“We are indebted to Daniel Edwins [of Neuger Communications], who has helped us make this transition,” said editorial intern Ryan Cosgrove, the moving force on the staff behind many of the improvements. “Be sure to check the Web site often as it is regularly updated,” said Cosgrove. “The Web site is not the only transition of the summer, though,” added Hulteen.

Metro Lutheran has expanded its Internet presence to include second party Web sites Facebook and Twitter. “It is our hope to reach our readers in multiple ways that are appropriate to modern needs,” Cosgrove explained.

These accounts are regularly updated and offer readers another, more personable way to connect with us. For instance, readers who have recently been featured in the “Caught Reading” section of the newspaper, can go to the Facebook page’s “Caught Reading” photo gallery and “tag” themselves. The Facebook Web page is www.facebook.com/MetroLutheran and the Twitter page is www.twitter.com/MetroLutheran.

All of these changes are part of our commitment to continue telling the story of Lutheranism. And for those of you who do not know what any of this is; don’t worry, we’re still printing the paper.

A group of women has a 37-year tradition of going to the Boundary Water Canoe Base (see “Wilderness retreat ... in God’s great cathedral,” Metro Lutheran, July 2009). Pictured from 2009: Back row: Shar Hauer, Alija Triviski, Diana Karen St. Denis, Jenny Mason; middle row: Charlotte Gauger , Liz Blood, Dawn Miller, Sharon Rodi, Pam McGowan, Linda Thorson, Maija Sedzielarz; and front row: Durene Baysmythe, Louise Feske, Joan Odell, Jeanne Herr, Pauline Miller, Karen Kleinsteuber, and Marlys Dunlap. Churches represented include Bethel, Our Saviour’s, Holy Trinity, and University Lutheran Church of Hope (all in Minneapolis); St Paul-Reformation and Como Park (both in St. Paul); St. Philip the Deacon, Plymouth; Epiphany Catholic, Coon Rapids; and St. Andrew’s Lutheran, Ames, Iowa.

The last time I had seen Abby was Christmas Day 2009. She rode along when my brother drove me to the airport at 5 a.m. that day. I was traveling to southern California to be with my daughter Britt and her family as Britt started chemotherapy. Britt had recently been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jean Johansson

Brayden may be starting his exposure to church a little late, but his enthusiasm about church is making up for that.

A huge snowstorm had barreled through the Twin Cities during most of the previous day, dropping enough snow to cause the cancellation of some Christmas Eve worship services. I felt fortunate that my plane was still scheduled to take off December 25 … on time even. Abby would be leaving for Seattle before my return in two weeks, so we said our goodbyes, not knowing when we would see each other again.

In August, Abby arrived in the Twin Cities for a short visit. This was the first time she had been back home since she had left for Seattle seven months earlier. Seeing Abby, I couldn’t help but think about how many things had happened since we had parted on Christmas Day, when both of us were at the beginning of an unsettled period in our lives with lots of unknowns ahead of us.

Abby has embraced her life in Seattle with the enthusiasm of someone in love with the beauty of its location, the energy of that city, and the presence of her friends. She found a job that she enjoys and is doing it well. She has made new friends and spends time with them as well as the friends she knew when she arrived in Seattle. She has negotiated all this on her own, without requests for financial help from her parents. In other words, she has proved she is a capable adult.

When the hoped for becomes the actual

Britt endured the ravages of chemotherapy every two weeks, from the last week of December until mid-April. During the time she was being treated, family members took turns traveling to California to be present and help keep the household functioning, something that her local friends were also doing. On April 23, Britt received the news from her oncologist that those of us who loved Britt had been praying for — her Hodgkin’s was declared to be in remission. On June 18, after receiving daily radiation treatments for two weeks in an attempt to prevent the likelihood of a relapse, Britt’s treatment was done.

In between the completion of Britt’s treatments and her return to work, she, Pat, and Brayden drove to Minneapolis for a three-week visit. From the minute they arrived in Minneapolis, the visit was a continuous celebration of a multitude of blessings: Britt’s courage and fortitude during her treatment; the support and help she, Pat, and Brayden had received from so many friends and family members, both nearby and far away; and the wonderful news of Britt’s remission. Having cancer has impacted Britt’s life in many ways, including being the catalyst for rethinking priorities.

That’s how I found myself standing at the font at worship on July 18, surrounded by Britt’s extended family and members of my congregation, as my grandson Brayden, age 6 ½ years, was baptized. He may be starting his exposure to church a little late, but his enthusiasm about church is making up for that.

A week after his baptism, when he woke up later than he had planned on Sunday morning, Brayden charged out of his bedroom, his clothes in his arms, asking anxiously, “Is it too late to go to church?” I have been waiting for 33 years to hear a child utter those words, with that kind of passion, in my house. And Britt and Pat, who have been a couple for nine years, became engaged in April and will wed in July 2011.

I am grateful for the ever-flowing grace that surrounds me, those I love, and the entire creation. The grace that carries Abby to a faraway place and guides her as she negotiates her way into a new life; that causes Britt to heal; that washes Brayden into the body of Christ; that leads Britt and Pat to pledge to wed.

The Beatles may have had something else in mind when they coined the term “magical, mystery tour,” but it seems a fitting description for our sojourns here on earth, in the embrace of God.

—Isaiah 11:6

If we listen, really listen, to children, they will share remarkable wisdom with us. In his book, The Mystery of the Child, Lutheran theologian Martin Marty describes children not as blank slates on which adults are called to write, but as God’s gift to us, sent to reveal God’s mysteries, God’s love and care, and to invite us to learn from them, as well as teach them. Jesus invited children into the center of his followers, not to model his tolerance, but to declare, “Unless you become like this little child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” They are, indeed, intended to be our teachers.

So what are you learning from children these days? Do you spend time with a child, just listening, just watching, just exploring, just being? If your answer is “yes,” what have you learned? If your answer is “no,” now is the time to begin.

Marilyn Sharpe

Invite a child to lead you on a walk — at a park, around a lake, in a garden. Listen carefully to what the child sees, hears, and understands. Look with a child’s eyes. Experience it with a child’s heart. Give thanks.

My cherished friend Nancy, a classmate in college and a beloved friend ever since, is battling multiple myeloma. She had a stem cell transplant last month, yet finds opportunities to appreciate and give thanks every day. Nancy, the mother of two wondrous adult men and grandmother of two precious little boys, listens and learns, then shares it with hundreds on her CaringBridge site.

Here is a recent episode, sharing what she learned from three-year-old Samuel in conversation with his dad, Peter, discussing the movie Toy Story 3.

Peter: You never want to touch fire because it could hurt you.
Samuel: Just like in Toy Story 3, when they almost got in the fire but the claw saved them.
Peter: Right!
Samuel: Then they went home, but Andy wasn’t there. The little boy with the hat wasn’t there.
Peter: Actually, Andy was there. The little boy with the hat wasn’t there because Andy grew up and went to college. Someday you’ll grow up and be big like Daddy.
Samuel: Oh. [Thinks a second.] I don’t want to grow up right now.
Peter: That’s OK. You don’t have to grow up right now.
Samuel: But I do want to go to college!
Peter: [Laughs]
Samuel: I’m not going to grow up today. I’m going to grow up tomorrow.
Peter: That’s right.
Samuel: And then, I’m going to grow back down.

Nancy adds her own reflective wisdom. “Up until recently I felt like a grown-up, but now, with my new baby stem cells, I am beginning to feel like I may have taken a few steps backward to a place prior to adulthood, especially because I now need so much help from my family and friends. Here’s hoping we all get to ‘grow back down’ again, at least for a little while.”

Thank you, Samuel, for helping us understand that we can make some decisions to “grow up tomorrow” (really, there is no rush) and hear the ultimate invitation to take refuge and “grow back down.” I’m going to claim that one!

Family activities

* Invite a child to lead you on a walk — at a park, around a lake, in a garden. Listen carefully to what the child sees, hears, and understands. Look with a child’s eyes. Experience it with a child’s heart. Give thanks.

* Have a “grow back down” day. Have each person choose something — a game, an activity, a place, a book — that they loved when they were younger. Do it again together!

* For an adult struggling with health issues or life transitions, share the idea of “growing back down.” Invite them to lean a while. Bring them dinner made up of comfort foods. Do something for them (laundry, errands, a phone call) that they have previously done for themselves. Let them know that they will grow up again, when they are ready.

* Protect your child from the external pressures to grow up too fast. Tell adults who have age-inappropriate expectations of your child how old your child is and that they will master that in due time.

* In a prayer that your child hears, thank God for the gift of childhood. You listen, too!

Sharpe is an author, teacher, presenter, and congregational coach for Marilyn Sharpe Ministries, LLC. Her recently published book is For Heaven’s Sake: Parenting Preschoolers Faithfully. E-mail: MarilynSharpeMinistries@comcast.net; phone: 612/202-8152.

Many people are verbal thinkers; others are visual thinkers. Visual thinking is a skill most often thought of in terms of the arts. People who are good at painting and drawing often seem to have an innate ability to translate an image from real life onto a canvas; writers tend to do the opposite, translating a picture into words. But did you know that visual thinking and imagery are just as important in mathematics? Concepts involving numbers often stick better when the numbers are associated with pictures in a child’s mind. In the August column, we mentioned Einstein’s “thought experiments,” where he visualized his experiments in his head; this is a prime example of how imagery is vital to the understanding of math.

Laura Mann

Numbers can also be associated with smells and tastes; asking your preschooler how the number six might taste may yield surprising answers.

“For the people who ‘get’ math, the language of numbers turns into imagery,” write author-educators Nanci Bell and Kimberly Tuley. “The ability to create mental representations for mathematical concepts is directly related to success in mathematical reasoning and computation.” Bell goes on to explain that often, children who do not have the ability to utilize imagery in mathematics are often mislabeled as being simply “not good at math.”

On the flip side of this coin, autistic children tend to be off the charts in relation to their imaging skills, often at the expense of verbal communication. Colorado State professor and scientist Dr. Temple Grandin is a high-functioning autistic adult who explains that visual imagery is one of her strongest suits. “I translate both spoken and written words into full-color movies, complete with sound, which run like a VCR tape in my head,” writes Grandin. “Every design problem I’ve ever solved started with my ability to visualize and see the world in pictures.” This strong tendency toward imagery has contributed to the Rain Man stereotype of autistic people who are able to create images of how numbers work in their heads, and can thus effortlessly solve difficult computations.

Seeing and tasting your way through a problem

Bell and Tuley explain that visualization and imagery can help young children learn to approach math creatively, rather than as a dry, unappealing subject composed entirely of incomprehensible facts and numbers. Parents can help spur this process when a child is first learning how to count. Ask your very young child what colors they associate with certain numbers; a three-year-old might not think it’s ridiculous to be asked, “What color is seven?”

Numbers can also be associated with smells and tastes; asking your preschooler how the number six might taste may yield surprising answers. Many very young children have favorite numbers, just like favorite colors — ask your child what her favorite number is, then point out that number when you see it in everyday life.

School-age children can be taught simple math skills with visualization while parents are helping with homework. Use visual aids to teach multiplication and division; piles of food items or toy pieces, with certain numbers of items in each pile, can be multiplied and divided while keeping the visual sector of the brain engaged.

Imagery and visualization are very important in the teaching of math to children. When a child learns to associate images with numbers, they are better able to picture how numbers function in the world around them, and can more accurately predict how those numbers are going to behave when presented in a math problem. Creative thinking is a valuable asset in every discipline, which children will carry with them throughout their lives.

Laura Mann is a freelance writer and blogger, and a student in Emerging Media and Communications at the University of Texas. She often co-authors the “Imagine That!” column with her father, storyteller Michael Mann. This column was written by Laura.

© Michael Mann, 2010, all rights retained. Printed by permission of the author.

Hatlie says the program is ideal for:

* pastors who are already working and can’t leave work for typical CPE training,
* seminarians who are working in churches,
* persons in youth and family ministries,
* parish nurses,
* medical doctors honing their people skills,
* those working as chaplains but who are not yet certified,
* those who want to process their own experiences in ministry, and
* those considering specialized ministry.

A unit of CPE training consists of 400 hours of work — 300 hours of clinical chaplaincy in social justice ministry settings, often at shelters for the homeless and housing for those with chemical dependencies, and 100 hours of group process learning with peers in ministry. More traditional CPE training is usually in hospital or nursing home settings. Tuition for the course is $800; there is a $3,500 placement fee. The training occurs in groups of six to eight people. When done within the usual 15-week period, it consists of 28 hours per week, 20 hours in clinical work and eight hours of group process — or just one day per week in the classroom.

Herbert Perkins (right), a student seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ, is in a pastoral care session with a resident of a transitional housing program in St. Paul.

A unit of clinical pastoral education training consists of 400 hours of work.

The chaplaincy training program as it now exists was organized in 1999. However, chaplaincy training in the Twin Cities traces its roots to 1942 in what is now Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis. Through government and hospital budget cuts and other challenges, the training has evolved to the program now offered by GMCC.

CPE enrollees cover a broad spectrum: Christians of various denominations, rabbis, lay leaders to Catholic women with master of divinity degrees, and much more.

Hatlie says the program seeks to teach narrative counseling theory to faith leaders, lay ministers, and seminarians. Individually-designed learning contracts focus on pastoral reflection, competence, and specialization. “We strive to build a continuum of care between community of faith and programs serving men, women, and children in transitional living programs. We further develop our ability to respond as faith leaders to the needs of individuals through direct service and crisis care.” Hatlie has worked with the GMCC for 25 years.

A new option for clinical training

Among those completing the community-based program is Bev Lonsbury of Luther Seminary. She explained about the program: “I had the privilege of being part of the community-based CPE program in the spring of 2009. I served as a chaplain-intern for late-stage, chronic alcoholics [at] a ‘wet’ house (there is a designated spot outdoors where residents can drink) for about 80 men.

“At first I was uncertain about how I could possibly be a minister in this setting. I quickly became aware of a deep need for spiritual care. I now realize what a special call I received. I have been able to serve those who in many ways have been forgotten, misunderstood, and/or feared as is the case with many of the community-based programs. Also, this unit of CPE fit my MA/PhD goals at Luther Seminary in a unique way by providing a very practical way of learning more about co-occuring disorders as part of my thesis/dissertation.

“Clearly I have received far more than I have given. In fact, I am still serving at this site as a volunteer chaplain over a year later.”

Paul Dean, director of the Nexus Community within Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Burnsville, Minnesota, completed the community-based CPE training a week before he was interviewed by Metro Lutheran. His training was within the church setting. His years at Prince of Peace have included junior high and family ministries. Now, he found himself in real-time pastoral roles, including hospital visits and wedding and funeral planning. End-of-life decisions included working with a family making the decision to disconnect a family member’s life support. Dean feels the training and feedback he received will be important as he approaches ordination down the line.

Faith leaders and seminarians interested in the CPE program should contact Hatlie at 952/484-3334 or by e-mail to sallershatlie@gmcc.org.

In 1997, Reformation began a community garden. Then, in 2003, the congregation decided to plant a prairie on its property. It also now maintains a rain garden and forest.

These projects began in earnest as the congregation developed an environmental statement. Since then, ensuing statements have also shown themselves to be a way to care for creation.

From prairie to sanctuary

Recently members of Reformation have begun to hold meetings about how their congregation can serve as a welcoming public space to the surrounding community. One specific way focuses on building community resiliency.

Kids’ Crops summer program participants Lily Chaffee, Bo Chaffee, Tommy Chaffee, Max Fehring, and Kai Imankulov gather in one of Lutheran Church of the Reformation’s community garden plots. Metro Lutheran photos: Ryan Cosgrove

“[The youth] are very interested in the natural world, especially in dirt and rocks” Anne Mundahl said.

Related meetings included the study of a book, The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience by Rob Hopkins. “We are interested in how we can help people start [building] community in the neighborhood,” Mundahl said. “How we can help create people who are ready to embrace the future, rather than seeing the future as some failure of the American dream,” he added.

As those meetings progressed, the members of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation found their dedication to creation care offered multiple ways to contribute to the St. Louis Park community.

One concrete contribution is its summer program, Kids’ Crops. “This is a program that we want to pass on to our neighborhood,” said Mundahl. Kids’ Crops, which is in its second year, is for youth ages three to eight. The program focuses on growing and harvesting produce.

Kids’ Crops was conceived after a few members read Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. “We became interested in how we could reach out to children through nature, with the resources we have,” said Anne Mundahl, a member of Reformation.

The members set aside three plots in the community garden for the youth, and each week the young people gather to work in the garden, have a snack, and learn about growing food. “The programming grows out of the season,” Anne Mundahl said.

The growing season not only affects what the youth plant and harvest, but it also affects their snacks. At the beginning of each Kids’ Crops session, the youth prepare a snack from the produce of the gardens. “It is important that every generation, especially kids, know where their food comes from and feel empowered to grow their own,” Anne Mundahl observed.

“Years ago this congregation began a community garden, prairie, and forest,” Anne Mundahl said. “[Kids’ Crops] is a way of hoping these programs will last to another generation,” she continued. Anne Mundahl has reason to be hopeful. “[The youth] are very interested in the natural world,” she said. “Especially in dirt and rocks,” she laughed.

Currently all of the youth who participate in Kids’ Crops are decidedly middle class. It is the hope of the program’s designers that Kids’ Crops will come to serve a broader audience.

Building a sustainable community

The members of Lutheran Church of the Reformation have other plans to help create community resiliency. They have begun to talk about how the garden can develop a sense of community.

“The garden began as a community effort with people renting garden space,” Tom Mundahl said. “A few people gathered to have a potluck,” he added.

Lutheran Church of the Reformation members tend the community gardens on church property.

The congregation has begun another study, reading In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan. The goal of this study is to explore how congregants can increase community competency about food, and gather around the food from the community garden.

Future plans include becoming a zero-waste congregation and participating in Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, a new effort to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The goal of becoming a zero-waste congregation is a continuous one for the members of Lutheran Church of the Reformation. “When you think you’ve won, then you see paper cups being used again,” Mundahl said. Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light is an interfaith group responding to global warming. The first meeting of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light will be on September 23 at North Mississippi Park in Minneapolis. (For more information, visit its Web site, http://mnipl.org/calendar.html or call 952/687-1386.)

The caring for creation emphasis has been important to Danielle Fehring, a member of Lutheran Church of the Reformation. “Its why I’m here,” she said.

“It’s such a no-brainer,” she said. “Often it is warped into something to fight about, but there is so much we agree on,” said Fehring.

“It’s God’s creation,” she said. “It is our responsibility to care for future generations.”

Pat Hansen, co-chair of the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod’s Haiti task force, said the synod shares a “deep and rich” relationship with the ELH.

Hansen said there has been “much disillusion” about the earthquake recovery progress in Haiti. She said that with the oil spill in the U.S. Gulf Coast “much attention has been drawn from Haiti’s problems to those here at home.”

As a tangible part of its on-going commitment, the ELCA will contribute $541,493 to the ELH. Haitian families sought refuge at several of the church body’s 12 locations after the earthquake. The objective of the ELH is to ensure that survivors have access to shelter, food, water, sanitation, and other materials and services needed for daily living, safety, and security. The ELH provided food to 6,000 people.

The Haiti Mission Project is committed to share God’s love and hope with the Haitian people. Through its mission work, its goal has been to create awareness that will make a difference. The project started with a group of mostly 20- and 30-somethings dedicated to traveling to Haiti in mission and returning to tell the story of the Haitian people.

Andy Jolivette and Joanne Thiele read a book with Rosie, the daughter of the woman who runs the guesthouse and orphanage connected with Haiti Mission Project. Photo provided by Andy Jolivette

In 2008 this small group of dedicated volunteers established itself as a nonprofit organization. While volunteers did not set out to become such, “we couldn’t not do it,” said Andy Jolivette, who serves on the organization’s board. He has traveled to Haiti four times since 2006.

After the January 12 earthquake hit, the world suddenly was dedicated to Haitian relief efforts, and the stakes for the Haiti Mission Project were immediately raised. Overnight people worldwide learned of the overwhelming need of this small island nation — and wanted to help. The Haiti Mission Project needed to, and was fortunately poised to, make a difference for the people of Haiti in a significantly larger way.

In a position to make a difference

When the earthquake hit, thousands of people had already had an experience with the Haiti Mission Project through listening to the stories of its volunteers. In response to the need for mission support, two kinds of people come forward. Jolivette calls groups like these, prepared to provide mission support, the “goers” and the “senders” respectively.

Prior to the earthquake, the Haiti Mission Project had sent out between 10 and 20 “goers” once or twice a year. Following the disaster, they established a relationship with thousands of “senders,” those who provided support through gifts of money, prayers, and encouragement.

Now, in the months following the Haitian earthquake, many congregations and other groups feel called to mission in Haiti.

Already aware of the need in Haiti, “people were stumbling over themselves to help,” Jolivette said.

Joanna Thiele, also a board member with the Haiti Mission Project, says she couldn’t have made any of her nine trips to Haiti without the support of the many senders.

“I couldn’t do it without them for sure,” she said. “It’s nice that I can give something back to them through my words and ministry.”

One person at a time

Now, in the months following the Haitian earthquake, many congregations and other groups feel called to mission in Haiti. Due to its experience, the Haiti Mission Project has come forward to offer support in their efforts to sustain Haiti.

So, what might those wishing to do mission in Haiti expect?

On his baptism day, Evan is held by his godmother Joanna Thiele, who is between his parents Patrick and Natacha. Godfather Andy Jolivette is on the right. (“It is our practice sharing stories of our Haitian friends that we do not use their last names,” explained Jolivette.)

While the work to be done in Haiti is vast, members of the Haiti Mission Project focus their work on one small piece at a time — and help others to do the same.

“When you first go to a place, you see with a wide angle lens,” Jolivette said. “Everything is compiled in a list of observations and perspectives.” Jolivette’s initial observations of Haiti (during his first trip in 2006) included: hot, poor, dirty, disease, children, a mess.

“But within the first few days, you realize it’s a beautiful mess; a place of people of hope, faith, and perseverance.”

While the work to be done in Haiti is vast, members of the Haiti Mission Project focus their work on one small piece at a time — and help others to do the same.

“It is only when you focus on one person, one orphanage where you can make a difference,” Jolivette said.

In this vein, the Haiti Mission Project, along with another Haitian mission group, recently bought a piece of land next to an orphanage the group has served. On this land they have planted banana trees and are setting up chicken coops to help the people raise food.

Thiele compares the work to the story of man returning the starfish to the sea: “Our working is helping one person at a time.”

Jolivette and Thiele have both found spiritual renewal from their mission in Haiti. “It’s cliché to say I went to help them, but they helped me more,” Jolivette said. “But that truly happens.”

The Haiti Mission Project will hold its fifth annual Walk for Haiti on September 19 at 4:00 p.m. at Normandale Lake in Bloomington, Minnesota. Those interested in joining the walk, or otherwise supporting the Haiti Mission Project, can do so by visiting its Web site www.haitimissionproject.org. Registrations will also be taken the day of the walk.