Life and Light Article Promotes Our Fellowship and Fall Retreat

By Norm Wetterau

Jeff Finley wrote an excellent article on our fellowship and upcoming retreat for Life and Light titled FM Health Fellowship Connect and Inform. Read it HERE.

Send this link to others and ask them to sign up for our newsletters on fmhealth.org. We want to add several hundred more healthcare professions to our mailing list. We have so many doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in our churches but they say they have never heard of our group. Now they have but they need to be encouraged to sign up to be on our mailing list. Some may want to come to the retreat or go virtually but for others just connect them to our group. We may want to plan some regional events and need names and e-mail addresses so we can connect.

Being a member might be coming to our annual retreat, or a virtual event, reading our newsletter, writing something for it, or helping your church address the many health issues their pastors and members deal with . We also hope that our group can help our members prevent burnout and grow spiritually. This year’s retreat is on same-sex attraction but we will continue to address many other issues in the future. As the article says, our fellowship connects and informs.

FM Health Fellowship Members Go Overseas

By Norm Wetterau

Jerry and Lillie Ann Rusher

Going to Togo, West Africa for 2 months. We will be serving in L’Hopital de Esperance that is located in Mango, Togo. It is associated with ABWE. To see more about where we will be, you can look at their site ABWE/Hospital of Hope/Togo.

“Samaritans Purse has made the arrangements for our flights. SP paid for Jerry’s airfares also. We will be serving in a predominately Muslim community. When we were in Togo 3 years ago it was farther south in the country. This hospital is an 8 hour drive north of the capital, Lome. We appreciate prayer for us as we face a number of challenges. No doubt Jerry will be busy and will need to adjust to their procedures. The heat and humidity will be discomfiting but nothing compared to what our Lord experienced for us. “

Be Blessed,

Jerry and Lilly Ann Rusher

Alice and Randy Mathewson 

They are in Congo for 4 months where they help in facility development. The solar power unit is not enough for the 

hospital needs and they plan to look into that and help with possible expansion. Also there are numerous other projects they may become involved with, their church, Warm Beach  Free Methodist, donates salary for all the hospital maintenance staff.

Tim Kratzer and his Two Grandchildren

They will be going to Congo in June to visit Deaconess Hospital and also meet with the church leadership as champions for Congo (www.congohealth.org) and  look at the best ways to help out with our limited funds.

The Malaria Vaccine: Covid is Not the Only Issue

The NEJM, March 17, 2022 issue, had an article titled:

A Malaria Vaccine for Africa, an important step in a century-long quest.

(Pedro L Alonso MD and Katherine L O’Brian MD  Global Malaria Program,  WHO

As Free Methodists who have started hospitals in India, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo,

Haiti, South Africa, and Mozambique, this should be important news.  For other Americans, whose vision ends with our shores, it may seem less important.

Frankly many Free Methodist Children around the world die of Malaria and many others are treated in our global medical clinics and hospitals. The article reminds us that

Malaria is still with us with over 240 million cases and 627,000 deaths, mainly 

In children under 5 years of age who live in sub-Saharan Africa, which is where Free Methodists have many of our hospitals and clinics, plus a medical school in Burundi. What the NEJM article does not tell us is that it only costs a few dollars to treat a child for malaria. In Congo a 2 day hospitalization, medicine, IV and blood transfusion only costs fifty dollars, which is more than many families can pay. (Most people earn less than $2 per day)  Children die due to lack of funds, or the inability to travel to get the treatment, yet thousands more do get treatment.

In spite of vector control, nets and medications, malaria deaths have increased in many countries. The article has a map which shows countries where malaria mortality has increased since 2015.  In Congo the increase has been over 25%. If you talk with our Free Methodist doctors and nurses who practice in Congo, they will confirm this and see it every day.

The article discusses both prevention, treatment and a new vaccine which has been tested and given to over 850,000 children in Ghana, Malawi and Kenya. Vaccines are not always easy to develop. There is still no effective vaccine for HIV.  It has taken many years to develop this malaria vaccine and it requires a series of 4 shots. It does no give full protections, but along with other measures, it helps. Yet despite the difficulties of giving a series of vaccine in Africa it did happen in 3 African countries. “The use of routine vaccination channels resulted in vaccine administration in 60% of children who had not been reached by mosquito -net distribution programs, thereby increasing the proportion of children with access to effective malaria-prevention tools to more than 90%, Vaccine implementation resulted in a 9% reduction in all -cause mortality and a 30% reduction in hospital admission of children with severe life-threating malaria”.  NEJM March 17, 2022 1005-1007  Much of  this was funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.

 It can be done. The article also discussed the pushback on developing and testing such a vaccine.  It will not be a great money maker for the biomedical industry, yet in spite of vector control and medications, deaths continued to increase in many countries.

When we consider the 25% increase in malaria deaths In the Congo from 2015 to 2020, this vaccine, along with many other measures, might help. People can read more details in the article itself, as well as on the WHO website under world malaria, which one can google. But I think there are some special lesions that our churches and members might learn. First, malaria is still with us, and in Congo, deaths in children increased by over 25% from 2015 to 2020. Net distribution and treatment with medicine work, but this is not working for many, including those in Congo.

Vaccination can also help, but this does not give complete protection and is costly.

AS one reads the article it appears that malaria seems neglected in relation to other disease in the United States. It is neglected by the medical industry and our medical schools.

Frankly it is also neglected by our churches. Only two Free Methodist churches contribute to medical care in Congo and the figures for other Free Methodist Medical ministries is also low. Most of our churches do not contribute to our medical facilities in the poor countries where we have facilities and in fact, many have no knowledge of what is happening there, or that we even have hospitals. How many of our members, or for that matter Americans,  even know that over one half million children under 5 die of malaria in sub-Sahara Africa. The Gates Foundation knows and we know. Let others know.

An Invitation to the Free Methodist Health Fellowship Fall 2022 Retreat

September 16-18 2022

The Essenhause in Middlebury, Indiana

In Person and Virtual Attendees Welcome

By: Norman Wetterau

For those who come: the program, fellowship, getting back together, sharing and honoring some who have gone to heaven since we last met. 

For all; a very challenging program: Addressing Same Sex Attraction from a Christian Perspective.

Our board felt that this was a very current issue in our churches, and an issue that has theological, social, psychological, and medical perspectives. We have two speakers, plus a panel of our members who will present medical perspectives and respond to the speakers.

Rodney Bassett: Has a Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State and taught psychology for 44 years at Roberts Wesleyan College, including courses in Human Sexuality. He has published over 100 articles on a variety of research projects with his students, that shared the common theme of viewing psychology through the lens of Scripture and the Christian Faith.

Rev. Bruce N.G. Cromwell:  A member of the FMCUSA’s Study Commission On Doctrine (SCOD), and Superintendent of the Great Plains and MidAmerica Conferences. He has written a book, ”Loving From Where We Stand”. Here he tackles one of the most pressing issues of the day in this practical guide for Free Methodists. In reviewing the book Dr David Bauer says that “Bruce Cromwell offers a vision of the Church’s response to those who experience same-sex attraction, that is truly biblical, is richly theologically informed, and holds the promise of being pastorally and missionally effective…..  He compellingly insists that we must avoid the false alternative of either loving the homosexual or maintaining the biblical perspective.  This is one of the healthiest and most holistically biblical treatments of this issue that I have encountered.”   During his talks on Friday night and Saturday morning he will present key points from the scripture, suggest positions a church might take and then present what our Free Methodist Leadership has chosen as our position. There are two important parts of our position: whether the activity is right or wrong, and how we treat those who are involved in that activity. He proposes expressing love through a welcoming inclusion with accountability.

Rod Bassett is a psychologist who has taught at a Christian College all of his career. In the Friday night session, he will present an overview of homosexuality through the lens of psychology. Do we know why people become homosexual?  Are there biologic differences between heterosexual and homosexuals? What are some of the possible psychological /biological explanations for why some people become homosexual? As part of this discussion, he anticipates talking about different way to conceptualize same-sex attraction and statistics on frequency.

On Saturday morning’s session he hopes to address changing attitudes he has observed among college students. For many of these students this topic has shifted from a Biblical issue to a social justice issue. He plans to discuss Moral Foundation Theory and to spend time talking about psychologic suggestions for being able to love your neighbor when that neighbor h adopted a lifestyle or views that are contrary to your own

Both speakers, social psychologist Dr Bassett and Theologian Bruce Cromwell will address the theme of loving the sinner but not the sin. Is homosexual activity a sin, and if so, how do we individually and as a church relate to those who practice this. (this is really the theme of Dr Cromwell’s book) Also what aspects of this is a sin: the attraction, any sexual relationship or as in the case of homosexuals, any relationship outside of marriage?  Should we as Christians or a church recognize same sex marriage?

There will be over an hour set aside for questions on any aspect of this topic.  On Saturday afternoon there will be a 2 hour zoom session for just college students and young people. There will be a brief review of what has been covered Friday night and Saturday morning but with a special emphasis on how we view and treat homosexuals. Over half of that 2 hour session will be devoted to questions and discussion. 

Saturday evening the speakers will address the issues of companionship and intimacy. If Christians believe that sexual relationships are only acceptable in a marriage between a man and a woman, then how can single people develop close companionship and intimacy at some level?  Also , churches tend to be made up of married people with children. How can the church promote healthy Christian relationships for those who are not married, which could include people with same sex attraction who choose not to have sexual involvement, as well as single heterosexual people, those divorced or widowed?  On Saturday evening several board members will also address how we as health care professionals should care for those in same sex relationships. Are there special health issues that need to be addressed?

All sessions Friday night and Saturday morning will be available on zoom for those who cannot attend in person.  They will need to register and pay a small fee. In addition, our fellowship wants to reach out to college students.  There will be a special 2 hour zoom meeting Saturday afternoon for students or other young adults who may not be members of our fellowship. We hope that as a result some may join our group. Students can attend all the sessions on zoom, or in person if they wish (some scholarships are available) but many may choose to just attend this special session which will include at least a half hour for questions and answers. There will be no charge for students. Address questions to: normwetterau@aol.com

Mark your calendars and share this information with others.  More information on how to register will be sent out in May and will be available on www.fmhealth.org. By mid May, one can register for both the in person retreat and the online sessions on our website www.fmhealth.org .

Pictured: Essenhaus Inn and Conference Center, Middlebury, Indiana

Advancing Spiritual Care

By Dierdre L. McCool, Butterfield Foundation

Matthew 9:35-38 reads:  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; and healing every sickness, and every disease among the people. When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Jesus engaged.  He loved everyone and intentionally went after the vulnerable.  

Jesus taught.  He talked about the importance of loving God, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. He emphasized the importance of forgiveness and repentance.

Jesus shared.  He wanted everyone to know He was the way, the truth, and the life.  

Jesus healed.  He cured people from sickness and disease.  

Jesus cared.  Compassion was a primary attribute of His.  He longed for the crowds to experience peace, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.  

Jesus set the standard for whole person healthcare and restoration.  For one to flourish, He taught the body, soul and spirit of each man and woman had to be transformed by His power.  As His disciples, we are called to follow in our Shepherd’s footsteps.  

At the Butterfield Foundation (Foundation), we constantly seek innovative ways to practice Spirit-led stewardship that transforms lives.  We seek to go after the poor and disenfranchised throughout the world via our funding. We endeavor to build and maintain unity through love and forgiveness.  We strive to be Gospel-centric in our interactions and granting. We fund initiatives to promote physical healing and are seeking ways to address mental, social, and spiritual brokenness too.   We base our ministry on compassion, purposefully and sacrificially extending grace to each person with whom we encounter.

Spiritual health is often over-looked as an indicator of overall well-being.  Therefore, the Foundation recently launched an initiative to advance spiritual care in charitable Christian clinics and Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHC’s).  Students from Christian learning institutions who are studying to be pastors, chaplains, missionaries, etc. are given an opportunity to grow their skills and engage in meaningful conversations with patients from a variety of different backgrounds through the Eric Baird Spiritual Care Internship (EBSCI).  

The pilot for this program started in partnership with Mid-America Christian University (MACU) and Crossings Community Center & Clinic (Crossings).  Savannah Balute was the first student to take part in the internship during the 2021 spring semester. She indicated serving at Crossings not only challenged her but connected her with those who are from very different places, backgrounds, and beliefs.  She said, “This internship taught me that you do not need all the answers and fixes to people’s problems.  Instead, it’s about trusting the Holy Spirit and His guidance.”

(Pictured from left to right:  Marq Youngblood, Executive Director, Crossings; Savannah Balute, MACU; Dierdre L. McCool, Executive Vice President, Foundation) 

Interest continues to grow in this program. The Foundation now has partnerships with the following entities: The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital; Christ Community Health Services; and Harding Theological Seminary. The primary purpose of this initiative is to motivate students to consider careers serving vulnerable populations in the healthcare field. To learn more information about the EBSCI, visit our website at www.butterfieldfoundation.org or contact Dierdre L. McCool, Executive Vice President at dierdrem@butterfieldfoundation.org.

BIG KNIFE - Operating for God in Africa

FMHF member and long term missionary, Frank Ogdon, publishes his story in a book.

Share information about this book with your friends and pastors. Buy one for your church library.

We are pleased to announce the release of Frank’s life story in paperback: BIG KNIFE—Operating for God in Africa which is now available for purchase online at Xulon Press or on Amazon for $22.49. It includes 40 color photos. 

However, we want to give you the author’s discount of $18 (includes postage). Send Frank a check with your mailing address:

Frank Ogden
620 12th St. S.W. #17
Everett, WA 98204

Here’s an excerpt from the Foreword by Dr. David Goodnight.

“This is the incredible story of the miraculous growth of the Kingdom at Kibuye Hospital in the upcountry of Burundi, Africa, and a faithful servant, Dr. Frank Ogden. If you visited Kibuye Hospital today you would find it buzzing with well-trained doctors and staff. You could tour a thriving medical facility with over 300 beds. Fifty years ago no one could have imagined this. The surgery center was primitive. The Frank Ogden School of Medicine did not exist. Electricity was not reliable. But the power and presence of the Kingdom was absolutely active – and growing…”

In Frank’s own words: “This is the account of my preparation for missionary service and the medical adventures I had in the development of rural hospitals in three Central African countries. But more than that, it is the story of how God advances His cause through committed servants of Christ, using medicine to relieve physical suffering and pointing people to Christ.

Hope Africa Graduates

By: Dr. Randy Bond

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

In the last week or so I have met socially with leaders of the promotions of 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2014 and some others from other promotions. They have updated the “who is doing what” list for their people and a few in other promotions. I attach the most recent version. I want to highlight several encouraging themes I have heard.

1. Our graduates are increasingly recognized as competent. There was hesitation at first to accept them but as they have proven themselves they are increasingly hired and accepted. Most notably, in a recent expansion of the health care system focusing on community clinics and hospitals an exam was given. All of the HAU grads who took it passed and something like 40% to 50% of the national positions went to our grads. There are many unemployed physicians so this was a feather in our cap.

2. Among nurses and paramedical personnel, HAU grads are looked at as compassionate with patients and collaborative with non-physician professionals—not aloof, demanding, or demeaning.  Different from grads of the other two schools.  The students attribute this notable difference directly to their experience at Kibuye and the modeling of Serge physicians.

3. HAU women physicians are leaders. We have by far the largest group of Burundian female physician graduates.  They started the Burundian Women’s Medical Society, they are volunteering in “girl empowerment” programs for young girls, have started local non-profit associations to do that, including menstrual education.

4. Few of our graduates, seem unemployed unless they choose to be

5. Many are volunteering to serve the underserved, some are doing only ministry and some are focused on non-medical community development associations.

6. I did not count the number in or having completed residency but OB/GYN, Surgery, and Anesthesia seem to be the most popular residencies. Many are pursuing MPH studies. 

7. They are everywhere--unafraid to work in the rural environment!

Future of the FMHF and Our 2022 Retreat

BY: NORMAN WETTERAU, M.D. - FMHF PRESIDENT

In spite of Covid, additional people have been signing up for our newsletter. Our fall retreat was virtual but excellent. Several doctors from Africa attended by Zoom. In the coming year, we want to make more connections to African Doctors. Some will receive our newsletter and I invited them to submit articles.

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

The board decided to plan on a face-to-face retreat next year. The dates are Sep 16-18 at the Essenhaus in Indiana. More information including the theme and speakers will be sent out in our February newsletter. We plan to have some of the sessions virtual for those on the Westcoast who do not want to travel far and for those overseas, but many of us want to meet in person.

We are also considering some special 1 or 2-hour zoom programs for churches and pastors, or for students. We are a fellowship, but we also have a mission to assist churches in addressing health needs. (those sick, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, or anyone suffering) We have appreciated what the chaplains have taught us and together we want to help our churches. Covid has shown us the importance of this.

If you have comments or suggestions, go to www.fmhealth.org and click on contact and you can leave a message. The messages will be forwarded to our board and one of us will give you a call If you want one and you leave your phone number. We welcome input and also welcome articles for our newsletter but please run them by me before writing.

A Service of Lament at the FMHF Retreat

Comments BY: NORMAN WETTERAU, M.D. - FMHF PRESIDENT
Service By: Dr. Wayne McCown

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

After the presentations and discussions on Lament, Wayne McCown lead a brief service of lament. It was based on Psalm 13. For those who attended, spend some time going over this in a prayerful way. That time with God may be more useful than all the things we can write. If you were not able to attend, read and pray through this. It can be a retreat of Lament with God and lead by the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 13 (NIV), a Psalm of Lament
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Turning to the LORD with Your Complaint

1 . How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2. How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Bolding Asking the LORD for an Answer:

3. Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Placing Full Trust in the LORD

5. BUT I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the LORD's praise, for he has been good to me.

After you have read and prayed through this psalm, read Wayne McCown’s comments below and repeat your prayers and readings.

---

Introductory comments on Psalm 13

Psalms of Lament (over 50)

• Most have a similar pattern, as represented here

• 1st step = Turning to God, often/typically voicing hard questions such as Why? and/or How long?

  • Here, no less than 4x he says, “How long?”

  • Simply voicing it does not evoke an answer.

  • Addressing it to God does: “How long, LORD?”

  • Lament = turning to the LORD with the hard questions of theology and life.

  • Beyond the pandemic, where else in your life are you pleading with the LORD: “How long?” What are some of your “unanswered” prayers?

• 2nd step = Bolding presenting to God your specific personal struggle

  • What “enemy” or “foe” are you facing today?

  • Physical, mental, psychological or spiritual condition; anxiety, fear, depression?

  • Address it to the LORD and ask for his help.

• 3rd step = Turn away from yourself (and your limited resources) and turn back to the LORD

  • Put your trust – fully – in him.

  • Typical of Lament: conclude with a reaffirmation of faith, introduced by “but” or “yet”

  • In your time of reading this and prayer, Walk through the sequence of steps together.

• Comments by Dr. Wetterau: The evangelical church likes to be positive and triumphant.

  • People have not often shared unanswered prayers or failures. Covid has changed this. We in the health care professions see sickness and apparent failures. Many of us have said Psalm 13, and other psalms of lament but I often do not spend time to really pray through the psalm and through the issues that bother me. In this time of covid and national depression, call on your Christian friends and small groups to share their concerns and lament. The medical profession is very concerned with all the covid depression, the increase in drug overdoses and suicides (deaths of despair). Our churches need to be equally if not more concerned. People are looking for answers. Psalm 13 and others have some answers if we can spend the time to pray and allow God to show himself. The answers will not be found in one sermon or in our back pockets.

Fall Retreat – Improving Practice Through Emotional Intelligence and Lament

BY: Susanne Mohnkern - FMHF Board Member

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Have you ever been in a situation where emotions got out of control and you wished you had been able to handle it better? Attendees at this fall’s FMHF retreat were able to reflect on just such a situation and learn more about emotions and the related topic of lament. After careful deliberation, the Fall 2021 Retreat was moved to a fully online event on Sat. September 18th The Rev. Larry L. Lyons, Manager of Spiritual Care Trinity Health System in Livonia MI, provided those in attendance with two seminars - Emotional Intelligence: Patient-Centered Care and Lament: A Journey in Resilience. In his role as hospital chaplain over the past 18 months, Rev. Lyons has been privileged and challenged to work in some of the most extreme conditions seen in the past 100 years in health care as the nation dealt with the global pandemic that strained hospital capacity and exhausted health care providers at all levels.

Emotional Intelligence: Patient-Centered Care - Rev. Lyons provided an overview of emotional intelligence (EI) from Ted. A. James, MD, MHCM at Harvard Medical School. EI consists of self-awareness (knowing your emotions, strengths, weaknesses), self-management (the ability to stay calm when emotions are running high), empathy (identifying with & understanding others); social skills (managing relationships). As such, EI helps individuals outperform those with only high IQ leading to better clinical outcomes via improved communication & teamwork, ability to respond well under pressure, increased empathy, better quality of care & career satisfaction. Chaplain Larry added that EI helps one to recognize the emotion within those for whom we care. He suggested that with increased emotion, the caregiver needs to slow down, recognize the emotion in the room, and perhaps take an emotional time out. Physicians and nurses are striving for positive patient experiences with good patient satisfaction ratings. “Being there” and taking time to sit down and listen are important to patients. Larry quoted a study from the University of Kansas where seated visits took statistically no longer than standing visits but the patient perceived the seated encounters as being almost 2 minutes longer (statistically significant). The related topic of spiritual care during the healthcare encounter was also discussed. According to a multi-site study, a substantial minority of patients desire spiritual interaction in a routine office visit. In the hospital setting, when patients are presumably more severely ill, addressing spiritual & emotional issues is one of the most important parts of care. Since nurses are with the patient and family after the M.D. leaves the room, they play a critical role in provision of spiritual care. A breakout session with small groups helped attendees have a more in-depth discussion. Many practical suggestions offered were thought-provoking and helped practitioners imagine incorporating them in future patient encounters.

Lament: A Journey in Resilience - Continuing with the theme of how our emotions affect our practice, lament was defined for us as a passionate expression of grief/sorrow often expressed in a physical manner. Although painful, lament is essential to psychological health and is often the main pathway to personal growth, compassion, and wisdom. Rev. Larry shared some insights from the Book of Lamentations including how this literary work is a compelling testament to the resilience of the human spirit’s will to live. What followed was a look at the topics of: 1. models of biblical lament; 2. recovery of biblical lament; 3. biblical response to grief and pain is not denial; 4. experiencing lament in not spiritual weakness; 5. feeling distant from God in the midst of lament; 6. the possibility that feelings expressed during lament may not seem very spiritual (e.g. Psl. 13 where King David yelled at God); 7. we can completely trust God and engage in lament; and 8. honest pain turns to honest trust. Honest biblical lament will bring healing and resilience, unity to the church, point us to Jesus/Comforter/Father and move us to action. Attendees were encouraged to question why the Holy Spirit is called the comforter if we were not intended to grieve. With the emphasis on praise and worship, is there space for lament in our churches today? How can increasing our own EI bring healing and comfort to those we encounter? Throughout both seminars, Chaplain Larry used illustrations from his practice to facilitate our understanding of EI and lament. We thank Chaplain Larry for sharing with us such important topics pertinent to our world and our practice as we continue to navigate a global pandemic and healthcare worker shortage.

Obituary: Dr. Bruce Davenport, M.D.

Dr. Bruce Nelson Davenport

One of FMHF founders Dr. Bruce Davenport, age 93, joined Jesus on July 10, 2021. He was a medical missionary, as well as a pastor, and continued seeing patients into his 80s, specializing in house calls. He always brought some inspiring thoughts at our annual retreats and planned to attend this one with his wife, Harriet, and his brother and his wife Edward and Shirley. I remember he would pray through his appointment schedule daily before starting. His voice was soft but his messages were powerful.

The following was copied from his obituary:

Dr. Davenport attended the Saranac Free Methodist Church where a missionary came to the church and talked about missions. Bruce felt a strong calling to go to Africa as a medical missionary. After graduating from Lowell High School, he went to junior college in Spring Arbor where he met Mildred Avis. They were married on August 29, 1947. They moved to Adrian where he was appointed to Pastor of the Petersburg/Townline Churches. A year later they were appointed to the Sherwood Free Methodist Church. While he was there, he felt a renewed call to medical missions, so they moved to Seattle, WA where he finished his pre-med and medical school. After finishing his internship, they moved to Spring Arbor in 1958. In 1967, he worked at the mission hospital in Greenville, South Africa. In 1982, he was able to return to South Africa. After a miraculous deliverance in 1986, it became clear that they should return to the United States. On October 19, 2012, his wife Mildred Avis Davenport passed away. They had been married for just over 65 years. Later, he married Harriet Wheelock, a former missionary who served in Central Africa.

We hope we can all meet in person at next year’s retreat and celebrate his life with his family and all of his friends who are part of our group.

Civil War in Congo and Ethiopia: Lament and Pray

By: Tim Kratzer, M.D.

Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo tribal conflict resulted in a civil war from the late 1990s up to 2006 with the loss of more lives than in any war since WW II. Free Methodists were at the center of the slaughter yet how many of us did not even know about it. When things are very bad it is not too bad to pray. God does not call us to forget it but to lament. Indeed, we did help and with some help, our hospital in Congo remained open. There is still trouble in parts of the Congo, but God is answering prayer. UN troops are there now but these troops cannot extinguish hatred. In Rwanda and Burundi, there were major efforts by churches and outside agencies to bring about forgiveness and peace. When I was teaching mental health at Hope Africa University, I saw what had been happening. Some of the students watched as their parents were killed yet they forgave those who were responsible. God can heal and abolish hatred, even in regions of the Congo where tribalism continues.

But now we have a new civil war, in Ethiopia and since Ethiopia. The war is between Tigray prominence and the central government. Although the central government was reported to have defeated the Tigray rebels, that may not be the case and many killings continue.

Ethiopia’s Civil War Is a Disaster That’s Only Getting Worse
Bloomberg Opinion, August 31, 2021

There may be terrible famine. Aid cannot get to those in need. Farmers cannot plant their crops and animals are dilled. Again, this is too horrible to think about. We have enough problems of our own, but these are God’s people, even if they are destroying each other and themselves. Many are Christians. Again, we need to lament and call our churches to pray.

Would it be too much to pray for these nations each Sunday for the rest of the year or pray once a month with a progress report? (Check BBC and African news.) And yes, our churches there need money but let’s start with real lament and prayer. The problems are beyond money, beyond the UN and at this point, they seem to be even beyond our churches but they are not beyond God.

Praying for Haiti After Another Deadly Earthquake

BY: NORMAN WETTERAU, M.D. - FMHF PRESIDENT

Photo by Shefali Lincoln on Unsplash

Haiti: Ten years ago, Haiti had a terrible earthquake. In 2021 the president was assassinated, and the government is unstable. There is a covid epidemic.  Then there is another major earthquake. The government seems incapable of helping its people. Even outside relief agencies are having trouble getting help to where it is needed. How can God allow one country to suffer so much? Many Free Methodists are giving money to help.  We wonder what our Church leaders in Haiti are thinking

How to Pray for Haiti After Another Deadly Earthquake
Christian leaders in Haiti share what is different for believers between 2010 and now, as death toll passes 1,900.
[From Christianity Today]

Christianity Today had an interesting article, which is worth reading (see link above). They point out that the repeated damage was partially due to the earthquake, partially due to the poor government, and partly due to an attitude of hopelessness. Lament and hopelessness are not the same. After the last earthquake, people asked why buildings were not built in a way to help them not collapse in an earthquake. After the large quake ten years ago, building codes were developed but ignored, even by churches. Pastors in Haiti point out that nothing changed and that if larger buildings had been built to code, the loss of life would have been less. Of course, corruption is part of the reason. Corruption causes nations to stay in poverty and prevents change. But rather than complain and blame, we need to lament corruption and ask God to raise up national Christians to challenge the norm such as the pastors who are quoted in this article.

The article is an interesting discussion of political and theological issues that help make Haiti unable to change or even usefully use aid. There is much lament but not hopelessness. God is at work and Christians in Haiti and outside or trying to help. Various pastors for Haiti are quoted and the article gives lists of specific things to pray for concerning Haiti. Share this with your church (as well as what is happening in Africa). Many times, we do not want to know because we do not know what to do, but we are called to prayer and lament. We are not to look away or be too busy but as we lament and pray, and even give, we realize how seemly hopeless the problems are in Haiti yet we are called to lament and pray, not ignore and pray. Over the years God has does some great things through our mission efforts and the efforts of the local church. People have given and have prayed, let’s continue. Share the link to the Christianity Today article with others after you read it.

Another viewpoint:

Churches In Haiti Lie In Ruins After The Earthquake But Still Try To Comfort And Help
NPR News (April 30)

This news reports the destruction of catholic churches but then points out how much the churches do for the people. For many they receive their education in church-run schools, and churches supply food and much help to many, all things that the government seems unable to do. Protestant churches were included, and the report shows that despite all the troubles, God is still at work through churches in Haiti. Destruction of the buildings do not change that. This report in a secular news outlet makes me feel very good as a Christian. Keep praying and keep helping.

Lament: For the Coronavirus and Beyond

BY: NORMAN WETTERAU, M.D. - FMHF PRESIDENT

Our churches could not meet in person. Our friends and relatives have been ill, and some have died. We have been isolated.  For many American Christians, we have been in a state of sadness and lament over the coronavirus. Some have also been sad because of our political situation.  Both sides are upset at our inability to agree on solutions to our national problems. Finally, our national life expectancy has decreased by two years even before coronavirus due to drug-related deaths and suicide. These are deaths of despair. Christians need to lament, turning the issues over to God and seeking his help and wisdom, and asking him to take away our anger and hopelessness.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

This is not something we are good at. Soong-Chan Rah in his IV Press book on Lamentations, Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times, points out that many evangelical churches focus on celebration and triumphalism. He is critical of this as expressed in some white suburban evangelical churches, especially large prosperous ones. He calls on us to look at the inner city, the poor rural areas, and our overseas church and lament, not just for them but for ourselves. Revival will come through lament and honest repentance, rather than through great programs, celebration, and triumphalism.

We will explore lament at our fall annual conference which will be virtual on Saturday, September 18.  In making the decision to hold this virtual, rather than meeting in person, our board experienced sadness and lament. Let us come together on zoom and explore this together with our speaker, Chaplain Larry Lyons.  His first session, starting at 9:30, will be a follow-up of his talk at our virtual retreat last year. This pandemic on other social issues has gone on and on. How are we to react, not just to the disease but to what our different opinions are doing to families and churches. Where is God in all of this?

His second session will be on emotional intelligence and creating the patient experience. How do we as healthcare professionals build empathic skills and create emotional support? We may be in lament but many of those who are hurting look to us for help, whether the problem is coronavirus itself, unemployment, or the death of a family member from alcohol or a drug overdose. We then have the opportunity to meet one another virtually in two one-hour chat sessions, giving an opportunity to reflect, listen and share. After these two sessions, Pastor Wayne McCown will lead a 30-minute devotional. The meeting will be kept open for all of us to socialize and share what has been happening in our lives.

But our problems at home are not the only problems. As I have been reading about what has been happening in Haiti, Ethiopia, and the Congo, I have been brought to tears. These human realities make our problems seem small. Are we aware?  Do we and our churches pray for these countries? The problems are beyond human solution, but we have Free Methodists in all these countries. We cannot forget them. Mathew 25 calls on us to help those in need. I am afraid that some American Christians not only have no interest in helping but do not even want to know what is happening.   Even if we cannot solve these problems, we need to call our friends and churches to pray.

At the last General Conference Bishop Lubunga from the Congo attended. He is Bishop of one of the largest Free Methodist Conferences, not one of the poorest but the very poorest country in the world and a country that is still in tribal conflict, a continuation of the civil war that took the lives of 5 million people 20 years ago. At general conference, the Bishop was introduced and there was a prayer for Congo. It was an important moment for our General Conference and for Congo. Let us speak out in our churches, conference, and even at a general conference if that is necessary. We must know what is happening, lament and pray. Nothing is too horrible to pray about.

Join us for our virtual conference but also join us for lament and prayer for what has been happening.  We cannot change all of this but God can and maybe God will even use us to help.

Future Plans and Ways to Become Involved

Our virtual retreat in September on the Coronavirus was a big success. Many more saw it than would have come physically to a weekend retreat, although we really missed the in-person meeting and fellowship. Many Chaplains watched and have complimented us on the program. Please share the link with others.

There are many Christian Health Professionals in our churches who have never heard of our group. Encourage them to go to our website, sign up for this newsletter, and watch the video of our conference, or Email a link to this newsletter and our website. We have added over 25 people to our subscribers since June 1. We currently over 300 subscribers. but want to add even more.

The virtual meeting showed us that we can do more than just have an annual retreat. Our purpose is fellowship, but also to help our churches address important health issues, including mental health, addiction, outreach to the elderly, and topics such as suffering and the coronavirus. Through virtual meetings, we can include people who might not be willing to travel to our annual retreats. Our board is also thinking of one or two one hour zoom programs in 2021.

At this point, we are planning on a face-to-face retreat at the Essenhaus in Indiana. We have reserved the dates of September 17-19, 2021. A final theme and speaker have not been determined yet but we are considering a follow-up on our coronavirus meeting with an emphasis on lament. Please email any thoughts you have to our president, normwetterau@aol.com

Many believe that God can speak to us during the pandemic, and by next September we can look at that theme, and see what we have learned.

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Fall Virtual Conference:

We want to thank all the presenters and all those who attended.

• Rebecca Taylor: video and video host and NE Seminary

• Chaplain Larry Lyons

• Chaplain Rick Kerr

• Chaplain Kathy Petteys

• Dr. James Boal

• Steve Noblett

• Richard Reynolds

• Tim and Patricia Porter

Our January 2020 Newsletter has a copy of Kathy Pettey’s presentation. It brought me and others to tears when she presented it. Read it or listen to it again. I wrote a summary of Steve Noblett’s talk. All the other talks were equally good and we encourage you to go to events and listen to all the presentations. Larry Lyons was a chaplain in a hospital that was overrun with cases and deaths. Rick Kerr is a chaplain who works in an ICU. They talked about many things, including helping the staff, not only at the time of the outbreak but in the following months. Dr. James Boal works with Larry Lyons and described the medical situation in the hospital during the height of the problem. Richard Reynolds is a chaplain who works with the homeless, a group that has major problems during this epidemic. To do real justice to these speakers you need to hear what they said.

A Talk with Steve Noblett on Coronavirus and the Church

This summary is a combination of what Steve Noblett said, and Norm Wetterau’s memory and interpretation. Listen to the full presentation under events on our website. Go to 152 minutes or listen to all the talks.

Revival is often preceded by Great Tribulation. Are We and our Churches Ready for this?

We asked Steve Noblett, executive director of the Christian Community Health Fellowship to share his thoughts on how the church might respond to this epidemic. His talk started with a surprise that he had not told me about in the conversations leading up to his agreement to speak. A year ago, he had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and told he had only months to live. He had a severe reaction to his first treatment, so treatment was stopped, and he prepared to die, but many people in the CCHF and others prayed. To his surprise, he was totally healed of this, and when asked what this meant, he said he did not know except that 2020 is the scariest and most wonderful year for him to be alive.

In talking to him before the program, he said that the problem is not just coronavirus. The epidemic has shown us that many things we had great faith in were not as good as we thought: the medical system, the economy, our political system, and our society as a whole with great economic and social divisions. Suddenly the effect of racism and poverty on dying from the coronavirus, among other things became clear. Our churches had to be closed but even if they were open what should they say? So I asked, is there any hope or anything to talk about? He did speak, so the answer was a resounding yes.

He started by asking, what is God trying to do? He is doing what he has done in every generation: he is advancing the kingdom of God. This kingdom is tangible and among us. He does this in every generation, but at times there may be special events that allow his purposes to be advanced much more than usual, and he feels that this may be one of those times. One previous time was at Pentecost. Peter quotes the prophet Joel, but this quote has two parts: God’s spirit being poured out on all people and the fact that the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Steve sees terrible trouble and tribulation connected with revival. He thinks this may be one of those times. In a very great outpouring of God, there can be great advancement, but also great collapse. He thinks that is what we may be seeing at this time.

He spoke of Romans 8:19-24 19.

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

He did not feel that God sent Covid as a judgment, but it came and it revealed that our medical, economic, and social systems were inadequate systems that we had always depended on, so our reaction is to stop the destruction. We want to make it right again, but it can never be that way. because in a way our economic system and social structures are not that right. Our hope cannot be in what has been, but in what God can bring about. Our medical system is stressed, our economy, social structures, and education system are collapsing. These systems, although not all bad, are not held together by God. and they are collapsing. So, what does this mean? He does not know but said we must turn to God for the meaning. The church cannot receive all that God has if we are simply trying to put together the old: whether medically. socially or in our lives and churches. Do we believe that God has something for us? Will he pour out his spirit? Are we ready? Is this what we want?

The creation is groaning and what do people want? They want freedom, security, health, life, and community. All these things are products of the kingdom, but we have been living in the kingdom without the king. Some of the weaknesses are in the church, so there may be changes in society but there may also be changes in the church. Too often the church has preached a gospel of individualism. We have to capture all aspects of the kingdom as it affects individuals and our society. He talked about labor pains and how in the midst of labor one does not give up. A new child is born, and this is what Paul is referring to. We need to see our current troubles as such. What is coming next? (listen to his talk to get the full and somewhat humorous description of this.)

Our hope is not in a society that is falling apart but in a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is a time where we can represent hope. We can represent life and we can represent security. We can step into this current situation and proclaim the whole kingdom. Now the walls are down, and people are open to connecting to us and may be open to the kingdom. It is a time to connect. We need to also listen and learn how we walk forward together.

He really believes that if we recognize our role and the churches rise to it, we can see the greatest awaking we have ever seen in our lifetime, perhaps in history, and he thinks it will be global. He encouraged us to take a different world view. Don’t forget the pain and reality, don’t deny the pandemic but step into the situation with unity, humility, and faithfulness to the gospel.