{"id":4613,"date":"2023-11-24T15:06:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-24T22:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/?page_id=4613"},"modified":"2023-11-24T15:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T22:06:16","slug":"interserve","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/interserve\/","title":{"rendered":"In Midwest city, everyone has worth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

InterServ offers hope to those with disabilities while providing opportunities for the disabled to serve others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Jeffrey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published in <\/em>Response magazine May 2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ever since getting hit by a car, David Rockett doesn\u2019t leave home much. The accident left his legs mangled, and although he can move around with a cane, he doesn\u2019t move very fast. At 64 and also wrestling with a blood disorder, he\u2019s on constant medication for pain. Yet he\u2019s not complaining, in part because home care givers from InterServ Community Services, a St. Joseph, Missouri, organization supported by United Methodist Women, visit him twice a week to clean house, shop for groceries, cook food, and, most importantly for Mr. Rockett, listen to him with compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBefore InterServ started working with me, I was a forgotten guy,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for them, I wouldn\u2019t be able to get anywhere or keep my house in order. The older you get, the more people forget about you. It\u2019s not that you\u2019ve outlived your usefulness, it\u2019s just nature\u2019s way of letting you go. But these people aren\u2019t ready to let go of me yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Susan Spencer, a visiting home care worker, vacuums David Rockett’s apartment in St. Joseph, Missouri. Rockett, who is disabled, is able to remain in his home because of support from Spencer and another home care worker provided by InterServ Community Services, an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women. The home care workers clean, shop and cook for the 64-year old man, as well as provide him with a listening presence.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Susan Spencer is one of two care givers from InterServ who visit Mr. Rockett every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOur presence in people\u2019s lives often allows them to stay in their own homes much longer, rather than going to a nursing home or care facility,\u201d Ms. Spencer said. \u201cWe do a lot for them, but a majority are lonely, and just need someone to talk to, someone to encourage them. As a society we\u2019re way too busy and don\u2019t take the time to talk with people the way we should.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ms. Spencer has been working as a home care giver for InterServ for 20 years. The profession is one of the most underpaid jobs around, and she says she\u2019s often thought of going back to school to study nursing or some other career that would allow her to continue to work with people in their home, yet earn more money at the same time. \u201cBut I\u2019m afraid I wouldn\u2019t be able to spend the quality time with them that I currently do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disabilities don\u2019t stop them<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ms. Spencer\u2019s work is but one example of a wide variety of services provided by InterServ, whose roots in St. Joseph go back more than 100 years (see sidebar).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Many of the programs respond to the needs of people who, like Mr. Rockett, are living with disabilities. Yet InterServ\u2019s ministries also provide opportunities for those living with disabilities to engage the community around them, people like Janice Dilley. The 70-year old woman, who suffered severe back trauma when she fell 16 years ago, now gets around in a wheelchair. Yet every weekday morning she and her husband Harold, who drives their specially-equipped van, can be found packing Meals on Wheels lunches at an InterServ kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re old, and we live in a senior apartment complex where there\u2019s not much to do. I\u2019m not going to just sit at home. We like coming here and being helpful,\u201d said Ms. Dilley. \u201cBeing in the chair all the time might bother some people, but when I think about it, I just think about a lot of people who are worse off than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A woman volunteer sorts Meals on Wheels packets in the Mobile Meals Program kitchen of Interserv Community Services in St. Joseph, Missouri. The program serves some 400 meals a day. Interserv is an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            When the Dilleys are done packaging the meals, they\u2019re distributed to homes by a network of volunteers, which also includes people with disabilities. Jeffery Yokley is one of them. The 19-year old has cerebral palsy, but that doesn\u2019t stop him<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cI like to help people with disabilities, people who are having a hard time. I like helping hungry people to have food. I like to talk to people, and they like talking with me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Anna Hurt, a 21-year old woman with cerebral palsy, also delivers Meals on Wheels, and her motivation is both simple and a telling remark about how people with disabilities are often treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI like doing this because people are nice to us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jeffery Yokley, 19, discusses the day’s Meals on Wheels offering with Norma Covington as he delivers food to her home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Yokley, who has cerebral palsy, is a volunteer with the program, which is coordinated by InterServ Community Services, an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            At times the lines blur between InterServ\u2019s \u201cclients\u201d and \u201cvolunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            James Heater lives at Juda House, a permanent residence for chronically homeless men with disabilities that is sponsored by Community Missions, an offshoot of InterServ. After years of living on the streets and along the banks of the Missouri River, Mr. Heater moved into Juda House three years ago. His disabilities may leave him unemployable, but they don\u2019t stop him from volunteering at InterServ\u2019s Food pantry, which provides boxes of healthy food for the city\u2019s poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cDuring most of the time I was homeless, my life focused just on me, on how I was going to survive. But having a permanent and safe place to live has helped me focus outside myself, and the Food Pantry gives me an opportunity to help others. At the end of the day I can say I\u2019ve done something good. That\u2019s a gift to me from InterServ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope that someone would care about me\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Among those who have made possible the permanent housing where Mr. Heater lives is Thelma Wyrick, a retired mental health nurse and president of United Methodist Women at Wesley United Methodist Church in St. Joseph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms. Wyrick sits on the board of InterServ and is president of the board of Community Missions. And she volunteers many of her afternoons at Juda House and St. Joseph\u2019s Haven, another Community Missions permanent housing facility for chronically homeless men with disabilities. She helps them manage their medications but also just spends time listening as the men talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Marissa Klingseis, 18, lifts weights at the Wesley Center in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Wesley Weightlifters program and team is coordinated by InterServ Community Services, an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            United Methodist Women in the area support InterServ\u2019s ministries in a variety of ways, including donating food, helping with mailings, and providing special programs at Christmas. Yet Ms. Wyrick says some of her friends don\u2019t understand her commitment and are afraid to get involved. They might be willing to cook food to bring to the residence, but many don\u2019t want to stay to talk to the men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cSome people at church say \u2018They\u2019re just a bunch of drunks down there.\u2019 I respond that while I don\u2019t drink, I never know when I might end up homeless. And I hope that someone would care about me in that situation. I don\u2019t make judgments. I\u2019m just here to help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ms. Wyrick says it\u2019s important to understand that addiction is a disability. \u201cIt effects their ability to earn an income and to have a family that remains together. Many become addicted to alcohol because of post-traumatic stress disorder, whether from their experience in the military or living on the streets. They can\u2019t function the same as before. And I can\u2019t stop them from drinking. But at least when they\u2019re here in the winter I know they\u2019re not going to freeze to death outside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ms. Wyrick\u2019s work with the poor has also taken her to the state legislature to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable. During the last session, for example, she pushed to stop a move to require drug testing for food stamp recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cI\u2019m worried about the effect that could have on children. Kids can\u2019t work to buy food, and they\u2019re not responsible for someone else\u2019s addictions. They often depend just on their mother, but why should they suffer if she makes bad choices?\u201d, Ms. Wyrick said. \u201cI get on my bandwagon about such things. Some of my United Methodist Women friends from the church don\u2019t support everything I say, but they are tolerant of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            According to David Howery, the executive director of InterServ and a veteran of such legislative advocacy work, it has become fashionable in the United States to paint the poor as unworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cYet the social teachings of the church tell us over and over that everyone has worth. That includes people addicted to alcohol or drugs and people with mental illness. The Gospel calls on us to craft a compassionate response to all of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. Howery said one strength of InterServ is that it works with so many sectors of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Thelma Wyrick, a retired mental health nurse, talks with David Vandever, a resident of a permanent housing project for formerly homeless men in St. Joseph, Missouri, sponsored by Community Missions. Vandever and many other residents are living with disabilities, and Wyrick helps them properly manage their medications. Wyrick, a member of United Methodist Women, is president of the board of Community Missions, which is an offshoot of Interserv Community Services, an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cWe work with everyone from infants to the elderly, with immigrants and youth and families, with people who are vulnerable or poor. You can\u2019t be a servant to them for long before you realize there are inequities and injustice that need to be addressed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Mr. Howery says understanding how people can suffer post-traumatic stress disorder without being a soldier is key to understanding poverty today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve developed a general acceptance in our society that veterans who\u2019ve suffered PTSD need special help with retraining, with health care and education. They are generally seen as worthy. But what about people who\u2019ve been traumatized by economic hard times, such as workers who\u2019ve been displaced by factory closings? They are of no less worth, and their wellbeing is no less important to the community,\u201d Mr. Howery said. \u201cWe value our community not by its stock market value, but by how well people are doing, especially the most vulnerable among us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sidebar: A long legacy of ministry with the poor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            At the beginning of the 20th<\/sup> Century, the south side of St. Joseph, Missouri, was booming, becoming the fourth largest meatpacking district in the country. As new industrial slaughterhouses opened up, thousands of poor immigrants flocked to the city in search of work. Women in local Methodist congregations were concerned about how children and families fared in the burgeoning slums, and they pushed their churches to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Mabel Howell, a professor of sociology at Scarritt Bible and Training School, which was then located in nearby Kansas City, was brought to St. Joseph as a consultant. Her study of local conditions convinced church leaders to open a settlement house, part of a movement in the United States and England in the late 19th<\/sup> and early 20th<\/sup> centuries to bring the church into poor urban areas, allowing middle class volunteers to share knowledge and culture with the poor, thus, so its proponents argued, using daycare, education and health care to alleviate the worst symptoms of poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In late 1909, local Methodists dedicated Wesley House, a rented ten-room house on the grubby south side. Frances Scott, a deaconess, was assigned as its director by the Nashville-based Women\u2019s Home Mission Board, a predecessor to today\u2019s United Methodist Women. She promptly launched a day care program and kindergarten, the first time for both in the city. For a nickel a day, mothers could bring their children early and leave them all day, during which time they were bathed, received a medical examination, and provided with clean clothes to wear during their stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ms. Scott\u2019s ministry wasn\u2019t limited to the building, and she and other trained home visitors\u2013recognized by a distinctive bonnet\u2013moved throughout the slums ministering to the needs of families. Soon the program moved into a larger facility, and volunteers taught popular classes in sewing, cooking and housekeeping to immigrant and poor women and girls. Classes in basketry and whittling were organized for boys. In the evening, youth came to Wesley House to play games. Bible classes took place on Saturday morning and a six-week Vacation Bible School was organized every summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A \u201crelief store\u201d was opened, stocked with clothing and other household items provided by Methodist congregations in the area, and in 1921 Wesley House opened a \u201cMilk Station\u201d that provided milk to children of poor families. The ministry also started cooperating with a variety of social outreach programs sponsored by local government agencies and charitable groups ranging from the Salvation Army to the YWCA. The first Girl Scouts group in St. Joseph had its beginnings in Wesley House. By the 1930s, Wesley House was working with immigrants from 19 countries, including Germany, Mexico, France, Armenia, Holland, Turkey, Serbia, Italia, Ukraine, Romania and Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Children dance during class in the Mitchell Woods Preschool run by InterServ Community Services in St. Joseph, Missouri. The preschool includes children from six weeks to 5 years of age. InterServ is an ecumenical ministry long supported by United Methodist Women.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            As the organization grew over the years, its name changed to reflect its broad community base. Wesley House became Wesley Community House, which later became Wesley Community Center. Other denominations got involved, but their participation wasn\u2019t always painless. One conservative Protestant congregation complained that the center\u2019s youth program\u2013housed in a gymnasium and lounge that were added in 1957, and whose activities including dancing\u2013had become a \u201cden of inequity.\u201d A Catholic priest asked his families to boycott the center because it was too Protestant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            All these tensions were overcome, and the program expanded rapidly in the 1960s as the federal government\u2019s War on Poverty made new funds available. In 1971, the agency\u2019s broad base led to its renaming as Wesley\/Catholic Services, and it began launching new senior programs and residential housing developments for the elderly and people living with disabilities. In 1974, the agency was renamed Wesley\/Catholic\/Presbyterian Services. The United Church of Christ was also an official sponsor, but adding them to the name would have made it even more unwieldy. Finally, in 1975 the agency took on a more manageable name: InterServ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            As it has under all its names, today InterServ continues doing what those Methodist women started more than a century ago. It provides daycare to poor working families, food to the hungry, care for the elderly and special programs for youth, including in recent years an internationally famous weightlifting program. Its immigration office helps guide workers from other lands along the path to U.S. citizenship. Throughout all its programs, InterServ seeks to help those left most vulnerable by today\u2019s economy to feel their sacred worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            And just as Methodist women from across the denomination supported those early efforts, United Methodist Women today remains supportive, providing funding for particular projects and leadership training for the agency\u2019s directors and executive staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rev. Paul Jeffrey is a United Methodist missionary and senior correspondent for <\/em>response magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

InterServ offers hope to those with disabilities while providing opportunities for the disabled to serve others By Paul Jeffrey Published in Response magazine May 2014             Ever since getting hit by a car, David Rockett doesn\u2019t leave home much. The accident left his legs mangled, and although he can move around with a cane, he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4613"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4613"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4623,"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4613\/revisions\/4623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kairosphotos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}