MOM asks: Was 2007 a turning point?

Middleton Times Tribune - December 27, 2007
by Dietrich Gruen, Middleton Outreach Ministry

The great 17th century poet John Dunne defined a "turning point" as the intersection of time and timelessness. Politicians running for election always characterize the times we are in as a "turning point in history." So do movie producers and creative inventors with their "back to the future" time machines or scientific breakthroughs. Doomsday prophets and environmental alarmists ("repent now, or else. . . .") herald signs of the times. So do modern-day historians with perfect 20-20 hindsight.

They all seem to cast the present time as the crux or hinge on which "the world as we know it" turns. In that regard, Jesus Christ has been described as the "still point in a turning world." And so he demarcates our Roman calendars (B.C. and A.D.), and more.

So I humbly ask, Was 2007 A.D. such a turning point? Part of the paradox of this expression is that one rarely knows if a year, or an event, or a moment, is a turning point until much later.

In the larger scheme of things--for the world, or this country, even this city--who knows what will have become a "turning point"?

I believe MOM is also at a turning point, as are so many of our clients. Time will tell. More next month on what it means for MOM itself to experience a turning point year with a community based board and God's blessing. First, some context, or signs of the times, to help us appreciate "what God hath wrought" in 2007.

The question in national context: Three events of 2007 that riveted us

Three riveting news stories, at once local and universal, were compelling on many levels and help make the case for 2007 being a pivotal year. These three stories represent on a grand scale the kind of life-changing or turn-around year experienced by many affiliated with Middleton Outreach Ministry.

In April we all went through the Virginia Tech Shootings, as if that was our campus that was hit. The worst mass shooting in American history, as we now know it, had all of us scrambling through our case notes of suicidal people we know, the campuses we visit, the gun laws we pass. I only add evangelist Billy Graham's assessment: "Sadly, we have once again been reminded of the evil that people can perpetrate on others; and while many theories will surface in the coming days and weeks about how such a terrible act occurs, I believe what we've seen here is ultimately a reflection of the condition of the human heart."

In August we all went through the I-35W Bridge Collapse, which also caused us to reevaluate our foundations--with civil engineers, state politicians, and moral theologians all getting in the act. This was even big news over in China, where I was at the time. A bridge collapsing over the Mississippi River at evening rush hour in Minneapolis, plunging a dozen people to their death, had many asking: "Could this have happened in my town, to me and my family?" Others saw in the crumbling infrastructure a symbol of the spiritual decay of the country, of an inability to delay to gratification in search of speed or convenience.

In any given month, the War in Iraq was compelling news on several fronts--institutional (heads roll as blame shifts, with key players resigning office), geopolitical (Middle East peace hangs in the balance), American politics (many stake their whole campaign for, or against, this war), environmental (fueling the "energy independence" versus a "blood for oil" argument), economics (we could pay for universal health care, rebuild New Orleans, pay down our national debt, AND win the war on poverty for all that we spend in Iraq), the human toll (thousands are dying over there, and many more suffer back home, even those for whom the war is never over and who take their lives in suicide), plus the interfaith and tribal issues (how can the Muslim factions and Christians get along).

These three news stories of 2007 are horrific and grand in their suddennes and scale of loss. Such stories happened "out there," but they are not remote. Not to me, and not to the lives that Middleton Outreach Ministry touches everyday, whenever tragedy hits home.

Think global, but act local. Hence, I use these three obvious headliner events of 2007 to evoke in you a thoughtful response to those who suffer loss closer to home. Their loss is no less tragic or painful for being local, smaller, and private.

The question in local context: How 2007 was a turning point for MOM clients

For our neighbors in need, Year 2007 will have been a turning point year, when viewed with a longer perspective and when sustained by the point-of-need help offered by you through MOM. We all know someone facing down one of life's critical turning points during this past year. A year from now let's hope those neighbors of ours will be looking up and looking better. Would you believe that MOM plays a role in many such turn-around stories, making a down-but-not-out year a turning point year!

In the lives touched by Middleton Outreach Ministry every day, stories abound of losses--lost income, lost jobs, lost housing, lost health, lost independence, a lost marriage, lost hope, even loss of life itself. Yet these broken people leave MOM with what's needed, often beyond what they ask for or think possible. However, we can offer such hope only with your continued help.

- For the working poor who suffer an economic loss, we offer small emergency grants, free food or clothing each month, and other collateral services--but only if you keep those donations coming in.

- For the jobless, we offer job leads--but only as you (thanks, Terry) keep those employment opportunities coming.

- For the sick, we may refer toa mental health professional (thanks, Sue), chiropractor (thanks, Pat), or dentist (thanks, Robb) who ministers on a sliding fee, even a pro bono, basis.

- To the individual who has just lost a lifelong companion, we offer a friendly visitor or Stephen Minister (you know who you are, thank you!).

- When people suffer losses due to aging, we match them with a POP volunteer--but only as people volunteer to meet this growing need in Middleton.

- Your care packages sent c/o MOM add to their joy at Christmas, perhaps a turning point in their lives.

The Year 2007 has proven to be a turning point for all of us, MOM volunteers were not at the Virginia Tech campus in April, tending to the victims families--but other caring and Christian ministries were. Our disaster response teams did not rush to aid the victims of the I-35W bridge collapse in August--but other local agencies did. MOM reserves were not tapped to help figh the war in Iraq--but we did aid some casualties on the home front.

As you think globally, but act locally, Middleton Outreach Ministry is there as an outlet for you. But before I close this chapter on year-end reflections, I must thank all the people who came through for MOM.

If you came through our office anytime last week, then you were part of the single largest program that MOM coordinates all year, and the most generosity this community demonstrates--essentially all in one week. This year the Sharing Christmas program served 1,276 people in 323 families!

If people stuck to the $50 per person gift limit, that means $63,800 in gifts were given by a generous community. We saw three new bikes, a microwave, and electronic keyboard come and go through this office. The Keller Williams real estate company provided gifts for kids in about ten families, with one of their employees dressed as Santa personally delivering the gifts. Families at the Department of Administration provided so many gifts they filled up two full-sized SUV sleighs. Many more individual families stretched their own budget to include just one more person, making that connection on their own.

If each of us cares enough, we can make great strides in providing others with a helpful "turning point" every day. You can accomplish this important task on your own, or work through organizations like MOM. As we count our blessings and good fortune in 2007, let us all commit to making 2008 a turning point opportunity for as many people as possible. Let MOM help you achieve that objective.

That's what MOM is all about--connecting neighbors for good--at year end, and year round.