CORE Member Care

MC: Global Letters—2

2012-01-24T15:32:00.009Z

Friendships and Consultations

A loyal friend is a powerful defense:

whoever finds one has found a true treasure.

A loyal friend is something beyond price,

there is no measuring his/her worth.

A loyal friend is the elixir of life,

and those who fear YHWH will find one.

Ecclesiasticus 6, NJB

*****

We are writing to member care workers and all those with member care responsibility within international mission/aid who identify with the historic Christian faith. We write to encourage us all to stay the course in our service to God and humans and to take full advantage of the many opportunities to provide and develop member care. We write fully aware of the evil that seeks to discredit, divide, and destroy the church-mission community (CMC) and all of our member care efforts. We write with a commitment to the love that is necessary to confront this evil and to promote health within the CMC.

Where were you in September 1998? We were in Oxford, where the above photo was taken. Twelve international colleagues met in Oxford, UK for three days to discuss the development of member care, Participants were from seven countries and four continents. One key outcome was the formation of the Member Care Task Force (MemCa) as part of the World Evangelical Fellowship (Alliance). This helped set the stage for future MemCa work, including forming relationships, convening consultations, and doing projects. At this first MemCa consultation, we took time for developing our friendships (and having some fun!). We stayed together at a lovely English manor (Stanton House), and in addition to discussing the serious matters at hand, we visited C.S. Lewis’ house together and we walked together along the Thames River after an enthralling Evensong service.

Above photo, left to right: John Powell (USA); Melody Min (Korea), Paul Ralph (USA), Naomi Famonure (Nigeria), Betty Lou Pollock (USA), Marcia Tostes (Brazil), Kelly O’Donnell (UK/USA), Pablo Carrillo (Spain/Mexico), Ken Gamble (Canada), Michele Lewis O’Donnell (UK/USA), Dave Pollock (USA)

In April of this year, the first major international member care consultation will be convened (major in terms of size). We are really looking forward to the gathering of so many people from so many places and backgrounds. To help prepare for it, here are several historical notes-quotes over the past 20 years. We highlight two of the central and overlapping aspirations that routinely appear in the docs: a) the commitment to developing the member care field via solid relationships and strategic projects; and b) the commitment to intentionally meeting around the world to “knit the net” of member care colleagues and ultimately convening a major international consultation.

Notes and Quotes

1992

“ I believe there are three necessary steps for launching member care in a more coordinated direction….Step two is to convene a major member care conference which will attract participants from various countries and organizations….Finally I am convinced that the time has come to actively pull together the various pockets of member care workers around the world. It is also time to systematically train and mobilize many others for this strategic ministry. And the time is here for anointed leaders to step forward and help steer this field in response to the Lord’s direction.” An Agenda for Member Care in Missions, Missionary Care (1992, pages 294, 297)

1993-1994

The first of several member care consultations for the Middle East region (Cyprus) and for the North Africa region (Spain) took place in these years, in association with regional mission partnerships.

1995

“The current effort to reach the world’s unreached peoples requires hardy folk who are willing to work together, make sacrifices, become vulnerable, and serve the lord wholeheartedly in the midst of stressful situations. But understand this as well: it also necessitates a concomitant, cooperative effort to undergird the missionary personnel involved in these demanding endeavours” On Behalf of the 10-40 Window of the Heart, International Journal of Frontier Missions (special issue on member care, page 169).

1996

“There is a need to deliberately join together with a core group of like-minded colleagues in order to further develop the member care field, especially within frontier missions…We must develop a ‘macro model’ of member care….In short, we would be an interagency, informally affiliated group of friends, who are highly committed to work together on consensually-derived, cutting edge member care projects which will be of direct, strategic benefit to those serving in frontier missions.” For Everything There is A Season…And a Summons (July 1996, pages 1, 2; email-letter sent to many colleagues).

1997

Examples from 1997: Meeting on member care (pastoral care) for Latin American workers at COMIBAM II in Acapulco Mexico; and forming the Asia MC-MK group at the Asia Mission Congress II in Pattaya, Thailand (photo is of the member care people who met, with significant involvement and direction from Met Castillo and Polly Chan)

1998

“Here is a brief summary about our current thinking [for developing a member care task force, initially referred to as MECA]…. 3. We want to develop relationships within MECA, based on both friendship and task. ….4. We sense that MECA is to complement and encourage the different facets of member care throughout the world….6. Here are some of the main contributions MECA can make: a. Convene an international member care consultation—the first of its kind—before or after the WEF Mission Consultation on Missiology, to be held in Brazil October 10-16, 1999...Colleagues from around the world would be invited.” Summary of the first member care meeting with Dave Pollock at the home of Michèle and Kelly O’Donnell in Oxfordshire, UK, 1-3 April 1998, pages 1, 2)

1998

“We think a primary way forward for MemCa is to work alongside Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans to support them in developing appropriate member care resources for their respective regions and to encourage them to share their resources and experience with the global missions community. MemCa will thus be truly an international effort….Who are the missing faces from our MemCa group? Representatives from India, Central Asia, the Chinese World, the Arabic World, and Eastern Europe. …It will likely take “five years to “knit the net” at the regional level and the global level—to develop some basic member care resources to fill in important gaps….Potential Projects [seven:] 5. Convene a global member care consultation, possibly in three years time.” Summary of the first MemCa Consultation, Oxford, UK, September 1998)

1999

Above photo: Second MemCa Consultation in October 1999 in Brazil, following the Latin American Member Care Consultation. Photo, left to right: Kelly O’Donnell, Dave Pollock, Esly Carvalho, Ken Grant, Marcia Tostes, and Marjory Foyle

2000

“The Member Care Task Force (MemCa) is an affiliation of international colleagues committed to help develop member care resources within missions…members are also committed to provide personal/professional support for each other as needed. Our friendship and Christian fellowship provide the foundation for our joint work…. Working Together: Projects: Help establish and strengthen member care affiliations—national/regional groups, strategically located member care hubs, and Partnership working groups….5. Convene a global member care consultation, and smaller more informal gatherings/retreats.” (Member Care Task Force and Global Network—Guidelines, pages 1, 2)

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Photo above: Working together to establish and strengthen member care affiliations—The special member care meetings at Mission Africa, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 2000.
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2001

“We believe the Lord was really with us, guiding us, and strengthening both our friendships and our joint efforts….2. Here is a brief report on our overall agenda items that we had proposed to cover: …. c. The need for member care consultations and efforts in the Newer Sending Countries, especially Africa, India, etc…. We want to support each other as we go after projects related to our overall MemCa goals….12. Consider planning an international member care consultation (this has been one of our goals but we have not made any plans).” Summary of the third MemCa Consultation, held in Port Dickson, Malaysia 2001, pages 1, 2,4)

Participants: Belinda Ng—Singapore, Sarah Yap—Malaysia Beram Kumar—Malaysia, JJ Ratnakumar—India, Pramila Rajendran—India, Harry Hoffmann—Thailand, Steve Burgess—Philippines, Susan Burgess—Philippines, Tonica van der Meer—Brazil, Naomi Famonure—Nigeria, Marjory Foyle—UK, Hartmut Stricker—Germany, Kelly O'Donnell—France, Bruce Narramore—USA, Kathy Narramore—USA, Dick Gardner—USA, Brent Lindquist—USA, Dave Pollock—USA. And there were two guests: Mike Culy—USA, Bill Mauger—USA.

MemCa members who could not come: Marina Prins--South Africa, Ken Grant—Ecuador, Esly Carvalho—Ecuador, Marcia Tostes—Brazil, Don Smith--New Zealand, Ruth Myors—Australia, Kath Donovan—Australia, Laura Mae Gardner—USA, Friedhilde Stricker—Germany, Michele Lewis O'Donnell—France.

2002

“Doing member care well helps us to do missions well. Here is an update about a group of 30 international colleagues who are working together to develop member care around the world. By “member care” we mean the investment of supportive resources to help mission personnel (including home office staff and children) remain healthy and effective, from recruitment through retirement…. Members are also committed to provide personal/professional support for each other as needed. Our desire is for our friendship and Christian fellowship to provide the foundation for our joint work…. Working Together and Projects….5. Convene a global member care consultation within the next two years, and help organize smaller gatherings/consultations at the regional level.” Global Member Care Resources, 2002 description for WEA-MC Connections journal, page 2)

2003

“In our first issue (October 2001) we looked at the crucial importance of developing working relationships and personal friendships with one another in member care ministry. In the February 2002 issue, we explored the nature of 21^st century networks, observing that they have a unifying purpose, independent members, voluntary connections, multiple leaders, and multiple levels. Then in the July 2002 issue, we listed 10 core principles (taken from chapter 48 in Doing Member Care Well) to help form and maintain member care affiliations…. The final item we would like to share is a list of some thoughts that can help us all "kit the net" together more.” Member Care Network Briefing, February 2003, Number 6, pages 1, 2)

2003

“Thirty member care colleagues met in Vancouver, Canada for our MemCa Consultation, over a six day period. The Consultation was part of a broader conference on globalisation, sponsored by the WEA Missions Commission. This was our fourth such Consultation since MemCa was launched in 1998. Our purpose for meeting in Vancouver included: Relationships—building closer friendships among ourselves and the Missions Commission…We spent several hours listening to different members share updates and issues about member care within their regions….12. Additional Projects This last item is actually a grouping of various projects that were either discussed in Vancouver or else have been discussed in the past. We include them here as they are important to keep track of and pursue. g. We want to continue to link with other networks outside of the Evangelical missions world, such as the international health care and humanitarian aid communities. h. We have had discussion in the past about organising an International Member Care Consultation. There has been no further progress on this idea.” Summary from the MemCa Briefing 2006—Global Member Care Resources Consultation (MemCa) 31 May—6 June, 2003 Vancouver, Canada

Participants: Africa: Karen Carr, Darlene Jerome (Ghana), Naomi Famonure (Nigeria), Dirk Visser (RSA); Asia: Pramila Rajendran (India), Belinda Ng, Gracia Wiarda (Singapore), Harry Hoffmann (Thailand), Philip Chang (Malaysia), Byun-Moon Kang, Grace KS Lim (Korea); Australasia: Murray Winn (New Zealand); Europe: Anke Tissingh, Rosangela Amado (Spain), Kelly O’Donnell (France), Siny Widmer (Switzerland), Annemie Grossshauser, Hartmut and Friedhilde Stricker (Germany), Marion Knell, Marjory Foyle (UK), Arie Baak (The Netherlands), The Americas: Marcia Tostes (Brasil), Dave Pollock, Brent Lindquist, Richard and Laura Mae Gardner, Bruce and Kathy Narramore, Denny Milgate (USA)

2004

“1. Help establish and strengthen member care affiliations and regional consultations…International Member Care Conference. Still an option but no clear way forward. May want to hold one on different continents. For now there is the sense that we need to focus on/strengthen Asia and Africa regions first. One idea though was for an International Consultation in April/May 2007 as part of the European MC Consultation, in The Netherlands. (Discuss this broadly and inclusively with those inside and outside of MemCa).” MemCa Projects and Updates, June 2004—June 2005 (these action points emerged from the overall and ongoing goals for MemCa, since 1998; page 1)

2005

“Global Faces facilitates personal and professional relationships between member care workers. We do this primarily by inviting qualified colleagues to participate in strategic member care gatherings around the world. Phase One: including several MCWs from NSCs to participate at PTM in the USA and EMCC in Europe; Phase Two: inviting experienced MCWs to attend regional NSC member care/mission gatherings; Phase Three: involving several groups to convene international member care consultations on different continents.” Global Faces Brochure (a proposed joint project with MemCa and other organizations)

2006

“In MemCa we build ongoing relationships in order to support quality people with strategic influence who are doing quality projects with strategic impact. We prioritise four "clusters of projects" which we call our "Four Directions"…. Direction One: Strategic Gatherings (Connections). Global Faces. Connect influential member care workers (MCWs) from the A4 regions with international MCWs at specific consultations around the world, including UPG partnerships.” MemCa description prepared for the fifth MemCa Consultation, South Africa, June 2006

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2006

“MemCa is an affiliation of international colleagues (currently about 20) committed to help develop member care resources within the mission/aid community. Our members come from different organisations and churches, and represent various geographic and speciality networks in member care. We are a “partnership of networks” and the networks connect to MemCa via their leaders/liaisons who are part of MemCa. Our special emphasis is on working together and with others to support personnel from the A4 regions (Asia, Africa, Arabic-Turkic, America-Latina), and those working among UPGs (unreached people groups). Members are also committed to provide personal and work-related support for each other as needed. Our growing friendship and Christian fellowship provide the foundation for our joint work.” MemCa is part of the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).” Member Care Briefing, June 2006, Number 17

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2007-2010

“Our reticence to tackle “tough stuff” is even more apparent when the stakes are raised and we are faced with the choice of whether or not to confront serious deviance and evil…Your task is to be true, not popular…espouse virtue and expose evil.” High-Virtue Humans, CORE Member Care, 25 January 2010; retrieved from:
http://coremembercare.blogspot.com/search/label/virtrios

Detail, The Descent from the Cross,

by Rogier van der Weyden, circa 1435

2011-2012

“The Global Member Care Network is excited to announce the First Global Member Care Conference…The heart of the conference is to create a platform to hear global voices about member care in a borderless world, which is characterized by increasing hostilities and schisms. The environment that workers are serving in is getting harder, more dangerous, more challenging, more persecution, more risks, and more suffering. We need to hear how workers can overcome these challenges and thrive in their lives and their ministries. Out of this gathering we will see great opportunities for networking, sharing our stories and resources, and learning to care for His workers effectively.” Global Member Care Conference –Global Voices on Global Challenges, 23-27 April 23-2012, Chiangmai, Thailand. (retrieved from the Global Member Care Network website:

http://www.globalmembercare.com/index.php?id=187 )

Kelly and Michèle

Reflection and Discussion

In light of the above notes-quotes: Share a few thoughts about forming international friendships in member care and/or convening international consultations in member care.--past, present, future.

MC: Global Letters--1

2012-01-17T03:25:00.009Z

Resilient Love

*****

The world is indeed full of peril

and in it there are many dark places.

But still there is much that is fair.

And though in all lands,

love is now mingled with grief,
it still grows, perhaps, the greater.

--Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

*****

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We are writing to member care workers and all those with member care responsibility within international mission/aid who identify with the historic Christian faith. We write to encourage us all to stay the course in our service to God and humans and to take full advantage of the many opportunities to provide and develop member care. We write fully aware of the evil that seeks to discredit, divide, and destroy the church-mission community (CMC) and all of our member care efforts. We write with a commitment to the love that is necessary to confront this evil and to promote health within the CMC.
.

Member care is founded upon the Biblical command to love one another (John 13:34-35) and on the ethical sense of duty to help vulnerable people (Proverbs 24:11-12). The commitment to love one another and duty to others is tested in many ways for all of us, individually and collectively. The testing is often in the furnace of health, relational, and organizational struggles.

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Member care above all involves the trans-cultural practice of fervently loving one another. Such love, as affirmed in I Cor. 13:8, never ceases. It is both sacrificial and celebratory. We grow together in the mission/aid community, we celebrate life together, and by God’s grace we do our utmost to stay close together. Resilient love is the ultimate measure of the effectiveness of our member care.

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Kelly and Michèle
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Reflection and Discussion

Identify a current situation where you want to apply or develop resilient love.

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Note: Letter 1 is includes some adapted excerpts from the Preface in Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (2011).

MC-MH: Global Integration—10

2011-12-15T07:17:00.043Z

Conclusion:
Moral Courage and Global Duty

"Certainty of death, small chance of success...
What are we waiting for?"

(Gimli, contemplating going to the Black Gate of Mordor,
based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

*****

This is the final entry regarding future directions for integration. We defined integration as a field of study which brings together the disciplines of mental health and theology in order to better understand and help humans. Ultimately the desire in all of our integrative endeavors is to glorify God, and as Paul says, ‘whether we are here on earth or at home with the Lord, our ambition is to be pleasing to Him' (2 Cor. 5:8). We have been discussing how the ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration—global integration (GI). And we have looked at how GI can be very relevant (currently and potentially) for the global development of mission/aid and human health.

Our exploration has really just begun. It awaits development by other colleagues in the field of integration (ranging from senior to early career to students). These are colleagues who recognize the opportunity and duty to take integration far more globally. I believe that their moral courage and competencies will chart a strategic course for GI, right into the heart of the challenges facing humanity. So what are we waiting for?

Here is a summary list of the 10 areas (entries) that we have covered in our journey into GI. I have also included some of the main points for each entry.

1. Foundations and Directions

GI involves: growing deeply and going broadly; building on foundations; developing new competencies; breaking bubbles; crossing sectors; taking risks; and challenging the status quo. And doing all these things on behalf of humanity in need.

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2. Windows and Agendas

Depending on the work-life expectancy for those involved in integration, there is a 10-40 year “window” of development. What will integration be like and where will it be during this time period—from now until say 2050? Should we intentionally shape it in different ways? If so, how?

3. Tran(s)pan in the GI Commons

We must go further and deeper if we are to truly develop GI, or better, a “GI Commons” in which a diversity of humans can meet on a level field for mutual exchanges and mutual support. Something new needs to emerge…I think it will involve in its core a shift in mentality and a shift in lifestyle.

4. Global Integration and Psychology International

As we stay in touch with global mental health resources and developments, including psychology international, we will be better equipped to provide member care in mission/aid and beyond.

5. Mapping GI

Based on my recent article on global mental health, six initial categories of resources and involvement are suggested for “mapping” GI. These include: organizations, publications, conferences, training, human rights, and humanitarian action.

6. Finding Our GI Voices

How can we practically connect and contribute, with some current examples involving global health and the United Nations.

7. GI Footprints

Explores where GI is making its mark and where it is not. Where does integration need to go globally?

8. Climbing or Confining: Three Commitments for GI

Reviews the need for staying current, reviewing resources, and being actively involved in GI.

9. Drafting Your GI Statement

Suggestions for writing a short personal statement about how your work, life, values, and aspirations connect/contribute to the global world.

10. Conclusion: Moral Courage and Global Duty

Humanity is waiting. So what are we waiting for?
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Tu nobis Victor Rex, miserere.

Reflection and Discussion

Which of the 10 entries was the most challenging, helpful, and/or directional for you?

In what ways are moral courage and global duty part of your life?

MC-MH: Global Integration—9

2011-11-30T21:32:00.005Z

Writing GI Statements

We are sharing some thoughts on future directions for integration. Integration is a field of study which brings together the disciplines of mental health and theology in order to better understand and help humans and thus glorify God. The ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration—global integration (GI). And GI is potentially very relevant for the global development of mission/aid and human health.

*****

Where are you going in GI and where do you want to go? I think one of the best ways to clarify and envision your GI course is to write a short personal statement about how your work, life, values, and aspirations connect/contribute to the global world. GI statements can also be done by teams, departments, academic institutions, organizations, professional associations etc. GI involvement leads us into many different areas: nations, cultures, languages, organizations, sectors, disciplines, conferences, projects, research, issues, and above all relationships. The comments in this paragraph also apply to our work in member care (replace GI with MC).

Here is a GI Statement that reflects my GI course.

I am still working on it!

I am a consulting psychologist trained in clinical-community psychology, working internationally for 25 years to help develop the global member care field in mission/aid. My work has emphasized:

·forming member care networks and practitioner affiliations;

·training, research, and writing in the member care field;

·consulting with mission/aid personnel and their sending groups to foster staff wellbeing, effectiveness, and comprehensive human resource management systems;

·and keeping current with the humanitarian psychology field in the efforts to support those affected by conflicts and calamities.

I have also prioritized working in these three areas:

·coordinating projects, consulting, and compiling materials in the global mental health field;

·collaborating with colleagues to prevent and confront corruption in the church-mission community;

·and providing resources for the diversity of graduate students and professionals in the health sciences as they connect and contribute with global human health opportunities and the challenges facing humanity.

My work is strongly influenced by a commitment to crossing sectors, disciplines, and cultures for mutual learning as well as the Ignatian values of eruditio, probitas, and officium (learning, virtue, and duty). As a follower of Jesus Christ, my relationship with Him and the teaching of Scripture are foundational for my life and work.

Reflection and Discussion
**List three core parts of a GI Statement for yourself?

** How do learning, virtue, and duty (as mentioned above) relate to your work in member care and/or GI?

MC-MH: Global Integration—8

2011-11-15T16:23:00.011Z

Climbing or Confining:

Three Commitments for GI

*****

Climb traveller, or stiffen slowly on the plain.

Irish proverb

The current and future course of integration, like that for member care, lies in its global connections and contributions—going global. Climb globally traveler, or stiffen slowly on the familiar plain. Here are three items---suggested commitments--to support you in your “global climb”.

1. Commitment to staying current. These three links track developments in global mental health (GMH). They can help you access resources that are relevant for member care and integration.

mhGAP, World Health Organization (online updates and newsletter twice/year)
Movement for Global Mental Health (online updates and monthly newsletter)
Psychology International (newsletter 3-6 times/year)

2. Commitment to reviewing resources. The latest MCA website focuses on orienting people to GMH. It is called GMH-Map. Here are five resources (in the areas of research, practice, declarations) from the What’s New! section. These resources are also relevant for member care and integration.

The Global Economic Burden of Non-communicable Diseases (September 2011--with a significant emphasis on MH) World Economic Forum and Harvard School of Public Health
Lancet journal, special series on GMH (October 2011)
Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers (2011), World Health Organisation, War Trauma Foundation, World Vision International
Twelve Critical Issues for Mental Health Professionals Working with Ethno-Culturally Diverse Populations (October 2011), Anthony Marsella, Psychology International, 22(3), pp. 7-10.
Cape Town Declaration (16 October 2011), Pan African Network of People with Psychosocial Disabilities

3. Commitment to pursuing active involvement. These quotes below are from the October 2011 issue of Psychology International 22(3). They are likewise relevant for member care and integration. For example, where the word psychology or psychologist(s) occur, exchange it with a similar term for member care or integration.
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"International cross-pollination among scientists and practitioners is important if we are to develop better models, methodologies, and perspectives. [The American Psychological Association, APA] may be the largest association of psychologists in the world but because of the psychological, geographical, and political boundaries in the United States and more generally in the west, we may become isolated in our thinking without exposure to perspectives from elsewhere. We as psychologists and members of APA must try to avoid tunnel vision and bias by bringing psychologists with other nationalities, cultures and practices to our table….
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If we cannot invite and support bringing our fellow psychologists from other places to meet with the large numbers of psychologists who attend our Annual Convention, then we fail to educate, inform, and grow the many specialty areas in our discipline in the broadest and deepest ways. And we fail as U.S. psychologists because we do not have the international perspectives that allow us to be relevant in the largest sense. We must come out of our ivory towers by bringing our international psychologists to the Convention and to other meetings. Otherwise, we remain provincial and woefully out of step with the rest of the world." (Julie Meranze Levitt, pp. 2-3)
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"Attendance at psychology world-congresses has been rising, the number of regional conferences that draw across multiple countries is growing, and associations are becoming more active in pursuing international interaction….
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Now that doors are open, how do we move psychology from a tradition of individual exchange and international outreach to being an international discipline? Some suggestions from regional developments are to create structures for cross-country consensus and to ask, as a discipline, what it would take to realize a world in which psychologists can easily gather information about the work, ideas, and plans of colleagues around the world; can easily know how to find colleagues with mutual interests around the world; can be sufficiently mobile to be a psychologist around the world?....
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What can individual psychologists do? From where I sit, the most important way to encourage internationalization is to tell each other about our work, our teaching, and our ideas. The most direct way is face-to-face at international conferences and congresses, or, if your travel budget is strained, by seeking out international attendees at domestic conferences or international colleagues in your own institution. Equally important is seeking out and reading about international work." (Merry Bullock, p. 4)

*****

So climb...and jump too--ha!

Reflection and Discussion

**Which of the items in the “Saying Current” and “Reviewing Resources” sections above are you aware of already?

**List a few ways that GI can relevantly connect and contribute to GMH (section 3 above)?

**How would you apply the “climb traveler” proverb to your own life as well as to member care and/or integration?

MC-MH: Global Integration—7

2011-10-20T20:35:00.014Z

GI Footprints

We are sharing some thoughts on future directions for integration. Integration is a field of study which brings together the disciplines of mental health and theology in order to better understand and help humans and thus glorify God. The ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration—global integration (GI). And GI is potentially very relevant for the global development of mission/aid and human health.

*****

Photo courtesty Michael Trezzi, TrekEarth

I am in Cape Town, RSA, having just finished participating in two special conferences: the Summit of the Global Movement for Mental Health and the World Mental Health Congress. I am back in my hotel room in the center of Cape Town and in view of the majestic Table Mountain which dominates the skyline. As the conference organizers have said to the participants, ‘you have come to leave your footprint in Africa and to also help Africa put its footprint on Global Mental Health (GMH).'

It has been a terrific and rewarding four days of conferencing, meeting many new and old colleagues from around the world and attending outstanding plenaries, symposia, and workshops. Collectively we have indeed contributed to the GMH footprint here on African soil and reaching far beyond!

Dr. Pamela Collins, National Insitutue of Mental Health, USA

reviewing the "grand challenges for global mental health."

Global Footprints
Some of the more noteworthy presentations for me personally dealt with assessing and treating people exposed to violence/trauma; ethical issues in photographing people with serious mental conditions including people in chains and cages; residential treatment services and mental health practices in countries such as Mauritania and Uganda; progress in scaling up services for mental health globally in the last 10 years; a listing of core resources in the GMH field; empirical evidence for the efficacy of mental health interventions in humanitarian settings; highlights from the recently published Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health study; a review of the emergency mental health response to the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan on 11 March 2011; and two outstanding South Africa films with themes of HIV-AIDS, crime, dysfunctional and resilient families and communities, poverty, and courage (Life, Above All (2010, click for trailer) is the story of 12 year-old girl trying to help her family survive and the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi (2005, click for trailer) about the life of a young gang leader.

Two resources in particular to pass on to the health and mission/aid sectors:

The Lancet special issue on Global Mental Health (2011), available online for free and officially launched here at the Summit; and
Several informal interviews (three-minute video clips) of participants discussing their work and presentations (including myself). I highly recommend going through these two resources as well as viewing the two movies mentioned above. (link hopefully coming soon)

Local Footprints

Perhaps more than anything what stood out to me the most was the opportunity on the day after the Congress to go from the conference center to the community center. Over 100 delegates visited a variety of facilities and programs providing mental health and psychosocial support to people with intellectual and mental disabilities. It was heartening to see the dedicated staff as well as the quality resources being made available by the government to support its citizens. The Erika Special Education and Care Centre (for children with severe and profound intellectual and physical disabilities) and Training Workshops Unlimited (for job and skills development for those with intellectual and/or mental disabilities) located in the Mitchell’s Plain area of the Cape, were just two of the many outstanding community service centers that were visited. One of the main take-aways for me from this community experience was that whether we are in GI or MC, MH or GMH, highly “skilled” or highly “disabled”, African or European, people of faith or people of non-faith, etc., to paraphrase the words of the psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan, ‘ultimately we are much more similar to each other than we are dissimilar.’

Erika Special Education and Care Centre, Mitchell's Plain, RSA

Integration Footprints?

I was hoping to connect more with people and presentations in the integration field. The closest topics were two papers in a small section called Ethical and Spiritual Issues: “The healing of pathological gambling with psychiatric co-morbidity” and “Facing the existential challenges of HIV-AIDS with the African adventure cards for a meaningful therapeutic narrative”. Most Africans I know or met here among the 850+ delegates are quite open and even desirous to include faith in the dialogue about mental health and overall human wellbeing. Their deep faith in God is a natural part of their lives, including their work lives. Integration here seems more experiential than conceptual. This integrative openness in Africa can provide fertile soil to further cultivate GI. I sincerely hope in future GMH-related conferences that GI will be explicitly present and indeed leave its mark—its footprint—in our efforts to promote a healthier world.

Reflection and Discussion

1. Are there places globally that you are aware of where GI is indeed making its mark and leaving its footprint? If so, where?

2. List three things that can hinder and three things that can facilitate the inclusion of spirituality in the GMH agenda.

3. Why might it be easier to spend time at a conference center rather than a community center?

MC-MH: Global Integration--6

2011-09-30T09:11:00.116Z

Finding Our GI Voices

United Nations, New York

We are sharing a few thoughts on future directions for integration. Integration is a field of study which brings together the disciplines of mental health and theology in order to better understand and help humans and thus glorify God. The ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration—global integration (GI). And GI is potentially very relevant for the global development of mission/aid and human health.

Note: This is a longer entry. For a quick overview see the yellow highlights. There are also many documents/links mentioned below. For a quick multimedia overview, watch the WHO video on NCDs. See also the Executive Summary from the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Non-communicable Diseases 2010.

*****

It is 20:00, 20 September 2011. I am on a train going from New York to New London. USA. It has been a rich and full two days at the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and at the two previous days of meetings among the global mental health (GMH) community. I attended these events in my capacity as Coordinator of the Mental Health-Psychosocial Working Group for the Geneva-based NGO Forum for Health.

To my left, the illuminated Empire State Building soars effortlessly into the night sky. To my right, hundreds of twinkling lights peep out from the Long Island shoreline. And in front of me is the 13-page Political Declaration that was agreed upon yesterday by UN member states on combating non-communicable diseases. My weary body gently sways in time to the the rhythm of the train’s lateral movements as we scurry northbound along the steel tracks. Although my eyes are heavy with tiredness, my soul is invigorated as I reflect on what I experienced during these four full days.

Reflections on the United Nations HLM on NCD

There was an unmistakable, resounding SOS, packaged in exhortations and at times rebukes, sent out right at the start of the General Assembly on 19 September (see photo). Leading the charge were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, and many heads of state who in their opening speeches heralded the dire need for the world community to take action against NCDs and their causes. To paraphrase the Secretary-General, member states, civil society, and the private sectors must resolutely work together and “get tough” on NCDs, “hold everyone accountable”, and make sure that the disgraceful actions of a few (mostly levied against the tobacco, food, alcohol and media industries) do not sully the reputation of the many which are doing such important work to foster our progress.

Opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, 19 September 2011

(click here to watch a video of Ban Ki-moon's speech at the HLM)
(click here for the text of his remarks at the HLM)
(click here to watch a video of Margaret Chan's speech at the HLM)

The four NCD disease entities being focused on are cardiovascular, chronic respiratory, cancer, and diabetes. These NCDs collectively represent a massive “epidemic” that accounts for approximately 38 million deaths each year. A substantial amount of these deaths are preventable and premature. As a reference point it is somewhat akin to attrition in the mission sector among the estimated 12,000 mission workers who leave for preventable, premature, and likely permanent reasons each year— although human death through NCDs of course is far graver. (Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice 2011, pages 6-8)

Four risk factors (modifiable behaviors) associated with these NCDs are repeatedly emphasized: inactivity (lack of exercise), poor diet (including high intake of tans-fats, salts, and sugars), tobacco use, and alcohol abuse. Added to these risk factors is the key area of mental health (e.g., mental health state and mental disorders) as it too plays a crucial role in the prevention, development, and control of these NCDs.

Taken together, these four NCDs and their risk factors are “lifestyle diseases” that are developed over the course our one’s life and often from one’s way of living life. NCDs must also be definitely understood in the socioeconomic context that influences and reinforces them (e.g., poverty, lack of medical care, poor nutrition). They are also “problems without passports,” since they effortlessly cross all borders be they national, generational, ethnic, gender, etc.

Relevance for Member Care and the Church-Mission Community

NCDs can affect you and me and our loved ones. And they can and do affect mission/aid workers and certainly the people with whom they work. Understanding and preventing NCDs and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices should be a core part of the member care that we provide in mission/aid and in any global health efforts for integration. For more summary information see: Global Status Report on Non-communicable Diseases 2010.

Take special note that approximately 80% of the deaths from NCDs occur among people in low-middle income countries (LMICs). I hasten to add that many of the world’s poor live in LMICs and are in fact part of people groups that lack a viable Christian presence (UPGs, LPGs). Who are the people and organizations that are explicitly talking about the epidemic of NCDs in terms of people groups and Christian witness/responsibility? Or for that matter who is addressing the massive untreated mental health disorders in LMICs in view of Christian witness/responsibility? There is a huge opportunity for the church-mission community to confront the NCD epidemic as part of our commitment to bring love and healing to the peoples of the earth. This excerpt from the Political Declaration on NCDs can serve as a tangible rallying point.

"We, Heads of State and Government and representatives of States and Governments….22. Note with grave concern the vicious cycle whereby non-communicable diseases and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty contributes to rising rates of non-communicable diseases, posing a threat to public health and economic and social development; 23. Note with concern that the rapidly growing magnitude of non-communicable diseases affects people of all ages, gender, race and income levels, and further that poor populations and those living in vulnerable situations, in particular in developing countries bear a disproportionate burden and that non-communicable diseases can affect women and men differently; 24. Note with concern the rising levels of obesity in different regions, particularly among children and youth, and note that obesity, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity have strong linkages with the four main non-communicable diseases, and are associated with higher health costs and reduced productivity…”

Reflections on Mental Health and Global Integration

Being at the UN meetings was an enriching and somber experience. I interacted with and/or listened to health advocates, researchers, practitioners, government officials, and health ministers. The meetings were attended by dozens of heads of state. People seemed sincerely committed to make a difference. It was great to be there and great to have been working together to combat NCDs before, during, and after this high-level meeting.

Nonetheless, many in the civil society and political sectors also wanted more explicit references and action points on mental health. Over the course of the two-day high-level meetings, there was almost no mention of the crucial role of mental health in the causes and treatments, the prevention and control of NCDs. Mental health-related co-morbidity is all over the pages of the research and the lives of NCD sufferers (e.g., depression for diabetics, see the summary from the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network et al). Mental, neurological, and substance use conditions (MNSs) currently affect—and in many cases torment--some 450 million people worldwide, with the worldwide lifetime prevalence rate being about 25%. In addition, the new publication by the World Economic Forum and Harvard School of Public Health, among other findings, puts the annual cost of mental and neurological illnesses (also classified as NCDs) at 2.5 trillion US dollars, about three times the annual cost for cardiovascular illness.

For perspective though, almost everyone is positive about the need for good mental health. No one I met was ant-mental health at all . And it is true that there are many WHO-related documents regarding GMH (issues, research, resources). However this important historical input from WHO and other GMH sources was not prioritized in the high-level meeting nor in the overall NCD action plans—at least not yet. The rationale was that mental health has already been addressed amply over the past decade, for example via the WHO’s mhGAP program and thus it is being dealt with in other venues.

Four Missing Voices

Here are “four voices” that were missing at the HLM in New York. Again for some perspective, I know that others too have their own lists of missing voices based on their concerns/emphases: e.g., those involved in human rights, poverty eradication, maternal and child health, etc. There are so many challenging issues which plague humanity, and so many relevant and respectable voices clamoring for attention!

Voice One. There was a limited, albeit encouraging voice in the 13-page Political Declaration about the importance and integration of mental health in combating NCDs. Here are the two helpful references to mental health in this document.

"We, Heads of State and Government and representatives of States and Governments….5. Reaffirm the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; 17. Note further that there is a range of other non-communicable diseases and conditions, for which the risk factors and the need for preventive measures, screening, treatment and care are linked with the four most prominent non-communicable diseases; 18. Recognize that mental and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are an important cause of morbidity and contribute to the global non-communicable disease burden, for which there is a need to provide equitable access to effective programmes and health-care interventions;..."

Voice Two. There was an almost non-existent voice about mental health during the meetings that I attended, from civil society, governments, and private industry. No plenarist that I heard dealt with it. And there was almost no time allotted for participants to raise questions and make comments at the main meetings about anything, mental health or otherwise. However, the Assistant Director General of WHO, Dr. Ala Alwan, was in fact briefly queried from the floor about the absence of mental health in the discourses. He affirmed the importance of mental health and said that it would be considered when the WHO Executive Board meets in January 2012 to work towards a review procedure to measure how the Political Declaration is being put into practice by member states. (WHO is tasked with this responsibility in the Political Declaration).

Voice Three. At the HLM itself, colleagues in the GMH field seemed by and large not present (or at least not visible/audible). There were few or no resources or summary documents available on mental health and NCDs. Many excellent NCD-related materials though were on tables in the back of meetings/rooms. In the run up to these meetings though, there was substantial, credible input about mental health, via several written statements on mental health and NCDs (as well as good opportunites for civil society/NGOs to express their concerns and dialogue about NCD-related matters at special UN/WHO gatherings--Moscow, April 2011; Geneva, May 2011; New York, June 2011). These statements culminated in two final Statements sent out in August/September 2011to colleagues and organizations, Ministers of Health, and government missions to the UN. The Statements call for mental health to be included in the agenda and action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs. One of these Statements was made by the World Federation for Mental Health and the other Statement was done jointly by the NGO Forum for Health (based in Geneva) and the NGO Committee on Mental Health (based in New York and part of the Conference on NGOs--CoNGO). (click here to see the one-page Statement and the approximately 100 signatories) Another helpful document that I received at a pre-UN meeting off-site was the two-page summary on mental health and NCDs (mentioned previously) done by the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network et al as part of their overall recommendations and concerns about NCDs.

Voice Four. All of this leads us to the focus of these weblog entries, Global Integration. There was also a missing voice from colleagues in the Christian faith-based community who are involved in integration. Could it be that integration and Global Integration did not show up? Or perhaps if it did, it did so more privately behind the scenes via people who informed by their professional work and faith, helped to shape the content and outcomes of the NCD process and documents. Very likely so. I know for sure too speaking more broadly, that many. many people of Christian faith from other disciplines and areas of concern, as is so often the case, were involved in the extremely important global NCD agenda.

My botttom line thought though is this. Integration as we know it (at last in what I call the the CANE context: Clinical-counseling, Academic, North American, Evangelical) may be quite at home and much needed in our classrooms or therapists’ offices. But Global Integration as we develop it must go beyond these familiar and important places. It must intentionally and resolutely venture into high-level conference rooms and government offices as well as settings chronically plagued by human misery via horriffic povery, intractable conflicts, natural disasters, human rights violations, and limited to no access to adequate health care, especially mental health. WWJD....if he were a mental health professional?!

Consultation at Cornell University Medical Center, New York, 17 September 2011.

"Mental Health as a Global Priority: One Vice, One Strategy"

organized by the World Federation forMental Health with various co-sponsors.

Looking Forward

I was thrilled, impressed, and grateful for the progress and commitments being made to prevent and control NCDs. I am glad social determinants of health (especially poverty and human rights) in NCDs were highlighted. I look forward to seeing the tangible outcome measures that WHO is to put together—to hopefully require (vs suggest/encourage) tough accountability for this important Political Declaration. I look forward to seeing mental health being increasingly included in the NCD agenda. I look forward to the growing coordination and unity among GMH as it gives strategic input on high-priority issues for human health. And I sincerely hope that Global Integration will increasingly find its voice in the global health agenda and the world body.

Reflection and Discussion

**Which of the NCD-related materials/ links above are of the most interest to you?

**How does or could the fight against NCDs affect your work in member care and mission/aid?

**What could be done to connect Global Integration more with the global realities related to human health?

MC-MH: Global Integration--5

2011-09-09T21:17:00.000Z

Mapping Global Integration

We are sharing a few thoughts on future directions for integration. Integration is a field of study which brings together the disciplines of theology and mental health in order to better understand and help humans. The ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration—global integration (GI). And GI is potentially very relevant for the global development of mission/aid.

*****

I recently did a brief version of an article for Psychology International. It is called “Global Mental Health (GMH): A Resource Map for Connecting and Contributing.” I begin it by talking about how it is easy (inevitable!) to get lost in the amorphous domain of global mental health (and the recent movement it has spawned). I set out to try to make an easier way into and through this domain for those in the health fields, by providing a listing (map) of the resources and entities that we will encounter in GMH. Connecting and contributing to GMH is presented as a “continuum of involvement” based on our interests and passions, so that we do not get overwhelmed or distracted by the enormity of the opportunities, challenges, etc.

Two other features of this brief paper:

**“The 60 Minute GMHer”. A list of 10 core materials (written and multimedia) that can be reviewed in about an hour and which provide a good overview of GMH.

**”Charting You GMH Course”. Seven suggestions for involvement in GMH.

Maybe we need a Global Integration Map too? If so, what would be the basic categories to map out—and further develop--for the GI domain? In the GMH article, I organize the historical highlights-resources into six areas which I also think are helpful categories for GI:

Organizations
Publications
Conferences
Training
Human rights
Humanitarian

The theme next year (2012) for the predominantly North American organization, Christian Association for Psychological Studies International (CAPS) is—Where’s Integration? That’s a timely topic that could present some good opportunities to explore GI. So how can this venue and other venues help us to head further into “God’s Global Office”--Global Integration--to expand integration broadly and deeply?

Heading into GI, and relating it to member care, is reflected in the conclusion of the kingdom parables in MT 13: 51, 52. This summary statement refers to “scribes” (learned people and leaders) who wish to become disciples in the kingdom (disciplined, committed followers of the ways of God) need to bring out both old and new treasures ( the ongoing dynamic of pushing forward with the new things founded upon and integrated with the old /previous things). This new-old dynamic helps us to stay fresh, not stagnate, and stay connected with our roots.

So, should and could the field of integration be going in the GI direction, drawing a map, charting a course, and heading into the heart of humanity? How is it doing this already?

Reflection and Discussion

**Which of the above thoughts are the most relevant for you?

**How can the field of integration practically go forward into GI?

MC-MH: Global Integration--4

2011-08-23T14:27:00.002Z

Global Integration and Psychology International

(GI-PI)

Image from website of APA office of International Affairs

http://www.apa.org/international

Some noteworthy historical examples of the influence of integration on mission/aid are the special issues on psychology and missions beginning in 1983 in both the Journal of Psychology and Theology and the Journal of Psychology and Christianity. (note that some of the articles from these special issues are available at the Member Caravan web site via the online version of Helping Missionaries Grow). Still another example is the integration backgrounds of many practitioners in member care extending back to the initial days of integration endeavors (1960s/1970s). As we stay in touch with global mental health resources and developments, including psychology international, we will be better equipped to provide member care in mission/aid and beyond.

*****

I just attended the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington DC. Established in 1892, the 150,000 members of the APA are part of the largest and arguably the most influential psychological association in the world. Its mission is to advance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.

I was really inspired by my time at this huge five-day gathering, convened at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the historic center of Washington DC. (click here to see a 3 minute promotional piece about this center.) My appreciation of the scope and relevance of psychology soared. My particular interests were oriented towards “psychology international (PI), especially the international applications of psychology for member care and for promoting health/dealing with human problems at the global level. PI can play an increasingly substantial role in the development of GI—global integration—and vice versa. Consider these PI examples from the APA convention.

People and Presentations

The APA convention certainly had a definite American feel and focus to it. Yet the clear signs of the ascendant global mental health world were easy to spot. The most visible evidence was seen in the numbers of international participants, internationally-experienced American colleagues, and the international/global-related presentations. Just a few samplings of the latter included areas such as:

**helping people/children who have been trafficked as sex workers;

**internationalizing psychology training;

**researching assessment and treatment approaches in different countries including post-traumatic stress in conflict areas;

**exploring opportunities for working in different nations.

Here are some other examples of the presentations that I attended (from the hundreds available):

**the use of social media to educate and provide care as well as examples of the darker side of the internet such as cyberstalking (click here for a brief summary of Dr. Elizabeth Carll’s presentation);

**the use of virtual reality treatments (e.g., interacting online with digitalized human helpers; providing burn victims with a virtual experience (Snow World game) to minimize the excruciating pain from having their bandages removed and wounds/skin grafts scrubbed—click here for some information about Snow World and click here for related research article);

**social psychology research on how people can become either heroes or villains (developing pro-social or anti-social behavior or character traits—see Frank Farley’s related comments on the characteristics of heroes by clicking here and click this link for Phil Zimbardo’s on evil/Lucifer Effect); and

**the effects of globalization on human health, governance, and justice (Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the Western Mind)

**healing after mass violence, reconciliation, evil (see the materials from Dr. Irving Staub)

Another presentation (by Dr. Danny Wedding at California School of Professional Psychology) discussed how clinical psychology and counseling psychology are taught in various countries. It included a brief description/mention of some of the some recent text books which provide a more international overview of psychology/mental health.

• International Handbook of Psychology (2000)
• Handbook of International Psychology (2004)
• Toward a Global Psychology (2007)
• History of Modern Psychology in Context (2010)
• History of Psychology: A Global Perspective (2011)
• Public Health Tools of Practicing Psychologists (2011)

My time at the APA Convention confirmed to me that member care (MC) and global integration (GI) must be further informed by and connected to psychology international (PI). For another tangible example have a look at the latest issue of Psychology International (July/August 2011), published by the APA Office of International Affairs. This issue includes brief pieces about mental health practices in Nepal, Psychology Day at the United Nations (14 April 2011), information on the new site from the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) called Psychological Resources from Around the World, a short article I did that overviews global mental health, etc.

Member Care Applications

As we have shared with graduate students in the mental health sciences who are interested in member care: get the best education-training that you can; get the best cross-cultural experiences that you can; connect with networks and people in mission/aid/member care; grow as a person; commit to lifelong learning; trust God; get a support group with you and behind you; try to not take on too much debt; and more recently, cross sectors for good practice. Going to the APA convention and considering the current state of PI, reminded me of all the above!

Those who practice Christian spirituality and head into the GI realm can certainly embrace the good in PI without becoming psycho-centirc. A Cristo-centric relationship, commitment, and lifestyle are still at the core of every GI practitioner.

Reflections and Discussion

1. Which of the above PI resources-links are the most interesting to you?

2. List a few other suggestions for PI resources that are relevant for GI and member care specifically.

3. What can help GI develop into a broad-based movement (and without being overly influenced by one country, discipline, organization, etc.)?

MC-MH: Global Integration--3

2011-07-30T20:58:00.003+01:00

Tran(s)pan in the GI Commons

Global Aid Per Capita

Colors indicate recipients; black/gray indicate donors

Who controls aid and who controls GI?

*****

I think we'd all agree that GI should not be overly influenced by a few institutions (e.g., academic settings), or a few publishing sources (e.g., journals, publishers), or a few disciplines (e.g., clinical psychology) a few theologies (e.g., Evangelical), a few nations (e.g., USA, UK), or a predominant generation/gender (e.g., over 50, male). We must go further and deeper if we are to truly develop GI, or better, a “GI Commons” in which a diversity of humans can meet on a level field for mutual exchanges and mutual support.

I simply have to find a new word to describe the nature and direction of GI. Let's go with a troika term: "tran(s)pan": trans = across, pan = all, and span = range. This term then means that GI is universal, at least aspirationally. I wonder to what extent the integration field is influenced (dominated?) by academic, American, Caucasion, Evangelical and male influences (including perspectives and agendas)? Is integration, for all of its incredible contributions the past 40+ years, heading towards the way of many good movements, becoming institutionalized and an industry? Does I do not know and I would sure like to hear what othes have to say about this.

Nonetheless, I think that for the GI commons to become tran(s)pan, it just will not need more non-whites, nor more non-Americans, nor more people from other countries to be invited to be part of the current (”our”) integratation world. Rather I think that something new needs to emerge that fits with the diversity of humans and the major issues facing humanity. I think it will involve in its core a shift in mentality and a shift in lifestyle. It will involve what Patel et al (2011, page 90), in describing the global mental health movement, refer to as the “selfless moral struggle” needed for equitable, quality resources for everyone.

http://www.globalmentalhealth.org/binary_data/581_the_movement_for_global_mental_health.pdf

For more perspectives on the GI Commons, have a look at these three links which provide us with some quick and fascinating glimpses of the bigger picture.

1. Perspectives from 15 years ago:

See the abstract from the article Psychology and the Global Commons: Perspectives of International Psychology by Kurt Pawlik and Géry d'Ydewalle American Psychologist, 51(5), May 1996, 488-495.

http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1996-04443-005

2. Current perspectives:

a. See the listing of many psychology-related conferences around the world during the next 12+ months. http://www.conferencealerts.com/psychology.htm

b. The six minute interview with Dr, Vikram Patel regarding the needs/strategies for global mental health.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptnP-TWhKgY

Reflections and Discussion

1. How would you summarize the above comments regarding the GI Commons in one sentence.

2. Perhaps you like the the notion of heading fuirther into a “tran(s)pan” direction for your life and lifestyle. If so, in what areas? And are there limits, cautions, and hindrances in doing this?

3. List three ways that the member care field could help GI further become a tran(s)pan reality.

MC-MH: Global Integration--2

2011-07-19T22:06:00.003+01:00

Windows and Agendas

photo courtesy/copyright IRIN http://www.irinnews.org/

We are sharing a few thoughts on future directions for integration. Integration is a field of study which brings together the disciplines of theology and mental health in order to better understand and help humans. The links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration (global integration--GI). And GI can potentially be intricately connected to the global development of mission/aid.

*****

The field of integration has progressively developed over the last 40 years or so. We wonder what the next 10-40 years could be like. Depending on the work-life expectancy for those working in this field, there is a 10-40 year “window” of involvement. What will integration be like and where will it be during this time period—from now until say 2050? Should we intentionally shape it in different ways? How to do so? Perhaps a group could get together and envision a GI Agenda for the next 10-40 years.

In misiological parlance there is the 10-40 Window of the Earth—referring to the people living between the latitudes of 10-40 degrees north. So maybe we create a variant of this term and consider a 10-40 Window for Global Integration—a GI Window comprised of temporal space not physical space. One reason why this time frame is relevant: by the year 2050 there will be an estimated nine billion humans living on earth. One-third will likely to be living is squalor and misery. So how could our efforts in developing global integration make a difference for these three billion folks? Is this an integrative distraction, a duty, or something else?

Reflections and Discussion

1. To what extent does the field of integration need to consider the overall needs of humanity? Is it a distraction, duty, or something else?

2. How could a group form to envision a GI Agenda during the current GI Window? What would be a couple ways to further link member care and mental health globally?

MC-MH: Global Integration--1

2011-07-13T21:08:00.009+01:00

Foundations and Directions

Member care as a field-movement has deep, historic roots in the mental health sector and strong influences from mental health practitioners who are Christians. Many of these practitioners have been actively involved in “integration,” a field of study which brings together the disciplines of theology and mental health in order to better understand and help humans.

During the next several entries on this weblog, we’ll share some thoughts on future directions for integration. We’ll use the term Global Integration (GI) as a way to discuss what could become an emerging reality—integration going global in light of global realities. We believe that ongoing/additional links between member care (MC) and mental health (MH) are highly relevant for the global development of integration. And humanity.

MC + MH --> GI

To begin, if there were an article or special series of articles to explore GI with a view towards future directions, I think it could be called something like this. Stay tuned.

Global Integration--Growing Deeply and Going Broadly:

Building on Foundations, Developing New Competencies,

Breaking Bubbles, Crossing Sectors, Taking Risks,

and Challenging the Status Quo

on Behalf of Humanity in Need

Reflections and Discussion.

1. List a couple ways that the integration of theology and mental health has practically impacted member care in mission/aid--and/or your life.

2. What would be another title for an article about global integration?

Global MC—Pearl Twelve

2011-06-30T20:26:00.008+01:00

Resources for Good Practice

Eastern Orthodox painting of Jesus Christ

as the Pantocrator (The Almighty)

We have been exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote (12 total) is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This twelfth and final entry is from Part Three in the book, “Developing Guidelines in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Twelve

Christian hope produces life-givers, not life-takers. The crucified Christ calls his people to live and die for their enemies, as he did. The only risks permitted by Christ are the perils of love. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). (page 208, excerpt from John Piper, A Call for Christian Risk)

The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains like Marley’s Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free. Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever. (pages 217-218, excerpt from Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol)

Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends!

The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

Luke 12:31-32, The Message

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.

Global MC—Pearl Eleven

2011-06-21T21:14:00.001+01:00

Expanding the Foundations of Good Practice

Read It. Discuss it. Apply it.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote (12 total) is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This eleventh entry is from Part Three in the book, “Developing Guidelines in Mission/Aid.”
https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Eleven

This chapter explores what I believe is the foundational stone in our search for trans-culturally relevant ethics. Stone Five is fascinating! It is based on doing what we “know” is morally right to do. It shines light on our inner sense of duty. I believe that it must especially take into account human rights in a way which hitherto has received minimal consideration in the member care field. This includes understanding and protecting the rights of mission/aid staff and the people with whom they work, as described for example in international human rights documents (discussed below).

However, the primary focus of this stone is not just mission/aid staff. It is also on the ethical responsibility—ethical imperative—for personal and group duty (often sacrificial duty) on behalf of humanity. It is about the duty and choice to risk one’s own rights and well-being in order to extend member care, broadly speaking, to vulnerable populations. More specifically, it is a principled commitment to improve the quality of life and seek justice for those whose human rights, including religious liberties and freedom of conscience as well as physical safety and economic livelihood, are habitually threatened through neglect, disasters, poverty, discrimination, fear, and persecution.

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.

Global MC—Pearl Ten

2011-06-12T10:04:00.002+01:00

Pursuing Trans-Cultural Ethics

Planting a flower aftertaking a swim in pools
formed by rain waters in the Mathare slums, Kenya.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote (12 total) is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This tenth entry is from Part Three in the book, “Developing Guidelines in Mission/Aid.”
https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Ten

Where There Are No (Well-Resourced) Senders

There are a couple important counterpoints for the guidelines suggested [for sending groups]. First, not all mission/aid workers actually have “senders.” At least many may not have an ongoing long-term sender as they may work from contract to contract and from agency to agency. Others workers do things much more on their own without a sending group per se. Their charitable work and Christian witness are done as part of their lifestyle in a host culture. Many mission/aid workers surely wish that a sender would be able to support and manage them in ways that are recommended in [these guidelines]!

Second, for some sending groups themselves, these guidelines may seem overly idealistic at best and inappropriately constrictive at worst. Senders coming from philo¬sophically different, or less-experienced, or financially-limited settings may not be on the same page about what is “needed” to do mission/aid and member care well. For instance some senders may default to the practice of sending out “naked” mission workers who have no apparent resources other than to follow the biblical injunction Christ gave his disciples to go without an extra coat, staff, or money. These folks embody that commitment, without an expectation of returning to their home country for furlough or retirement. This may seem extreme, but it does reflect the other end point of the sender’s continuum for providing “comprehensive” member care. On a related note, in her concluding chapter in Sharing the Front Line and Back Hills (2002), Danieli describes how some potential contributors to her edited work dismissed her effort as “preposter-ous or obscene.” The reason was that she was focusing on aid workers themselves—the protectors and providers—rather than on what was perceived to be the far more needy victims who needed help (p. 388).

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.

Global MC—Pearl Nine

2011-05-30T23:11:00.002+01:00

Encountering Ethical Member Care

Read It. Discuss it. Apply it.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This ninth entry is from Part Three in the book, “Developing Guidelines in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Nine

Premises for Ethical Member Care

**First, staff are humans with intrinsic worth and not just resources with strategic worth. We appreciate them for who they are as well as for what they do.

**Second, ethical care is concerned with both the well-being of everyone involved in mission in aid. This includes the well-being of the organization, its purposes, and its personnel.

**Third, sacrifice and suffering are normal parts of mission/aid work. We acknowledge yet try to mitigate against the serious negative consequences that accompany work in risky places.

**Fourth, we encourage balancing the demands of professional work with the desires for personal growth. Personnel need to find a good work-life balance so they can both run well and rest well.

**Fifth, how we provide services to staff is as significant as the actual services themselves. We respect the dignity and rights of all people and thus provide quality care, carefully.

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.

Global MC—Pearl Eight

2011-05-22T03:57:00.003+01:00

Resources for Good Practice

Eastern Orthodox representation of Jesus Christ
as the Pantocrator (The Almighty)

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This eighth entry is from Part Two in the book, “Promoting Health in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Eight

“People ought not to be encouraged or allowed to acquire the rights of statutory tenants to any part of the organization. In the voluntary world this applies particularly to management and executive committees, which have a preference for the re-election of their existing members, for co-option and for committee nomination for new members. Such ways encourage vested rights, and while there is a lot to be said for retaining wisdom and experience in the organization it need not always sit in the same place.” (Charles Handy, Understanding Voluntary Organisations, 1988, page 148) (page 140 in GMH book)

Some examples [of “bad” leaders, based on a lecture from Dr. Robert Sternberg, Tufts University, October 2007]:

• They see themselves as being above accountability—“ethics” are for other people.

• They do not avail themselves of needed input from others to complement, balance, and correct themselves.

• They lapse into an unrealistic and often disguised sense of omnipotence, inerrancy, mega-importance, unrealistic optimism, and invulnerability.

• They become entrenched in their ways, even when it is obvious to others that these leaders are digging a bigger pit of mistakes into which they and others will fall.

• They may have high intelligence, but ultimately all the above makes them “foolish.”

Ultimately, bad leaders distort and ignore reality. They create their own reality.

Bad leaders also display a significantly diminished moral competency. (page 144 in GMH book)

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.

Global MC—Pearl Seven

2011-05-11T21:12:00.001+01:00

Supporting Good Governance
and Good Management

Read it. Discuss it. Apply it.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This seventh entry is from Part Two in the book, “Promoting Health in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Seven

“Keep in mind that any guidelines are only as helpful as the skill levels of the managers who use them. I also note, sadly, that when guidelines are bypassed or inadequate, we may tend to make them up to our own advantage rather than with impartiality and in the best interests of everyone in mind. As one colleague has shared with me, somewhat skeptically, “Poor organizational management is all about the other “golden rule” in which the person with the most gold, rules.” ” (page 117)

“I really appreciate a Middle-Eastern proverb which says. “The greatest crime in the desert is to find water, and remain silent.” I would like to suggest a rejoinder to this proverb: “The second greatest crime in the desert is to find poisoned water and remain silent” (see also Prov. 25:26). Sometimes mission/aid workers at all levels of organiza¬tions can get into trouble by blowing a whistle and confronting the poisoned water of dysfunction. This is not easy to do as we have said repeatedly. Neither is it easy to do well, nor to do well by oneself. It is often scary, risky and easy to make mistakes in spite of good intentions. There is often a high cost to pay when advocating for personal and organizational health, People need integrity and skill (Ps. 78:72) to consistently and resolutely act with moral courage both publicly and privately.” (page 135)

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.

Global MC—Pearl Six

2011-05-02T15:57:00.002+01:00

Upgrading Relational Resiliency

Painting of Francis of Assisi

(The account of his story about true joy is included in chapter six.)

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. This sixth entry is from Part Two in the book, “Promoting Health in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Six

“Over the years I have acquired an immense appreciation for church history, the humanities, and the wealth of instructive materials that have been written over the centuries. One example is Sirach, circa 190 BC, whose fifty chapters in the book of Ecclesiasticus make up a significant portion of the wisdom literature in the Septuagint version of the Scriptures. Chapter 6 on friendship and trust is especially relevant...” (page 102)

"Let your acquaintances be many, but for advisers choose one out of a thousand. If you want to make a friend, take him on trial, and do not be in a hurry to trust him; for one kind of friend is so only when it suits him but will not stand by you in your day of trouble. Another kind of friend will fall out with you and to your dismay make your quarrel public, and a third kind of friend will share your table, but not stand by you in your day of trouble: when you are doing well he will be your second self, ordering your servants about; but, if disaster befalls you, he will recoil from you and keep out of your way. Keep well clear of your enemies, and be wary of your friends. A loyal friend is a powerful defense: whoever finds one has indeed found a treasure. A loyal friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. A loyal friend is the elixir of life, and those who fear the Lord will find one. Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a person is, so is his friend too" (Ecclesiasticus 6:6-17, New Jerusalem Bible, Reprinted with permission of Catholic Online http://www.catholic.org/). (page 102)

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.

Global MC—Pearl Five

2011-04-25T16:41:00.002+01:00

Unmasking Dysfunction

Read it. Discuss it. Apply it.

*****

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. The next four entries are from Part Two in the book, “Promoting Health in Mission/Aid.” https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Five

“Most of us have been part of both healthy and dysfunctional work settings. The healthy ones are personally rewarding and we feel we are contributing and growing, and challenged and respected. The dysfunctional ones on the other hand drain us, stealing our time, focus, effectiveness, and even our emotional and physical health...Dysfunction disables our people and purposes, but most importantly from a Christian viewpoint, it dishonors God (Rom. 2:21-24).” (page 88)

“The problem is further complicated when there is not proper accountability in place, or when there is not enough relational history with a person or an institution to really confront it and require verifiable changes. Again I want to be clear that I am not talking about how to handle situations where folks simply differ or where both the normalcy of conflict and the need to work it through in helpful ways are understood. Rather I am referring to instances where there is significant personal and organizational dysfunction. So in other words organizations and people, whether they are aware of it or not, and whether they are willing to admit it or not, are having an ongoing “toxic” influence on people. And as a result, unless we have the necessary life skills, training, and profes¬sional support (which would include being well-versed in the behavioral science areas of systems, recovery, and clinical disorders; and well-grounded in mediation practices and in the breadth of Christian scripture for dealing with conflict and dysfunction) we can end up being “wise as doves” as we interact with others who may be “innocent as serpents.” Truth without grace may be brutal, but grace without truth can be lethal.” (page 92,93)

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.

Global MC—Pearl Four

2011-04-18T09:13:00.000+01:00

Resources for Good Practice

Christ the Pantocrator (The Almighty)

Opening image from chapter four.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Four

“In the context of complex humanitarian emergencies and the rigours of life in developing nations, aid workers arrive on the scene expecting to enhance life, not just to neutralise pain. Humanitarian work is, afterall, a celebration of life, not homage to death and despair. …International aid is a challenge to the power not only of hunger, war, and poverty, but to cynicism. Faith-driven or secular, the workers who bring aid…are the living embodiment of a human conviction that wrongs not only must be righted, but that they can be righted.” (p.1)

“…the objective of stress and trauma management is not merely to protect local and expatriate staff but to encourage them to grow, flourish, and sow the seeds of well-being among colleagues and communities in which they work and live…One of the most effective ways both to protect and to flourish is to maintain excellent social relationships within and outside the work environment. (p.5) …Our findings suggest that strong relationships afford the best protection in traumatic and stressful environments.” (p.6) John Fawcett, excerpts included from Stress and Trauma Handbook (2003)

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.

Global MC—Pearl Three

2011-04-07T09:56:00.001+01:00

Embracing Future Directions

Read it. Discuss it. Apply it.

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing on the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Three

"The need for [both foundational and future resources—the old and the new] must also take into account the significant shifts in demographics among the world’s 2.1 billion “affiliated Christians,” especially the growing majority of Christians in/from the diverse Global South(s) and the proportional decline in Christians in/from the diverse Global North(s) (Corwin, 2010; Johnson and Kim, 2006). These [resources] must also support the efforts to resolutely and responsibly deal with the world’s greatest problems, including the need to eradicate poverty (e.g., the 910 million urban slum dwellers), provide universal education, promote gender equality, combat HIV/AIDS, foster environmental sustainability, etc.
(United Nations Millennium Development Goals, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals)."

"The member care field therefore, while maintaining its core focus on supporting the diversity of mission/aid personnel, must expand into new international and cross-sector areas. Each of us for example, would do well to stay current with at least one related health area and/or global issue that we are particularly passionate about (including organiza¬tions, practitioners, resources etc. related to the area/issue). We will need courage to face new challenges to enhance human well-being and combat evil in its many forms. And we will need a solid, practical theology that sees God at work throughout the variety of human efforts…around the world." (page 54)

*****

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.

Global MC—Pearl Two

2011-03-31T23:48:00.001Z

Listening to Our Global Voices

in the Democaratic Republic of the Congo, 2008.

*****

We are exploring member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). Drawing from the metaphor from Rev. 21:21, each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl Two

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, 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.

Global MC—Pearl One

2011-03-21T02:23:00.004Z

Highlighting Member Care History

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;

each one of the gates was a single pearl.

Revelation 21:21

This new set of entries explores member care by using brief quotes from the book, Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice (published February 2011). There will be one quote from each of the book's 12 chapters. Each quote is like a huge pearl--a pearl gateway--that allows us to enter more fully into the global field of member care. https://sites.google.com/site/globalmca/

Pearl One

"Over the last twenty years, a special ministry within the Christian mission/aid sector, really a movement, has developed around the world that is called member care. At the core of member care is a commitment to provide ongoing, supportive resources to further develop mission/aid personnel. Currently there are an estimated 400,000 full-time "foreign missionaries" and over 11.8 million national Christian workers from all denominations (Johnson, Barrett, and Crossing, 2010). Our member care parish (or catchment area), so to speak, is huge! But these figures do not reflect the number of Christians involved in the overlapping area of humanitarian aid, nor do they reflect the unknown number of "tentmakers" or Christians who intentionally work in different countries while also sharing their good works and faith. Sending organizations and churches, colleagues and friends, specialist providers, and also locals who are befriended are key sources of such care. ...Member care, I have learned over and over again, is not about creating a comfortable lifestyle. Nor is it about trusting people instead of trusting God. Rather, it is about further developing the resiliency to do our work well which includes our character, competencies,and social support. It is also about developing relational resiliency, which includes working through the inevitable differences and impasses with international and local fellow-workers." (pages 5, 7)

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.

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Conclusion

2011-02-28T22:17:00.003Z

The Cape Town Commitment

Antonello da Messina, 15th century

Tu nobis victor Rex, miserere.

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October (2010) in South Africa. Over the last three months we have looked at the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

We want to briefly focus now on the Cape Town Commitment, the document summarizing the values and way forward for the Lausanne Movement. It is in two parts:

1. For the Lord we love

2. For the world we serve

Have a go at reading the entire document.

We include the conclusion here:

“In the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and on the sole foundation of faith in God’s infinite mercy and saving grace, we earnestly long and pray for a reformation of biblical discipleship and a revolution of Christ-like love. We make this our prayer and we undertake this our commitment for the sake of the Lord we love and for the sake of the world we serve in his name.”

Here is our main response about the Commitment with regards to member care:

The core emphasis of this Commitment is love--loving others based on God’s love for people/us. The core emphasis of member care is the same: sacrificial and celebratory love. Our love as followers of Christ is the same as our love in member care. It is the final measure for what we do.

Well, let's go back now to the initial entry for this series about Member Care and Lausanne 3. We are still wondering how member care was present at this historic gathering. Certainly the foundation of member care was there and clearly affirmed—love. And I am glad we in MCA could contribute seven diverse blogs virtually as part of the Lausnne 3 Global Conversation Portal. Yet I am not sure that the international field of member care itself was there in RSA, or if it were, what platform it had to meaningfully connect and contribute. C'est dommage?

*****

Reflection and Discussion
1. Who can you love today?

2. Who did you love yesterday?

3. Who will you love tomorrow?

*****

God loves you
(vintage Stonehill, late 1970s in California probably)

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Seven

2011-02-16T16:31:00.003Z

Confronting Corruption in Mission/Aid

Yesterday they prayed for us.

Today they preyed on us.

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October (2010) in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main questions of this particular blog: How can we develop safeguards to prevent and capacity to deal with corruption in mission/aid? Are there protective mechanisms in place to support those who confront corruption, including abuse of authority/position, harassment/retaliation, and fraud/embezzlement? Yes, No, or Probably?!

"We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because non-co-operation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is co-operation with good." "...we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love." Martin Luther King Jr.

*****

[Updated/addition: Our hearts go out to the people in the MENA region and all those who are willing to peacefully confront, risk, and even die for social justice. We must learn from them. There comes a time when we too, in our respective spheres of influence, must no longer keep looking the other way in the face of wrongdoing, pretending that corruption and injustice do not really exist, and basing ethical decisions on convenience, self-protection, and self-interest (Philippians 2:21). We say this not because we are paranoid, or have a psychological disorder, or are on a moral crusade, or have a poor history of relationships, or are obsessed, or are insubordinate—or any other silly accusation that has been levied against us. Rather we say this because we will not “relinquish our privilege and obligation to love” as we seek to promote good practice/health in the mission-member care community.]

Unmasking Corruption

Major fraud and other forms of corruption are a fact of life. Just think of the bogus solicitations that you get regularly in your email inbox, sincerely asking for your sympathy, help, personal financial information, and ultimately your money. People get duped all the time. And even the financially savvy can become the prey of experienced fraudsters. No one is immune to being exposed to fraud’s far-reaching toxins, including people and organizations in the faith-based community.

For example an estimated 32 billion US dollars are stolen around the world through “ecclesiastical crime” according to the 2010 estimates published in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (January 2010, p. 36). Think of it as being a collective “minimum wage” paying over $350,000 per hour to “thieves” (many who are respected) within church-mission settings. This outrageous figure is derived by dividing the $32 billion dollars by the amount of hours per year. Further, if a "40 hour work-week" is considered, rather than working 24/7, then the international-collective estimate increases to about $1.5 million US dollars per hour. Think of it as being universal “crimianity”: the devastating result of the widespread, egregious mingling of Christianity and criminality.

http://www.internationalbulletin.org/archive/all/2010/1

The humanitarian assistance sector apparently fares no better. Consider the sobering news from the July 2008 joint report from Transparency International et al on the widespread occurrence of corruption in humanitarian assistance. The report includes a succinct perspective to help us understand the reality of corruption. Corruption is primarily an ‘abuse of entrusted power for personal gain’ which can devastate people in many ways (erosion of trust in self and others; time, energy, and money seeking justice; disillusionment), rather than solely being a financial matter (p.2). Review the report--especially the two-page Executive Summary at: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/1207.pdf

In summary: Corruption is not just a concept out there somewhere. Rather it is a tangible reality for many of us in our everyday lives that comes in many guises. So what do we do to prevent, confront, and eradicate corruption in mission/aid?

Reflection and Discussion

1. What are a few things you can learn from the civil unrest and demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa now?

2. Reflect on the quote from Martin Luther King Jr. Recall a time that you did not put into practice this assertion about “co-operation” with evil/good and a time that you did?

3. How can the above resource from Transparency International be used in your setting, including the foundational definition of corruption being “the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain?”

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Six

2011-01-30T15:43:00.005Z

Managing Stress for Mission/Aid Workers:

Self-Assessment Tools

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October (2010) in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs on the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this particular blog: How can we support mission/aid workers so that they are as healthy and effective as possible? Are sending groups doing a good job supporting their national/local and international staff? Yes, No, or Probably?!

(Video clip from Humanitarian Policy http://www.humanitarianpolicy.org/)

“Effective pre-mission training must begin with instilling awareness of the need for security and psychosocial support in the culture of organizations. Patched together, ad hoc, or solely programatic efforts will have only minimal impact. Security and support must be integrated, both structurally and functionally, into the mainstream of pre-field mission operations: mission planning, staffing, and budgeting.” Yael Danieli, Sharing the Front Line and the Back Hills (2002), p. 383

*****

Stress Assessment

Here is a stress assessment tool (13 items) from ta booklet by the International Federation of the Red Cross, Managing Stress in the Field (2001). It is based on “The Relief Worker Burnout Questionnaire” in Coping with Disaster, 1999, by John H. Ehrenreich. http://helid.digicollection.org/en/d/Js2897e/6.html

Instructions: Rate each of the following items in terms of how much the symptom was true of you the last month. 0 = Never 1 = Occasionally 2 = Somewhat often 3 = Frequently 4 = Almost always

__1. Do you tire easily? Do you feel fatigued a lot of the time, even when you have gotten enough sleep?

__2. Are people annoying you by their demands and stories about their daily activities? Do minor inconveniences make you irritable or impatient?

__3. Do you feel increasingly critical, cynical or disenchanted?

__4. Are you affected by sadness you can’t explain? Are you crying more than usual?

__5. Are you forgetting appointments, deadlines, personal possessions? Have you become absent-minded?

__6. Are you seeing close friends and family members less frequently? Do you find yourself wanting to be alone and avoiding even your close friends?

__7. Does doing even routine things seem like an effort?

__8. Are you suffering from physical complaints such as stomach aches, headaches, lingering colds, general aches and pains?

__9. Do you feel confused or disoriented when the activity of the day stops?

__10. Have you lost interest in activities that you previously were interested in or even enjoyed?

__11. Do you have little enthusiasm for your work? Do you feel negative, futile, or depressed about your work?

__12. Are you less efficient than you think you should be?

__13. Are you eating more (or less), smoking more cigarettes, using more alcohol or drugs to cope with your work?

Total Score: (Add up scores for items 1-13)

Interpretation: No formal norms are available for this measure. Based on the content of the items, a score of 0-15 suggests the delegate is probably coping adequately with the stress of his or her work. A score of 16-25 suggests the worker is suffering from work stress and would be wise to take preventive action. A score of 26-35 suggests possible burnout. A score above 35 indicates probable burn out.

Notes:

**See the CHOPS Adjustment Inventory (in several languages) and other free assessment tools at our MCA Reality DOSE web site.

**See the 2010 update of the Operational Security Manual in Violent Environments, from Humanitarian Policy Network (download it for free---discuss and apply!)

Reflection and Discussion
1. What did you think about the video clip on safety for humanitarian workers? What were the main points and how effective was it?

2. Take the assessment tool above on stress assessment. What did you learn about yourself and how might you better manage stress?

3. How can some of the above resources be used in your setting?

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Five

2011-01-17T15:57:00.004Z

Porn as Mission and Porn in Mission:

We are as Healthy as our Secrets

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this particular blog: How do pornography and other sexual addictions affect the people involved in mission?
Are they really such an issue? Yes, No, or Probably?!
*****

Porn as Mission? You bet. In fact, there is a major multi-billion industry whose mission is to convert you into a regular, paying, porn-using consumer.

Porn in Mission? You bet too. It’s insidious, ensnaring tentacles pop up almost everywhere it seems--in our daily lives, media, our thoughts--and even if we do not seek it out.

Here is a quick tool to help assess sexual addiction.

More on Porn. There is a continuum of involvement in pornography (or any other addictive behavior such as food, substance use, work, control). At one end some people include porn as part of their daily “coping routines.” Towards the other end some may “lapse” into porn periodically, minimizing its potentially lethal and addictive impact. Where are you and your colleagues on this continuum of porn usage? How freely can you discuss this reality in your mission/church setting?

Mission/aid workers are certainly not immune! Pornography destroys the beauty of our human sexuality, replacing it with a haunting, incapacitating bondage. The humans that create and proliferate porn want your money—they could care less about you. Pornography exploits millions of people including those whom mission/aid workers are trying to assist.

Like any serious addiction, you cannot overcome porn by sheer will power, or by yourself, or simply by exhorting yourself to never do “it” again. Healing takes time and discipline, strict accountability and utter honesty, close friends and tight internet controls. It requires understanding emotional and environmental triggers, learning/relearning healthy behaviors and healthy human sexuality. Take action now to help yourself and also others.

Courage! Remember, we are as healthy as our secrets.

http://www.covenanteyes.com/ (accountability tools for internet use)
http://www.sexhelp.com/ (resources and includes a self-assessment tool)
http://www.arabicrecovery.com/ (many resources for recovery in Arabic)
http://www.sa.org/ (support for sexual addictions including locations for support groups)
http://www.christianrecovery.com/ (resources/links for healing from addictions, abuse, trauma)
http://www.xxxchurch.com/ (Christian resources for sexual purity including podcasts/interviews)
http://www.safefamilies.org/ (oriented towards child protection/families, plus free internet filtering)
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/ (addiction resources; free courses for education/accountability)

*****

Reflection and Discussion
1. Take the assessment tool above. What did you learn about yourself?

2. How can porn use and sexual addictions be helped in your setting? How does culture play a role in identifying and dealing with such sexual issues?

3. Review the web sites above. What materials and resources seem to be the most helpful for you or others?

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Four

2010-12-30T07:49:00.004Z

Global Mental Health
and Unreached People Groups

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this particular blog:
How do mental disorders affect those in Unreached People Groups--and other vulnerable groups? Is the mission/aid community, like other social sectors and governmental bodies, focusing adequate resources on identifying and helping the millions of people who struggle with psychological conditions? Yes, No, or Probably?!

“Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
World Health Organization, October 2009 http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/index.html

*****

Mental disorders: What exactly are the issues, who has the responsibility to help, and what has been done and can be done? Have a look at these statistics as well as the resources below from the World Health Organization (WHO). See also our 20 March 2010 entry on Well-Being for All.

Global Mental Health Statistics—The Quick Overview

**According to WHO, mental, neurological, and substance use disorders “are common in all regions of the world, affecting every community and age group across all income countries. While 14% of the global burden of disease is attributed to these disorders, most of the people affected—75% in many low-income countries—do not have access to the treatment they need.” (WHO, launch of the mhGAP program)

http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/en/index.html

WHO estimates (2002):

• over 150 million have depression

• 25 million have schizophrenia

• 50 million have epilepsy

• over 100 million have drug or alcohol use disorders

• over one million suicides/year.

**In addition, “people with these disorders are often subjected to social isolation, poor quality of life and increased mortality. These disorders are the cause of staggering economic and social costs.” (WHO Department of Mental Health, The Bare Facts).

**Ten Facts on Mental Health (click link for a quick overview)

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/index.html

Some Core Resources—The Big Picture

**The WHO Report on Mental Health and Development: Targeting People with Mental Health Conditions as a Vulnerable Group. “The WHO report demonstrates that people with mental health conditions are vulnerable – not because of any inherent weakness, but as a result of the way they are treated by society. It illustrates how people are not only missed by development programmes, but can be actively excluded from these programmes, this despite the fact that an explicit goal of development is to reach the most vulnerable. It also presents a number of evidence-based strategies which are known to improve development outcomes for persons with mental health conditions and all vulnerable groups. The WHO report is a call to action to all development stakeholders – multilateral agencies, bilateral agencies, global partnerships, private foundations, academic and research institutions, governments and civil society – to focus their attention on mental health. By investing in people with mental health conditions, development outcomes can be improved.” (Dr. Michelle Funk, WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse)

**The mhGAP Intervention Guide for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders in Non-Specialized Health Settings is a technical tool developed by WHO to help health care providers who are non-specialists manage primary conditions like depression, psychosis, bipolar disorders, epilepsy, developmental and behavioural disorders in children and adolescents, dementia, alcohol use disorders, drug use disorders, self-harm/suicide and other significant emotional or medically unexplained complaints. It is a model guide to be adapted for national and local needs.

**Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: A Global Perspective is a special report by WHO/Wonca on how mental health has been integrated into primary health care systems in different countries (e.g., India, Iran, South Africa, Brazil). The report also outlines skills needed to help people with mental disorders.

*****

Reflection and Discussion

1. Based on the opening video and your own perspectives, whose responsibility is it to help those in “Unreached People Groups” who struggle with various mental conditions?

2. Can a focus on mental health conditions, like other major areas of human need, be a distraction from the more “spiritual” emphasis of mission and the more physical emphasis of aid? Or can mental health needs get lost between these two emphases? What do you think?

3. Share an observation or a practical example about how mental health, as defined by the WHO towards the top of this entry, has been practically integtrated into mission/aid work.

Member Care and Lausannne 3: Blog Three

2010-12-19T21:19:00.003Z

The United Nations and the Global God

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this particular blog:
How does the work of the United Nations relate to the work of member care and Christian mission, and vice versa? Is the mission/member care community able to effectively help humanity's problems apart from intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations? Yes, No, or Probably?!

*****

Consider these two brief quotes below as a launching point for discussion. Leave a comment!

"The United Nations is a 20th-century organization facing a 21st-century challenge as an institution with impressive achievements but also haunting failures, one that mirrors not just the world’s hopes but its inequalities and disagreements, and most important, one that has changed but needs to change further….The single greatest problem facing the United Nations is that there is no single greatest problem; rather there are a dozen different ones each day clamoring for attention. Some, like the crisis in Lebanon, the Palestinian situation and the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, are obvious and trying. Others we call “problems without passports”— issues that cross all frontiers uninvited, like climate change, drug trafficking, human rights, terrorism, epidemic diseases, and refugee movements. Their solutions, too, can recognize no frontiers because no one country or group of countries, however rich or powerful, can tackle them alone." Shashi Tharoor, The Good for Something United Nations, Newsweek, September 4, 2006

"The Christian mission requires that we meet basic human needs for education, food, water, medicine, justice, and peace. As is evident in the Apostle John’s assertion that Jesus was sent to “destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3: 8), our mission is to continue his earthly mission by undertaking the kind of organized research and enterprises that combat evil in all its forms—violence, injustice, poverty, environmental exploitation, drug trafficking, and disease…In this way, Christians extend God’s rule in the world, particularly in the transformation of society, render the Christian gospel believable, and make world evangelization possible. All of this is to the ultimate glory of our good and gracious Creator and Redeemer God." David Hesselgrave, describing the essence of Dr. Ralph Winter’s “kingdom mission.” Evangelical Missions Quarterly, (Volume 46, April 2010; p. 196).

Note: The above quotes were part of a presentation at Fuller School of Psychology in the United States in June 2010. The presentation focused on the role of organizational culture in mission/aid and its impact on staff well-being and operational objectives. Participants were encouraged to explore viable ways to practically link and connect with some of the most challenging global issues facing humanity. You can access for free the materials and audio/video at:

http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/fuller.edu.4220124415.04220124420

*****

Reflection and Discussion

1. How does the "Probably" video clip relate to one or both of the quotes above?

2. Share an observation or a practical example about how the mission/member care community and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations mix or don't mix.

3. What items in this entry can be helpful for you to discuss in yourorganization/setting?

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog Two

2010-12-12T20:23:00.009Z

Mixed Blessings:

Healthy/Unhealthy Organizations in Mission/Aid

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main question of this blog: Do we and our organizations
have the necessary capacity/safeguards in place to promote health?
Yes, No, or Probably?!

*****

Virtue does not have to be so painful, if it is sensibly organized.

Charles Handy, Understanding Voluntary Organizations

How healthy is your church, mission, NGO, etc? Here are five brief quotes about organizational life to help explore this question. Remember: in mission as in life, we reproduce who we are.

These quotes are taken from a special training day on Organizations and Member Care at Fuller School of Psychology—The audio video and written materials are available for free via this link: http://sites.google.com/site/membercaravan/caravan-groups/training-day-19-06-10

*****

Quote One: Health Checklist--Signs of Organizational Health, Kelly O'Donnell (2008)

http://coremembercare.blogspot.com/2008/11/member-care-and-organisational-health.html

What are some of the core characteristics that would make you want to be part of a team, department, or organization? Here are some items to consider. What else would you add? Everyone loves to work in settings like these, but remember, like healthy families, they take a lot of work to develop and maintain!

• Mutual respect among staff

• Fair pay/compensation and fair play especially in light of power differentials

• Opportunities to make contributions

• Opportunities for advancement and personal growth

• Sense of purpose and meaning

• Management with competence and integrity, including sharing • information

• Safeguards to protect individuals (staff and customers) from injustice

• Responsibility for actions: owning mistakes, not blaming others or covering up

• Honesty in communication and public disclosures: not slanting the truth or exaggerating

• Accountability for personal/work life: seeking out feedback and ways to improve, not ignoring or pretending

• Others:"

Quote Two: Organizational Culture--Stress and Trauma Handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments, John Fawcett, (2003, World Vision)

“…the most stressful events in humanitarian work have to do with the organisational culture, management style and operational objectives of an NGO or agency rather than external security risks or poor environmental factors. Aid workers, basically, have a pretty shrewd idea what they are getting into when they enter this career, and dirty clothes, gunshots at night and lack of electricity do not surprise them. Intra-and inter-agency politics, inconsistent management styles, lack of team work and unclear or conflicting organizational objectives, however, combine to create a background of chronic stress and pressure that over time wears people down and can lead to burnout and even physical collapse.” (p. 6)

Quote Three: Seven Strengths for Faith-based Organizations--Governance Matters: Balancing Client and Staff Fulfillment in Faith-based, Not-for Profit Organizations, Stehle and Loughlin, (2003) (Note: Reframed positively from the authors’ list of “Seven Deadly Sins”)

• Competent leadership/management (structure, authority, decisions, evaluation etc.)

• Supportive leadership and management

• Clear strategic direction

• Clear roles and responsibilities

• Clear expectations

• Good fit for staff including ongoing training

• Forgiveness is not confused with accountability (pp. 31-34)

Quote Four: Organizational Politics--Understanding Voluntary Organizations, Charles Handy, (1988)

“Because power is a forbidden topic in organizations, and particularly in volunteer organizations, there is seldom any proper discussion of two key aspects of organizational life: the place of competition and/or conflict and the role or meaning of democracy in work. If they are talked about at all it is under the heading of organization politics, and in this context ‘politics’ is assumed to be bad. Such myopia is misguided. Organizations are communities, societies in their own right. They cannot avoid the questions [concerning power/control] which beset all societies.…To push these issues under the table is not to solve them; to brandish grandiloquent slogans –‘we are all one family’ or conflict has no place’—only outlaws discussion of the topic without adding to an understanding of it. If organizations [such as our mission and member care organizations] are going to be effective social institutions, they need to grapple with these issues, which are not going to disappear as long as human beings live and work together.” (pp. 75-76)

Quote Five: 12 Key Items Related to Staff Satisfaction, Longevity, Productivity--First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Buckingham and Coffman, (1999)(See the book summary at
http://www.bizsum.com/articles/art_first-break-all-the-rules.php)

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?

4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?

6 Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?

9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12. This last year, have I had the opportunity at work to learn and grow?

Reflection and Discussion
1. How does the "Probably" video clip relate to your life and work?

2. Which "mixed blessings" do you see present in your organization or setting regarding member care?

3. What items in this entry can be helpful for you to discuss in yourorganization/setting?

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Blog One

2010-11-30T21:51:00.014Z

Invisible Realities?

The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October in South Africa. Here are excerpts from one of the seven MCA blogs on the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

The main item being addresed on this first blog:
How was the international field of member care
part of this amazing global gathering?
Was it present to your satisfaction?

Yes, No or Probably?!

*****

The providence of God has led us all into a new world

of opportunity, danger, and duty.

World Mission Conference, Edingurgh, 1910

Member care is the Biblical practice--and discipline--of supporting the diversity of workers and senders in the global mission community. Currently there are an estimated 400,000 mission workers and nearly 12 million national workers (January 2010, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Johnson et al). These figures of course do not include the millions of Christ-followers who live internationally as "tentmakers" or who relocate intentionally or unintentionally for economic, political, educational or human rights-related reasons.

Member care is a handmaiden to the mission task. It is a core part of mission strategy and includes a broad spectrum of services/resources such as cross-cultural training, coaching, health screening, team building, crisis care, marriage enrichment, consultation about member care programs and children’s issues, pastoral support, and debriefing.

Member care’s practical and at times prophetic voice rallies us all towards lovingly and skillfully caring for those who like Paul, earnestly seek to serve Christ, often in places and ways where He has not been named before. Member care has been a recognized, international, and interdisciplinary field for over 20 years. It’s emphasis on sacrificial lifestyles and supportive resources provide a Biblical and balanced approach to see our mission goals realized in this beautiful yet troubled world.

One of the most helpful articles related to Biblical foundations for member care and for member care advocacy is: Stephanas: A New Testament Example of Frontier Member Care. Check it out, free online via the link at the Member Caravan web site. Here also is the link to the special issue on member care in which the article first appeared, in the International Journal of Frontier Missions (1995). The articles are still very relevant!

And so we are wondering...how the international field of member care was present at Lausanne 3. We have not seen too much yet on the web site or in the topics. Yet we imagine that member care-related areas are being implicitly discussed in many different ways and we certainly hope that member care was also being explicitly discussed in many different ways.

Reflection and Discussion
1. Which "visible and invisible realities" do you see present in your organization or setting regarding member care?

2. How does the "Probably" video clip relate to your life and work?

3. What items in this entry can be helpful for you to discuss in your setting?

MC History: 40 Years-40 Quotes (2010s)

2010-11-19T19:59:00.009Z

2010s

Flowing Forward

Illustrations representing the four gospels.

Book of Kells, Ireland circa 800AD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells

It is encouraging to recall the flow of many folks with member care responsibility who have worked together over the years to help truly make a difference in the lives of mission/aid workers and the people whom they serve. Our next decade will hopefully continue this flow.

*****

Member care work is filled with many opportunities to support the dedicated workers who serve in very challenging places. To do our work well we need to diligently continue in our own journeys of personal and professional growth. We must be “good practitioners” who develop character (resilient virtue), competency (relevant skills) along with compassion (resonant love). We must be willing to face the journeys that God allows in our life, journeys that call us to cross new borders:

• crossing domains
(e.g., health care, humanitarian assistance)
• crossing disciplines
(e.g., human resource management, organizational management)
• crossing deserts
(e.g., internal challenges of faith in the context of external stressors).

As good practitioners, we must not shirk from our duty to sojourn into difficult settings, including places permeated by conflict and calamity. We must acknowledge that those in greatest need are often in places with greatest risk. And we must have clear ethical commitments that will propel us towards doing good and providing quality services to the diversity of workers and senders in mission/aid.

This next decade is a special opportunity to continue to “to grow deeply as we go broadly.” Take advantage of the many opportunities and resources. Do new things as you provelop member care (provide and develop!) Risk as necessary and sacrifice. Stay refreshed and support one another as we flow further into what the Lord of history has for us.

Finally, we believe we must be committed to develop quality member care workers from all ethnê: those who can work within their own cultures and cross-culturally. Member care is based upon the trans-ethnê, New Testament practice of fervently loving one another—agape. Our love is the ultimate measure of our member care.

*****

What an amazing flow of international witnesses-practitioners

who have worked over the past four+ decades in member care.

May we flow forward together as we head into this next decade.

May we diligently love truth and peace--and people.

May we intentionally grow deeply and go broadly.

May we resolutely be willing to sacrifice and risk

on behalf of:

the mission/aid community

our very needy world

and each another.

Zech. 8:16, 19

Let's celebrate!

Enjoy the video.

*****

Note: For more information and perspectives on member care history, see these five articles: “Some Historical Notes on Member Care” by Ruth Tucker and Leslie Andrews in Missionary Care (1992); The Annual Conference on Mental Health and Missions: A Brief History” by John Powell and David Wickstrom, and “Missionary Care and Counseling: A Brief History and Challenge” by Laura Mae Gardner in Enhancing Missionary Vitality (2002); and "Staying Healthy in Difficult Places" (2009, part one includes six pages on member care history) and "50+ Books for a Member Care Library" by Kelly O'Donnell.

MC History: 40 years-40 Quotes (2000s)

2010-10-29T14:44:00.008Z

The 2000s

Global Faces and Facets

The 2000s were characterized by the accelerated expansion of the member care field. It was amazing!

Regional and national affiliations and networks formed or were strengthened. The Global Member Care Resources group (MemCa) become a major recognized presence in the member care field, providing a practical rallying point to help connect people together (consultations, quarterly updates, web-based resources).

Member care-related departments/emphases within sending groups became much more common. The term “best practice” was linked with an international member care model (five spheres of care) and this influential model circulated broadly (in Doing Member Care Well, 2002). Many new practitioners emerged, including those who were now writing in their own languages/cultural contexts.

Many more books were written. Materials were translated. Organizations and people put up web sites filled with helpful resources mostly in English but also in Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, etc.

There was an intentional effort to launch into new areas and learn from them. Such areas included international health care, the perspectives of local workers/newer sending countries, applications from personnel programs in the military, trauma care, human resource management, etc. (Doing Member Care Well, 2002, p. 3).

In the midst of this decade's incredible development, unresolved relationship issues and protracted serious dysfunction took their toll in a few influential places. Member care continued onward nonetheless as it was now so widespread and not dependent on one country, discipline, group, or organization for its continuance.

In short, member care became even more firmly established as it expanded. It consolidated and it grew globally. It was indeed characterized by many global faces and facets.

*****

The 10 quotes below are just a sampling from some of the many excellent materials from this decade. There are different regional/national emphases in the quotes and over ten passport countries represented among the authors.

2000: B. Kumar

Member Care Handbook: A Guide to Caring for Our Missionaries

As we enter into the new millennium, the call and challenge to the Church to fulfil her missionary obligation is louder than ever. The Church of developing nations ,who for a long time has served only as a backdrop to the strong sending churches of the developing nations, is beginning to move to the forefront of missions…Much of the emphasis of this book is on “responsible sending”, the failure of which, we feel, is the greatest cause of missionary failure (attrition)…The primary target readership for this handbook are pastors, mission leaders, missionaries, and missionaries-to-be in MALAYSIA. However, the principles and problems discussed here would apply for most “new sending countries of the two-thirds world”…. “let the shipwreck of others be our beacon of light.” (pp. 16-17)

2001: Joi Van Deventer

Caring for Hungarians

Caring for the Harvest Force in the New Millennium (pp. 181-198)

During the past ten years of freedom, most states in Central and Eastern Europe have graciously received volumes of literature and “how-to” programs from many Western Christian brothers and sisters….During these ten years, while living in Budapest, Hungary, I have been involved in designing training materials for a variety of ministry efforts….The obvious need for a new approach in curriculum design compelled me to investigate tenets of cross-cultural education. This led me to examine the complex relationship between educational materials and the entire education process, which can be said to ‘contain’ the “hidden curriculum”—the methods, models, roles, expectations, values, content, and context—of the setting….I want to focus on four specific vehicles [to get learners involved in various types of corporate and self learning]: narrative, modelling, mentoring, and promoting community in the classroom. (pp. 182, 183, 193)

2002: Marina Prins and Braam Willemse

Member Care for Missionaries: A Practical Guide for Senders

It is thrilling to see so many churches becoming involved in the sending of workers—either to render service in communities where there I a need, or as fellow workers and supporters to other churches I target areas, or to reach out as missionaries to less reached areas or groups. Today hundreds of South Africans are being sent and supported in this way by their churches. When however it comes to the sending and the support, problems frequently arise. The whole process requires a church’s sustained involvement. This includes the individual sense of call, the confirmation of that call by the church, the screening, preparation and orientation, the choice of a target area and/or church partner, to the sending by the church and its continuous support and involvement and finally ,the return of the person who has been sent. It is saddening to meet people who were sent by a church without having first gone through a process of screening and preparation—even worse when it becomes apparent that we do not have the right person In the right place….On the other hand. It is wonderful when churches are actively and responsibly involved from the outset and continue to be involved with the people they have sent out. (p. viii, from the Foreword by Martin Pauw)

2003: John Fawcett

Stress and Trauma handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments

…the most stressful events in humanitarian work have to do with the organisational culture, management style and operational objectives of an NGO or agency rather than external security risks or poor environmental factors. Aid workers, basically, have a pretty shrewd idea what they are getting into when they enter this career, and dirty clothes, gunshots at night and lack of electricity do not surprise them. Intra-and inter-agency politics, inconsistent management styles, lack of team work and unclear or conflicting organizational objectives, however, combine to create a background of chronic stress and pressure that over time wears people down and can lead to burnout and even physical collapse. (p. 6).

Global Member Care Resources (MemCa) Consultation, Vancouver, Canada, 2003

2004: Leslie A. Andrews
The Family in Mission: Understanding and Caring for Those Who Serve

[This edited book] addresses two major questions—what we know about missionaries and their families’ ways of being and functioning and, based upon that knowledge, how we can best care for families while they are serving Christ in cross-cultural settings. The Missionary Family is a collection of essays based on collaboration between researchers and practitioners who reflect on implications of findings of three major studies conducted over a period of fifteen years. The Boarding School Study (BSS) examined roles of the boarding school administrator and teacher and boarding home parent in an effort to understand the qualities an best practices of those who care for the children of missionaries. The Adult Missionary Kid Study (AMKS) sought to understand the impact of the third culture experience upon MKS ads adults, including their well-being and life satisfaction. The Missionary Family Study (MFS) explored family dynamics between parents and children and searched for relationships that help to explain the observed patterns….At the center of MK-CART/CORE[the research] were six professionals, who, in addition to their personal ministries, serve serve the worldwide missions community in a variety of ways, including consultation, education, member care, and research: Nancy Duvall, Dave Pollock, John Powell, Phil Renicks, Glenn Taylor, and Dave Wickstrom. (p. xvii)

2005: Margaret Hill, Harriet Hill, Richard Baggé, Pat Miersma

Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help (2004, first reprint 2005)

In many parts of the world today, wars, ethnic conflict and civil disturbances, crime and natural disasters have left people traumatised. Often those traumatised are Christians, and the church has a clear responsibility to care for them. Beyond the church, Christians are to be light and salt to the world. This is particularly important in times of conflict and suffering. The Scriptures are included throughout this book because it is the knowledge of God, his character, and his relationship to people that are foundational for healing….This book seeks to help church leaders who are called upon to help members of their congregations after major trauma has occurred…These things can happen to whole communities, to families, or to individuals….The intention of the authors of this book is that it be translated into the language of the people where it is used[primarily in Africa], and that the Scriptures in the local language be used. (p. 7)

2006:

Gladys Mwiti and Al Dueck

Christian Counselling: An African Indigenous Perspective

Africa hobbled into the twenty-first century covered with wounds from genocide in Rwanda, war in Sierra Leon, and ethnic cleansing in Darfur. HIV and AIDS kill even more people than war. The year 2001 began with 24 million Africans infected with AIDS—who will all die by 2010 unless a cure is found. IN some countries, life expectancy will decrease by half by the year 2010….Chains of corruption mark many governments in Africa, as well as heavy burdens of national debt….Africans are blessed with many gifts, including the sense of peoplehood, an abundance of natural resources, deep faith, a love of education, and concern and care for the family. Africans pride themselves on the presence of a strong community element…Despite the challenges described above, there are new signs of hope…whereas Africa has been raped repeatedly and is still being ravaged by external forces, there still remains a resiliency that can serve to rebuild what was broken….Discerning alternatives; rediscovering meaningful symbols, proverbs, rituals, and myths; reclaiming the lost; and legitimizing Africa experience through Christian faith—these are the tools with which we can rebuild and reclaim. These are the vitalities still alive in Africa waiting to be reclaimed so that after remembering the broken, African vitality can be restored. Christian counsellors within the Church in Africa will play a significant role in filling the vacuum and bringing restoring life to the peoples and families of Africa. (pp. 13, 17, 18, 19)

2007: Rob Hay, Valerie Lim, Detlef Blöcher, Jaap Ketelaar, Sarah Hay

Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives on Best Practice in Missionary Retention

The mission movement from Latin America (which includes Costa Rica) is a relatively young force. The first missionaries sent from Costa Rica were sent out about 25 years ago. Much was learned by trial and error. Two key events prompted one Costa Rican mission agency to0 begin a programme of pastoral care. The first event involved a missionary couple and domestic violence. The couple returned home from the field, but the problem did not get solved until the wife turned to a government agency ,where she was able to receive counselling and protection for herself and the children….The second event involved a couple sent out from one of the mega-churches. IN time, the family returned to Coast Rica due to health problems, but hey found no support from their sending church because few members knew who they were. The above mentioned events were catalysts for a new pastoral care project that includes: Preventive care (pre-field interviews and counselling); Corrective care (a mission centre that will provide housing for missionaries on furlough with counselling and medical treatment as required); Active care (pastoral visits on the field and follow-up); Re-entry care to help missionaries returning from the field with adjustment to their home culture. (Pastoral Care to Costa Rican Missionaries, brief case study by Marcos Padgett, p. 158)

2008: Bennet Emmanuel

Missionary Upholders Trust (MUT)

Christian Manager, July 2008, (pp.16-23—for the full article: http://www.cimindia.in/)

Shamala and Livingstone (names changed) are dedicated missionaries, serving God faithfully in Orissa through a mission agency. Tragedy struck when Shamala was detected with breast cancer and the malignancy forced her to undergo surgery. The chemotherapy took a severe toll on her…To make matters worse, the steady increase in the medical expenses had put the family under tremendous strain, pain and misery…Completely left in the lurch, they had to fend for themselves. Until MUT stepped in. A story such as this is commonplace among missionaries who serve through mission agencies and work oftentimes in far flung and inhospitable terrains. An estimated 40,000 missionaries and their family members operate under the umbrella of different mission organisations in India. The sheer number of missionaries and the magnitude of needs in mission organisations have unwittingly created a gap in the care of its members. Some missionaries are fortunate enough to be taken care by the organisations or other sources, but most of them do not have any form of support. With their measly resources, most missionaries are unprepared to meet any eventuality in the course of their daily lives. Barring few exceptions, missionaries have had to fend for themselves in other areas of need. This prompted the birth of Missionary Upholders Trust. Missionary Upholders Trust (MUT) was formed in 1993 as an off-shoot from Missionary Upholders family (MUF). Leaving behind his career in the corporate world, J.J. Ratnakumar, MUT’s General Coordinator, volunteered along with his wife, as full time honourary workers of MUT. Ratnakumar has provided the leadership impetus for the movement since MUT’s inception. The organisation’s vision statement reads: “As followers of Christ, we care for, share with, and meet some of the common unmet needs of missionaries, at their affordable cost, working beyond all man-made boundaries, in a spirit of Christian love.” (p.16)

2009: Kelly O'Donnell
Staying Healthy in Difficult Places: Member Care for Mission/Aid Workers

Paper/presentation at the annual Integration Seminar, Fuller School of Psychology, USA

Over the last 20 years, a special ministry within the Christian mission/aid sector, really a movement, has developed around the world that is called member care. At the core of member care is a commitment to provide ongoing, supportive resources to further develop mission/aid personnel. Currently there are an estimated 458,000 full-time “foreign missionaries” and over 11.8 million national Christian workers from all denominations (Barrett, Johnson, and Crossing, 2008—note the 2010 estimate by these researchers is 400,000). These figures do not reflect the number of Christians involved in the overlapping area of humanitarian aid, nor do they reflect the unknown number of “tentmakers” or Christians who intentionally work in different countries while also sharing their faith. Sending organizations and churches, colleagues and friends, specialist providers, and also locals who are befriended are key sources of such care. The development of member care is reflected in the many conferences and special training symposia that have taken place. Such events have been occurring in the USA for 30+ years, gaining major momentum in the 1990’s and beyond. Similar events have also occurred over the last 15 years in countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Korea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Cyprus, Germany, The Netherlands, Brazil, El Salvador, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Member care has truly become international, is increasingly mainstreamed into the ethos of sending groups, and is considered to be a central part of mission/aid strategy. (p.2)

What a very special time as the member care field grew broadly

and consolidated further around the globe.

Let's celebrate!

Enjoy the video.

MC History: 40 Years-40 Quotes (1990s)

2010-10-19T08:25:00.007Z

The 1990s

Connecting and Contributing--Broadly

The 1990’s saw member care increasingly developed and appreciated throughout the mission world. The term “member care” began to be widely used to describe this emerging field, replete with its growing body of research, practitioners, materials, models, concepts. Many noteworthy books related to the broadening field of member care were written by authors from diverse backgrounds, including pastors psychologists, trainers, mission leaders, and physicians. Most however were still being written by people from the Newer Sending Countries.

In addition to the books quoted below, some of these books include: Serving as Senders (1991), Naturally Gifted (1991), Missionary Care (1992), Too Soon to Quit (1994), On Being a Missionary (1995), Raising Resilient MKs (1998), Thriving in Another Culture (1998), Building Credible Multicultural Teams (1998), and The TCK Experience (1999). Also noteworthy are the continuing stream of member care-related articles in Evangelical Missions Quarterly, the special issue on member care in the International Journal of Frontier Missions (October 1995), and the special issues on psychology and missions in the Journal of Psychology and Theology (1993, 1999).

The member care field went international and step by leap began to shift from being a field dominated by the Older Sending Countries. People from many regions were intentionally connecting to discuss issues and share resources regarding staff care, ranging from family adjustment to crisis care to team development to physical health to interpersonal skills/conflict management to organizational development to leadership training etc. Three key illustrations of member care’s international growth are: a) the number of member care consultations that occurred, held in regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (early 1990s), Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia (later 1990s) as well as many individual nations; b) the massive international study on mission workers undertaken by the World Evangelical Fellowship and published in the 1997 book, Too Valuable to Lose; and c) the birth of the Global Member Care Task Force in 1998 which would quickly develop into an international network of member care leaders/resources (MemCa).

Parallel to the growth of the member care movement in the mission community was the development of the human resource emphasis in the humanitarian sector. Three noteworthy examples among dozens are: a) the establishment of the Psychosocial Support Programme by the International Federation of the Red Cross (Denmark in the early 1990s) with its focus on staff (delegates) as well as survivors of conflicts/calamities; b) the 1997 launch of People in Aid’s Code of Good Practice for the Management and Support of Aid Personnel; and c) the ongoing influence of special types of resources such as those in travel medicine (e.g., health screening, briefings, check-ups) and in crisis/trauma care (e.g., training courses in debriefing).

Member care thus continued to travel deeply into the core of mission/aid as it continued to travel broadly around the world. The next major step –heading into the 2000s—would be for member care as a practice to become increasingly contextualized by sending groups/workers in different countries and organizations and as a field to become further organized, visible, and inclusive.

*****

1990: Jo Anne Dennett

Personal Growth and Encouragement for Every Missionary

Those [previous four] years had been difficult, and devastating to my self-esteem and confidence. I had been the lone doctor, responsible for building and operating a mission hospital. It was in an isolated desert area…[The people there] grudgingly condescended to accept our Western medical care, but were very hostile toward the gospel, and youths often stoned our ambulance. The two nurses and I were constantly referred t o as “prostitutes” because we were unmarried, and all Christians were contemptuously called “deceivers.” Being continually denigrated is demoralizing even though we were not expecting anyone to throw bouquets…Memories of the first-term clamoured through my mind—trials in the medical work, personal failures, conflicts with others. At the mission headquarters, I looked forward to sharing my inner turmoil with someone who could understand and help. Sadly, during the first few days of tending to office matters, no one expressed any real concern about how I had coped on the field. The attitude seemed to be, and still prevails, that if you survived you must be alright. My inner conflicts f=remained unresolved throughout that furlough. This incident was not the only time in my thirteen years of service that I was in great need of personal encouragement and counseling. (p. 8).

1991: James Beck

Missions and Mental Health: A Lesson from History

Paper presented at the 12th Annual Mental Health and Missions Conference; expanded in the author’s book: Dorothy Carey: The Tragic and Untold Story of Mrs.William Carey, 1992; published also in the Journal of Psychology and Theology volume 21, pages 9-17, 1993)

The life of Dorothy Placket Carey comes to us through the pages of history as a sad chapter in the chronicles of modern missions. Her sacrifice of sanity, however, could lose all potential value to us if we fail to see her story as more than just a tragic biography. Her story is also very true, painfully true. In her train have come many others who have suffered from the ravages of mental illness while serving in the modern missionary movement. We have an obligation to learn from lives such as Dorothy Carey’s and thereby to reap some of the benefits that can emerge from the costly sacrifice that she made. She would not wish us to merely pity her. Perhaps she would want instead that we benefit from the example of her life so as to help others. (p. 1)

1992: Ruth Tucker and Leslie Andrews

Historical Notes on Missionary Care

Missionary Care: Counting the Cost for World Evangelization (pp. 24-36)

Mission societies held high the ideal of sacrifice. Strong faith in God, it was reasoned, was the prescription for a healthy mind and spirit…self-reliance was the mark of a missionary—tempered only by dependence on God through prayer. (p. 24)

1993: Greg Livingstone

Planting Churches…A Team Approach

Finally a successful church planting team is a group that is composed of people who are confident in their convictions to the point that they do not need others to conform to them in order to feel secure Thus, although it is important that they have substantial agreement in their theological stances, the team members need to be able to easily discus everything from formulas of sanctification to ecclesiology and contextualization in a non-censorious environment. …The team leader must have an understanding of the big picture and be prepared to tolerate ambiguity and inconsistency even steps backward, in order to assist the team to persevere without schism, in keeping with the goal or producing a congregation that will have the same kind of resiliency….All missionaries, like all other Christians everywhere, have blind spots, that is, areas where we do not recognize sin, selfishness, self-centeredness, or neurotic addictive behaviour and how it affects our colleagues. (pp. 114-115)

1994: Christine Aroney-Sine

Survival of the Fittest: Keeping Yourself Healthy in Travel and Service Overseas

In the early 1980s I worked briefly in the refugee camps in Thailand. The dirt and disease that surrounded me made my heart ache, and the pain and suffering of the refugees often made me ignore the health regulations I knew to be essential to my own good health. Water was scarce, so it was easy to rationalize my failure to wash my hands. Patients often relieved themselves on the dirt floor, and we had to ignore the smells and pollution. Inevitably I succumbed to the dreaded shigella dysentery that affected many in our team. For three days I battled high fever, severe diarrhea, and vomiting….How I longed for the convenience of a modern bathroom and a flush toilet. To me, in my dehydrated, befuddled state, that would have been paradise. This remains in my mind as one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. (p. 15).

1995: Jeffrey Ellis

Stephanas: A New Testament Prototype of Member Care

International Journal of Frontier Missions, Volume 12 (pp. 171-175)

Call it member care, pastoral care, coaching, mental health and missions, personnel management, or simply missionary development; but regardless of its name, the Apostle Paul found himself on the receiving end of an innovative ministry, initiated by believers young in their faith but mature in their vision. In acting out their commitment to the Lord, they found themselves compelled to support Paul—a man on the frontiers of mission work—making him a more effective vessel for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. A closer look at I Corinthians 16: 15-18 will help us in understanding this first century example of member care in the frontiers and its implications for the modern missions community….There [in Ephesus] during his final missionary journey, Paul became the [beneficiary] of what we now call member care. It is heartening to read Paul’s response, “I rejoiced at their arrival for they refreshed my spirit.” Such “spirit refreshing” ought not to become a lost art. It is as needed today on the frontiers, as much as it was nearly 2000 years ago. Considering the demands and complexities of modern mission to the frontiers, it is needed more so today! (pp. 171, 174)

1996: Larry Ferguson

Individual and Family Interventions: Brief Therapy on the Field

Presentation at the 17th Annual Mental Health and Missions Conference

In 1986 the Link Care Center granted me a special assignment to serve in the Philippines as a missionary with Conservative Baptist International as a psychologist working with missionaries and families….Thus, from 1986 to 1991 my work covered a tremendous range of issues. Let me just identify that range: MK issues; family issues; marital concerns; spiritual problems (crises of faith); trauma and crises (robberies, hostage aftermath); personal problems (depression, bipolar disturbances, anxiety, eating disorders); organizational problems…. Since 1991, regular scheduled short trips of one month each have occurred to the Philippines and Saipan. These have taken place once or twice a year. The purpose of these trips is for maintenance of the family units and to serve as an “outside expert”, which allows people to talk about mission concerns with someone outside their agency. Building of relationships, exposure to the stressors that the families face in their setting ,familiarity with the work and living areas, and offering assistance when needed have allowed for serious questions to be asked. Sometimes unscheduled trips are needed when an emergency has arisen. We have learned that we are not able to deal with every problem, not to work with everybody. Cultural issues are at play even among expatriates, especially when they include everyone from Americans, Canadians, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, German, New Zealanders, and Australians.

(pp.1-2)

1997: Belinda Ng.

Some Reflections on Pastoral Care: Perspective of the New Sending Countries

Too Valuable to Lose (pp. 277-286)

Before we embark on thinking about the caring tasks, we need to consider some misconceptions and views about missionaries and their work that exist in the Asian church today….The first misconception realities to who the “real” missionaries are. Many churches in Asia still consider only church planting ,evangelism, and training as the frontline ministries in which to be involved. Support ministries are low in rank….Too often, Christians do not understand why missionaries on home assignment need support or even a furlough….Missions takes more than missionaries an finances, but the value of partnership between churches and agencies has yet to be recognized to a great degree. A large number of churches still lack a vision for cross-cultural missions. These churches are often involved only in local ministries and in reaching their own ethnic people….Missions success depends critically on logistic support from the base….Missionary wives who leave career, home, an country for missionary service need all forms of affirmation and encouragement from the sending church. (pp 278-279)

1998: Pramila Rajendran

Mum, The Great Influencer

Indian Journal of Missiology: Care for the Missionary Family (special issue), Volume 3, Number 1 (pp.33-36)

One of the mother’s greatest assets is her power to influence her children. She has a unique way of leaving the impression of her character and words up in every life she touches….Godly grand-mothers can also exert great influence on their grandchildren. Timothy’s faith was outstanding due to the influence of his mother and grandmother. ..The goal of a Christian mother is to see that her children are guided to self-sustaining maturity in Christ Jesus….It may take a lifetime for her to see the results of her influence, but she will see it…may Christian mothers be a blessing to the nation and a witness for Christ. (pp. 33, 35, 36)

1999: M. Elizabeth Hall Lewis and Judith L. Schram
Psychology and Missions: The Role of the Mental Health Professional in Member Care
Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 27, (pp. 83-86), special issue on Psychology and Missions
...over the past 20 years, psychology and the behavioral sciences have been able to move away from a defensive role as the contributions of mental health professionals to the missions movement have become clearer....The pioneering efforts of many professionals have provided a foundation for the current trends in mental health and missions. Three such trends will be discussed: a trend toward networking and partnering, a focus on prevention, and a mobilizing of resources for crisis intervention....Mental health professionals have had a major impact on the field of missions and are attempting to mobilize their resources toward current missionary needs. However, certain important gaps remain to be filled. Although many could be mentioned and explored (e.g., the need to develop long-term member care team on the field, the need for cross-cultural applications for mental health resources, the need to focus on the internationalization of member care) we will focus on three of these: the need for more sophisticated ethical standards, the need for further research, and the need to expand the role of mental health professionals in missions beyond member care. We hope that [the readings in this special journal issue] will be a source of inspiration to mental health professionals contemplating involvement in this area and a valuable resource to those already in the trenches. (pp. 84, 85, 86)

****

What a very special time it was for connecting together

and exchanging key principles of member care around the globe.

Let's celebrate!

Enjoy the video.

MC History: 40 Years-40 Quotes (1980s)

2010-10-09T09:58:00.007Z

The 1980s

Front and Center

We head now into the 1980s. There was much excitement and anticipation that something new and important was happening. People were doing things on their own yet also coming together intentionally and finding ways to contribute in practical ways to support mission personnel. Much of this was developing in the USA and in a mental health-professional context. Missionary kids and their education/families was a topic of particular emphasis. Some of the key publications included: the special issues on mission and mental health in the Journal of Psychology and Theology (1983, 1987) and the Journal of Psychology and Christianity (1983); the books Cross-Cultural Reentry (1986), Honourably Wounded (1987), and Helping Missionaries Grow (1988); and the compendiums of the first and second ICMK Conferences held in Manila (1984) and Quito (1986).

As a doctoral student in psychology and then later as a young psychologist, I remember attending six key events during this decade: the first of two conferences on Psychological Resources for Frontier Missions (1981); the fourth, sixth, and seventh Mental Health and Missions Conferences (1983, 1986, 1987); and the Member Care and Personnel Development Workshop at Missionary Internship (1988). This particular event introduced me further to the importance of a growth and developmental approach to supporting mission workers as well as to the term “member care.” The sixth event I attended took place in Nairobi, Kenya, at the United Nations Center—the Third International Conference on Missionary Kids (1989).

One major influence on me, shaping how I would link together my training in psychology and experiences in mission, was the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course that I took in 1981 at the US Center for World Mission. My worldview shifted as did my paradigm for mission an humanitarian work, pointing me clearly in the direction of wanting to provide and develop resources on behalf of mission/aid workers among unreached people groups.

When I think of the incredible decade of the 1980s and member care, I think of things like:

Increased visibility

Increased influence

Increased acceptance

Building credibility

Building foundations

Building competencies

Coming of age
Coming together
Coming front and center

in the mission world.

*****

1980: Betty Jo Kenny

What it Takes to have Good Relations with Your Children

Evangelical Missions Quarterly. Volume 16, (pp. 97-1-102)

Because multiple roles demand our time as missionaries, it is imperative that we give proper attention to our role as a family person. It is a role we live from birth to death, yet it can still be a “walk-through.” Family interests can be obscured by the star billing given our roles as pastor, nurse, doctor, translator, theologian, printer, typist, evangelist, administrator, builder, or student. Or simply by boredom. Or lack of care…. In missions today we are “assuming all roles t o all men, that we might by all means save some” (I Cor. 9:22). When we give proper emphasis to our role as a family person we will not neglect to also save our own children, for whom we are most responsible. (pp. 97, 101)

1981: Stan Sharksten and Marion Morehouse

Critical Factors in Missionary Selection and Placement.

Paper presented at the Second Mental Health and Missions. Angola, Indiana USA

…many missionary organizations have started an assessment program of new missionary candidates. These selection systems involved interviewing applicants, filling in various application forms, and finally, a process of testing and some period of time at a candidate school where their behavior is assessed. One such program has been developed at the Institute of Family Living in Toronto, and is being used by a variety or missionary organizations, both in Canada and the United States. Before this program was established, considerable time was spent looking at the critical factors which needed to be evaluated in the assessment and placement of the individual missionary…After considerable discussion and some perusal of the available literature, it was agreed to assess the missionary candidates on the basis of the following four criteria: a. personality, b. mental health, c. vocational interests, d. marriage and family. (pp. 1,2,5)

1982: Stanley Lindquist

Prediction of Success in Overseas Adjustment

Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Volume 1 (pp. 22-25)

In the secular field this loss figure [related to the early return of mission personnel] is also confirmed by the statistic (Tucker, 1982) that of all overseas employees (non-mission), 33 percent return within the first year …A second major conclusion that Tucker (1982) came to after reviewing 245 studies of prediction, was that none of the selection materials reported on demonstrated, through research, the capability to predict success in an overseas assignment. The battery of instruments for this purpose is yet to be developed….The following conclusions appear relevant. The most important factor that must be considered is preventing the psychological damage to the early returning missionary. Realistic, pre-field assessment and orientation can make the difference in many cases. A corollary to the above is adequate facilities and programs for restoration. We, at Link Care Center, are only scratching the surface, and our caseload is increasing monthly…The cost to develop instruments and provide such services would be a fraction of [the financial costs for the early return of missionaries.] (pp. 22,24,25)

1983: LeRoy Johnston

Building Relationships Between Mental Health Specialists and Mission Agencies

Paper presented at the Fourth Mental Health and Missions Conference, Angola, Indiana USA

Note-included in Helping Missionaries Grow (1988)

There is a new openness today between the mission agency and those working in the area of mental health. Although the crack in the door might not be as open as some mental health specialists would like, there is plenty of room for exchange between these groups as well as room to carry on some very important work. The opening in the door came approximately 30 years ago when psychological assessment was initiated in the screening process with missionary candidates. Although it took a few years for this psychological screening to be accepted, virtually every major mission board now utilizes some form of psychological screening, including psychological tests, in the process of selection. With the growth of counselling courses offered at the seminary campus and the availability o trained pastors and Christian psychologists, mission leaders have recognized the value of the mental health professional. Mission boards have indicated the willingness to use appropriately trained mental health specialists to counsel missionaries who are experiencing some form of emotional stress. Psychological depressions, psychotic episode, etc. …In most every case where a mental health professional is used by a mission board, the person possesses "secondary" credentials which make him acceptable. (p. 1)

1984: Marjory Foyle

Missionary Stress and What to Do About It

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 21, (pp. 32-43)

Missionary life often is stressful. Of course not all missionaries feel stressed all the time. Many have very few serious problems, and adjust to their new situation quite readily. Others, however, feel really stressed by pressures of a new climate, language learning, unusual illnesses, and separation from family members. However it must be emphasized that the positive gains of missionary life are enormous. Serving God in obedience to his command, and integrating with peoples of another culture are enlarging experiences. This explains why many missionaries at the end of their service affirm that they are glad they did it. They have no regrets for how they have spent their lives. (p. 32)

1985: Kevin Dyer

Crucial Factors in Building Good Teams

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 21, (pp. 254-258)

Note-included in Helping Missionaries Grow (1988)

For the past 25 years I have been involved with International Teams in sending groups of missionaries to Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America…..When we began back in the early 1960s, we just went to the field and began the work. It wasn’t long before we realized that if teams were going to be effective, they needed to be trained together before going to the field. Merely bringing people together and sending them to the field wasn’t enough. They needed time for in-depth preparation and interpersonal bonding. They came from all kinds of sub-cultures and religious backgrounds and minor preferences in personal tastes became magnified when living and working in the team situation. So training became the indispensable key to success for building and developing our teams. Since we began a six-month intensive training program, our casualty rate on the field has plummeted to four percent. Many missionary groups have suggested that if we would reduce the preparation time they would avail themselves of the opportunity for training with us. But we have found that six months is about the optimum time. (pp. 254,255)

1986: Frances White and Elaine Nesbit

Separation: Balancing the Gains and Losses

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 22, (pp. 392-401)

Handling conflicting emotions is a difficult task. Yet it is something we all face at one. me or another. As we progress through life we inevitably encounter change, separation, and loss. In fact, these three words can be used almost interchangeably. Change is separation from the past, loss occurs as a result of separation. There are two basic types of change/separation/loss. The first type is developmental, or that which occurs naturally and predictably. These are the physical and mental changes shared in common by most of mankind as we progress from infancy to old age. For example, going through puberty, getting married and raising a family, and encountering old age. All these changes involve gains and losses….The second type is more traumatic, for example, accidents, natural disasters, and unexpected deaths of friends or relatives. An unexpected missionary evacuation often results in separation from meaningful [relationships with] nationals, loss of personal belongings left behind, possibly changing languages, and facing new schedules and pressures. (pp. 393, 394)

1987: William Hunter and Marvin Mayers

Psychology and Missions: Reflections on Status and Need

Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 15, (pp. 269-273)

Note-included in Helping Missionaries Grow (1988)

There may be few aspects of integration of greater practical value than that of psychology and missions. In both endeavours the human person is at the forefront of thinking and action….There is nothing to suggest that Christian psychologists and other professional helpers are exempt from cross-cultural responsibility in missions to persons for whom Christ died. The history of missions throughout the centuries suggests that each era has determined how learning and scholarship would serve adjunctive and supportive functions in Gospel proclamation. For example, both medicine and education have played important roles in mission strategy and practice for many decades. …it should be no surprise that a number of misconceptions and unfortunate practices have caused the Christian public (even more specifically, the more conservative element) to question the value and contributions of Christian behavioral scientists. … The involvement of psychology in missions is not altogether new. Daring and creative pioneers in the late 1920s began to use psychological and psychiatric services in the process of selecting missionaries for overseas service (Hunter, 1965). Those initial ventures were harbingers of what has been a slow but growing use of psychological services by missionary agencies (Johnson and Penner, 1981) and continuing efforts to create effective working relationships between mental health professionals and mission agencies (Johnston, 1983). (pp. 269, 270, 271)

1988: Kelly O'Donnell

A Preliminary Study of Psychologists in Missions

Helping Missionaries Grow (pp. 118-125)

This study is an initial attempt to identify important factors which are needed to effectively work in missions as a psychologist. …Important preparation experiences included working on the mission field, receiving formal study in psychology, and having background counselling experience. Overall, the five most useful components suggested for training were overseas mission involvement, an academic background in psychology, training in missiology and anthropology, general cross-cultural experience, and supervision and/or an internship experience in mental health and missions. (p. 118)

1989: Ted Ward

The MKs Advantage: Three Cultural Contexts

Understanding and Nurturing the Missionary Family: Compendium of the International Conference on Missionary Kids, Quito, Ecuador, 1987, Volume I, (pp. 49-61)
Growing up overseas represents at least three kinds of head start: First of all..the intercultural experience carries with the kind of flexibility...that allows well-balanced young people to get a head start on coping with interpersonal relations...the overseas experience provide a concrete awareness of what the world is really like....There is an absolutely overwhelming trend toward toward an increased demand for internationally experienced young people to go into international careers, if they have broken the language barrier. International experience and multilingual capability are more valuable than degrees in today's marketplace....Growing up leaves scars..Life is like that. However we are after something far more significant than the reduction of scars. We're after the power in life that comes from disciplined resourcefulness. I will give you three to one [odds] any time on a missionary kid over anybody else in terms of disciplined resourcefulness. ...Another of the great positives we're after is culture learning skills themselves--the capacity to learn culture.....The beauty of growing up overseas is that ht ere is a third culture context that can come into clarity, and is actually looking forward into what I see as twenty-first century Christianity.(pp. 49, 50, 51, 57)

*****

What an amazing group of folks

who openly discussed issues and resources for mission workers

and helped to bring crucial matters into the core of missions.

Front and Center!

Enjoy the video.

MC History: 40 Years-40 Quotes (1970s)

2010-09-30T15:08:00.014Z

The 1970s

Taking Shape.

We embark on our sojourn through member care history with 10 quotes from the 1970s. These selections help us get a better sense of where we have come from and reflect the shifts that were happening in this decade in mission (e.g., the emerging influence of mental health practitioners and others with first-hand experience in mission--all talking much more openly about the challenges of mission life). Many of the writings from the 1970’s--some with more of an enduring impact than others--began to address core parts of mission life, including preparation, evaluation, field adjustment, children’s issues, women's roles, and re-entry.

*****

1970: Joseph Stringham

Likely Causes of Emotional Difficulties Among Missionaries

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 7, (pp. 193-203)

Some of the factors that increase the likelihood of emotional difficulties among missionaries may be divided into two broad categories, internal and external. Internal factors are often things that make up the individual's personality; external factors are things in the environment. The latter are often given as causes for the missionary seeking psychiatric help. As a rule, they are more appropriately called the precipitating factors. Internal factors are often things that make up the individual’s personality [resentments, marital, guilt, early life trauma/deprivation, motivation]; external factors are things in the environment [culture shock, language, overwhelming work, children/school, medical care, etc.] (p. 193)

1971: Waldron Scott

Teams and Teamwork
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 7, (pp. 111-121)
The concept of a team, as we are identifying it, seems to include at least five elements: (1) a common objective, (2), an accepted leader, (3) agreement on method and activities, (4) a strong sense of love and loyalty among the members, and (5) a certain division of labor within the group....The capacity [of a team leader] for appreciating the gifts and abilities of team members, and the commitment to helping them develop their own abilities, gifts, and personalities, seems to be a most important factor....one of the team leader's chief jobs is to maintain a high level of morale among the individual team members.(pp. 112, 115)

1972: Charles Piepgrass

A Suggested Program for Field Orientation of First Termers
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 8, (pp. 93-97)

(provides a checklist of items to consider to help the transition to a field setting including arrival, initiation for the first month, identification with the people, language learning, local area and ministry orientation)

1973: Bruce Narramore
Perspectives on the Integration of Psychology and Theology
Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 1, (pp. 3-19)
The evangelical church has a great opportunity to combine the special revelation of God's Word with the general revelation studied by the psychological sciences and professions. The end result of this integration can be a broader (and deeper) view of human life. Historically we have failed to have sufficient dialogue and interaction. Currently we are in a position to gather relevant objective data, seek well-constructed theoretical views, and find improved techniques for applying our biblical and psychological data. To do this we need a group of committed professional people who can mix a personal piety with a commitment to the authority of the Word of God and to high quality professional endeavours. (p. 18)

1973: Ken Williams (we could not resist including two key entries for 1973!)

Characteristics of the More Successful/Less Successful Missionaries

Dissertation, United States International University

The problem of the study was whether there were identifiable characteristics which differentiate more successful missionaries from those who are judged less successful. ….MSS were generally younger and had fewer children...MSS had more extracurricular leadership experience in college; they had higher college GPAs, linguistic course GPAs, an Bible examination GPAs. A higher percentage of LSS had reported themselves as nervous, depressed, anxious, and having alternating moods. MSS had higher overall reference ratings, and had fewer negative characteristics noted in ratings. Ratings made I linguistic courses indicated that MSS were rated excellent more often in health, drive, maturity, and linguistic ability. Staff members observed more negative interpersonal, motivational, and psychological characteristics of LSS…In the Jungle Camp program staff members rated MSS higher in compatibility as partners. MSS received more excellent ratings in self-mastery, team spirit, dynamism, and morale. LSS received more below average ratings in self-mastery, morale, adaptability, pioneering aptitude, social integration, an family/partner relations. (pp. 1, 3; Abstract)

1974: Sally Folger Dye

Decreasing Fatigue and Illness in Field Work

Missiology: An International Review, Volume 2, (pp. 79-109)

Note-included in Helping Missionaries Grow (1988)

Fatigue and illness often hinder the productive field-work of missionaries, linguists, anthropologists, government workers, and others who attempt to live in foreign cultures. Many well-trained workers are forced to leave their fields before achieving their goals. They often feel a deep sense of frustration and a vague sense of guilt for years afterwards. This article attempts to bring research and experience together to create a fresh understanding of common human reactions in a cross-cultural environment. It then suggests specific ways for recognizing and controlling these reactions to prevent fatigue and physical as well as emotional illness. (p. 79) Note; Also reprinted in Helping Missionaries Grow (1988). https://sites.google.com/site/membercaravan/test/helping-ms-grow-book

1975: Donald Hesselgrave

The Missionary of Tomorrow: Identity Crisis Extraordinary
Missiology, Volume 3, (pp. 225-239)

1976: Stanley Lindquist
Twenty to Fifty Percent Fail to Make It-Why?

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 13, (pp. 141-148)

My involvement in missions is somewhat indirect in that I work with missionaries, but I am no on the field as such. In fact, someone once described this part of our foundation program as "being missionaries to the missionaries."…The Link Care Foundation was not established nor does it serve to screen people out of missionary assignments or to tell the mission board which persons should or should not be allowed to go to the field. Rather, we confront the individual with his strengths and weaknesses. We are also able to give him an opportunity to understand what kinds of difficulties he might encounter on the field and the ways such problems can be resolved. Then the candidate and the board can decide if he or she is an acceptable candidate for service. (pp. 141, 148)

1977: Donald Larson

Missionary Preparation: Confronting the Presuppositional Barrier

Missiology, Volume 5, (pp. 73-82)

Missionaries do not always join the communities in which they reside and in which they seek to minister. Too often, the missionary lives at the margin of the community’s center of activity, reducing [his/her] effectiveness considerably. Many such failures arise because the missionary is simply not ready to identify closely with [the] host community. This article examines [the] reluctance to identify and emphasizes the importance of dealing with this in…preparation. (p. 73).

1978: Virgil Olson

Five Fundamentals in Evaluating Missionaries

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 14, (pp. 163-167)

Mission administrators need to guard against a we-they polarization attitude when it comes to management programs in missions, including evaluation procedures. We are in this evaluation business together, administrators and missionaries. On the basis of this mutuality of a need for evaluation, let me list a few principles that express the fundamental aspects of a philosophy of evaluation of missionaries. [stewardship of people/resources, excellence in working on objectives, reflection on weakness and progress, community input, stimulus for growth counselling] (p. 163)

1979: Michael Sullivan

Career Counseling for Single Women

Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Volume 15, (pp. 29-34)

The background of women candidates is changing rapidly, and they will increasingly expect to be regarded as equals, and respected for their personhood, gifts and calling. (p. 30)….I believe that candid, thorough, systematic career oriented counseling can help dispel vagueness and aid in developing healthy careers for single women [in missions]. (p. 33)

*****
What an amazing group of folks
who helped shape what was to become the member care field.

We remember you with gratitude and we celebrate!

Enjoy the video.

MC History: 40 Years-40 Quotes (Introduction)

2010-09-28T20:41:00.022Z

Introduction
Getting Ready

Over the next several weeks we want to meander through the past four decades of member care history. We have a remarkable foundation of solid thinking, articles, and practice for our interdisciplinary and international field. Let’s explore it!

There will be 40 quotes. We start in 1970 with a citation from the landmark article by Joseph Stringham, “The Mental Health of Missionaries.” We will conclude with an excerpt from a 2009 article on staying healthy in diffiuclt places. It is our sincere hope that these selections can collectively help us better understand and provide member care as we launch us into the next decade of the 21st century.

Want a head start? Then in addition to the forthcoming 40 years of quotes, have a look at the Memory Lane section of the Member Caravan web site. Enjoy!
https://sites.google.com/site/membercaravan/mem

Background and Reflections

What was happening for you in 1986-1987? Where did you live, what were you doing, and how were you preparing for or connecting with member care? Or…were you even alive yet?

I was teaching psychology then at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles California. Michele was teaching a developmental psychology course at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and working at Camarillo State Hospital as a child psychologist. Even though we loved our positions (and for me above all the students), we decided to move to Europe and work in mission full-time as psychologists. So we paid off our university loans, raised donor support, and somehow managed to bypass a very appealing offer to work as psychologists for the National Health Service in the UK. We ended up arriving in January 1988 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, working on staff at one of the two international headquarters for Youth With A Mission.

In preparation for the upcoming move, I assembled every article I could find that was somehow related to “mental health and missions.” Much of my free time was spent in libraries looking over journals, magazines, books and dissertations, searching for materials that could help orient us to our upcoming work with mission personnel. I photocopied and photocopied, dropping nickel after nickel into the mouths of huge metallic machines, not wanting to miss out on one important piece from my colleagues who were helping to lead the way in missionary care.

I placed these materials in three large loose ringed folders. If you ever visit our home in France we can take you to our library and show you these thick, bulging folders. They are total keepsakes! It was from these folders that many of the 50 articles were chosen for our first edited book, Helping Missionaries Grow (1988). Most of the articles in these folders seem to be forgotten and seldom referenced. At some point it would be helpful to make note of them and do a short one paragraph summary of each article.

Many of these materials are listed in the Bibliography at the end of Helping Missionaries Grow (available on the Member Caravan web site: https://sites.google.com/site/membercaravan/test/helping-ms-grow-book). In addition see the extensive, annotated list of articles and books related to member care at the database section of the Missionary Care web site--http://www.missionarycare.com/)

Anyway, I was delighted to pull out these three notebooks again recently and have a look. I have also scanned through our files and bookshelves to uncover some real gems over the past 40 years. There are so many additional quotes that can be included of course from so many incredible colleagues. So really, these 40 entries are only just a sampler.

What an amazing group of people

who have influenced the member care field.

Let's celebrate and get ready to explore!

Enjoy the video.

Safety and Protection in Dangerous Places—Part 6

2010-08-30T10:53:00.004Z

Final Thoughts for Ongoing Threats

(A photo with guns could have been used from any country)

Special sticks.

Of wood and metal.

For young and old alike.

For recreation and crime.

For protectors and predators.
For peace-making and war-making.

(For a fascinating history about guns, read

AK47: The Story of a Gun, 2007)

How much risk is one willing to take in order to do what is right?

How much force is one willing to use in order to do what is right?
How much peace is one willing to make in order to do what is right?

In these six entries we have looked at a variety of “dangerous places.” The places of greatest need are often the places of greatest danger. We identified five types of environments, often overlapping, that require our best efforts to provide/develop safety and protection strategies.

•Physical environments marked by life-threatening hazards including conflicts (war) and calamities (natural disasters), human rights violations, disease, domestic violence, road traffic accidents (1.3 million people/year die from driving-related accidents)

•Organizational environments in which work conditions and poor management/governance can wreak havoc on both staff and operational objectives (including unresolved relational difficulties, political maneuvering, and ongoing organizational dysfunction)

•Moral environments contaminated by human corruption which exploits and injures others (Corruption is defined by Transparency International as the ‘abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.’ Covering up or ignoring corruption can be as reprehensible and damaging as the corruption itself.)

•Personal environments whereby an individual's serious problems can significantly interfere with his/her work/wellbeing and that of others (addictions, disorders, unhealthy behaviors)

•Poverty environments as reflected in some of the ways to group the poorest of humanity: a) the nearly one billion "slum dwellers"; and b) the “bottom billion” who reside in the 58 poorest countries in the world in which the average life expectancy is 50 years, one out of seven children die before their first birthday, and over one-third of children suffer from long-term malnutrition (see The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier (2007, pp. 7,8).

*****

Here are our final two resources, as we bring this discussion topic to a close.

Resource Eleven

Challenging Choices: Protection and Livelihoods in Conflict (HPG Policy Brief 40, May 2010); Humanitarian Practice Group. People in conflict settings often adopt strategies that promote personal safety/dignity but at the expense of their economic livelihoods, or vice versa. This four-page review calls for aid agencies to develop strategies that deal with these overlapping issues of physical and livelihood protection.

Resource Twelve

Crisis and Contingency Management for Senders and Workers. Four pages of handouts from the Member Caravan website, including: a grid to manage crises (before, during, after), principles for supportive crisis counseling, and short crisis vignettes for discussion.

Reflection and Discussion—Plus Add Comments Below

1. To what extent is safety and protection for the people served by mission/aid workers a relevant focus for member care? Can this be a distraction or a direction for member care?

2. What type of crisis and contingency plans does your organization/setting have?

3. Which of the 12 areas of resources described in these entries are the most helpful for you?

4. Is there another area—environment—in addition to the five listed above--that you think is important to also include in the safety/protection discourse?

5. What questions would you like to ask your organization, your colleagues, or the member care field regarding safety and protection in mission/aid?

Safety and Protection in Dangerous Places—Part 5

2010-08-15T15:17:00.011Z

Heroic People in Poverty

More and more areas are being inundated as floods spread south.

Over 20 million people are affected in the worst floods in Pakistan's history.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

Psalm 82:3-4
(Scriptures on the poor/afflicted: click here)

But the world is not so happy a place. Billions of people suffer impoverishment, many until the end of their miserable lives…[Such things] should not deter us from responding as best we can, using our talents to improve this always mixed record of trying “to save generations from the scourge of war,” “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,” and to promote “social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” The question is, can we do it? Paul Kennedy, The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future of the United Nations (2006, pp. 279, 289).

*****

Everyone loves real heroes. Right? They inspire us. They can protect or even save us. We want to emulate them. I have thought a lot about heroic people. On the top of my list are the poor: who have no exit visas from misery; who are plagued by problems without passports; who live in dangerous places; and who nonetheless continue onward in life as dignified human beings with integrity. These people are my heroes and my heroines.

Poverty Environments

In this entry I want to continue to expand our definition of “dangerous places.” It now includes five broad areas or "environments" with the latest one being "poverty environments." Notice in the list below that the first letter of each of the five areas forms the acronym POMPP. The word “pomp”—stately splendour—is virtually antithetical to the “stagnant squalor” being discussed in this current entry.

•Physical environments marked by life-threatening hazards including war, human rights violations, poverty, and disease (as well as road traffic and household-related accidents)

•Organizational environments in which poor management/governance can wreak havoc on both staff and operational objectives (including unresolved relational difficulties and ongoing organizational dysfunction)

•Personal environments whereby an individual's serious problems can significantly interfere with his/her by th work/wellbeing and that of others.

•Poverty environments as reflected in the living situation of the nearly one billion slum dwellers and overlapping with the “bottom billion” who reside in the 58 poorest countries in the world in which the average life expectancy is 50 years, one out of seven children die before their first birthday, and over one-third of children suffer from long-term malnutrition (see The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier, 2007, pp. 7,8). Note that eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations for 2015.Watch the short overview about the MDGs called Make It Happen, in the MDG link above.

I am now shifting the safety and protection focus of these entries–-from the mission/aid workers themselves to the vulnerable people for whom mission/aid workers provide services. Many of these people are in dangerous places marked by conflict, calamity, corruption, and poverty. Here are two resources to better understand and develop skills to help some of the people in these places. They are oriented to states, agencies, and field workers.

(Note: for more information on staff security issues, see the previous entries/resources as well as the June 2010 issue of the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine especially the article “Staff Management and Security.”)

*****

Resource Nine

Humanitarian Protection (Issue 46, March 2010), Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, Humanitarian Practice Network (text below from the online summary at HPN)

“…After little more than a decade, ‘protection’ has grown from a collection of activities executed by a handful of specialised agencies to being a key component of humanitarian action. Yet protection issues are still not systematically identified and addressed in humanitarian response and advocacy. In his thought provoking lead article, Marc Dubois argues that humanitarian actors must develop a more critical perspective on humanitarian protection, including an honest acknowledgement of their limitations. Related issues are examined in articles focused on the civilian protection mandates of peacekeeping missions and the challenges the protection cluster in Timor-Leste faced during the transition from emergency to development programming.

We also examine World Vision’s work to develop and test minimum standards in protection, a new field manual from ActionAid Australia, and efforts to develop more community-based approaches to protection in Afghanistan, Burma, Kenya and Pakistan.”

Resource Ten
UNHCR Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls (2008)
(text below from the Introduction; note: also avaible in several other languages)

“This Handbook describes some of the protection challenges faced by women and girls of concern to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and outlines various strategies we should adopt with our partners to tackle these challenges. It sets out the legal standards and principles that guide our work to protect women and girls and outlines the different roles and responsibilities of States and other actors. UNHCR’s own responsibilities in this respect are explained, both as part of its mandate to secure international protection and durable solutions and as a United Nations (UN) agency. Suggestions for actions by UNHCR and partners to support women’s and girls’ enjoyment of their rights are also included. Examples of innovative practices from the field illustrate how these principles can be applied.

Who are women and girls of concern? This Handbook refers to the protection of women and girls with the understanding that we are referring to all women and girls of concern to UNHCR, namely women and girls who are: asylum-seekers, refugees, internally displaced, returnees, stateless, or who have integrated into new communities."

*****

Reflection and Discussion—Add Comments Below

1. Fill in the blanks:

You never really understand that________is all you need, until_______is all you have.

a. God

b. integrity

c. love

d. nothing

e. other

2. The more things you have, the less you realize what you really need.

True, False, or?

3. Three ways that I know I am in a safe place are…

4. Three ways that my sending group/organization helps people (especially poor people) who are in dangerous places…

5. Three ways that my sending group/organization (or I) could better help people (especially poor people) who are in dangerous places…

Safety and Protection in Dangerous Places—Part 4

2010-07-16T22:27:00.006+01:00

Attention! Pas op! ¡Ojo! Look Out!

Detail from the cover of Safety First (2010), Save the Children

*****

"There is a perception that giving too much priority to staff safety and security will create constraints on the fundamental mission of the organisation. That mission is to provide assistance to people in need. There is indeed an incomprehensible element of risk in humanitarian aid work. Nonetheless good security management is also a tool to help agencies enter and remain in danger zones. It can help to avoid the loss of assets and especially staff, through accident or incident, and thus helps the agency to provide assistance. In addition, sometimes a laudable emphasis on being "operational" can also hide an institutional self-interest in market share, visibility, and cash flow, at the expense of staff safety and security."
K. Van Brabant, Mainstreaming Safety and Security Management in Aid Agencies, Humanitarian Practice Group Briefing (March 2001, p. 1-2, slightly adjusted for clarity).

*****

What types of risks do mission/aid workers encounter? What type of training can sending groups provide to help mission/aid workers manage these risks? And how do sending groups put into practice Principle 7 from the People in Aid Code of Good Practice (2003): “The security, good health, and safety of our staff are a prime responsibility of our organization" (http://www.peopleinaid.org/code/). This entry describes two more resources about safety and protection.

We continue to clarify and expand our definition of “dangerous places.” It now includes four broad areas or "environments."

•Physical environments marked by life-threatening hazards including war, human rights violations, poverty, and disease (as well as road traffic and household-related accidents)

•Organizational environments in which poor management/governance can wreak havoc on both staff and operational objectives (including unresolved relational difficulties and ongoing organizational dysfunction)

•Moral environments contaminated by human corruption which exploits and injures others (Corruption is defined by Transparency International as the ‘abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.’ Covering up or ignoring corruption can be as reprehensible and damaging as the corruption itself).
•Personal environments whereby an individual's serious problems can significantly interfere with his/her work/wellbeing and that of others.

Resource Seven
Safety First: A Field Security Manual for NGO Staff (2010 edition), Save the Children.

This practical and highly recommended book offers guidance on a variety of safety/security issues relevant for mission/aid workers and sending groups. For example, do you have any idea what to do if you or a colleague gets stuck in the middle of a mine field? The book covers these broad areas with lots of advice and "how to's":

• “personal security awareness and staying healthy in the field
• working in conflict environments and dealing with security threats
• travel and site safety and security
• field communications
• natural hazards and disasters
• relocating and evacuating staff
• incident monitoring and information management.”
(http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_2353.htm); go to this link and click on the Google Preview icon to have a look at some of this book's content)

“Before they start work in areas of armed conflict, newly appointed employees should be briefed on the local security situation and the relevant safety precautions. There after provide your staff with security updates at regular intervals throughout their employment. These could take the form of team meetings in which responsible officers provide accurate, up-to-date information on the security situation. During these meetings employees should be encouraged to: share their experiences, voice their anxieties, express their opinions, and suggest improvements in security.” Safety First: Protecting NGO Employees in Areas of Conflict (1998 edition)

Resource Eight

Supporting Expatriate Women in Difficult Settings is the title of chapter 40 from Doing Member Care Well (2002). The author, Annemie Grosshauser, looks at the coping challenges and strategies of women regarding their personal, spiritual, and team life and their roles/identity/lifestyle. Much of the material is also applicable to men.
(http://www.theimtn.org/resources/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&products_id=252&zenid=0uaak46o5dnsff6hv12g14l3i3)

“Going through the marketplace in a male-dominated country, being single in a family-centered society, working in the context of very different and sometimes hostile cultural and religious settings, educating children without proper school systems, trying to show compassion to people in need, serving together in a multicultural team—these are some of the challenges confronting expatriate women.” “Supporting Expatriate Women in Difficult Settings” (Doing Member Care Well, p. 419).

*****

Reflection and Discussion—Add Comments Below

1. Recall an experience that you have had in a physical, organizational, and/or moral environment that was dangerous. What were a few things that you did to help you to survive and stay healthy?

2. Whose safety comes first: that of mission/aid staff or those who mission/aid staff are helping? Why?

3. What criteria/values do you use to determine acceptable risk for mission/aid staff?

4. Does your sending group provide pre-deployment and field briefings regarding security and safety matters? If so, how?

5. List a few differences between the challenges for women and men in a mission/aid setting with which you are familiar (e.g., acceptable gender roles, work load, issues for singles). Think in terms of both local and international staff.