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NE WS BRIEFSManitoba. The theme was “Towarda Just Peace: Indigenous-SettlerReconciliation through Friendship.”Sister Eva Solomon, an Ojibwe elderwho is a member the Sisters of SaintJoseph of Sault Ste. Marie, Minn., andSteve Heinrichs, director of IndigenousSettler Relations for MennoniteChurch Canada, gave the two keynotepresentations. Sister Eva, who hasdevoted her ministry to developingways of incorporating aboriginal ritesand customs in Catholic worship, ledthe participants in several inculturatedceremonies during the course of theconference.Bridgefolk is a movement ofMennonites and Catholics committedto celebrating and honoring the bondthat they share as brothers and sistersin Christ. This year’s conference wasthe second in a three-year series ofBridgefolk conferences exploring thecall to Just Peace, a new framework toencourage all Christians to embraceactive non-violence and justice.—BridgefolkWestern DistrictConference hearstestimonies and welcomesa churchAt its annual assembly July 26-27in North Newton, Kansas, WesternDistrict Conference focused on beingwitnesses, hearing testimonies fromcongregations and welcoming acongregation into its membership.Under the theme “We Are Witnesses,”participants heard a testimony atthe opening worship on July 26 fromSandra Luz Montes-Martinez. Shegave thanks for a Mustard Seed grantfrom the Resource Commission ofPeter AndersonThe cochairs of Bridgefolk, MarilynStahl, a member of Seattle MennoniteChurch, and John Klassen, Abbot of theBenedictine monastery of Saint John’sin Collegeville, Minn., acknowledgedthat the conference was being heldin Treaty 1 territory on land that is thetraditional terrain of the Anishinaabe,Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and DenePeoples, as well as the homeland of theMétis Nation.Memories of the Trail of DeathT rail of Death 2019 pilgrims pray as they read the 600-plus names ofPotawatomi people who died in the first decade following their arrival atthe government-allocated land at St. Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park inLinn County, Kan. Ben Parker Sutter is seated, and Mara Weaver Boshart isstanding.—Mennonite Mission NetworkWDC, which her congregation, IglesiaMenonita Monte Horeb in Dallas, Texas,used for a health initiative on diabetesprevention in the Hispanic communitythere.In his sermon, MC USA executivedirector Glen Guyton shared his storyof coming to the Mennonite churchafter serving in the U.S. Air Force. Hesaid he joined the Air Force as “a way toget out, to get an education.”Through Bishop Leslie Francisco III,pastor of Calvary Community Churchin Hampton, Va., Guyton met TitusPeachey, who taught him aboutAnabaptism and the theology of peace.“If Titus had not been open to me,”Guyton said, “if he had worried moreabout being pure, I would not be whoI am today.”On July 27, Moises Romero, pastor ofIglesia Camino de Santidad in Liberal,Kansas, spoke about the importantpeople to him in helping plant thiscongregation. Later in the day, WDCdelegates unanimously welcomed thecongregation as a new member.In his second sermon, Guyton said helikes the theme “We are witnesses,”especially “we are.” As our family offaith grows, he said, things get messy,and we need to accept people as theyare. We are attracting people who don’tknow all the rules, “like which pewbelongs to grandma.”He read from Ephesians 2:13-18 andnoted that Christ moves the churchbeyond a place of rules and regulationsto bring us together. “Rules areimportant,” he said, “but they are thereto help serve the church, and whenthey don’t, we need something new.”We need to recognize our role aswitnesses, he said. We live in a worldwhere people who are seeking asylumare abused. He worries about his son,who is entering a time when he isseven times more likely to be a victimof homicide simply because he isAfrican American. “This is a time ripefor the message of peace.”—Gordon Houser for TMailRead longer versions ofthese and other articles atthemennonite.org.THEMENNONITE.ORG SEPTEMBER 20197

MISCELLANYMiscellanyCO M P I L E D BYGOR D ON H OUS E RClimate change is an economicstory and a public health story;global warming shapes supplychains, water resources, techinfrastructure, communitydevelopment and loss, and onand on. Yet climate coverage hashistorically been relegated to thescience and environmental beats,outside the realm of hard news.—Rosalind Donald forColumbian Journalism ReviewEaster giftPathway Church in Wichita, Kan., usedthe money it ordinarily would havespent promoting its Easter servicethrough mailings and TV ads to helpfamilies pay off their medical debts.Each of the 1,600 families who hadtheir debt liquidated received a note:“We’re Pathway Church, we may nevermeet you. But as an act of kindnessin the name of Jesus Christ your debthas been forgiven.” Using RIP Medical,an organization that abolishes debtby buying it at pennies on the dollar,the church’s investment of 22,000alleviated 2.2 million in debt.—Christian Century8SEPTEMBER 2019 THEMENNONITE.ORG4x 6xGreenland is melting fourtimes faster than previouslythought, and Antarctica islosing six times as much iceannually as it did 40 years ago.—Sierra50%A new Gallup report found that onlyhalf of Americans say they belongto a church or other religious body,down from 69% 20 years earlier. Mostof the decline is tied to the rise of the“nones”—those who claim no religiousaffiliation. Gallup found that the shareof Americans who claim a religiousidentity declined from 90% to 77%.But even those who claim a faithtradition may not belong to a religiouscongregation or community, accordingto the report, which compared datafrom 1998-2000 to data from 20162018. At the turn of the 21st century,Gallup said, 73% of religious Americansbelonged to a house of worship. That’sdropped to 64% today.—Religion News Service300 tonsThe training of an A.I. (artificialintelligence) can produce more than300 tons of CO2.—Harper’sGreatest hymn of all time“Holy, Holy, Holy!” has been chosenin a March Madness-like tournamentas “the greatest hymn of all time.” TheHymn Society in the United Statesand Canada announced the winneron July 18, the last day of its annualconference in Dallas, Texas. More than800 people, mostly members of the1,200-member Hymn Society, votedon the society’s website, on Facebookand, in the last rounds, in person at theconference during the competitionthat featured brackets similar to thespringtime NCAA basketball tradition.—Religion News ServiceFactor by which more Americansdied in school shootings than incombat last year:3—Harper’sAverage number of years thewealthiest 1% of Americans outlive thepoorest 1%:10 to 15—Yes! MagazineAverage amount, in additional benefitsfrom Social Security and other socialprograms, that an affluent Americanreceives from that life expectancyinequality: 130,000—Yes! Magazine

CONGREGATIONAL SNAPSHOTShalomMennonite ChurchIndianapolis1.Members of the Mara Christian Church joined Shalommembers in a work day this spring to beautify thegrounds. Photo by Laura Harms2.Shalom and Iglesia Amigos (a Quaker church held inSpanish in Shalom’s building) invited neighbors toenjoy an Easter Egg Hunt in April. Photo by Laura Harms3.Front, from left, Grace Rhine and Rod Maust, andback, from left, Linda Showalter, Sam Bixler, CarlRhine, Mike Wigginton, Peter Wigginton and JimShowalter lead the congregation in song.Photo by Frank Kandel4.Chuck Dunn leads the Food and Faith Sunday schoolclass from his time at Paoli Mennonite.Photo by Laura Harms5.Brian Bither, Solomon Abebe and Linda Showaltertalk with guests from the neighborhood at the annualfall festival. Photo by Frank Kandel12345THEMENNONITE.ORG SEPTEMBER 20199

SUBTITLEBYAN N E B L ACK WO O DGUIDEDBYloveAnne Blackwood at work. Photo by Scott Byram10SEPTEMBER 2019 THEMENNONITE.ORG

Making God’slove practical inhealth careBeloved, let us love oneanother, because love isfrom God; everyone wholoves is born of God and knowsGod. Whoever does not love, doesnot know God, for God is love.—1 John 4:7-8Love must be at the centerof a faith-based response to anysocial issue. This is what Jesusmeant when he said all that Godexpressed through “the law andthe prophets” hangs on love ofGod, self and neighbor (Matthew22:40).According to 1 John, lovegrows out of our awareness ofGod’s unqualified love for us. Johnexpresses God’s love in terms ofJesus’ willingness to die. Whetherin death (as in Jesus’ case) or inlife, God loves first—consistently,patiently, perfectly. As weexperience and appreciate beingloved, we respond with love forGod, whom we have not seen, andfor our sisters and brothers, manyof whom we have seen. When wepay attention, within and beyondour usual circles, we can bringthese brothers and sisters intosharper focus, perceiving themwith love, as God does.Who, then, are God’s belovedin the health-care system? Beingbound by a body is one of thegreat democratizing attributesof being human, being created,being God’s beloved. At somepoint between birth and death,every human has some experiencethat could benefit from medical,nursing, nutrition, counseling orother health-care service.Under the best ofcircumstances, expectantmothers receive obstetric care,children receive regular pediatriccare, a burst appendix receivesemergency surgery. In middleage, as blood vessels, metabolicprocesses, immune systems orthe fidelity with which our cellsturn over demonstrate that allthings change with time, weexpect a doctor, nurse, socialworker, appropriate medicationand eventually hospice will beavailable to assist us. We expectthese things even, or especially,for more severe illnesses, or whenan accident or illness occurs “toosoon.” These expectations areconsistent with our being belovedchildren (creatures) of the lovingGod (Creator).This “best of circumstances”appears to be the reality formost of us. But these are notassumptions 14% of Americanscan make. These 28 millionpeople are no less beloved.According to the CommonwealthFund, in 2016, almost one-thirdof those with health insurancehad plans with high deductiblesand out-of-pocket expensescompared with their income.Among these “underinsured,”almost half reported medical debtproblems. Even among thosewith “adequate” health insurance,25% reported difficulty with theirmedical bills.As a juvenile diabetic, Iadvocate with my insuranceevery month about coverage forTHEMENNONITE.ORG SEPTEMBER 201911

insulin pens, pump supplies andmore. At a minimum, this istime consuming and taxing. Asa physician, I can afford highpremiums for a comprehensiveplan and know who to call toget these needs covered. Yet myexperience underscores the realitythat necessary health care isuncomfortably close to being outof reach for all of us.Necessaryhealth care isuncomfortablyclose to being out ofreach for all of us.Many factors drive healthcare costs. Innovation is one.It is expensive to develop andimprove on antibiotics, canceror heart-disease drugs, vaccinesand devices to diagnose, treatand manage many conditions.In addition, U.S. consumers paymore for medical innovation thando people in other countries,even wealthy countries. In theUnited States, we assume thatlimiting regulation facilitatesprogress. Unfortunately, whenunregulated: (1) drug developersrequire U.S. consumers to paymore for advances from whichworldwide patients benefit; (2) lessscrupulous developers encourageunnecessary and thus harmfulprescriptions, as we see in theopioid crisis; (3) health systemsdevelop monopolies; and (4)insurance companies maintainprofits, while patients sometimespurchase policies with out-ofpocket costs that are too high toprotect them.Uninsured patients alsoincrease costs. In a system wheresome can’t afford to pay for care:12(1) lower-cost, more effectivepreventive care is not delivered;(2) more severe, less treatableconditions cost patients andsociety more; and (3) those withcomprehensive coverage end uppaying inflated expenses thatcover some of the costs for thosewho cannot pay. The alternativesto inflated costs are either thatthose without insurance areturned away or that hospitals closeand accessibility is reduced foreveryone. We overvalue high-costspecialty care, while as a societywe fail to vaccinate children orprovide broad access to provenhealth screening and preventiveservices. Finally, those for whomhealth-care access is most limitedare the same beloved ones forwhom basic needs consistentlygo unmet—those in rural areasor inner cities, people of color.Market factors do not and cannotfacilitate equity.As God’s beloved, our values,advocacy and creativity shouldmove us to bring change, areorientation of priorities andbalance. We are to “seek peaceand pursue it” (Psalm 34: 14) andare called by Jesus to be salt.Anabaptists have a history ofacting boldly and compassionately,even when facing complexsystems. We have been changemakers, including providinghealth insurance in our owncommunities, and modernizingmental health services throughthe faithful efforts of Anabaptistconscientious objectors, whorequested socially significant workfor their Civilian Public Serviceand eventually established andbecame aides in governmentmental-health units. Theseordinary men and women not onlyresisted war but gravitated towardthese positions, which paid lessthan other civilian wartime jobs.SEPTEMBER 2019 THEMENNONITE.ORGThey resisted and reformed theinhumane mental-health practicesthey witnessed in governmenthospitals during World WarII, wrote letters to newspapersabout the harsh conditions,continued their advocacy afterthe war, established their ownmental-health hospitals andimpacted mental-health practicesnationwide. These actions lived upto the highest ideals of what weare called to be as beloved ones, asthose who act with mercy, justiceand compassion among God’sbeloved.Today, we are called to besimilarly creative and bold, guidedby love, with a view toward equity.Many of us do this in our chosenprofessions. As people of God,we must ask, How do we educateourselves about the health-caresystem, who is left out andwhy? How does this impact ourvolunteer efforts? Our pro bonoofferings? How does this impactour votes? What do we need toknow about candidates’ policieson the Affordable Care Act,Medicaid expansion, Medicare forall? How do we advocate? Whowrites letters and to whom? Whoare the policy makers among us?Who are our visionaries? Ourallies? Our potential allies? Howdo we amplify the voices thatinspire and multiply the actionsthat make God’s love practical,even in this arena?This is God’s work of love.Beloved, this is the life we arecalled into.Anne ByramBlackwood is amember of FirstMennonite Churchof San Francisco, amedical oncologistand a spiritualdirector.

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BYT I M OTHY M CM AHAN KIN GLOVE&EMPATHYPhoto provided by the author14SEPTEMBER 2019 THEMENNONITE.ORG

Treatment, not incarceration,helps those with addictionand saves costsIsat in my doctor’s officenearly 10 years ago,waiting for an update onmy progress. I had spent weeksin the ICU and months in thehospital after what shouldhave been a routine procedurecaused acute necrotizingpancreatitis. I had been homefor a few months and wasvisited twice a week by anurse. Unable to eat, I receivedall my nutrition through asemipermanent IV line in myarm.Insurance paperwork camethrough detailing the total cost ofmy care. I was lucky to only paya few hundred dollars in copaysfor what came to hundreds ofthousands of dollars in care. Just anight in the ICU was more than IJust a night in theICU was more than Ipaid for a month inrent.paid for a month in rent.The update my doctor gave wasmixed. My blood levels indicatedthat my pancreas was healing.Still, I was unable to eat evenwhite rice and broth without pain,nausea and vomiting. And even asmy numbers were improving, mydoctor noted that I was runningthrough my prescriptions for painmedicine faster than before.He told me that I had gastricparesis, a condition in whichthe high levels of opiates I wastaking had, in effect, paralyzedmy digestive system makingit impossible for me to resumeeating foods. And, in a crueltwist, the length of time I hadbeen on the narcotics and theheavy dosages were actuallymaking me more sensitive to pain.I had developed anotherpotentially deadly but notuncommon condition; I wasaddicted to my pain medicine. Myusage had moved from slow andconsistent with the doctor’s ordersto a compulsive consumption I feltwas increasingly out of my control.Three times previously, Ihad been harshly confrontedby doctors who believed I hadbeen faking my pain in order toget more narcotics. Each timeit turned out they had missed acomplication that was the sourceof the pain at great cost to myhealth and risk to my life.But my doctor didn’t treat melike I was a criminal. He didn’tstart with blame or judgment.Instead, he talked to me withempathy and compassion. Heknew that the most effectiveframework to address what washappening was through a medicaland public health lens.Tragically, our country’s frontline of addressing addiction hasbeen and continues to be one ofpunishment and incarceration. Inthe early 1980s, there were only50,000 people behind bars fordrug related charges; today thereare nearly 500,000.Awareness has grown aboutthe importance of a public healthapproach, but as the death toll ofoverdoses hit over 70,000 peoplelast year, there is a long way to go.And the fundamental injusticeremains that the options fortreatment instead of incarcerationare available to and offeredprimarily to white people, anddramatic racial discrepanciespersist.Addiction is by its definition aself-harming behavior. The beliefthat escalating the harm, painand punishment involved willsomehow bring a resolution orrecovery is wrong. Very wrong.A study of more than 1,300injecting drug users in Baltimorefrom 1988 to 2000 looked at thisproblem. Researchers examineddemographic factors, drug-usepatterns and even whether theTHEMENNONITE.ORG SEPTEMBER 201915

person sought drug treatment. Theauthors write, “Of great interest isthat only a history of incarcerationdifferentiated persons whosuccessfully stopped using drugsfrom those who continued to useinjection drugs over a 12-yearperiod.” This bears repeating. Theonly factor that distinguishedthose who successfully stoppedusing drugs from those whocontinued to use was this: ThoseADDIC TION NATION:WHAT THE OPIOIDCRISIS RE VEALSABOUT USby Timothy McMahan King(Herald Press)This excellent book exploresthe complexity of addictionfrom many angles. King writesout of his own experience ofaddiction to opioids but delvesmuch deeper into what thecurrent opioid crisis says aboutus and our culture, our history,our politics, our economy,our materialism. The crisis, hewrites, “is about the failuresof religion and of an anemicspirituality that we have notwanted to face.” The problem,he says, is not out there butwithin each of us. Among themany writers he draws on isGerald May, who writes, “Tobe alive is to be addicted, andto be alive and addicted is tostand

Dallas Theological Seminary-trained, and there is no viable emphasis on being Mennonite, though it must be said there is no "anti-Mennonite" spirit among the leaders or the congregation. It just isn't an issue; for all practical purposes the church is independent but without an emphasis on "being independent." —Eugene Witmer,