without chains.  Now 24 years of silence is about to blow a hole in the fabric of reality to this social order and religious institutions that reinforce the infringement of my rights to express myself via invalidating my experience.

I have never been known liberation or inner peace as well as I do when I am actively committed to being genuine and authentic.  This leads me to believe that I am charged by God to continue as I desire to see others freed of their bondage as well.

Lover of Justice — Lover of people

My love for justice and people are the primary and underlying motives for everything that I do and say.  I am convinced that it is impossible to be a lover of justice without being a lover of people.  Likewise; I cannot understand how one could claim to be a lover of people without being a lover of justice.  The people that claim to love people the most, that’ I’ve known, have a very incomplete concept of justice- if justice is even a factor for anyone but themselves.

Many have told me that because of the direct manner of my words or the nature of the words, that I am no longer speaking the truth in love.  I beg to differ, I am only speaking the truth via highlighting the unfiltered reality because of love, and I have relinquished myself of the responsibility of how others react.

Who am I?

Lover of the black community ~ Artist ~ Africana Womanist ~ Healer ~ Liberator ~ Poet  Activist ~ Author ~ Revolutionary ~ Fierce Lover

Who are you?

Chasity Jones
GMF US-2, Class of 2016-2018
Seattle District of The United Methodist Church
Seattle, WA

#3022206

Names

I have been thinking a lot about names lately. What our names are. What do they mean? Where did they come from? Are they passed on from family or have a historical connection? Why is it so hard for us to remember other people’s names? My names include- Maggie, Margaret, Magpie, Marguerite, Magnolia, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, Friend, Crazy Cat Lady, Assistant, Runner, Swimmer, Coordinator- and more. These aren’t just descriptors, they are a part of who I am. I can never truly be just one of these.

I have never been good at remembering names. It’s something that I have to consciously think about. Since my job requires a lot of travelling and remembering names, I’ve gotten a lot of practice lately. Names are not only important to being courteous, but they have such a deeper meaning. Your name can be your identity. It’s important that it’s said correctly because when it isn’t, that literally is not you. How often do we not even find out people’s names? I’ve been on so many flights where I talk to the person next to me for the whole trip, but never ask their name.

God tells us often how important names are. God even has many names- Creator, Father, Mother, Yahweh, Breath of Life, Friend, Counselor, Holy one- the list goes on. The Bible has a lot of focus on names. It mentions everything from Adam and Eve giving names to each of the animals to giving new names when our hearts are changed like Paul, Abraham and Sarah. So often a person’s name in the Bible tells so much about the person and the situation like in Hosea where God says the child’s name shall be ‘No Mercy’, because he will have no more Mercy on the house of Israel. The name Jesus was given to Mary by Gabriel who was sent by God himself.

In just under two weeks I will be taking a trip with the California-Nevada Conference Philippine Solidarity Task Force to visit the Philippines. This will be my first trip to Asia. The Philippines has been somewhere I’ve wanted to go, especially since my missionary training. So many amazing people in our training class are from this beautiful country, and they have this incredible Spirit about them that I can’t explain. I’ve learned so much since my time with GBGM started, but I’ve learned even more about white supremacy since being involved with the PSTF.

During this upcoming trip, I want to know people’s names. I want to find out who they are and do my best to help break the mold of a white tourist. I have been told that because I’m the only white American in the group, I will be treated differently. I will not be trying to speak the local language. If I’m asked questions about living in the US, I will be including and deferring to my colleagues who may not be asked even though they also live in the US.  White America has done some terrible things to the people of the Philippines in the name of Christianity and Humanitarian Aid. In actuality, this has shown up through colonialism and militarism.

What are we doing with our names? What names are we spreading?

I know I don’t always say things correctly or think everything through before I speak, but I hope that my words and actions live up to the name of Jesus Christ. The one who went against the norm. The friend who took time to care and listen to his friends. The savior who knew what was ahead and walked into it confidently, knowing that God would not keep him from suffering, but use his sacrifice to show billions of people what love looks like.

What is your name?

 

Maggie Lohmeyer

Bridges District of the California-Nevada Annual Conference

San Fransisco, CA

Global Mission Fellow US-2, Class of 2016-2018

#3022228

Finding God in the Water

I’ve always loved water.

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I loved when summer vacations meant a long drive and then a week at the beach.

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I loved “creeking” at Girl Scout camp. I loved looking for crayfish when I went to Boy Scout camp with my brother.

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At church camp in middle school, I tried kayaking for the first time. My favorite part? When we had to practice falling out of the kayak and getting back in again. We tipped our kayaks while in the still lake water, just in case this happened while we were on the river.

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As I grew older, I began to feel God’s presence through water.

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On Church of the Messiah youth retreats in high school, I’d find a waterfall to stand next to. I’d pray or journal, sometimes even sing.

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Even while attending American University in Washington, DC, I was able to find water, both through camping trips and retreats, as well as through hikes around Theodore Roosevelt Island. I saw an eagle fly for the first time while hiking in Washington, DC.

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We often think about water as having the power to cleanse and renew, even when it destroys everything first. “And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” (As a side note, my “Countdown to Missionary Retirement” indicates that I have 40 days left before I end my term of service, and while it will be nothing like in the age of Noah, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rainy season brings similar weather to Miami-Dade County.)

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During the United Methodist Candidacy process, we talked about “One Baptism, One Call.” God created each of us, and God calls each of us to something. I believe God has called me to social justice ministry. When I began to think about baptism–which also involves water–in this way, it became so much more meaningful than the action of putting some water on my head as a baby. I was baptized into a community of Christians who each have unique gifts, and when we use our gifts fully and in a unified way, we form the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12).

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While serving as a Global Mission Fellow US-2, I have also been lucky enough to find water: the ocean! (Now that I have well water, I have also experienced times without water, like when the electricity goes out and there is nothing to power the water pump.) Other than searching for shells, watching nurse sharks swim by my feet, and napping in the sand, one of my favorite things to do at the ocean in South Florida is snorkel.

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In most aspects of my life, I like to be in control. When I am in control, I don’t worry. It’s foolish, really, to go through life that way.

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The first few times when I went snorkeling, I started to breathe rather rapidly as soon as my face plunged under water. I knew that I could float, that I could breathe through my snorkel, and that my nose was covered by my face mask/goggles. Even so, I forced air in and out of the snorkel quickly, because I needed to feel in control.

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At times, my relationship with God has been like snorkeling. I know that God loves me and wants what is best for me. Yet, I sometimes have trouble living into that truth. Instead, I flounder around, seeking to overpower God. When I ignore the Holy Spirit’s pull on my life and instead seek to do my own will, I always end up worse off than I would have been if I had let go. Moreover, I often contribute to our structural sin when I don’t do what God leads me to do. Snorkeling, for me, is a reminder that I need to just relax and trust in God.

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For many of us in the US, water is so common that we (unfortunately) take it for granted. I am grateful that God has used water, which I see and experience everyday, to teach me more about God.

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Emily Kvalheim

GMF US-2, Class of 2015-2017

South Florida Justice For Our Neighbors

Miami-Dade County, FL

#3022060

Seeking to Renounce My Heterosexual Privilege in the United Methodist Church

In light of the decision that the United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council made today–and especially considering the unjust rules in the Book of Discipline that the decision was based upon–I have decided to share the following document, which has been added to my Candidacy file:

Seeking to Renounce My Heterosexual Privilege As A Certified Candidate For Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church

April 27, 2017

I believe that God has called me to social justice ministry. If I really love my neighbor, how could I accept or ignore the systems and institutions that harm and oppress her?

I often find myself thinking/talking about my privilege, noting that I benefit because I have white skin, I was born in the US, I speak English as a first language, I am a Christian in a “Christian” nation, I never had to “come out” as straight or cisgender, etc. I recognize that there is injustice whenever I benefit from one of my identities while someone else is disadvantaged because she does not share that identity.

Nevertheless, I confess that I have been a hypocrite. While I have been willing to speak this truth, I have not taken any risks to act upon it. I have wanted to hold on to my privilege, including the privilege that comes from being a heterosexual, cisgender person.

While “self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church,” and while “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches,” we make LGBTQ people (and many young people, family members, professed allies, etc.) feel less welcomed, less accepted, and less loved by the Church–and by extension, less loved by God. Imagine how this looks to someone who did not grow up in the Church or who left the Church upon feeling judged!

I continue to benefit from my privilege as a straight, cis person, while my LGBTQ friends are disadvantaged for who they are and who they love, both in society and within the United Methodist Church, and that is an injustice.

In conclusion: After a year of prayerful discernment, I have found the courage to finally write this. It is difficult for me to include this in my Candidacy file because I grew up in the UMC, I love the UMC, I am serving as a Global Mission Fellow US-2 Missionary, and I absolutely hope to one day be ordained as a Deacon, living out my call to faith-based social justice ministry through the UMC. However, I feel that I must refuse to be ordained in the United Methodist Church until my LGBTQ friends also have the same opportunities that I have, without restriction.

I hope to remain a Certified Candidate and will continue with the next step in the process (for me, the education requirement), as I pray for the Church and wait to know if the way forward will include justice for the LGBTQ community.
Thank you.

Emily Kvalheim

GMF US-2, Class of 2015-2017

South Florida Justice For Our Neighbors

Miami-Dade County, FL

#3022060

Moving Beyond Expectations

This journey has not been what I expected. Even though we spend pieces of training debunking the stereotypes of missionaries and their work, my ego clung tight to the hope of transforming into some sort of Jesus-following superhero.

Expectations are very limited. Expectations keep us from dreaming grand dreams or living into grander realities. I’m coming upon the end of my mission service, and I am not a superhero of any sort. And thank God, really. What pressure that must be. It hasn’t kept me from discovering the identities I do embody, though.

When I think about who I was and my societal labels at the beginning of this journey, I don’t recognize that girl. I use the word “girl” very intentionally. To me, a girl lacks maturity, both internally and demonstrably. A girl views the world through the lens of her own ego. So while it seems bizarre that it’s taken me (almost) 29 years, the first identity I have come to claim through this experience is “woman”.

Another significant identity I’ve embraced is “worthy”. Every morning I wake up and use a fine line Sharpie to ink an imperfect circle on the back of my right hand below my thumb. The context of the circle is unimportant, but serves as a constant personal reminder of my mantra: “I am worthy of love”. I have come to deeply love who I am, even if some who claim to love me have given me the metaphorical boot from the family because I refuse to deny my self-worth. (I’m a little bitter about this. I’m working on it.)

I’ve claimed other identities, too. Bisexual. Flamboyant liberal. Feminist. Educator. Urbanite. Protest-goer. Ally. All new. All authentic. Notice the absence of superhero.

My point is that transformation is only possible when we free ourselves from the imprisonment of expectation. The one identity I anticipated living into is the one I’m furthest from. And those I claim were the most unpredictable.

I hope to continue through life without expectations. I would much rather be surprised by the endless possibilities of grand dreams and grander realities.

 

Amber Feezor

General Board of Church and Society

Washington, DC

Global Mission Fellow US-2, Class of 2015-2017

#3022063