Holding Fast

David and Joyce, in addition to two other members of International Ministries’ member care team, coordinated and hosted three workshops during May and June to address the long-term stress they are seeing among IM’s home office staff and global servants on the field. Dr. Yvonne Martinez Thorne, a licensed therapist and American Baptist pastor, facilitated the theme “Holding Fast in These Uncertain Times.”[1]

Stressors in Today’s Context

Dr. Thorne shared a powerful quote from a survey held by Global Trellis where Global Servants said:  “We feel beloved, yet forgotten; supported, yet lonely; attached but disconnected; spiritual but parched.”[2]

She acknowledged that our present ministry contexts are overwhelming and overflowing with multiple stressors. Living today does not seem to be getting any easier. We talked about the following stressors:

• A diminished sense of agency, efficacy, and empowerment.
• Hypervigilance about one’s personal safety, health, and future.
• Persistent exhaustion, weariness, pressure, and feeling overwhelmed.
• Living with environmental stressors such as food insecurity, economic instability, political instability, violence and aggression, a deeply divided and polarized country, ICE raids, natural disasters, and diminished relevance of the church.[3]

And yet, we are not without hope, and we know our presence on this earth during this time is part of God’s purpose.

Steps Towards Resilience

She discussed a variety of resilience steps to counteract these stressors, but we especially appreciated her focus on waiting expectantly. She said:  “We need to grow in our discernment of what God is communicating to us in these uncertain times and the opportunities they provide for us.”

She encouraged us to . . .

• Slow down and pay attention without judgment
• Wait expectantly for Kairos moments: The Kingdom of God is coming and breaking through
• Wait in living hope and in authentic compassion for oneself
• Lean into hardship and find its purpose
• Be authentic and compassionate with others[4]

Dr. Yvonne reminded us: “Just as it happens to you, it happens to others.” We are not alone on this journey. As witnesses to each other’s stories, we are “bearing one another’s burdens in love.” (Galatians 6:2)

Suffering is not an isolated event, and nothing is lost. It is a starting point not only for our personal journey, but also for our journey as a community. God is actively working in our lives even when we are in a dry or difficult season. God is continually doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:19)

Participation Reached a Tipping Point

30% of IM’s personnel attended these workshops! Why is this so noteworthy? This percentage of attendees is a sufficient tipping point to create change within the culture of how we live and breathe as a community.

Based on research about Organizational Transformation, IM’s 30% attendance means the potential impact of this event on the entire community is high. These workshops become a catalyst to influence the entire IM community to not only recognize our common stressors, but also to grow towards greater resilience together.

The workshops provide a collective experience and a common language to integrate the values of holistic health so that we care for one another more authentically during these uncertain times.

Cultivating a Culture of Care

The Apostle Paul mentions being the recipient of community care in I Corinthians 16:15-18. He was in Ephesus during his final missionary journey.  Paul says that the arrival of his friends “refreshed his spirit.”

The care that Paul received is what we desire for all IM personnel. A refreshment of body, mind, and heart so that people thrive in their service to God. When we cultivate intentional spaces for care that hold community with authenticity and integrity, then healthy transformation is possible!

Being a part of creating a culture of health has been our hope and vision since we began in our role as the Global Coordinators of Spiritual Care seven years ago. Thank you for faithfully encouraging us and supporting us in this endeavor.

Sources:

[1] The name of the workshop is the intellectual property of Dr. Yvonne Martinez Thorne and is used with permission. The title of this article is an abbreviated version of her workshop’s name.

[2] Global Trellis, “What We Wish Senders Knew Survey.”  https://globaltrellis.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/infographic-1-short_revised.jpg 2024 (retrieved 5/6/26)

[3] Yvonne Martinez Thorne, “Holding Fast in These Uncertain Times,” Workshop Powerpoint Presentation on Zoom, for International Ministries, ABCUSA, May 15, 2026, June 5, 2026, & June 11, 2026.

[4] Thorne, Ibid.