November Mission Moment

A Common Calling

The role of the deaconess in the ELCA is first and foremost to act as a bridge connecting the church with the needs of the world.
According to Megan Ross, an ELCA deaconess serving in Balige, Indonesia, “Our image is that of washing feet. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so we, too, are called to humble service.”

In the spirit of that humble service, Megan is working with a school through the Protestant Christian Batak Church in the Sumatra region of Indonesia to train women to serve as deaconesses like herself.

The school, supported in part by gifts to Mission Support — the percentage of weekly congregational offerings that is shared with synods and ELCA churchwide ministries — provides training the women need to serve their communities and be that connection to Christ that many of their communities desperately need.

“In Indonesia, some of the deaconesses live in villages far from what Americans would consider a comfortable life,” Megan says. “But here, village life is the way of life for many people, so the diaconal heart and humble serving encompasses all of life and those in need.”

The women at the school learn theology, community organizing, pastoral care, first aid and English language skills. They serve in ministries designed to help those in need. “After they graduate the headquarters office sends them to different places, so we train them as Jesus loves us,” says the school’s director, Serepina Sitanggang.

“Nowadays there are many ministries we are doing in the Batak area in Sumatra like mining ministry, children’s ministry and elderly people ministry.”

“The culture here is more centered on hospitality and community rather than the individualism of the (United States),” Megan says.

“The rules here are strict, but they smile even as they clean or do other daily tasks. They are deeply committed to their faith,” Megan continues. “The students come here out of a greater sense of calling to serve God and all God’s people.”

While Megan is having quite an impact on students as a teacher at the school, the experience is having a significant impact on her own life, as well. The experience is teaching Megan a lot about her own calling and reinforcing what it means to be a deaconess in new ways. “I believe the Spirit led me here,” she says. “There are many things that are different about life in the U.S. and life in Indonesia. What is the same, what transcends the language barrier and other differences, is our desire and common calling to love God and love neighbor.” “Even though there was so much unknown, I felt peace in coming here,” she continues. “And that, I believe, was the Spirit.”
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Without your mission support, ministries like this would not be possible. Thank you for supporting our ELCA here and around the world! For more information on deaconesses, visit www.elca.org/deaconesses

We cannot be quiet about what we have seen and heard! Acts 4:20

Christine Donahue

TLGCS ELCA Mission Interpreter Coordinator

cedonahue@gmail.com 

October Mission Moment

“What is this?”

The woman stared down at the Church of the Beloved table with a puzzled look.

Ryan Marsh — pastor of the church — and members of the ELCA congregation were staffing the table at the Main Street Halloween party in Edmonds, Wash. They were handing out candy to families along with the rest of the city’s businesses and organizations.

But on the table was also something unique: a bowl of sand bristling with tall, skinny, lit candles.

“Tomorrow is All Saints Day,” Ryan told the woman. “That’s why tonight is called ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ or ‘Halloween.’ So, if you want, you can light a candle here to pray ‘thanks’ to God for someone important to you.” She looked intently at the bowl of sand and said, “How much?”  “How much?” Now Ryan was puzzled.   “How much does it cost?” she said. “It doesn’t cost anything. It’s free,” Ryan replied. She quickly took a candle, lit it and placed it in the sand. She stood there looking at the flickering flame for a moment, and then her eyes began to well with tears. “Thank you,” she said. “I needed to do that.”

Children seemed to like — and get — the experience the most. The little pyromaniac boys were more excited about the prayer station than the candy. Running up to their parents they would yell, “Mom! Can I light a prayer candle? Can I?” At one point 14 children were crowded around the sand bowl saying their prayers, with parents and guardians lined up behind them. A Church of the Beloved member might ask, “So, who’d you pray for?” after a child stuck a lit candle in the sand. The answers: “My grandma’s dog.” “My uncle who died.” “The soldiers in the war.” “My dad.”

Assessing the success of their prayer table at the street fair, Ryan observes, “God was showing us a different way to love our neighbors. We weren’t offering ‘a harvest alternative to Halloween.’ We weren’t asking people to come into our church domain. “We were joining with the established expression of our neighborhood, in the public marketplace, alongside businesses and community services, and there, on common ground, we offered our unique way of serving Edmonds. There was nothing confrontational about it. It was what our neighborhood wanted, and it was what we had to offer: a moment of prayer and gratitude that flowed in and out of the party.”

By the end of the night, the three members from Beloved had handed out more than 3,000 pieces of candy and over 200 candles had been lit. Ryan says, “We were convinced that God is alive and at work in Edmonds — even on Halloween.” Perhaps especially on Halloween.

How does your church reach out into your community? Share with us how your church serves your community. Everyone has a story to tell! Email Christine Donahue, Mission Interpreter Coordinator at cedonahue@gmail.com

Your mission support dollars help congregations serve their communities in a multitude of ways. Thank you! You help make stories like this possible.

For more information on where your mission support goes, see the attached document or visit: www.elca.org/stewardship