MTSO The Story : Page 13
STUDENTS compassion and peace as expressed in the Beatitudes.” It was Scott’s work in founding MTSO’s Liberation! Conference to combatmodern slavery that caughtHoward’s attention.e conference evolved fromScott’s interest in the writing of author David Batstone about the slave trade. Batstone, he said, “was in- volved with the Be’Ats, so Anne kind of of- fered him up to our campus.” e fall 2007 Liberation! Conference, featuring Batstone, was followed this year by a conference featuring international human trafficking expert Claude d’Estree. “e Liberation! Conference caught a lot of people’s attention because it was the first time a student group had put on anything that big,” said Scott, who has handed the reins of the local Be’Ats chapter to MTSO students Jared Littleton and Cassie Smith. Scott, who co-pastors theurman Av- enue andWashington Avenue United Methodist churches in Columbus with fel- low MTSO student Nathan Adams, has moved on to a new project.He’s producing a video featuring interviews with experts on modern slavery. Among those he hopes to talk with is a representative ofHigher Grounds, a fair-trade coffee company whose products are served in Dunn DiningHall on the MTSO campus. Blaine saidHoward approached her about being featured in Claiming the Beati- tudes aer the two worked together on the national Be’Ats’ Emerging Leaders Project, which brings together 15 progressive Chris- tian leaders and 15 seminary students for a fall retreat. Aer participating in 2007, Blaine worked on the planning teamfor the 2008 event. Howard asked Blaine which of the beati- tudes she related to, an exchange that still makes Blaine laugh: “I said, ‘Oddly enough, if you want to talk about how I don’t seem to havemuchmercy, we can talk about that.’” “It’s the hardest thing in the world to let go of things when people hurt you,” Blaine said, but, “One of the things Anne and I talked about is there’s a leveling that hap- pens when we showmercy.” Blaine has pursued her MTSO education while working full-time at Riverside United Methodist Church in Upper Arlington. She joined the Riverside staff as youth pastor six years ago and now is associate pastor and a licensed local pastor. “I loveMethesco verymuch. I’ve had a wonderful experience,” she said. But she’s ready to concentratemore on her ministry and less on writing papers. “is ismy fih year. It’s time to leave.” Each chapter of Claiming the Beatitudes begins with the story of an individual such as Blaine or Scott, followed byHoward’s re- Howthey stake the claim Two excerpts from Claiming the Beatitudes On Jeremy Scott: He’s now taken on a new volunteer role, in addition to his seminary work, to become State Director of the Ohio Not for Sale Campaign. There are many as- pects to this kind of work, from participating in the new “underground rail- road” that coordinates the new abolitionists across the globe who are rescuing the victims of the global slave trade, to staging local educational events for schools, churches and community groups. But it’s the root cause of slavery that gets Jeremy. “Families in good economic condition don’t sell their daughters. If a family has a decent source of income, they don’t sell their daughters. I’m interested in ad- dressing the poverty that produces slavery. That’s my passion.” On April Blaine: “I am interested in re-imagining the church,” April said, “and I think mercy has everything to do with re-imagining the church. This beatitude is about being, it’s not about doing. Being church, just being church, not doing church. I am learning that we aren’t very good at just being with people in their lives, in community.” “We want to do things, we want to disciple people, we want to change people, we want people to come to this program or that program. Church is so often all this stuff that people want to do. But people just want people to be with them, just be with them.” THE STORY gWinter 08/09 11 flection on the beatitude and guidelines for group discussion. “I chose students who have a passion for something the beatitudes express,”Howard said. “ey really are students who show great leadership potential.” g
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