eBrethren, February 12, 2014

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February 12, 2014   Hungry for news from the Global Food Crisis Fund? Click here. CONTENTS Not alone Discover a vision Math of sharing Gathering together for the Clergy Women's Retreat in Malibu, Calif. Melissa Wiginton (right) guided conversations for the retreat. "Being together is reason enough to be together."Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Not aloneBy Dana Cassell Being a pastor is a lonely gig. Just ask your own pastor, if you dare. It’s a big job to be present for so many people’s every spiritual and emotional need, and at the same time, be unable to share openly with them about your own. So it was refreshing to gather with 43 others at last month’s Church of the Brethren Clergy Women’s Retreat. We laughed, prayed, played in the Pacific, and thought intentionally about friendship, fellowship… and the lack thereof. But pastors aren’t alone in loneliness. Melissa Wiginton guided our conversation about togetherness, and she shared a study by UCLA that says 30 percent of Americans self-identify as lonely at any given moment. Even more striking? Three out of every five American adults over the age of 45 feel consistently lonely. What does this mean for ministry, for the church, for our own discipleship? A couple of things. First, as I watch my own congregation delight in simple fellowship—sharing a meal, or conversation after worship—I am convinced that the church’s mission is, at base, to provide space and invitation for people to enter into deep, Christ-centered relationship. And second, I’m struck by how restorative it was to spend time with other clergy women. The opportunity to simply be with others who are also out there, doing this lonely, beautiful work of ministry was a blessing. Part of the gift of our Brethren tradition is the assumption that being together is reason enough to be together. This is a gift that we can share, a ministry in itself. So next time you go to church, take a minute to thank your pastor or another leader in your congregation. And then take a step further and bring that blessing to the streets. Sometimes all it takes is eye contact and a smile for the cashier across the counter, or a classmate in the hall, to feel less alone. Imagine the blessing that a church on this kind of mission could be to a culture so filled with lonely people. Dana Cassell is minister for Youth Formation at Manassas Church of the Brethren in Virginia. She was one of several participants in the Clergy Women’s Retreat last month, which was sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Ministry. To support this and other uplifting denominational ministries, visit www.brethren.org/give . Forward to a friend Back to top www.brethren.org/basinandtowel Discover a vision for community at its best:rooted and growing in the Jesus way. In the latest series from Basin and Towel magazine, follow the rhythms of gathering, calling, forming, and sending disciples. Dig in to what it means to be part of a vital congregation. Check out sample articles from the January issue, "The Gathering Community", as well as resources and a video interview atwww.brethren.org/basinandtowel . To request the whole magazine (including articles like "Not Your Grandma’s Sunday School"), or to subscribe, e-mail dstroyeck@brethren.org . To support Congregational Life Ministries, visitwww.brethren.org/give . The suggested offering date for One Great Hour of Sharing is March 16. "When we love like Jesus did, helping everyone we can, people who are hurting will feel God’s love. We can change one life at a time through our shared Christian witness, and those ones can add up until they equal all of God’s family." —Frank Ramirez in "The Math of Sharing," a children’s sermon for the 2014 One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Visitwww.brethren.org/oghs to read it in full. Thanks for reading! Watch for our next issue on February 26, 2014. Do you have a story about how you and your congregation practice stewardship?  E-mail it to ebrethren@brethren.org ! eBrethren: Stories of Brethren Stewards, is produced every other week by the Church of the Brethren's donor communications team.