I have one of the best volunteer jobs in the church: I am the Board Mentor for the HELM Leadership Fellows Class of 2023. Tracing the steps of Ehret, Emma, Grace, Hamin Patrick, Sam, Sophia, and William as they engage in this co-curricular experience is both a joy and privilege.
These eight scholars are a critical part of HELM’s mission in developing leaders for church, academy, and society. Not that these undergrads aren’t leaders in their respective colleges and universities, or at their home churches; they are already leading and serving in many ways! But, rather, we believe that “something more” happens when this cohort gathers for deep formation, individually and as a community, that enriches their life – and hopefully also, the life of the church.
Thanks, in part, to your gifts, HELM has been able to incorporate a Global Awareness trip into the Leadership Fellows Program. Between the Fellows’ third and fourth year in the program, the cohort has the opportunity to travel together to visit Disciples, our international mission co-workers, or other partners, to further witness the deep, interconnected world in which we live, work, and love.
This past May, our destination was Puerto Rico. We visited with Disciples siblings from La Iglesia Cristiana (Discípulos de Cristo) en Puerto Rico (ICDCPR); considered Puerto Rico’s ecological life during this time of climate crisis; thought about colonialism and its life-limiting realities as well as the costs of militarism; and, undergirding it all, was the clear call of Jesus of Nazareth to imagine how the family of God expresses itself in this world– or see it in Puerto Rico, given the proper orientation to witness it.
Many Disciples pastors hosted us, and hosted us well, while we visited. There was a common exchange as our group got to know individual pastors and their congregation.
“Would you tell us about your church?” we would ask, and the pastor would reply, “Before or after la pandemia?” Then I would recognize in their beings a tiredness, a forlornness, that I have felt in my own self. This season of being church has been heavy, and painfully commingled with grief, fear, and exceptional change. Selfishly, it was a small relief to see in these pastors, that I was not alone – something I have known, but have not always felt.
Despite the difficult season, our hosts were keen to add that the youth would lead us through this time. From the clear oversight of the Pastor General of the ICDCPR, to the intentionality with which Disciples congregations in Puerto Rico are re-engaging youth and young adult ministry, their serious commitment to the next generation as both learners and leaders was obvious.
I know our HELM Leadership Fellows to long for justice for all, and not just some. They dream of a church engaged in the deep work of inclusion marked by the way of Jesus. Their personal faith is caught up in the joy and struggle of being on this journey. And so, it is my prayer that we, in mainland U.S. and Canada, be as committed as our siblings in Puerto Rico in gleaning from the wisdom and practice of our own young adults. I pray that those of us who have long been called “leaders,” would be humble enough to be led by a new generation in bringing forth the community of God- or, even experiencing that family now, if we might have the orientation to witness it.