Advent Influenza: Churches as Public Health Advocates

     Normally, you might not think a United Methodist pastor would have a strong position regarding influenza. I do, however, thanks in part to the time I was working with community gardens and joined the American Public Health Association, and because my spouse is a professor in a College of Public Health.
     It appears that influenza is arriving early in the United States this season, and with a ferocity we have not seen in some time. The peak season may be as early as December, and this year's vaccination appears to be less effective than in the recent past. Influenza, not to be confused with the Norovirus or what some might call the stomach flu, can be deadly. Its impact can be lessened by following basic public health practices. 
    Why is this information important to congregations? I contend that churches and other religious organizations are already engaged in public health policy making and advocacy, whether or not we realize it, and as such we are equipped to contribute to the overall physical health and well-being of the communities in which we live. Health policies at the local level can range from informal (do we encourage people to bring side dishes with vegetables in them to potlucks?) to formal (did someone take a vote on what type of beverages should be in the pop machine? are the water fountains designed so water bottles can be filled?).
     First, the case for paying special attention to influenza this year: 
1) Influenza is starting earlier than in recent past. The CDC produces a map that charts the occurrence of the flu, which is updated weekly using reports from the field. You can find the FluView chart here: FluView map Four states are already reporting widespread cases of the flu; all have seen at least some activity. This earlier peak coincides with an increase in calendared events, both at churches and in communities; more people are out and about and there may be more pressure in December to attend events while ill than we would see in January or February. 
2) The flu vaccine appears to be significantly less effective this year than in recent years. The flu vaccination is more effective when given well in advance of exposure, so with the earlier occurrence of the flu combined with a lower effective rate, more people will be vulnerable than in past years. Please note, this does not mean it was a poor decision to receive the vaccine - a ten percent effective rate is better than zero. While we trust science, the fact is that preparing for an influenza outbreak that has not yet occurred is an exercise in estimation. Scientists tracking the disease do the best they can with the data they have but sometimes their best guess is a miss. Trust me, they are just as upset or more than the general public when they discover a vaccine not as effective as they had hoped it would be. 
3) This means that pastors in particular and people in general will be encountering more people who have the flu, and therefore will have greater exposure this season. Some of those who are ill won't realize they have the flu; others may have a job where they do not have an option for sick leave. 
     The good news is this: congregations can make a difference by educating the community about influenza, and by putting best practices in place. Here are my best tips:
1) Wash your hands and talk about the importance of washing hands with soap. Soap is a champion germ killer. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are another option. 
2) Encourage people to both be aware of flu symptoms and to stay home if at all possible if they are ill. 
3) Remind people that Christmas will come, even if they are unable to attend worship - and make plans to stream worship services or prepare recordings of worship for those who are torn between being ill and missing Christmas Eve service.
4) Affirm that greetings can be exchanged without shaking hands.
5) Approve sick leave policies in the congregation so church employees can stay home if they are ill.    
     Congregations and leaders that take the time to familiarize themselves with these basics will serve their communities by educating church and community members to mimimize the impact of this growing public health concern.

Lantana, Berlin Botanical Garden. Photo from September 2016.

Fair Trade Fun

Alert: I LOVE FAIR TRADE!!!
     I believe my first exposure to Fair Trade was shopping with my grandmother at an early version of Ten Thousand Villages in Lincoln, making me a 40+ year enthusiast. I find myself now volunteering weekly at the current incarnation of that store in Lincoln's Haymarket, and chairing the Board that operates the non-profit business that runs the place I used to visit as a child. In the 40 years in between, I've shopped Fair Trade when I have traveled, in the various cities I have lived, and was the proprietor of a combination thrift and Fair Trade shop in Omaha. It's hard to say what my favorite thing about Fair Trade is because there are so many choices. I appreciate the workmanship that goes into items themselves, and the tastiness of the chocolate and coffee that are shade grown. I enjoy the stories of the artists from throughout the world, learning more about people I know I will not meet but with whom I now share a connection. I am glad to know that my consumer dollars are being spent in a way that works for systemic change, supporting communities and families while preserving artisan craftsmanship. I like supporting a locally-run shop that is keeping alive the notion of actual real-life in-person retail in a city's downtown. This is just a start.
    So... let's talk a bit about how Fair Trade works. I'm hoping you will be as enthusiastic as I am.  
     The concept of Fair Trade has several components. When I describe it to visitors to Ten Thousand Villages in Lincoln, where I volunteer, this is how I explain it - Artisans outside the US are paid a living wage, up front, for their work. They work in a cooperative environment, meaning that ideas are shared and artisans work together not in a top-down system. A priority is placed on the environment, so many items are made from recycled, reused, and replenishable materials and foods like chocolate, coffee, nuts and tea are grown using organic farming methods that preserve old growth forests. As part of a commitment to justice, funds also go back into the communities where the artisans live for projects related to things like health and education, almost always with a specific emphasis in lifting up the most marginalized in the community.
     Given the above, it can be hard to figure out which items are Fair Trade, which is where non-profit businesses like Ten Thousand Villages and certification organizations come in to play. Usually when you examine labeling for Fair Trade items you will find they either come from a non-profit like Ten Thousand Villages or Serrv that guarantees all products with their logo on it are certified, or you will find a specific certifying organization's logo, for example Fair Trade USA. Some certification organizations specialize in different types of products, for example they might specialize in examining textiles or chocolate/coffee while others certify a more broad range of products. 
     Something to think about as a consumer is which stage of the product has been certified as Fair Trade. The more complicated the construction of whatever you are purchasing, the more stages there are to certify. Clothing is an example of a consumer product that can be very difficult to verify as Fair Trade at all stages of production. Is it just from cloth to garment stage that is being certified? Or all the way back to the field in which the cotton is grown, the person mixing and applying any dyes, and anyone involved in shipping materials between any of the stages? Some certification organizations have chosen to limit the types of products they certify because of these many layers, some use language carefully to describe which parts of the artistic process have been certified, and others dive deep to research each stage of the process. Consumers with an interest in ethical purchasing can learn as they go and form their own opinions of this process by observing both label language and which certification organizations are working with which types of products. 

Photo with Fair Trade sarongs, hand-dyed using batik on rayon fabric

The Faith-based community was an early and strong supporter of Fair Trade. It's a long story and I am not an expert witness, but we can thank Mennonites and their friends for the beginnings of both Ten Thousand Villages and Serrv. Recent waves of Fair Trade entrepreneurship have included leaders like Stacey Edgar, founder of Global Girlfriend. I think her story is fascinating, and I find the emergence of new Fair Trade companies is adding to the diversity of available products, even as it has bewildered those who try to keep track of certification methodologies. More artisan groups means more diversity, but also more work communicating about standards while figuring out how to meet demand without losing ground when it comes to ethics. 

There's much more to share, so I've gathered a few favorite resources below.

Resources
For more information, including official definitions of Fair Trade and other resources, I find the World Fair Trade Organization website to be helpful. 

Learn more about Fair Trade products and artisan groups while sharing with others by volunteering at a store. Find out more about Lincoln's Ten Thousand Villages shop here Lincoln Ten Thousand Villages 

Fair Trade: A Beginner's Guide, by Jacqueline DeCarlo, was originally written in 2007 and remains helpful. 

The No-Nonsense Guide to Fair Trade, by David Ransom, 2001, is also helpful and includes chapters on specific types of Fair Trade items such as chocolate and coffee. 

Overdressed,The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, by Elizabeth Cline, 2012, is not about Fair Trade so much as about the opposite, and will break you of any habit you may have of purchasing cheap throw-away clothing. 

United Methodists might be interested to know that UMCOR has partnerships with several Fair Trade companies so that a percentage of sales made by congregations benefit UMCOR. Find out more here: UMCOR and Fair Trade

Did you know you can fund raise with Fair Trade chocolate???? Total game changer!!
Find out more here Equal Exchange fundraising

PokemonGo: Embrace

     Ahhh... PokemonGo. My adventure started Tuesday, July 12th. I was trying to figure out whether South Gate UMC, the church where I am pastor, was a PokeStop, and I quickly realized the only way to find out was to download the game onto my phone and find out for myself. I was in a car, driving a carpool from Lincoln to Wichita, when this realization hit me. 
By Tuesday evening, I was walking on the Wichita riverfront from my hotel to the next hotel over, trying to figure out how to navigate the new-to-me world of Pokemon. Fortunately, a number of other people were out playing and were very willing to help me. "Are you playing PokemonGo?" two young adults called to me. I replied that I was trying to and that I thought I needed help. By the time I reached my destination, three groups of people had taught me the basics of the game. 
      By Sunday, July 17th, I was back at South Gate UMC, and was able to verify for myself that the church is PokeStop, a location where people playing the game can stop to reload on virtual items that are needed for play. Here's what our Stop looks like when players visit.

By Sunday, July 24th, I was leading a Sunday School class for youth, adults, and a 3-year old on the topic of PokemonGo. Why? I had observed people coming to our front yard to play the game, and I will admit I had developed a concern that we might turn into a church version of the cartoon character in the Scooby Doo cartoons who shakes his fist at the heroes and hollers, "you kids get off my lawn with your silly games!" 

Rev Steph's Overview of PokemonGo for the Admittedly Barely Interested:
 1) It's a game. It might be a fad, who knows? For now, it's a game that people are playing, many churches are utilized in the game, and for this reason if you are a pastor or member of a church I think it is a good idea to have at least a minimal knowledge of how the game works. 
a) The game uses mapping, and doesn't really work unless the player is walking around. The basic goal of the player is to capture wild Pokemon (short for Pocket Monsters) by flicking a magic ball at them (this is a swiping motion on a phone screen). 
2) The game uses locations in two ways. 
a) Some locations are PokeStops, where players collect virtual items that they use to play the game. Many, many, churches are PokeStops. So are many sculptures, murals, and historic markers. 
b) Some locations are Gyms, where players "battle" to win control of the location. Some, but not all, churches are Gyms. In the neighborhoods I live, two ice cream shops, two churches, an insurance company and a park are Gyms. 
3) These locations were determined by the game designers, and are left over from another, earlier, game that also used mapping and locations. If you really, really do not want your location to be a PokeStop or Gym, you can use a link on the PokemonGo website to request that it be taken down. In most cases, I think having extra foot traffic at a church is going to be beneficial at best, benign at worst. In our case, the photo of the church that Nintendo displays each time a player visits to gather Pokeballs at our church showcases our worship times. I say, HOORAY! 
4) If you are curious whether your church is a PokeStop or Gym, an easy way to find out is to download the app, register to play and see for yourself. It's free, and if you have trouble figuring out how to play, I promise someone will appear who will be willing to help you. Just last night, a nice young man from Osmond Nebraska helped me figure out how to help capture the gym at Zesto on 11th Street. We also discussed how much he enjoys the UMC he attends in Yankton, SD and he promised to come visit South Gate the next time he is in town on a Sunday morning.

5) You might meet some neighbors while you are out playing. Prior to my Zesto excursion, I headed the opposite direction on 11th street to the neighborhood mural that is the other local Gym. There I met the proprietors of the new helado shop, Letty's. We discussed the importance of quality ice cream popsicles, and after I placed my Flareon at the gym (isn't it cute?) I made my way home while enjoying a banana/nutella ice cream popsicle (only $2, you really should come visit).
6) What's the answer to how to interact with someone who stops by the church to play PokemonGo? 
Do say any of these things:
hi! 
come back any time!
what level have you reached?
have you picked a team yet? 
I sure am enjoying how many people have been stopping by lately
Are you playing PokemonGo? 

Do not say:
I heard you could get killed playing that game
I hate games
No one ever works any more

I realize PokemonGo is not for everyone. That's fine. I do think that a present reality is that it is a game for some. Because those some are visiting our churches to play, and because some of the active players are members of our congregations and are enjoying playing before and after worship services, I think it is better for those in the church to know the basics of how the game works and be prepared to welcome those who are playing than to not be prepared to welcome them. In the meantime, I'll look forward to seeing you - at the South Gate PokeStop, and at the neighborhood Gym.

 

GC #4 It's not the Apocalypse

I woke up this morning thinking about the candidates for ministry that I mentor. They are a diverse group, comprised of pretty much all the seminary students in the Great Plains not enrolled at St Paul. We meet via facebook group and individual phone calls, skype and emails and I know them much better than you might think given the distance and time zones involved. I care about them, pray for them and worry about them. Below you will find what I wrote to them this morning. I want to think it applies to all members and pastors of the United Methodist Church church as well. 

Friends - this could be a rough day at General Conference. I can't protect you from alarming news and the accompanying social media posts.
Word came as I was preparing to sleep of a plan for schism that may or may not have been proposed by our Bishops.
As with all news from GC, I advise to proceed with caution for these and other reasons:
1) the hearer of the news is likely tired and comes to the news with more stress than they usually might
2) the communicator of the news is likely tired and comes to the news with more stress than they usually might
3) anything that happens in the next three days can be overturned, amended, reversed, reconsidered and/or thrown out on Friday. or any of the other days between now and the time we leave.
Finally - please know that no matter how much we appear to be fighting, God cherishes all candidates for ministry - including the ones we have told to wait, the ones who are LGBTQI, the ones who are no longer young adults, and the ones who have taken "nontraditional paths" - and I think our denomination does as well, we just don't have all the words quite yet.
Thank you for allowing me into your lives, I appreciate your trust.
If you have room for those of us in Portland in your prayers, please include us. It could be a difficult day.
Closing with this: I believe in the God who created and is creating, who makes all things new.
Love to you. SA

Here's a photo, because I feel like blogs should not just have words. 

 Sky was my parents' "young associate pastor" when they lived in Martin TN. I was a student at Vanderbilt the first three years they lived there, and Sky invited me to preach at their church. !!!! It was my first sermon EVER at a church. He wasn't my "real" mentor, but he is one of many informal and very real mentors I've appreciated on my faith journey. Now he is a District Superintendent, and a candidate for Bishop in the Southeast Jurisdiction.

General Conference #3 The Veneer is Chipping

Ahhh.... Day 6. I find that as a group we can usually make it until Day 6 of General Conference in a general state of benign something-ness and then the veneer starts to chip. Perhaps you have been to a flea market and seen what was once a lovely piece of furniture, dresser or library table that in its glory days appeared to be sturdy and impervious to harm; a side table that has seen contact with a wayward bowling ball, a spilled bottle of ink, a teething puppy, and a forgotten glass of water or two - and has developed a wobble, a few ripples and some dents. This is one way to describe Day 6 of General Conference. 

Some, however, were already well aware that the flea market find had its issues. The Love Your Neighbor Coalition has been working to prepare for General Conference, seeking to help our denomination figure out to live into our hope of being the denomination of Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Doors and I think more importantly living into our hope of being a people who worry more about embracing a more theologically and functionally consistent notion of what it means to love our neighbor. The photo above is from opening worship, which included Communion. You'll see Bishops at planned Communion stations; in between you will see a banner that says "remember me," held by two volunteers from the LYNC coalition and two more volunteers holding communion elements. I took this photo from my seat in the visitor/reserve delegate section. The (apparently) headless suited man on our left of the banner is a social media friend of mine. I was so excited to see him that I didn't even notice the alternative communion station! All I could think was, I hope I get ushered towards the station near Will so I can thank him for holding that sign up!!! Only when I got back to my seat did I realize I could have headed to the alternative communion station. 
I've been receiving texts, emails and messages throughout the week from friends asking me what I think will happen. That's a rather large question. The people asking probably are referencing whether or not our denomination will split over homosexuality, and whether that action will happen by the end of next Friday. I think there is another question to consider, and it goes like this: Will we allow the institution of the Church to be just that? The Church isn't God, it is a collection of structures that humans organized to make it easier to do the work some people agreed was good to do to teach others about God. Back on the flea market metaphor, if you spend all your time trying decide which color of shabby chic paint to select for your reclaimed dresser - you might forget to measure to see if the dresser fits in the space available. I feel like in the flea market of life, and in the United Methodist Church, there can be, should be, and is room for all the furniture, all the orphaned salt and pepper shakers, all the mildewed cookbooks, and all the unmarked starting-to-rust car keys stored in cardboard cigar boxes that are not sturdy enough to be turned into purses. I am pretty sure Jesus said somewhere that God is the ultimate collector, and I think as disciples we are called to keep looking until we find the treasure in one another.

I like to post garden photos - here's one from Portland. Keller gardens, near Portland State University and the hotel where Rebecca and I are staying. I don't know the story of the rose petal heart - but it was a gift to find this sign of love shortly before we headed to the Convention Center to register for General Conference.

Blogs and blogging. Thoughts.

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Blogs – thoughts

I think of blogs as public journals. They generally consist of a series of individual entries, each usually dated and frequently titled. Unlike a diary, where sequential pages usually move from the past to the present, blogs are usually arranged with the most recent entry, or “post,” first. Like a diary, there is likely not a safe hiding place for a blog – so don’t write things you don’t want other people to read. Blogs can be written by a single author or by several.

I have a rich history of blog-writing fear. The source of the fear is at least two-fold: 1) written words seem more permanent to me than spoken words so I worry more about errors ranging from typos to grammar to irrelevance to non-logic, and 2) my family of origin is very word-laden and I get worried that I will melt under the weight of the words I mix together, like a chemistry experiment gone bad.

Here’s how I’ve talked myself down from the blog fear: 1) I’m already in actual print every month with the pastor’s column in the church newsletter, 2) I am as word-laden as the rest of my family, so it’s too late now to traffic in word fear, 3) very few people will actually read what I write, and 4) on a practical level the blog format is better than twitter, facebook and pinterest for short essays and opinion pieces.

I find 4) the most convincing of the above reasons, and it is what spurred me to figure out my blog password, update my profile and restart myself down the written-yet-virtual word path.  For purely pragmatic reasons, a blog can be very helpful. Teaching at license to preach school but you are pretty sure the students will lose or fold into origami paper cranes anything you hand them? Give them the link to your blog and post notes there.  Do you have a bunch of book reviews from a previous life that you want to be able to find again? Post them on the blog. Doing your best to teach your colleagues about social media, but afraid someone will notice you haven’t written in your blog for a year? Post to the blog – that way there’s a current post, plus you might encourage someone else to lay aside their blog fear.

Where to blog and names: I picked blogger because it’s a google product, and I already use gmail so I figured if I could navigate one google product, I could probably figure out another one. When you pick a blog name, remember that the title of the blog can be longer and more descriptive, but the name of the blog is what your readers will use to find you online. So: the title of this blog is kind of goofy. Rev Steph’s Eclectic Garden. My guess is I was trying to give myself room for a variety of post topics without sounding too complicated. The blog name for web use, however, is revsteph.blogspot.com. The difference between the two? I advise keeping the name short and spellable, and the title as poetic and confusing as you’d like. 

Proofing: I have some typos and missing words in my recent posts. This is because I did not follow my own advice. Which goes like this: write your post in a word document and cut and paste it into the blogging tool you use. This way your spellcheck will find basic, annoying errors for you. Once you paste in the spellchecked words, utilize the draft function to proof what you have written again. Then wait at least ten minutes to post so you can read again while you feel less enthusiastic and therefore are better able to read for continuity, voice, structure, and redundancy. The good news is that after you have posted, you can go back and edit your work, so you won’t leave behind a permanent grammatical disaster.

Late July, 2014. Omaha garden

I once read that gardeners should keep a notebook, and anytime you plant a perennial you should make a note of the name and draw a map of where you planted it.  

I don't know the name of the purple plant, nor do I know when I planted it or its source.