Mission Yearbook: Rev. Dr. Topher Endress discusses ‘Accompanying Disability

The Rev. Dr. Topher Endress, author of a book recently published by Westminster John Knox Press, “Accompanying Disability: Caretaking, Family, and Faith,” made an appearance on “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” hosted each week by the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong. Listen to their hourlong conversation here.

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The Rev. Dr. Topher Endress

Endress said he switches his language sometimes from “person who has a disability” or “living with some ailment or chronic language” to “disabled person.” “A lot of autistic people name themselves as autistic as opposed to ‘person with autism,’” he said. “To name our identity first is to say, ‘without autism, I wouldn’t be who I am,’ or ‘without Down syndrome, I wouldn’t be who I am.’”

“I think we’re at a point in a lot of our denominations where we’re doing a much better job of believing people’s stories,” said Endress, the associate minister at First Christian Church in Columbia, Missouri. “I’m going to trust that you know yourself best and what you’re sharing with me is what I should reflect back.”

“But I don’t know that we always do a great job of letting that [perspective] reshape and reform ourselves in a deep and meaningful way,” he said. “I think if we don’t have that, I’m not sure that we’re nurturing a relationship as much as we are welcoming people and still keeping them at arm’s length.”

To “truly love” those with a disability is “to let them disrupt our lives,” he said.

“I have family members who were or are disabled. I have lots of friends who have identified as disabled or a person with a disability,” Endress said. “I know I would not be who I am today if they were not in my life.”

In churches and in other spaces, Endress sees “a helpful understanding of the innate diversity we all carry. It’s becoming more positive and welcoming,” he said. As that understanding and welcoming grows, “we become more in tune to being reshaped by our friends with disabilities” and “being more willing to be called out and named: ‘Your behaviors are problematic in these ways. Can you adjust and say, yeah, I will acknowledge that and repent of that?’” We can respond with, “that was an oversight” or “that was a failing,” and “I’ve got to do better or be different,” he said. “Being shaped and reformed by those relationships is such a key aspect, especially for those of us on the ally side.”

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“I think when we do that, that’s what love is,” he said. “We love each other by giving ourselves away, letting ourselves just be made anew, just as we might hope they might do for us,” Endress said.

There are practical things we can do, including:

• Being willing to adjust our communication strategies. Many of Endress’ friends with disabilities are active on social media “during a time I don’t want to be on social media,” and yet “it’s a safe place for them to organize” without worrying about being exposed to Covid and other dangerous viruses.
• Allies and friends can adjust the pace of their life. “A lot of my friends with disabilities are incredibly accomplished and fantastic and witty,” he said. Others have to live their lives at a pace “the world is unaccustomed to.” The desire “is ingrained in the American culture to rush around everywhere. You just need to die to that and accept rest and slowness as part of the natural ebb and flow of life.” There’s “something moving and powerful about walking slower than you want to and going at the other person’s pace. It builds trust” and says, “this person knows me. I can let my guard down and tell this person when I’m in pain.”
• We all can learn more about disability history. “In the first century of the church, disability was an opportunity for charity and for giving,” he said. “The church organized itself around caring for the outcasts of society in these really powerful ways that modeled their dying to the empire and dying to this desire to horde all their wealth. They gave it away to people who could not respond in kind.”

New episodes of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” drop every Thursday. Listen to previous editions here.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service(Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

T. Clark Simmons, Senior Church Consultant, Atlanta GA, Board of Pensions
Alex Simon, Multimedia Specialist, Communications Ministry, Interim Unified Agency   

Let us pray:

Almighty God, open our eyes and hearts that we may know you in our daily bread — both as we receive it from your hand and as we pass it on. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Memory care chaplain’s webinar offers spiritual care to people who have dementia

As a spiritual care provider for 25 years — the last 16 as a memory care chaplain — the Rev. Kathy Fogg Berry was a great choice to recently present a webinar on “When Words Fail: Spiritual Care and Dementia.” The Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging at Conrad Grebel University College offered the webinar, which can be viewed here.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute via Unsplash

Berry’s 2018 book is “When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers.”

When communication is compromised, it can cause frustration, anger, fear and confusion to people experiencing dementia. That can also be true for those who have had a stroke, suffered head trauma or have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

It’s “a double-edged thing,” she said, since people visiting or building a relationship with someone experiencing dementia “can feel awkward not knowing what to say.”

“We need to learn to practice more than words,” Berry said. “We need to be creative sometimes.”

Common spiritual needs for those experiencing dementia are unconditional love, reassurance, support, encouragement, trust, acceptance, inclusion and hope, Berry said. She suggested doing a spiritual assessment with the person or their caregivers or both, although not all at once.

Ask questions like these:

• What gives you comfort, peace, strength, purpose or hope?
• What helps you feel closest to God or most complete?
• What spiritual or religious rituals, symbols and practices are important to you?

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The Rev. Kathy Fogg Berry

“We all have things that nurture our spirit,” Berry said. “We need to … find out what that is for each person. By doing that, we can offer person-centered care.”

Berry laid out communication challenges and ideas on providing spiritual care during each of three stages of dementia: early, which can last from 1–3 years; middle, from 2–10 years; and late, from 1–3 years.

In the early stage, the person can understand most conversations and has strong social skills that appear to be normal during brief interactions, according to Berry. The person “appears to know what she’s saying, but may be unable to complete the thought,” and has difficulty following some complex or long conversations. Spiritual care in this stage focuses on offering person-centered care and building a relationship by providing “frequent presence and conversations.”

“The most important thing we can do is listen,” she said. “Listen with empathy and compassion and listen confidentially so they know they can trust us with what they have shared with us.”

For those in the middle stage, Berry suggests being fully present with the person and not rushing them. Keep the conversation positive, and don’t argue, because that can heighten anxiety and frustration. Be aware of your own nonverbal communication, such as crossed arms or foot-tapping, she advised. Be with the person in their reality, and correct or redirect them only if safety is a concern. “It’s up to us to change how we communicate to meet their needs,” she said.

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Spiritual care for those in middle stage dementia can include offering person-centered familiar spiritual or religious activities, because rituals and symbols can “provide comfort and tap into memory,” she said. Spiritual care for that middle stage can include facilitating activities that appeal to the five senses, “encouraging memories and prompting participation,” Berry said. Offer friendly narratives and not a dialogue. “We don’t need to be grilling them,” she said. “Talk about what you see in a picture: ‘Oh, your family looks so happy. It looks like you went to the beach.’”

In the last stage of dementia, the person may not recognize family members or even themselves. They have little to no speech and are less responsive or even non-responsive. But “that doesn’t mean they’re not there and they’re not still participating,” Berry said.

Spiritual care requires “a quiet, listening presence.” Offer the person a gentle touch, if it’s comforting. Provide quiet, familiar music, and try aroma therapy and other sensory stimulation. Read Scripture and say prayers, if those are applicable.

One last piece of advice: “When words fail, simply love,” Berry said. “That’s the most important thing we need to do.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Rheannon Sicely, Director, Implementation & Continuous Improvement, Board of Pensions
Manuel Silva-Esterrich, Manager, Call Process Support, Ordered Ministry & Certification, Interim Unified Agency 

Let us pray:

God of mercy, we are grateful that new life can arise from loss. We give thanks for those who give of themselves so that others might have hope. Amen.

Why support the Peace & Global Witness Offering?

“Pursue what makes for peace.” – Romans 14:19 The Peace & Global Witness Offering allows us the opportunity to share the peace of Christ by:   Building a Better Community  Twenty-five percent of the Offering stays with your congregation to support peace and justice opportunities in your community. Whether it’s supporting families in need, funding local organizations or creating safe spaces, we all play a vital part.   Uplifting Mid Councils It takes a village … or region! Twenty-five percent of the Offering stays with mid councils to unite congregations in meeting the needs of those in your area. Supporting Global Impact The remaining portion of the Offering will support our partners who work for peace and justice worldwide. Presbyterians have a long-standing commitment of providing support and uplifting our global ecumenical partners in their efforts to fight against poverty, hunger and injustice. If you’d like to learn more about the impact of Peace & Global Witness, download the Leader’s Guide below.  Download the Leader’s Guide Thank you for your generous support of Special Offerings. If you have any questions, reply to this email or call 800-728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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Mission Yearbook: Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich explores Christian minimalism as sacred simplicity

In a recent episode of the “New Way” podcast, host the Rev. Sara Hayden explores the topic of Christian minimalism with Lutheran minister and spiritual director the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich. Hayden explains how “taking stock of what is truly important and eliminating that which is not important” is a great place to start when exploring practices that ground people as human beings.

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The Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich

Grounding spiritual practices like sabbath, contemplation and pilgrimage have been the focus of Hayden’s conversations with this season’s guests, and future conversations center on practices of intentional, beloved communities. In her conversation with Ehrlich, who wrote the book “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living,” Hayden delves deeper into how the action of subtracting uncovers the fear of emptiness, revealing a spaciousness in which spiritual lives may flourish.

Ehrlich, who lives with chronic illness, started her minimalism journey in 2017 after watching the Netflix documentary “Minimalism” and felt God calling her to a minimalist lifestyle. When her husband, Will, watched it later that evening, he also felt the call. She began blogging about it when she didn’t find deep theological reflection or support for Christian minimalist lifestyles online.

According to Ehrlich, minimalism is “a focus on the aspects of life that matter most and intentionally removing everything else.” In six months, Becca and Will cut down their material possessions by 60%. Ehrlich is clear that decluttering is only a part of minimalism. She also pared down her online habits, curbed a shopping habit, unsubscribed from email lists and social media groups and simplified her schedule. Ehrlich describes how she and her husband simplified their possessions and lifestyles in phases so that the process of letting go of stuff didn’t overwhelm them. She also tells Hayden about the emotional parts, including letting go of baby items bought for a child that they lost at birth. Ehrlich leaned on her Christian faith when managing the difficult emotions that came with letting go of the things she had collected in her life and understanding the motivations behind where she gave her time and attention.

“It's going to be an emotional journey,” said Ehrlich, who advised being gentle with oneself when a surprising emotion rises up. “Feeling those emotions and working through those emotions is really important as opposed to doing what consumer culture wants us to do, which is stuff it down and go buy more,” she said.

Ehrlich teaches about Christian minimalism in churches and for seminaries and works with individuals through spiritual direction in shifting their worldview away from the consumerist culture that surrounds and distracts people. She says the greatest benefit to embracing minimalism is the spaciousness she and others have received to live more presently and intentionally, making space for God and for the people they love.

“I don't think we fully think through what the upkeep part is of things that we bring into our lives,” said Ehrlich, who pointed out how this applies to stuff but also to time commitments. [Listen to an audio clip.]

She also debunked some myths about minimalism. It can be cozy, comforting and colorful. She owns blankets, wall art and red shoes!

"It’s not a failure on our part. It’s more that we’ve internalized all these consumerism messages over the years,” said Ehrlich, who described how minimalism as a practice leaves space for more meaning in people’s lives. Christianity already articulates the meaning waiting for people as they clear away their reliance on possessions and productivity to define them and allow themselves to be embraced by the beloved image in which the Creator made them. Before starting her minimalist journey, Ehrlich admitted to having an online shopping habit, having thoughts like, “Oh, I need this thing to be more accepted by people or to belong or feel loved or feel beautiful.”

“When in reality, we're human beings,” said Ehrlich, “and we can have all those things without all the trappings.”

Listen to the 45-minute conversation between the Rev. Sara Hayden and the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich here.

Beth Walteman, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency, PC(USA) (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Natalie Shilstut, Director, Programs & Services, Presbyterian Historical Society
Victoria Shircliffe, Social Media Specialist, Communications Ministry, Interim Unified Agency   

Let us pray:

God of Grace and Giver of Life, today may we be ever mindful of all the ways in which you bring deliverance to us, and may we learn to live in ways that honor the dignity of all your people. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Webinar advises against cutting funds for lifesaving malaria vaccinations

The Presbyterian Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Team heard from African physicians and others on World Malaria Day in late April during a webinar designed to raise awareness of the effectiveness of a pair of new malaria vaccines and the threat that reduced aid — particularly from the United States — poses to African nations, the home of most of the 600,000 people who die of the disease each year, most of them children under 5.

The PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations were also part of the informative webinar, attended by nearly 60 people.

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From left are Dr. Serge Makolo, Dr. Nyaah Fidelis and Dr. Mwawi Chilongozi, all of whom spoke Friday during the World Malaria Day webinar.

The webinar opened with Dr. Mwawi Chilongozi, General Secretary of the Church of Central African Presbyterian, offering a meditation on Isaish 38:1 and 21 and John 9:1, and 6–7. Both are stories of healing. “It is faith and the use of available means for recovery,” Chilongozi said. “In Africa, there are misconceptions regarding vaccines. Some parents don’t give them to their children because of religious beliefs,” but Presbyterian congregations in Africa “advocate and teach people about the importance of getting vaccines. These are important ways God uses to cure and prevent sicknesses such as malaria.”

“As we reflect on God’s healing and restoration power,” Chilongozi said, “may we continue to trust God in the different ways God uses to bring about healing from diseases. Amen.”

Dr. Serge Makolo, director of the Mulami Muimpe Eye Clinic in Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Dr. Nyaah Fidelis, Health Service Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, gave perspectives from their respective countries.

Eleven countries bear about two-thirds of the world’s malaria burden, Makolo said. More than 9 in 10 malaria cases are in Africa. The African nations that suffer the most malaria are Nigeria, the DRC, Uganda, Ethiopia and Mozambique.

“Malaria can destabilize family livelihoods, perpetuating poverty in communities,” Makolo said. The disease impacts children’s education, leading to long-term poverty cycles.

The World Health Organization has approved a pair of vaccines, Makolo noted. In Cameroon, a pilot phase of one of the vaccines began in September 2024, Fidelis noted. By now, most children in the pilot program have received their third dose. But health workers cannot fully measure the vaccine’s impact until the fourth doses have been administered.

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A child in Côte d'Ivoire receives malaria R21 vaccine in July, 2024 (Photo credit/copyright: Gavi/2024/Miléquêm Diarassouba

The challenges for health-care workers and others are numerous, including maintaining the cold chain in storing the vaccine and countering anti-vaccine propaganda spread via social media.

Fidelis said faith leaders in Cameroon are taking to their pulpits to counteract online misinformation. “This has greatly improved acceptances and uptake of the vaccine by the population,” Fidelis said. “We utilize pastors to make a witness to the population.”

Health-care workers have also made inroads utilizing solar-powered refrigerators, but it’s not enough, Fidelis said, adding, “Sometimes we stock ice when power is available, then transfer the vaccines into cold flasks with ice blocks when the power goes off.”

Despite so many children not having received the crucial fourth dose, “We have noted a great reduction in malaria-related hospitalization among children in the districts involved,” Fidelis said. “The need to continue funding to ensure the availability of the malaria vaccine is paramount.”

Dr. Larry Sthreshley, a former PC(USA) mission co-worker who now directs Durable Solutions Congo, spoke on behalf of an official from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has immunized a billion children around the world, saving 18 million lives. Over the next five years, Gavi aims to protect another 500 million children. Countries are investing $4 billion in their own vaccination programs.

“Gavi is a very important program,” Sthreshley said. “I have been on the receiving end for 15 years, getting funding to work with civil society.” The supply of the vaccines “is sufficient to meet demand,” and Gavi “has quickly produced the vaccine.”

But political decisions are impacting Gavi’s funding. The United States promised $2.5 billion over the next five years, “but there is talk of cutting the Gavi funding,” Sthreshley said. The vaccines are “probably the most effective way of addressing malaria, one of the biggest killers in this part of the world.”

Go here to send an Action Alert to your elected officials to restore lifesaving foreign aid and fully fund international assistance.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Effie Shipp, Associate for Lending Services, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Elaine Shilstut, Cataloging & Metadata Librarian, Presbyterian Historical Society 

Let us pray:

O God, we pray for eyes to see the gifts you have given us, we pray for hearts to hear your call and we pray for courage to go where you send us. Bless those who do your work as they go out to share the gospel wherever you lead them. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Church in New Hampshire marks 275 years with solar project and Earth Care Congregation certification

Last year, to mark its 275th anniversary, Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford, New Hampshire, launched its Bright Hope for Tomorrow solar power initiative, representing a significant milestone in the church’s Creation Care mission and sustainability efforts. Earlier this year, BPC received certification as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation.

Traditionally, the church has relied on fossil fuels for heating, leading to rising costs and challenges in energy efficiency. To combat this, the church is launching a solar project expected to cut electricity costs by 86%, saving more than $15,000 annually, which accounts for 41% of the church’s total energy expenses.

The initiative will significantly reduce the church’s carbon emissions. Currently, the church annually uses about 50,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity for all its needs, including the Bedford Community Food Pantry. The new solar system is expected to generate around twice this amount of electricity annually, allowing the church to transition away from fossil fuels by replacing its heating and cooling systems with modern energy-efficient heat pumps that run on electricity provided by the solar panels.

The project involves installing two groups of solar panels placed on a hillside next to the church’s parking lot, thus avoiding disruption to surrounding buildings. The solar panels will be low-profile and bifacial, meaning they can capture sunlight from both the front and the back, which allows them to generate more electricity — even from reflected sunlight on snow. The panels will be mostly hidden from view by existing evergreen trees and bushes bordering the road, and they’ll be partially shielded from the neighboring property below by that property’s solar panels.

The church is considering planting shade-loving, pollinator friendly plants beneath the panels.

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Bedford Presbyterian Church has named the installation of its solar panels Bright Hope for Tomorrow. (Contributed photo)

Partnering with Revision Energy, a New Hampshire-based solar provider, Beford Presbyterian Church’s Bright Hope for Tomorrow initiative has actively engaged a diverse array of shareholders. The commitment and expertise of community members, the church’s members and friends, and sustainability professionals has helped the church’s Green Team address various logistical, financial and regulatory challenges. The installation of the solar panels is now in its third week.

“Our Earth Care certification reflects our deep belief that caring for Creation is an essential expression of our faith and love for God and neighbor,” said the Rev. Dr. John Sawyer, the church’s pastor.

Jessica Maudlin, the PC(USA)’s associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns, said that Bedford Presbyterian Church is one of 361 congregations in 41 states that have “dedicated themselves to the intentional care of God’s Earth this year.”

Like Bedford Presbyterian Church, 10% of those churches are certifying for the first time in 2025.

“It’s the individual churches that deserve all the credit for the program’s success,” Maudlin said. “Our Earth Care Congregations are vital parts of their communities and unrivaled witnesses to caring for God’s Creation, and we are so thankful for their work in the world.”

Founded in 1749, Bedford Presbyterian Church has the oldest Presbyterian sanctuary in New Hampshire and is the Granite State’s second-oldest chartered congregation. Today, Bedford Presbyterian Church invites newcomers of all ages into its church family as it seeks to serve the Lord with love, compassion, generosity and humility. Learn more about the church here.

Bedford Presbyterian Church, Special to Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Ellen Sherby, Associate Director, Global Connections, Interim Unified Agency
Alejandra “Alex” Sherman, Executive Assistant, President’s Office, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 

Let us pray:

Gracious God, continue to encourage and equip your people. We ask that you continue to raise up leaders to serve you and their community. Give them vision, wisdom and ability to lead the way, according to your purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Baptism and Isaiah 58 inspire call to be repairers of the breach

On Palm Sunday, the Rev. Wilson Kennedy and his spouse stood alongside their godson Charlie and his parents while the child was being baptized.

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Photo by Julia Michelle via Unsplash

“I was awash in the beauty of this moment,” Kennedy said during a Wednesday Chapel Service held online for staff of the Interim Unified Agency. “This child, so important in my life, had no clue why he was in the arms of his pastor in front of all these people” while “being sprinkled with water in the name of God the Creator, Christ the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit our Sustainer, one God, mother of us all.”

Kennedy, associate director of Special Offerings and Appeals in Ministry Engagement and Support, shared a meditation during a service honoring Presbyterians’ recent generosity to One Great Hour of Sharing, which more than 5,000 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations received recently. Isaiah 58:1–12 was the text for the Wednesday service as well as this year’s One Great Hour of Sharing.

“While I have performed many baptisms in my pastoral ministry, it all seemed fresh as I witnessed this sacrament from a different position,” Wilson told those in worship. “For me, all the topsy-turviness of the world, all the new things we are living into, all the fear and uncertainty that fills my mind and keeps me up at night were laid bare in the image of this child being welcomed into the household of faith,” which proclaimed these words from the Reformed Church of France: “Little one, for you Jesus came into the world. For you he lived and showed God’s love. For you he suffered the darkness of Calvary and cried at the last, ‘It is finished.’  For you he triumphed over death and rose in newness of life. For you he ascended to reign at God’s right hand. All this God did for you, little one, though you do not know it yet, and so the word of Scripture is fulfilled: We love because God first loved us.”

The experience of Charlie’s baptism “has reframed my reading of today’s Scripture from Isaiah 58,” Kennedy said. “All the proclamations and exhortations made by the writer speak boldly into our present moment and call us back to what is most important — worship of God, which compels us to action in the face of tyranny.”

Isaiah has a name for those who “live into the fullness of their call,” Kennedy said: repairers of the breach.

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The Rev. Wilson Kennedy

“Yes, it is our task to speak truth to powers and principalities, to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and to do our work with glad and generous hearts,” Kennedy said. “Yes, it is our task to center worship of God in all we do, and to seek to live out a distinctive ecclesiology that reminds us that we are better together than we are  as individuals, and that we come together to discern the mind of Christ, as the Apostle Paul suggests to the earliest churches.”

In our repair work, “I have come to realize that I — and I dare say all of us — can only do our small part to be called ‘repairers of breaches,’” Kennedy said. “Our work is not insignificant, but we will hardly see the fruits of our labor in this lifetime.”

Nowadays, when Kennedy reads Isaiah 58, he sees Charlie.

“I saw his precious eyes, looking all around at the stained glass as he was told he is God’s beloved child, and nothing can ever change that. I heard his gentle cry when the water touched his head. I felt his tiny hands on my hand,” Kennedy said. “You see, friends, our work to live into being called repairers of the breach matters today, yes. But this work is not just for us. It’s for Charlie, and it’s for all those who will come after us.”

By grace, “we are asked to do what we can,” Wilson said. “So may we live into the boldness of that freedom and respond with continued action, even when we are not assured we will see its completion in this lifetime.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Anish Sharma, Software Developer, Information Technology, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Linda Sharp, Regional Relationship Manager, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program  

Let us pray:

Gracious God, thank you that your children can receive hope for a better life. May your Holy Spirit guide and strengthen leaders to your glory and praise. In Jesus Christ. Amen.