Dear Grace Community,

February in Wichita began on a horrifying note with the report of child rape at the YMCA Kidzone.  The news impacted me as the parent of a two-year-old who has spent time in the Kidzone and as the pastor of a church with a daycare and preschool.

Immediately after the news broke, Martin Burch, our executive pastor, and I sat down with Merodee Grannis and Nancy Morrow, our Jacob’s Learning Ladder director and assistant director. I have complete trust in Merodee and Nancy, and I realized that I am not familiar enough with our policies, procedures, and reporting structures, so I wanted to learn more.

As we talked, we confirmed that in Jacobs’ 29 years of operation we have never had an accusation of sexual abuse.  This is a result of many factors including high transparency, many checks and balances, and a wonderful staff.  Nonetheless, we need to be prepared and proactive.

Merodee and Nancy talked me through the steps that would happen if abuse was reported.

The regulations of the Kansas Health Department are thorough and complex. I understand them as the pastor and as a professional.  As a parent I’m overwhelmed by the detail.  Merodee, Nancy, Martin, and I agreed that we need to spend time in the next month with these regulations so that we can talk about them in ways that are not only accurate but also understandable for parents.

As important as it is to be prepared so that we handle any accusation well, we also want to be proactive. Families are unsettled by the news reports. In response to this we asked, how can we help?

We put together an event for Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 3:30 pm at Grace. The purpose of the event is to equip families for challenging conversations. Parents know that they should talk to their children about their bodies and who can touch them, but many parents aren’t sure of what to say. Parents know that there are resources available to educate on ways to prevent abuse and to watch for it, but they may not know how to find those resources.

Our March 4 event includes professionals to address these and other topics.  Speakers include Sandra Lessor, an attorney with the District Attorney’s Office and Jacob’s parent; Teresa McDonald, a Licensed Social worker, therapist, and Jacob’s parent; Dr. Rebecca Reddy, a pediatrician and parent of Jacob’s alumni; and Dianna Schunn from the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County. This event is open to the public, and childcare is available.

I am grateful that we have the opportunity to offer this to our community and hope you will join us, whether or not you have young children.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

Music is central to our life as a church.  We raise our voices in song, and we connect with God through beautiful music that is made in worship. For over 23 years, Donna Hetrick has led our music ministry at Grace. Our community is blessed by her faithfulness, her dedication, and her love for worship, music, and people.

Donna and her family are moving next summer, so she will no longer serve in our music ministry. Donna actually holds three positions at Grace: Director of Music Ministries, Director of Music for the 9 am worship service, and Organist. I’m writing to make you aware of this upcoming change as well as the plans that are taking place.

At its October Session meeting, the Session, at the recommendation of the Personnel team, formed a search team to lead the music ministry search. Serving on the team are Bruce Gealy, Charlene Randle, Janet Rhoads (chair), Randy Routsong, and Bill Vavra. Catherine Neelly Burton serves on the team as well.

The team began meeting in November with the first goal being to update and revise job descriptions. Great attention was given to this, and the team presented the updated job descriptions to the Personnel team and Session in January. The search team will start advertising the positions in early February.  The team is aware that we might find one person to fill all three positions, or we may find multiple people.

We ask for your prayers in this process, and if you know of someone who should apply for the position(s) direct them to the team.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

January 1, 2017, was a Sunday.  We started the new year with worship, and as 2017 came to a close I looked back at the sermon from New Year’s day.  In it I shared a poem by Howard Thurrman called “The Work of Christmas.”

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.

-Howard Thurman

The choir sang a choral version of this song at our 8 pm Christmas Eve service last month. Spoken or sung, the words are beautiful, and challenging.

Being Christians is more than celebrating Christmas, it’s doing the work of Christmas. The good news is that we don’t do this alone. As the body of Christ we are called to share God’s love and to follow Jesus wherever he may take us. We do this as a community of faith, encouraging and supporting one another.

2017 was a grace-filled year at Grace. We worshiped together, served God and neighbor, studied scripture, and played together.

I look forward to where God leads us in 2018 and to the work of Christmas that we do together.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

God took on flesh and entered our world many years ago.  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the world changed forever.  Death no longer has power over us.  And yet, we see death around us.  And so, we wait for Christ’s return and the time when all of creation will be redeemed.  Every year the season before Christmas, the season of Advent, gives us a chance to name this.

Living as a Christian in this place between Christ’s resurrection and return is challenging.  On November 5 worshipers were killed in their sanctuary in Southerland Springs, TX.  A horrific event like this raises questions for us as Christians and raises practical questions for us at Grace.  We are called by God to offer hospitality and not to fear, yet we also know that we have to be responsible and safe.

At its November meeting the Board of Trustees spent time addressing security.  Earlier in the year the board appointed a sub-committee to work on policies and procedures for Grace, including security, so we were already moving in this direction.  The shootings in Southerland Springs prompted more conversation and some immediate action.  Several trustees and our Executive Pastor Martin Burch will attend a church security event put on by the United Methodist Church in early December.

At the time I’m writing this, the session has not yet met for its November meeting.  The session will also engage in conversations about safety and security here at Grace.  If you have specific questions or concerns I encourage you to talk to me or to anyone on session or trustees.  I will list their names and term years at the bottom of this letter.

Join me this Advent season in hope and prayer as we await Christ’s coming.

In Christ,

Catherine

Grace Session: Cindy Dethloff ’17, Jerry Juhnke ’17, Janet Rhoads ’17, Anne Woolsey ’17, Tom Bloxham ’18, Shelley Duncan ’18, Steve Hooper ’18, Hal Pluenneke ’18, Bruce Gealy ’19, Emily Juhnke ’19, Kelly McFall ’19, Laurie Mulford ‘19

Grace Trustees: Betsy Bloxham ’17, Jim Grannis ’17, Tom Rhoads ’17, Norman Tice ’18, Bob Ross ’18, Christy Vavra ’18, Scott Eads ’19, Francie Ekengren ’19, Betsy Sweeney ‘19

Dear Grace Community,

Each Sunday in worship we share joys and concerns together.  While we often give voice to concerns about upcoming knee surgeries and cancer diagnoses, we don’t often name issues of mental health.  We do on occasion, but this kind of sharing requires a different level of vulnerability.

People in our church community are impacted by mental illness, either directly in their homes or indirectly with extended family and friends. Still, we don’t often talk about it. This October we change the narrative.  For three weeks, one of our Sunday School classes focuses on youth and mental health.

Dr. Joyce Crane and some of her colleagues lead this time together. I asked Joyce to lead this because every year teenagers connected to our congregation struggle with mental health, and out of respect for their privacy, their families sometimes struggle alone. My hope for this class is that we learn more about teenagers and what they might be experiencing. I also hope that this is an opportunity for our community to start talking more openly about mental health.  No one struggling with mental health, and no one supporting someone who struggles with mental health, should do so alone.

In Christ,

Catherine