Member Care Updates Expanding the global impact of member care
Working together for wellbeing and effectiveness
Special News--February 2025Global Pearl: 2Loving and Obeying Jesus Christ  Image from cover of GMC 2
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46Overview----------------- Warm greetings, Kelly and Michèle   --See more resources on our MCA website and MCA Facebook page --Send us your ideas and resources for future MC Updates
--Forward to your colleagues and networksMCAresources@gmail.com
Featured Resources
Global Pearl: 2
Loving and Obeying Jesus Christ
 Image from cover of GMC 3
Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them,
and we will come to them and make our home with them.
John 14:23
--------------- Resource One--Special Toolkit
Light Up or Burn Out: Practicing Self-Care on the Field (2024)
Emily Hervey 
"This resource addresses stress, trauma, and compassion fatigue for those serving God and others in highly stressful situations. It includes preventative means of taking care of the whole PERSON: Physical, Emotional, Relational, Spiritual, Occupational, and Needs." It is online for free and we highly recommend it.
"It was 2005. The tsunami had hit Southeast Asia months earlier and devastated the entire regions. The original shock had worn off, search and rescue teams had done all they could, the first responders had gone home, and now the long process of rebuilding was underway. I was studying psychology and wanted to be of service, so I took a semester to volunteer in a small town in Thailand that had been mostly wiped out by the tsunami. I lived and worked in a center designed to provide care for the long-term and short-term volunteers in the area, as well as some outreach to the community. While I meant well, I was not prepared. I didn’t know how to honestly assess my own capacity and wellbeing. No one briefed me on self-care principles and the concept of compassion fatigue was not yet widely discussed. In the end, pre-existing health issues made it necessary for me to leave earlier than planned. I was disappointed in myself and felt I’d let others down when leaving the other counselor without back-up staff. Now I see many things that could’ve been done in a healthier way." (Opening paragraph from the Introduction) See also Emily's resources on her Living to Glorify God website and the co-authored chapter with her husband, Dean Mellerstig, in Global Member Care Volume 3, "Mental Health as Mission--Our Journey into Trauma Training and Care." Their work is featured in the August 2022 Member Care Update, "Mission Frontlines–A Couple’s Journey into Member Care-Mental Health."
 Trauma and Tragedy on the Mission Field (2023)
"In this deeply personal episode, Nik Ripken reflects on his journey through trauma, health crises, and confronting deeply ingrained racism in his life and ministry. From growing up in a broken home to battling malaria on the mission field and dismantling racial prejudice, Nik shares how God has redeemed his struggles, transforming them into opportunities for reconciliation, humility, and Kingdom work."
Trauma and Soul Care Part One (2023)
"After witnessing immense tragedy in Somalia, Nik and Ruth Ripken developed practices for counseling missionaries serving in extreme conditions, emphasizing faith, biblical narratives, and community care. Drawing lessons from the Old Testament and celebrating transitions, they offer a roadmap for healing emotional trauma and fostering resilience in the face of adversity."
Trauma and Soul Care Part Two (2023)
"Nik and Ruth Ripken share practical advice for supporting missionaries serving in the hardest places, emphasizing the need for balance, community, and spiritual care. They highlight the importance of separating worship from administrative tasks, engaging in mentorship, utilizing confidential support channels, and seeking prayer and direction to maintain resilience and well-being in the face of immense challenges."
See also the Ripken's work featured in the December 2020 Member Care Update with the theme "Persecution Pandemics: What Is Jesus Worth? The Insanity of God--The Hope of Humanity."
Note--Staying the Course in Mission and Member Care (STC) podcasts (video and audio versions) feature our interviews with and materials from several of the 50+ contributors in Global Member Care Volume 3 (GMH 3). The STC podcasts featured for January and February 2025 (in this section) were done by the GMC 3 consulting editors Nik and Ruth Ripken, and were recorded in 2023 for their Witness and Persecution podcast series. GMC 3 is a collaborative book with over 50 contributors and 20 chapters full of stories and strategies, and reflections and resources from colleagues around the world. It is inspired by the vision to see member care further develop globally to support mission among all peoples.
Going Further
STC Podcasts 2024--Featuring GMC 3 Chapter Authors
--Overviewing Global Member Care Volume 3 (August 2024)
--Prioritizing Frontier People Groups (September 2024)
--Developing Member Care in Indonesia (October 2024)
--Mental Health as Mission–Trauma Training and Care (November 2024)
--A Team Model for Pastoral Coaching (December 2024).
STC Podcasts 2025--Featuring GMC 3 Consulting Editors
--Trauma and Tragedy on the Mission Field (January 2025)
--Trauma and Soul Care (February 2025)
Resource Three--Special PresentationThe Greatest Gospel Advance in History: 50 Unbelievable Years (2024)
RW Lewis Chart from the presentation
"[This plenary talk was given] to 750 people at the 50th Year Perspectives Reunion in Chicago last August (2024). It really encourages people to do 2 things. 1) Recognize the huge progress made in spreading the Gospel to new people groups especially during the last 50 years, but ALWAYS with great suffering and cost. 2) Not give up now but stay the course for the last 25% of the world's population still without a church movement of their own.". (Personal communication from the presenter) It is available in four languages so far.
See also the resources and materials on the Telos Fellowship website and the co-authored chapter with her husband , Tim Lewis , in Global Member Care Volume 3, "Prioritizing the Frontier Peoples--Strategic Implications for Mission and Member Care." heeer work iss also featured in th Member Car Update
Global Member Care--12 PearlsTwelve special blog posts to explore good practiceI saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband....
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.
Revelation 21:21 Image from cover of GMC 1 This set of blog entries from 2011 explores member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care Volume 1: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice. There is one excerpt from each of the book's 12 chapters. Each excerpt is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. Challenging and relevant!Pearl Two--Listening to Our Global Voices"I’m a humanitarian worker living in a location in Africa that is in prime need of help/missions. I’ve experienced many types of stress as I have worked in various mission programs. The most sustained tension that I have experienced has been related to the urgency and the amount of work to be done in a potentially explosive social and political environment. The challenge here is not only to produce expected results quickly, under tense and sometimes risky circumstances. The challenge is also to deal with the constant worry about the security and health of those within my immediate world and where I, my family, and friends fall within that world….
I have another line of sustained tension that comes from belonging and yet being apart. I belong to those who are helping and to those being helped, but I’m neither an expatriate nor a beneficiary. There is a tension between my life as a national, with blood and other deep ties to those around me, and my life as an aid worker coming from the outside to help those threatened by death. It is as if I am being followed by a ghost which constantly reminds me that the needy person—for example, the displaced person in the transit camp—could have been me….
Since I am a committed Christian, a core part of my survival strategy is to keep in touch with God by communicating with Him and referring to His Word…It’s also easy to become pessimistic as we wonder why God allows wars and suffering. To keep sane, I constantly have to pray for grace and wisdom, refer to God’s commands in scripture, do my assigned duties to the best of my ability, and let God be God. I also need the support of those around me and from the organization for which I work."
(Viola Mukasa, chapter 2, pages 26-27)
Reflection and Discussion
--Recall one aspect of your life/work that relates to the quote above.
--Have a go at connecting the above quote with a current international area that interests/concerns you.
--Discuss the quote with colleagues.
See also the 15 chapters in Part Two-Regional Issues and Insights in Doing Member Care Well--Perspectives and Practices from Around the World as well as the five chapters in Part Two--Staying the Course in the Regions in Global Member Care Volume 3. --------------------- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Member Care Associates
MCAresources@gmail.com
Member Care Associates Inc. (MCA) is a Christian non-profit organization working internationally and across sectors. We focus on personnel development for mission, humanitarian, development, and health workers and their organizations; global mental health; ethics and good practice; and integrity/anti-corruption. Our services include consultation, training, research, developing resources, and publications. MCA is shaped by the Global Integration framework and the Missio Dei model of global member care (updated in Global Member Care Volume 3 in 2024). ----------
Our Special News-Updates 1) promote the wellbeing and effectiveness (WE) of staff and sending groups and 2) support the diversity of colleagues with member care responsibilities. The focus is on the mission sector with applications for/from the overlapping health, development, humanitarian, and other sectors.
Global Integration (GI) is a framework for responsibly and actively engaging in our world--collaborating locally through globally for God's glory. It encourages connecting relationally and contributing relevantly on behalf of human wellbeing and the issues facing humanity, in light of our integrity and core values (e.g., ethical, humanitarian, human rights, faith-based). See more perspectives about GI HERE. |
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