Response Magazine for United Methodist Women (April 2000)

June 2000 Edition of Response: U.S. Rural Life

Rural life offers images of home extension, canning, gardening, county fairs, tall grass and farms. What happens in the cities and suburbs impacts our rural communities, and vice versa, and their are both joys and challenges in rural living. The June 2000 issue of Response explores both.

"My first awakening to the challenges facing farm families came as a young adult when a friend of mine who had grown up on a farm shared how often as a child she went to bed praying for rain, scared it would not come," says Dana E. Jones, editor of Response.

This issue looks at the stories of rural life today through articles conveying personal perspectives, public policy, church challenges, and the struggle for justice economically, environmentally and socially.

On the cover: A barn is seen across a wheat field near St. Charles, Mo. Farming, mining, timbering and ranching are among images of the rural United States, where residents are faced with economic, environmental and social change. This issue looks at U.S. rural life today. Photo by Richard Cummins.

This Bible Study looks at Micah 2:1-2 and various New Testament passages. Micah came from the obscure village of Moresheth in southern Jerusalem and was deeply aware of social ills that affected the small towns of his day. Jesus also came from a small town, and preached mostly in rural places. This Bible study uses these stories, reflections and discussion questions to help us look at the rural crises today and give a Biblical basis to our responsibility.

For many of us, a diverse panorama of rural pictures fills our mind when we hear "America, the Beautiful." But there is another side to the rural United States, which includes:

There has been a cost to the new technology and to new corporate farms, and there are spiritual struggles with this lifestyle for people of faith. This article explores the meaning of humanness in a corporate structure, the struggle to be stewards of God's earth, the health consequences, the value of efficiency, and the quest to feed the hungry.

Mary Hayenger is a board member of the Heartland Network for Town and Country Ministries, and a farmer in Andover, South Dakota. She explores the feelings of loss in her South Dakota town and for her small church. Yet once the stages of grief are acknowledged, she raises the signs of acceptance and hope. "In Scripture and in modern times, God has done marvelous things with a few, with little, with the least, " she says. This article looks at the marvelous work God does and gives hope for rural communities everywhere.

Author Yvette Moore looks at the bi-partisan effort kicked off by Reps. Eva Clayton and Jo Ann Emerson to move rural issues to the nation's front burner. The Rural Caucus, activated in March, will look at the economic and social policies that will strengthen family farms, ranches, and rural U.S. communities.

As local United Methodist Women members serve lunch, the auctioneer's voice booms out for bids on a like-new John Deere tractor. It's the last of a family farm. And, it's a sign of how United Methodist Women have been a supportive community for farm-crisis events in their areas. These are stories about ministries ranging from support through prayers, gifts, childcare, welcoming ministries, and space.

This is the story of Mascoutah, Illinois, one small town in the United States, whose issues ring true around the country. The locals see the signs of growth as new residents look for the rural life, and the amenities of urban life. Local farmers seek second jobs, because they can't live off of their farming profits anymore. Banks are taken over by large conglomerates, but citizens form their own lending institution. Some of the next generation leaves and some choose to stay. And amidst it all, the church looks for new ministries while maintaining the traditional.

Growing Up
Children from Red Bird Mission School in Kentucky and from Palco United Methodist Church in Palco, Kansas, share images of growing up in the rural United States.

The acquisition of land by African Americans following the Civil War was an impressive accomplishment. Development of a land base was a high-priority for emancipated slaves. Author Ralph Paige explores the plight of Black farmers as they were granted only five- to 10 acre tracts of land and as they moved forward despite the lack of government support and a post-war racist South. He looks at the reasons many African Americans have lost their land, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's culpability, and the justice resulting from a major law suit.

"Hate groups can gain a hold on rural communities because residents, who would be outraged by hate group teachings, tend to have no idea that they exist," says Dr. McSwain. Rural chaplains must respond through education and violence-prevention techniques. Dr. McSwain takes a look at violence that affects rural communities, the environmental causes, the effort of hate groups to establish in these areas, and the response of rural chaplains.

They'll Know We Are Christians
by Shirley Townsend Jones and Carolyn W. Little

"They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love" is the theme song of a thriving cooperative parish in rural South Carolina, which is the first of its kind in the country. Bible studies, home renovations, youth ministries and emergency medical funds are only a small part of the large mission of this parish.

What price are you willing to pay for perfectly-shaped tomatoes, broccoli or peppers? Do your fruits and vegetables have no insect marks or imperfections? Do you realize the price you are paying for such perfect looking food? Denise O'Brien helps us to realize the price as she uncovers the health hazards caused by chemical fertilizers, the pollution left by large hog and chicken farms, and the sterile soil caused by mass farming. The costs are high, and United Methodist Women can make a difference in these environmental concerns.

"God Bless the Methodist Church," said Abraham Lincoln in the 19th century, recognizing the denomination's contribution to a westward-moving nation. From circuit riding preachers, to an emphasis on education, to the transformation of beliefs into active faith, rural churches have been central to the denominations tradition and history. And, they continue to be central today.

U.S. Rural Life

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