November 4, 2011


Homecoming in the works for Etna man UMCs statewide invited to provide help for reconstruction


BY MARTHA S. TAYLOR Arkansas Conference


Terry Jackson will never forget the night of May 24, 2011.


An EF-4 tornado ripped through the community of Etna, Ark., where Terry lived in a mobile home with his wife, Cheryl. When the storm passed, Cheryl had been killed, their home destroyed, and Jackson was severely injured with crushed shoulders and pelvis, as well as other injuries. Jackson was hospitalized in Tulsa for an extended period of


time. Following his release, he endured months of in- and out-patient rehabilitation. Even in the face of such challenges, Jackson dreamed of rebuilding his home on a small piece of property given to him by his mother. But with no assets, his medical expenses climbing above


$180,000 and his hope dwindling for a return to full-time work, Terry’s prospects looked bleak. Yet God had already gone ahead of the storm and made


provision for Jackson by way of faithful United Methodists, committed to helping a broken man regain some semblance of normality.


UMs, partners pull together A member of First UMC in Ozark, Yvonne Case, who also


happens to work for the Department of Human Services in Franklin County, was the fi rst to recognize Jackson’s need. He wasn’t eligible for assistance and didn’t have insurance. Just about every dime of the family’s income had been used to pay for Cheryl’s college tuition. According to the church pastor, the Rev. Keith Dodson,


Jackson is highly thought of in the Etna area, and people were ready to come to his aid. Word of his situation quickly spread beyond the small community’s boundaries. Upon hearing Terry’s story, Don Weeks, Conference


Volunteers in Mission (VIM) coordinator, recalled how donated materials and volunteer labor restored a home following a tornado that struck Cincinnati, Ark. He knew that that success could be replicated. T e Conference’s disaster response committee and local church mission groups across Arkansas were on the same page. “As we talked with local offi cials in Franklin County, we


realized Terry’s situation was dire,” he said. “We had the means and resources to help him, and so we did.” On Terry’s 49th birthday, representatives from VIM, the


Conference Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee, Ozark UMC, St. James UMC Little Rock and Franklin County’s Department of Human Services presented Jackson with an off er he couldn’t refuse: start-up funds and the intention of securing additional funds, materials and volunteers to rebuild his home. A start-up grant of $10,000 by the Arkansas Conference


Disaster Relief Fund provided the seed money for the project. Weeks pitched the idea to the RV-based mission volunteer group NOMADS (Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service), and they are making arrangements for volunteers to help with the construction of the home in the coming weeks and months. Saint James UMC has contributed more than $8,000 to the


project with encouragement from their mission coordinator, Brenda Weeks. “Aſt er we saw what happened aſt er the tornado, so many


people wanted to help a family get back on their feet,” she said. “Terry was indeed one of those that fell through the cracks. He


Hope (continued from page 1A) Smith had sworn she would


the St. James, never thought she would end up being a lay chaplain. But aſt er her husband died


following a long illness, she found herself unwilling to leave her house except to attend church services. And it was through an announcement in the church bulletin that she became aware of St. James’ fi rst Community of Hope class. T e word “hope” got her attention. “At that point in my life, I


needed some hope,” she said. “I was smart enough to recognize that I needed to get up, get out and get going.” Smith had received calls from


two fellow church members who, like her husband, had been diagnosed with cancer. She knew that in relating to them, she needed the skills the Community of Hope class provided. “I did not realize the path that


the good Lord had put me on, and all of a sudden it was like a light bulb that went off : ‘Okay, you’re supposed to now learn about this. You’re supposed to share this with others. You’ve been there, but now you need to go and listen to them,’” she said.


www.arumc.org


never go back into a hospital aſt er her husband’s illness and death, but aſt er being commissioned as a COH lay chaplain, she went so far as to take Clinical Pastoral Education—an educational experience based in hospitals. T en the congregational care position opened up at St. James. It was a natural fi t for the calling she had received from God; the job includes training new lay chaplains. Community of Hope


International’s multi- denominational, worldwide organization counts two Arkansas United Methodists among its board members: Baskette serves as an at-large member, and Hiller represents the Southern U.S. At St. James, a COH class runs


from September through December, followed by a three-month internship. Aſt er their internships, new lay chaplains are commissioned, and may work through their own faith communities to provide pastoral care. T e Rev. Greg Schick,


contemporary worship pastor at St. James, sees great value in the ministry done by COH chaplains,


and in the training they receive. “T ey’re trained in a way that


they feel so equipped, and they feel called to do it,” he says. “We need everybody to represent the church in all the diff erent areas of ministry, and here you’ve got ultimate training for people to be the church.” Schick says that St. James’


pastors share hospital visitation duties, but also depend upon lay chaplains. COH makes visitation a much stronger ministry for St. James. Schick also appreciates that


COH is interdenominational. With many varieties of people working together, he says it shows people “the Church with a capital C.” Liz Faulkner, a retired teacher,


has served for four years as one of the St. James lay chaplains. “Nobody really wants to go to


nursing homes or hospitals because none of us really wants to be sick, and none of us really likes to realize what it’s like to get old,” Faulkner says. “But one thing I’ve discovered is there’s so much faith in both of these places, in hospitals and nursing homes.” Faulkner says listening is the


most important thing she does as a lay chaplain. “I’m not in a position to say,


Liz Faulkner, left, and Sue Sims receive an autoharp lesson from their 98-year-old friend, Jane Sentell, right. Faulkner, a Community of Hope chaplain, met Sentell while making a pastoral care visit to another resident of the nursing center where Sentell lives.


AUM PHOTO BY AMY FORBUS


Are you feeling called to offer care? Several locations across Arkansas off er Community of Hope


training. Jenny Smith will help you connect with the opportunity nearest to your home. Contact her at jenny@stjames-umc.org or 501-217-6756 to learn more. For information on the worldwide organization, visit


coh-international.com. Arkansas United Methodist


5A


was not eligible for assistance and didn’t have any insurance. Every dime they could make was going to his wife’s college education. I’m sure there are many other stories just like his.” T e Hinton/DeAnn Charge, pastored by the Rev. Byron


Mann, issued a challenge to all the churches in the Southwest District to contribute $100 each to the fund set up to provide materials for the home. Giſt s are being accepted in the district offi ce through Nov. 30. An Arkansas Tech University career development class drew


up home construction plans and delivered them within a week of their being contacted about the project.


More assistance needed Construction has begun on the 1,600-square-foot, three-


bedroom home with labor provided by Jackson’s family and friends. As the project moves forward, additional volunteers,


fi nancial and material donations are needed. Any individual or church can help, says Conference disaster relief coordinator Janice Mann. “We need volunteers to help with the actual construction,


but we also need volunteers to help provide meals for the workers, to hold fundraising events in their churches or communities or to give donations of materials and other goods,” she said. “We are actively seeking partner churches, groups and individuals to pitch in and give Terry a chance.” T ose interested in volunteering with the Terry Jackson


home project may contact Weeks at dweeks@arumc.org or 501-681-2909, or Mann at rainmaker@arkansas.net or 870-703- 8359. Financial giſt s may be mailed to the Arkansas Conference Treasurer’s Offi ce, Attn: Terry Jackson Disaster Response, P.O. Box 3611, Little Rock, AR 72203.


Taylor serves as director of communications for the Arkansas Conference, and as pastor of discipleship for FaithSpring UMC.


‘Oh, well, you need to pray....’ T at’s not it at all,” she says. “T e faith is all here. But sometimes they just need


to tell their stories and talk to somebody. And that is probably what I do mostly, is just try to listen.”


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