Newsletter, August 2004UNITED METHODIST MINISTRIES August 14, 2004 Dear Friends, Recently after finishing a backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, I was waiting beside a creek for friends to pick me up. As I watched the water, I noticed how the water just keeps on going. Sometimes it runs into rocks and other obstacles, but it keeps trying until it finds a way around. However, it is the joining together of the drops of water that makes it possible for the water to go around or over the obstacles. Being in ministry in Southern West Virginia is like the water in the creek. As I work with persons with little or no income, I join with them to help them around obstacles, and you join with me to provide what I need to help them around the obstacles. I hope the stories will help you know that as we all work together we can provide alternatives. - By working together with Cheryl, a caseworker from the clinic, we were able to help a couple move out of an abusive situation. Ann, who is 21 years old, and Joe, who is 17, were living with his father. Ann was pregnant. They did not have any income except for a few odd jobs Joe could find. It was particularly dangerous for both of them whenever Joe’s father received his check from his work. He would become very drunk and physically abuse them. At other times when he was displeased with something, he would also be abusive. For example, one time when Ann didn’t serve his plate first, he threatened to beat Ann. Joe begged, "Beat me instead." Ann and Joe needed to move out. They found a trailer where the landlord agreed that if they would pay $75 for the first month’s rent, she would let Joe work for future rent. Also, they needed $34 for a deposit to hook up their water and sewage and a $50 deposit for electricity. Cheryl, the caseworker, asked if I could help. With money from my supporting churches, I paid the rent and the electric and water deposits. When I gave Cheryl the checks for the deposits, I also gave her $20 for whatever Ann and Joe might need to help them get the trailer ready so that they could move. When Cheryl went to pick up Ann to take her to get the electric and water hooked up, Ann said that for $10 she could get the few household items and some furniture which she had inherited from her grandmother moved into their trailer. So when Ann asked Cheryl if she knew where she could get $10 to have the things moved, Cheryl gave her the extra $20 that I had given her. When Cheryl gave Ann the money, Ann cried, hugged her, and just kept thanking her. Joe, who had been doing yard work nearby, came over to thank Cheryl. Joe’s chin was quivering. He hesitated to hug Cheryl, because he was dirty from working. So he just rubbed her arm with his hand as he thanked her. Then after they started down the road, Ann asked Cheryl if they could stop somewhere so that she could get the $20 changed into two $10. Ann said if the woman who was going to move her things saw that she had $20 she would want all of the $20. August 14, 2004 Page 2 - Sometimes giving someone partially what is needed makes the obstacle seem not so overwhelming, and the person can feel like it is possible to work on a way to find the remainder that is needed. Barbara needed help with a $406 trailer payment. She was three months behind and needed one month’s payment to keep the company from foreclosing on her trailer. She was filing for divorce and child support for her two children — ages 11 and 2. I told her to call another agency that has helped sometimes with house or rent payments and then call me back. Sometimes the other agency has paid part and I have paid part. When I had not heard from Barbara in over a week, I called her. She had been told that the other agency was only paying on electric bills right now. I had the feeling that she had not called me back because she felt too overwhelmed and felt like she would never get enough money. I told her that I could get $300 from two United Methodist sources. She said that would be a big help and that she thought she could come up with $106. - Joining together to provide peer experiences for young people can be another way of keeping hope flowing. Most of the 32 churches in the two cooperative parishes with which I work do not have youth groups. If they do have any youth, it may be only one or two in a church. This summer I suggested, encouraged, and helped to work out the details for two youth to go to the Conference School of Missions. The youth were from different churches and did not know each other before they went. A retired adult from one of the churches went as the accompanying adult since neither of the youth’s parents could go. The District United Methodist Women provided a scholarship which we divided between the two youth. The youth had a great time and want to go again next year. The mother of one youth wants to find a youth group in another church for her daughter to attend since she is the only young person in their church and because of the experience the daughter had at the School of Missions. It is amazing what we are able to do when we all work together. Just as the drops of water join together to move down the creek, we can work together through United Methodist Ministries to share God’s love as we help adults to go over or around obstacles they face in their daily lives and help youth to experience meaningful relationships with other young people. I am very grateful for your support of my ministry in Southern West Virginia. With much appreciation, Judy C. Matheny, Ph.D. "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everfiowing stream. "Amos 5:24 |