Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Last Sunday, I shared the exciting news that St. Paul’s has been awarded a sizeable grant from the Lilly Endowment to fund a spiritual and study renewal for me this summer. We are one of only four United Methodist congregations in the country, and the only church of any denomination in the state of Iowa, to be granted this prestigious, highly competitive award. [1] Given Lilly’s extensive assessment process, we can be proud that our reception of this grant is an indication of our health, vitality, and promising future. This is something we can celebrate together! I thought I would devote this week’s message to giving you further details about my renewal project, along with a “Q & A” section at the end.
CLAIMING OUR ROOTS
As a 38-year old American of Filipino descent, I know very little of the country and culture of my ancestry. I was only two years old when I spent a few months in the Philippines, and remember virtually nothing from that experience. There are aunts, uncles, and first-cousins that I have never met, and I’ve had moments of remorse from my disconnectedness from my ethnic roots. Similarly, Jessica has never visited the Netherlands, to experience first-hand the culture of her Dutch ancestry. She’s never seen the fabled windmills, wooden shoes, and tulips that are an important part of her ethnic identity.
Then, there are our children. Grace and Madelyn are part of a growing demographic trend in this country: children of mixed-race parents. A recent survey published in the USA Today revealed that nearly 1 out of every 7 marriages in 2008 were mixed race, almost six times the rate from fifty years ago. [2] They are among the new generation of Americans who have to check multiple boxes on their census forms for the rest of their lives. Jessica and I would like to give them an appreciation of their roots, and help them to celebrate the uniqueness of growing up in a mixed race family.
A MULTI-ETHNIC KINGDOM
While thinking about this renewal, I came across a fascinating article by Dr. Mary C. Sengstock, Professor of Sociology at Wayne State University in Michigan. She concludes that the same three techniques employed by healthy mixed-race families can be applied to other social communities such as churches.
1. An Ability to Focus on Their Shared Similarities
2. The Importance of Distinguishing Between Important and Unimportant Differences
3. The Value of a Supportive Social Setting [3]
In other words, the same principles that Jessica and I can use to nurture a vital, affirming mixed race family can be used for congregations like St. Paul’s, and help us to become a greater reflection of the diversity of the kingdom of God.
These are important times to be asking these questions. Consider these statistics: Iowa has had a 153% increase of Hispanic/Latino people since 1990. For towns with agricultural economies and meat processing centers, such as Cherokee, the numbers are expected to grow by 35% in the next five years. [4] Yet, the American church in general, and the United Methodist Church in particular, continue to be a largely segregated entity. The Multicultural Congregations Project, sponsored by the Hartford Institute and funded by the Lilly Endowment, defines “multicultural congregation” as one in which no one racial group constitutes more than 80% of the congregation. Using that standard, only 8% of churches are multicultural, including only 2-3% of mainline Protestant churches. [5] Martin Luther King decades ago called Sunday morning “the most segregated hour in America.” Years later, it still is.
A TIME OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND STUDY
All of this leads to the proposal approved and funded by the Lilly Endowment. Jessica, the girls, and I will spend several weeks traveling to the Netherlands and the Philippines, visiting family home sites and connecting with relatives. We’ll see the famous windmills, eat Dutch chocolate, try on wooden shoes, visit the Van Gogh museum, ride a jeepney and a ferry, gaze over Manila Bay, and bring back pasalubongs, souvenirs from our trip.
Then, we’ll spend some time connecting with ancestral roots stateside, traveling through Dutch country in Iowa and Minnesota, and connecting with my family in Florida. Along the way, I’ll be visiting congregations that are doing effective multi-ethnic ministry in their communities, and pulling together ideas to share with all of you.
And, of course, I’ll have lots of time to reflect, pray, and write about all that I am experiencing. The culminating piece for my renewal will be an Ethnic Reflection Handbook, which I will offer to you on World Communion Sunday on October 2. It will invite you to consider the uniqueness of your own ethnic identity, and challenge all of us to listen for how the Spirit might open us to new possibilities of ministry and outreach to our rapidly changing community.
I’m very excited about this summer, and very grateful to the Staff-Parish Committee, the Administrative Board, Bishop Trimble, and the Conference Cabinet, for giving their unanimous approval for my renewal. All of them are thrilled about this opportunity, but even more eager to see how this will shape our future at St. Paul’s.
So here are some details about the renewal:
Q. When will this begin?
A. The twelve-week renewal begins on Monday, June 20, which means that June 19 would be my last Sunday for the summer. I would be here for Vacation Bible School, and would sing with the kids on the 19th. I would be gone through Labor Day weekend, and would be back in the pulpit on Sunday, September 11.
Q. Who will serve as the pastor?
A. The Bishop and the Cabinet have given their full support of St. Paul’s, and have asked the Rev. Ron Kitterman to serve as your visiting pastor. He is a retired member of the Iowa Conference and lives in Ft. Dodge. He and his wife Mary Lou have a summer cottage in Okoboji, however, so their commute to Cherokee will be even shorter. He has strong roots in the Cherokee area. For several years, he served the nearby Aurelia church and still has connections with families here at St. Paul’s. Many of you have already told me he is a familiar name to you. And, he is the father of Sarah Stevens, our District Field Outreach Minister. He will cover all preaching and pastoral responsibilities while I am gone, and based on our frequent conversations over the past few months, I am very confident that you will enjoy him and his ministry.
Q. Does this mean that you are leaving?
A. No! (And let me repeat this: No!) When I get back, I will still be your pastor, even more excited about what we will share in our future together. This will not be a time for me to explore life after St. Paul’s, or to be coming up with plans for a church down the road. The Lilly grant is very clear: this program is to benefit me and the church that I am serving, which happens to contain people that I’ve grown awfully attached to in these last four years!
Q. What does the grant cover?
A. The amount of the grant from Lilly is $45,000, which covers all costs related to my renewal. It includes funding for travel, housing, and food for all four of us to go on these trips. Also, Rev. Kitterman’s salary and ministry-related expenses are covered as well, which means that this renewal will not cost St. Paul’s a single dime. One requirement by the Lilly Endowment, in order for us to receive the grant, is that the church continue to pay my regular salary and benefits while I’m gone, so that this does not become a financial hardship for any pastor during their renewal.
Q. What about the building renovation?
A. One of the reasons I am so grateful to be at this church is the strong, steady leadership of its lay people. The Building Committee will continue its work during my absence, and will make progress on the goals that we have agreed to together.
Q. Is a renewal like this unique for pastors?
A. The Book of Discipline encourages pastors to go on “formational and spiritual growth” leaves every six years in ministry. Many pastors go through their entire careers having never gone on one, which may contribute to what Bishop Will Willimon calls ministerial “burn out, black out, and back out.” In my thirteen years, I have never gone on one, and I am thrilled for this opportunity. This is different from what the Discipline calls “sabbatical leave,” which can be up to a year, or a “leave of absence,” in which a pastor leaves for personal or family reasons. This is certainly different from a vacation or a continuing education opportunity. Rather, this is a short-term, intentional time of formation and growth. So the term I’ll be using to describe this time is a “grant-funded study period for spiritual renewal.”
Q. What if we have questions?
A. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee will serve as the clearinghouse for all questions, comments, and concerns related to this renewal. Of course, you can always come directly to me, or you can speak to Rich Cook, chair of the committee.
Now, more than ever, I can say that these are exciting days to be a part of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. I look forward to this summer. But more importantly, I will be eager to share with you all of my experiences later in the Fall, and listen for how God will lead us into our future together.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org
[1] You can read the official press release from Lilly at http://www.lillyendowment.org/ncrppdfs/NCRP2010Winners.pdf.
[2] Marcus, Mary Brophy. “Report: Marriages Mix Races or Ethnicities More Than Ever.” USA Today, June 4, 2010.
[3] Sengstock, Mary C. “Multicultural Families – What Makes Them Work?” Sociological Practice: A Journal of Clinical and Applied Sociology, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2001.
[4] Demographic Data and Projections from the Percept Group.
[5] From “The Multicultural Congregations Project,” sponsored by the Hartford Institute. (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cong/research_multiracl.html)
THE RACE IS ON!
The Pancake Race is still a go for this afternoon! We are anticipating only a moderate accumulation of precipitation, and we are keeping registration open until the very start of the race. Women, come to City Hall at 5:00 to get your pans and pose for the starting picture. And of course, after the race, join us for the Shrove Tuesday service in the sanctuary, which should begin somewhere around 5:50pm. Then we’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall for the pancake supper. In addition, for those of you on a tight schedule tonight, you can go ahead and eat supper starting as early as 5:45. All of the proceeds will support the two local food pantries.
LENT THIS SUNDAY
Sunday we begin our new Lenten sermon series called “Why the Cross? Reasons Jesus Died for Us.” Each week, we’ll explore a different way the church has understood how Jesus’ death on the cross brings salvation for humanity. This Sunday, the sermon is titled, “Substitution: To Take Our Place,” based on 1 Peter 2.
BESTSELLING AUTHOR AT MORNINGSIDE
Author A.J. Jacobs will present a lecture based on his best-selling book “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in the Yockey Family Community Room in Morningside College’s Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Ave. Jacobs is editor-at-large for Esquire magazine and author of three New York Times bestsellers, including “The Year of Living Biblically,” a chronicle of his yearlong effort to obey all the rules and guidelines he found in the Bible. In addition to his books, Jacobs has written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and New York magazine. He also is a periodic commentator on National Public Radio. Jacobs will be speaking as part of Morningside’s annual Goldstein Lecture, organized by Dr. Jessica deVega. The lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at Morningside College, the Jewish Federation of Sioux City and Congregation Beth Shalom.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!
We look forward to this year’s exciting Vacation Bible School! It promises to be full of fun, love, and inspiration for all our kids grades Pre-K to 5th Grade. It will take place from June 13-17, and we are looking for volunteers to fill numerous opportunities. Please contact Korrie Waldner if you are interested in working with the kids in any capacity this summer, and consider coming to an initial planning meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 5:30 in the Library. Your assistance will help make this another great event!
JUDI AND DAVID KLEE CONCERT AT ST. PAUL’S
Mark you calendars for a special concert featuring Judi and David Klee on Sunday afternoon, March 27, at 4:00. It will be a time of wonderful music and testimony, and a free-will offering will be taken to support the St. Paul’s Building Renovation Fund. Bring a friend!
BRIDAL SHOWER
A bridal shower for Allison Platt, fiancé of Justin Taylor, will take place this Saturday, March 12, from 12:00-3:00pm at the Cherokee Country Club. RSVP to Dee or Trish Taylor. Please bring an index card of your favorite recipe to share with the new couple.
To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com
For more information about St. Paul's United Methodist Church, visit our website at http://www.cherokeespumc.org
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