JANUARY 2022
CONFRONTING OUR PAIN
By Superintendent Michael Traylor
When a person’s vulnerabilities exceed their internal and external resources of support and stabilization, traumatic wounding occurs.” Jennifer Baldwin In Trauma-Sensitive Theology
 
“But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn’t. The Strong One ruined me.”” Ruth 1:20-21 MSG

I had intended to write a completely different article for this newsletter. I am writing this while in a weeklong intensive at United Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. I just heard a lecture on pastors leaving ministry and experiencing spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical disorders at unprecedented levels. The levels of anxiety, depression, and addictive maladaptations have skyrocketed within our communities of faith but is experienced in even higher levels among those who are called as clergy.
 
As my cohort (smaller group at the intensive who meet regularly to collaborate on our D. Min projects) met, there was a transparency that led to a vulnerable sharing of deep-seated pain that many had experienced in life, that were triggered and re-experienced during the pandemic. Dr. Terry Swan, who spoke at the Intensive, made a comment that “Trauma does not have a timetable”. He was referring to the fact that the effects of trauma are lifelong unless processed.
 
We all face trauma. Trauma can and is caused by a variety of things. Yet, when our internal support, along with our community support get overwhelmed, we are wounded, or injured. This can be a traumatic event (car accident, assault, etc), traumatic situation (unhealthy church environments, abusive marriage), or even chronic culturally mediated aggressions (discrimination, oppression). All of these can wound us.
 
In the book of Ruth, Naomi has experienced a series of catastrophic events in her life. After experiencing famine, immigration, followed by serial loss of her immediate family members, she returned to Bethlehem where she declares that she was bitter. She was bitter due to the woundedness that she experienced. We often see bitterness reflected in the experiences of those that we serve but miss the same bitterness when we experience it. Bitterness is revealed in anxiety, depressions, hyperactivity, and addictive behaviors. All are reactions to pain: physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain.
 
A couple principles about trauma and the wounds it causes:
 
  1. Trauma has varied effects on different people and groups. It is nearly always a mistake to assume that you know the effect of traumatic experiences on someone based upon your own experiences or the experiences of others.
  2. We are frequently not-in-touch with the reasons for our wounds. Our psychological defenses often seek to minimize and diminish the memories of traumatic events.
  3. Everyone has a history. Traumatic experiences have the ability to inform and sometimes blunt our emotional and spiritual development. Traumatic experiences often illicit feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and confusion, and therefore we are often hesitant to share them. An absence of identifiable traumatic events does not exclude their presence.
  4. Wounds that are not processed will continue to influence your life and your ministry.
  5. Hurt people hurt people. Wounded people (including yourself) attempt to extinguish the pain, and in the effort to do that, often develop maladaptive behavior that harms others and oneself.
  6. Wounds are deepened in isolation. Healing and the development of resilience require facilitated process through a therapist, director, or community.
 
Considering the global pastoral crisis, The River Conference wants to respond to the needs of our pastors who feeling the weight of the complexities of the age. We want to offer proactive, preventive resources along with crisis care. This means that we do not want our pastors to be clinically depressed before they consider seeing a therapist. We don’t want our pastors to have symptomatic hypertension before they consider a fitness program. We want our pastors and leaders to develop healthy disciplines which requires an ongoing processing of the pain and the practice of wholeness. We know that it is the Holy Spirit who brings healing and sustains our health, but the Spirit uses Therapists, Spiritual Directors, Fitness professionals, and healthcare professionals as conduit us treat our wounds.
 
John 5:5-6 (NRSV)
 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
 
Jesus continues to ask us who have been wounded, “Do you want to be made well?” The word translated “well” is often understood as “whole”. Unprocessed pain from the traumas of life keeps us incomplete until its dealt with. As a conference, we want to offer resources that allow you to get well and maintain health and will be developing a means of doing so in the near future. In the meantime, Jesus is asking you “Do you want to be made well?” That means identifying and addressing your wounds.
The FM Way
Part 4
Those of you who attended the Leadership Summit this past summer, saw the video that Bishop Whitehead presented on The FM Way. (click here to view). We will highlight one of the values that shape our identity. The information comes from the Free Methodist Way brochure and is available from FMC if you would like to include it in your New Member packets.
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Free Methodists are first and foremost a Kingdom people. Yet throughout church history God has raised up distinct movements like ours to enrich the larger body of Christ. Building on the legacies of John Wesley and B.T. Roberts, but always discerning where God is moving today, our identity is shaped by values that are both historical and aspirational. Of the many values we hold dear, these five lie at the heart of our movement. We view them as a whole, each one bringing necessary balance to the others. In a time of rising polarization in our nation, we resist the pull toward both fundamentalism and theological liberalism, - not out of a spirit of compromise, but from a radical commitment to what Wesley called "the middle way." It is a path that takes the whole gospel seriously and continually calls us to "both/and" convictions in an "either/or" world. We call it The Free Methodist Way.
Click HERE to watch the video
Cross-Cultural Collaboration
FROM THE BEGINNING, GOD’S INTENT WAS TO HAVE A PEOPLE FROM EVERY NATION, culture and ethnicity, united in Christ and commissioned to carry out His work in the world.

Today we celebrate the beauty of a multicultural and multiethnic church both in the US and in over 100 countries around the world. In the US, we cling to the promise that we have been made one in Christ even as we dedicate ourselves to becoming a more diverse church that looks like the kingdom of God. Globally, we continue to send missionaries to other nations even as we rejoice that the nations are increasingly coming to us. Freely sharing our own gifts and resources, we are also challenged and inspired by the faithfulness, perseverance, ceaseless prayer, theological insights, and spiritual wisdom of our international brothers and sisters. Without questions, we are better together.
The Free Methodist Way aspires to move beyond colonialism and ethnocentrism in favor of a collaborative partnership in God's global work in anticipation of the day when a great multitude from every tongue, tribe, people, and language makes up the eternal throng before the throne of God. (Rev 7-9)
RIVER INSTITUTE
REGISTRATION OPEN NOW
If you are in need of courses to complete your credentialing requirements we have several opportunities for you.

The River Institute
The Spring Cohort begins on February 14, 2022. Registration deadline is January 24, 2022. CLICK HERE to register for the Spring Cohort. The ENROLL NOW button is at the bottom of the page.

Scholarships are available by filling out the River Institute Scholarship Application, which must be to TRC's office by January 10, 2022. Applications can be found on our web site, CLICK HERE.

Free Methodist Church
FMC compiled a list of courses offered throughout the denomination. CLICK HERE to download the document.
TRC COVID-19 State Resources
Below are the websites for all the states in The River Conference that have current information on COVID-19. Stay informed. These websites have the most current information for each state. Simply click on the state and it will take you to the corresponding website.
TRC signed up to take advantage of Amazon.com's "give back" campaign. Amazon Smile is a program where you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of any purchase made on Amazon.com.

If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity. How to get started:
www.smile.amazon.com - find The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Lakewood, CO on the charity list, select it. Now every time you order something from Amazon, you must enter through the smile.amazon.com website, you'll see what charity you're supporting in red letters. Then start shopping. Amazon will automatically deposit donations into our checking account.

If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity.
Around the Conference
TRC DISTRICT LEADERS

ARIZONA
Julie Gray (Phoenix, Light & Life Church) pastorjulie@mylightandlife.org

BOISE
Ryan Stoops (Caldwell, Deer Flat Church) ryanstoops@deerflat.org

COLORADO/NEW MEXICO/SOUTH DAKOTA
Mark Douglas (Pueblo, The Gathering at 2602) mark@markwdouglasllc.com

NORTH TEXAS
Ali Mitachi (Abilene, Portland Avenue) mitachilw@yahoo.com

SOUTH TEXAS
James Ford (Corpus Christi CPP) jesusandjames@yahoo.com

SPOKANE
James Leman (Spokane, First) james.leman@ffmwired.com
Upcoming TRC Committee Meetings
 
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
MAC Monthly Video Conference
 
Thursday, February 3, 2022
MEG Monthly Video Conference
  
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Property Team Monthly Video Conference
 
 Thursday, February 17, 2022
Board of Directors Monthly Video Conference
 
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
District Leaders Monthly Video Conference

Thursday, February 24, 2022
Nominating Committee Video Conference

HEY Free Methodist Youth Workers!
I hope you’ve heard, FMYC 2022 is happening! We’ll gather on the campus of Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado June 27-July 1, 2022.
FMYC (Free Methodist Youth Conference) is a week-long event designed for your high school students. (Bringing Middle School students is up to the discretion of the Youth Worker. But again – please know that the event is programmed with high school students in mind.)
The Scriptures tell us that followers of Jesus are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…” (1 Peter 2:9). We are Marked. Our identity is in Jesus. This next Summer we’ll spend a week together in Colorado, looking at what this means!

On our website you’ll find:
* Promotional material
* Program information
* FAQ & Contact information
We've also encouraged each conference to help with the transportation costs for groups attending FMYC’22. Make sure you contact your local Superintendent for more information!
Click HERE to hear a message from the Bishops regarding the upcoming conference
Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy is made up of a group of likeminded denominations who ordain women and promote a biblically-based theology and practice of women in ministry. WHWC’s biennial conference, called E2022, is being held March 10-12, 2022 in Grapevine, Texas. Women who are elders, CMC’s, leading laypersons, students or others exploring a call to ministry or seeking to understand our position on the role of women in the church are encouraged to attend. Men are also welcome—whether husbands, colleagues, superintendents or others looking for an uplifting event featuring excellent women preachers, workshops and fellowship.

AND… “WELL2022” is a Free Methodist women-only event on the day before the conference at the same location. This all-expenses-paid event begins at 1 PM on March 9 and ends at noon on March 10. Women will spend time getting to know other Free Methodist women in ministry and celebrating what God is doing in our denomination—for instance, we now have 571 ordained women, two female superintendents, a female bishop and hundreds of women serving in denominational or conference leadership positions. At this pre-conference event, we will also have time to explore concerns that can be heard together and communicated to denominational leaders to address our acknowledged “room for improvement” reality.

To register ONLY for the WHWC conference “E2022”, use this form: http://www.womenclergyconference.com/

For both WELL and E2022:

If you have already registered for E2022, you can still add on WELL to your registration. Don't use the links above, just email or call Callie Darling, our event services manager
phone 972 724 5184.

If you have any questions, please email Soo Ji Alvarez at sooji@theavenue.life.

P.S. If you are a pastor’s husband or a man in leadership who plans to attend WHWC and would be interested in a gathering of FM men during WELL, contact Soo Ji Alvarez.
Find out what is happening around the Free Methodist Church. Click below to view the respective newsletters
The River Conference | theriverconference.org