2A


November 4, 2011


EDITOR’S CORNER BY AMY FORBUS


Sandi Matthews, left, prayer ministry coordinator at


Village UMC, prays with a woman who requested prayer at Hot Springs


Village’s Walk for Cancer Research. Village UMC


sponsored a prayer station, which offered participants


in the Sept. 10 event several ways to pray. The station


was staffed by members of the church’s prayer team.


PHOTO BY PATTY PRINCE Praying for—and with—a community


BY PATTY PRINCE Special Contributor


T ere seems to be a spirit of


revival in many of our churches. In Hot Springs Village, Village United Methodist Church has been exploring new ideas and venturing into ministries that take us into the community. I want to share about just one of them. Sally Schuck, a member of our


church, in 2010 attended the Village Walk for Cancer Research (VWCR) to walk in honor of her sisters, who both have cancer. On that day, Sally watched as water and food were given out to participants, and she noticed a need going unmet. She saw pain and suff ering in the eyes of those she encountered, but she never saw any prayer being given. Sally shared with the Village


Patty Prince


UMC prayer ministry team what she had witnessed. She asked them to pray that God would provide a way for the prayer team to provide a presence at this event in 2011. T e prayer ministry team


decided to host a prayer station at the 2011 VWCR, but two months before the event, they encountered a dilemma: T ey did not have the $500 to rent a space. T ey didn’t even have a budget! T ey called a leader of the VWCR, explained their situation and asked about a discount as they shared why they so earnestly wanted to be there. But their words seemed in vain as they were told discounts could not be given. A week aſt er the phone call, the


prayer team met again and prayed that God would provide a way for


Arkansas United Methodist


them to be there. Little did they know that as they prayed, God had already answered their prayer. Claire MacNeill, co-chair of the


VWCR, had heard about their plight. A strong believer in the power of prayer, she had hoped some organization would bring prayer to the VWCR. Claire’s daughter Kerrie had lost her battle with cancer in 2004. It was prayer and faith that had comforted and sustained Claire through the loss. Each year since her daughter’s


death, Claire has contributed $500 to the VWCR. T is year, however, Claire felt led to use that money to pay the required fee for the Village UMC prayer ministry team’s booth space. God not only answered their prayer, he answered it abundantly! On Sept. 10, the morning of the


VWCR, the prayer team met before dawn. T ey placed three tables on a grassy area, each spaced far apart for a specifi c purpose. One table held prayer request


cards and prayer boxes for those who might not want to pray but might want to fi ll out a prayer request card. T at same table held information about Village UMC, our Time of Renewal event scheduled for the following month and—of course—the prayer ministry. Another table held prayer fans


made by Village UMC prayer coordinator Sandi Matthews. Each fan contained a Scripture and prayer. T e fans would not only be used to help people keep cool, but also would impart a message of strength and hope to those who received them. Two fl ip-chart easels stood in


front of the third table. One read “Pray for” and the other, “Praise for.” Designed for those who might not feel comfortable praying or fi lling out a prayer request card, the easels invited people to jot down the name


of someone who needed prayer. Placed a distance away from the other two tables to create more privacy, the easels proved eff ective— by the end of the day, each one held three pages of names to pray for. Each Village UMC volunteer


and prayer team member wore a sign around his or her neck reading, “Prayer Station.” Some became walking prayer stations, taking prayer to those who couldn’t come to them. One woman they approached


had recently had cancer surgery and attended with a group of her supporters who had come to walk in her honor that day. T e prayer team prayed with her, and then gave her a prayer fan. T e woman slowly read the


prayer and Scripture on the front and back, then pulled the fan to her chest as if it was something treasured. She told the prayer team how much the prayer meant to her, and asked if she could have an extra fan to share with a friend who has cancer. T ere were many requests for


extra fans. At the end of the day, the prayer team had given out more than 400 of them. Because of these and many other affi rmations that the giſt of prayer was needed, the prayer team has already begun its plans for next year’s VWCR. T roughout the day, people


stopped to visit the prayer station. Some simply wrote the name of someone on the fl ip-chart. Some paused to fi ll out a prayer request card. Others came seeking someone to pray over them. As everyone prayed and wept,


hugged and shared stories that day, they felt the presence of Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals.


Prince is a member of Village UMC. To contact her, send an e-mail to pattyprince52@yahoo.com.


Learning and doing I spent a few days last month at


UMAC, the United Methodist Association of Communicators’ annual meeting. It began with worship and a mission project at a food pantry in our host city of Albuquerque, and continued with learning through workshops and networking with colleagues from other Conferences. From my perspective as a


layperson, UMAC is how I imagine a gathering of the Order of Elders or Order of Deacons might feel. It reminds me that I’m not alone. Across the United Methodist connection, communicators like me face the same ministry challenges, learn the same lessons and celebrate the same victories. One person at this year’s


gathering really stood out to me. T e Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith certainly is a communicator, but in a diff erent way from many UMAC members. As our keynote speaker, she told us about her ministry among the poor and homeless in San Antonio, Texas. (Section B of this issue includes a Q&A between Lorenza and United Methodist Reporter managing editor Sam Hodges.) Lorenza is learning more about


the plight of the poor by living among them. She has become poor and homeless herself—sending a powerful message about how seriously she takes her ministry. T ough she is a provisional Elder, she draws no salary, receives no pension or other benefi ts; she signed


them away to be appointed to this work. “I think it’s been a process of


emptying myself to be a follower of Christ, to embody the Gospel,” she said when asked about her calling. It’s not just a metaphorical emptying, either: Before she leſt her previous appointment, she invited congregants, friends and family to come and take her belongings. Now, with the limited number of items she can carry, she fi nds new ways of relying upon God to care for her. When someone asked Lorenza


what an average person can do to empty themselves, she acknowledged that not everyone is called to give up home and possessions. She suggested we begin by emptying ourselves from the busyness of life, then fi nding some way to advocate for someone else. What’s your method of


advocacy? Is it running or walking a 5k for a cause you believe in? Is it becoming a mentor or a reading coach for a child? For at least two people I know, it’s participating in Occupy Little Rock—even though some of their fellow clergy disagree completely with that choice. For others, it’s working on a personal level to feed the hungry, care for the sick or comfort the mourning. Our question as Christians isn’t


“Will we help?” but “How will we help?” Jesus calls us to carry his light and love to a hurting world. Let’s get going.


To contact me, send an e-mail to aforbus@arumc.org.


Volume 158 • No. 027


November 4, 2011


Martha S. Taylor • Director of Communications Amy Forbus • Editor


Patrick W. Shownes • Communications Coordinator www.arumc.org


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