The Global Market

History of Global Market at Fellowship Congregational Church

Before the idea of the Global Market was born, a small group of members concerned about economic justice reacted to the first “God Is Still Speaking” T-shirts. The shirts had been printed on Hanes shirts which the group knew used “sweat shop labor.” They phoned and wrote letters to the National Office to discuss their concerns about the T-shirts. After much discussion locally and nationally, we were able to buy T-shirts from fair wage sources. Many in the Congregation had not heard of fair trade, and a dialog sermon between a member of the fledging group and a member for Awareness was presented. This group was the beginning of the Economic Justice Committee.
At the same time, two other similar events were happening. Shannon Howard was developing a mission in Nicaragua. She was returning to the USA with handicrafts that had been made there and purchased at a fair price for sale here. This developed into Esperanza Èn Acción
The second inspiration for the Global Market was a result of members of our Church going on the Community of Hope’s mission trips to Nicaragua. They were struck by the meager life of the people there. Besides the mission trips, they became aware that if the people could get a fair wage for their work, their living standard would be much improved.
One of the returning members, Debra Salazar, was awed by and dedicated to help Nicaraguans she met. As a result she made arrangements to sell fair trade coffee in our Narthex every Sunday.
One zealot, me, was bothered by the selling of things in the Narthex. Both Debra and I were on the Board of Outreach. When Debra made her proposal, I objected. Not because I was against the selling of fair trade coffee but because I was against the exchange of money in our sanctuary. After some discussion, Karen Spradlin mentioned the idea of a church store.
My father always told me that the person who sees a problem should be the one to help find a solution. Thus we began working with the Board of Outreach and Cabinet to create a place that would sell Debra’s coffee, Shannon’s Esperanza, and Awareness items. The Board of Christian Education made a wonderful offer. After the renovation of the Education and Administration Building was completed, one of the classrooms they didn’t need at the time was offered for the church store. It was approved by Trustees and Cabinet. The Board of Outreach appoints the chair of the Economic Justice Committee which oversees the church store. Nancy Eggen is the heart and soul of the Global Market and chairs the Economic Justice committee.
The Congregation then went through a process of selecting a name for the church store. This was intended to help the church feel ownership of the store. The store was named the Global Market and opened August 31, 2003 with a sale of over $240. The total sales over $71,000. We are thankful to the members of the Congregation for their continued support.
Rich Curby

An Accessibility Survey

Accessibility Survey
INTERFAITH DISABILITY AWARENESS TASK FORCE

This survey is a tool to help congregations assess how accessible they are. All items are important and are scored equally using the philosophy that there are different barriers to different disabilities. A person who is blind can negotiate stairs, and a person who uses a wheelchair may not have problems reading the bulletin.
The largest barrier to persons with disabilities costs nothing to remove. It is the attitude of those who believe people that have or will get disabilities are others and not ourselves. Many of us already have poor vision. Many of us will lose some hearing. Some of us have hidden disabilities like diabetes, eating disorders, chronic pain, mental problems, etc. Over half of the items listed below cost little or no money. Please take some time to think and plan for making our buildings and services more welcoming to all people.

FOR PERSONS WITH PROBLEMS IN HEARING, SEEING, MOBILITY, OR OTHER DIFFICULTIES, MY CONGREGATION HAS:
Entrances
___ A well-marked “drop-off” area
___ Convenient, adequate spaces for reserved parking; close to accessible entrances
___ Power assist door
___ Percentage of doors in building with easy open levers instead of knobs
___ Long handle on outside exit doors
___ Accessible classroom for each age group
___ Ramp(s) permanent or temporary
___ Access to Sanctuary for all disabilities
___ Elevator(s)
___ Signage, e.g., indicating alternate access if main entrance has steps, etc.
___ Brightly colored, textured strips marking tops of steps

Worship
___ Worship area(s) with available space for wheelchair users, etc. encouraging
participation in leading Worship (flat area, ramp, etc.)
___ Choir location that allows persons with accessibility issues to participate
___ Sign language interpreter
___ Hearing assistive devices available
___ Large print bulletins and music easily available (Task Force can help with this)
___ Large print school materials available
___ Adequate lighting for interpreter and for people with visual disabilities
___ Places for wheelchair users other than at the very front or very back
___ Sound system that meets needs of those with high-frequency hearing loss
___ Persons with disabilities included in Worship and teaching

General access
___ Office desk or table raised for wheelchair users
___ Paper cup dispenser near water fountains
___ Fire alarm system light and sound cued
___ Literature available to help people become aware of the needs and frustrations of
those persons with invisible disabilities, such as, chronic pain, diabetes, epilepsy
___ Library or shelf space section of resources on disabilities concerns
___ Accessible restroom(s) (stalls, mirrors, grab bars, faucets, soap, towels, etc.)
___ Assistance with transportation for people with diverse disabilities
___ Marketing that informs community of church accessibility, e.g., Marquee,
newsletter, signs
___ Memorial gifts for accessibility projects encouraged
___ Information available to educate about environmental illness, including physical
reactions to perfumes, colognes, after-shaves, etc.
___ Literature or persons available to educate about the nonarchitectural barriers to
inclusiveness (attitudes)

Welcoming efforts and Program Initiatives
___ Bulletin board space for disability concerns
___ Participation in Meals-on-Wheels or other feeding programs for people in need
___ Facilities shared with organizations that serve persons with disabilities
___ Program ministering to persons in nursing homes (more than just Pastor)
___ Children involved in nursing home visits
___ “Accessibility issues” used instead of “handicap,” person-first language, etc.
___ Access Sunday Day or Celebration Event(s), e.g., awareness worship services and
training session(s). The second weekend in October is suggested.
___ Care group assistance with diverse services—transportation, visitation, support
groups, etc.
___ Inclusionary child care & youth education welcoming young people with
disabilities
___ Food allergies and special diets respected at church meals
___ Respite Care available for caregivers in need.
___ Part-time nurse on staff for one-on-one visits on grounds and in homes
___ Care groups trained by nurse.
___ American Sign Language class
___ Ushers trained in special care needed by some worship attendees

Free copies are available by emailing curby1241@cs.com with subject Accessibilty Survey.

Transcript: translated from ASL @ Fellowship Congregational Church

This ASL stewardhip talk was given by Rich to the congregation at Fellowship Congregational Church on Sunday, November 2, 2008:


Show and tell. There are some pictures of me “before and after” on the table in the Narthex. Please look at them after the service.
I THANK God for everyday I draw a breath. I thank GOD for everyday I draw a breath. Thirty years ago, before my fortieth birthday a doctor found a tumor about the size of a golf ball just below my right eye and in line with my ear. I had four surgeries to remove it. After one surgery which took 23 hours, I was in I.C.U for one month and the hospital for seven months. To date I have been in the hospital over 500 days. That is one year plus in the hospital. Many people thought I could die. But only the good die young. I am mean. I thank God for EVERDAY I draw a breath
When my work was suspended, our Pastor gave me a check for $1,000. I was blown away! It was hard to accept the money from friends, people I considered family. But I have learned one way to show love is to accept help. I thank God for everyday I DRAW a breath.
I taught at Edison High School for fourteen years. My first surgery occurred with one quarter of the school year left. My third surgery occurred with one half of the school year left. I had some sick leave saved but not nearly enough. Many, many teachers gave me some of their sick leave and I was paid for two full years. I am blessed with many friends. Most I do not know. I THANK God for everyday I draw a breath.
I have received so much love and support over the years. I want to give back. Some say you should give 5% to the church and 5% to the needy and home less. It is interesting to note, if every member gave 5% to the church, then the church would have enough money. But in the real world every member does not give 5%. So, some must give more. I am able to give over 10% and three hours a week outside church time. I know some who volunteer more time. I am very grateful. I thank God for everyday I draw a BREATH.
You don’t have to become sick to be grateful. “Joke.” You can be grateful to God because you are healthy. And for many friends you don’t know. We all are grateful to God. If you wish, please sign with me. I thank God for everyday I draw a breath. Thanks, Praise God.
Rich Curby

Handy Cap

Handy Cap

Our words affect our thoughts,
Our thoughts affect our beliefs,
Our beliefs affect our feelings,
Our feelings affect our behavior,
and
Our behavior affects the world.
Shirley Devol VanLieu, Ph.D.

Several good, considerate people recently have used the word “handicap”
to refer to persons with disabilities. When I hear that word and it is not used referring to handicapping golf or horse races, I think of the way the word was used historically. People in the disability community were thought not to be able to provide for themselves. They had a “handy cap” to ask for alms. But they CAN be productive, if there are no barriers unthinkingly placed before them.
Stephen Hawking is a quadriplegic. While he can’t walk, talk or write, he may be one of the greatest astrophysicists in the world today. Is he handicapped? Well it depends on what he wants to do, doesn’t it? What if he wanted to create a new way to think about the theory of relativity? No! In fact he is one of the few capable of that effort.
A short, able-bodied person wants to play with the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Are they handicapped? Yes! A very tall person wants to be a
gymnast. Are they handicapped? Yes, although not for any lack of strength and agility. It is their environment for what they want to do that handicaps them.
Handicap is not a description of a person. It describes the environment. Have you ever seen a wheelchair basketball game? You would be amazed at the skill of the players!
I wish we could rethink the phrase “handicap parking”. It makes me want to look to see if they parked oddly because they are chronically bad drivers. Why not use “Reserved” and the universal disability symbol of the person using a wheelchair?
I believe the use of “handicap” by government leads many to feel it is correctly stated. But the government thinks capital punishment and marriage only between a man and a woman are right. The government always lags the thinking of the people. Now women have the right to vote, and we no longer have slaves. The government at one time thought differently.
June Kailes wrote an excellent article when she was Executive Director of the Independent Living Center in Los Angeles. A wheelchair user, she suggests we should refer to the person first. That is what is important. We don’t refer a person who broke a leg as a “broken legged person.”
Some blacks prefer being called African-Americans. Their heritage is what
is important not their appearance. Indians didn’t choose that name for themselves. Obviously, Indian is a misnomer; these people aren’t from India. Most choose to be referred to as Native Americans. The correct heritage is important. To say again, the part of a person you want to draw attention to should come first — the person, not the disability.
On a similar note, I have yet to meet a person who uses a wheelchair that sleeps in it at night. But I hear on T.V. all the time “she was confined to a wheelchair” or “he was wheelchair bound.” (You mean he was tied to it?) I know people who wear contacts all night when they sleep. Are they confined by them? No, it is simply easier than fumbling for their glasses in the morning.
In addition, while the word ‘victim’ is appropriate to use immediately after a diagnosis or injury, it is inappropriate to use for an ongoing situation. A person is not a victim of Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy or a stroke for a lifetime. Instead we should say, “He had polio.”

“Language Is More Than a Trivial Concern”, June Isaacson Kailes, 11/1990

One Minute You're Healthy......

One minute you’re healthy, and then

Twenty-six years ago, I thought I was healthier than most of you reading this article. I had never experienced as serious illness, disease or injury, and having my tonsils out was the worst that had happened to me. For six years, I rode a bicycle everywhere, including to a part-time job and the high school where I taught fulltime. I rode at least 100 miles a week and was seldom off because of illness. Sounds pretty healthy, doesn’t it?
Then, when I was 37, a benign tumor was discovered in my head.

Later, more tumors were found, and as a result, I had four cranial surgeries and over a dozen other surgeries. At one point, my family, friends, and doctors thought I would not live more than a few weeks. For the next six years, I took “vacations” in the hospital almost annually and now am on oxygen 24 hours a day. To date I have spent 534 days in the hospital. As a result of the surgeries, I have lost the hearing in my right ear, the sight in my right eye, and my voice. I can no longer eat or drink except through a hole in my side. My wife will attest - the only thing I take by mouth is kisses.

After my recovery, I kept asking what God wanted me to do with the rest of my life. I now believe God wants me to be a drummer to call attention to the needs of persons with disabilities.

All of God’s children are precious. Just because you are not disabled or do not see many persons with disabilities around, you who welcome God’s children still need to provide for those with special needs. If you used a wheelchair but your church, mosque or synagogue’s parking lot had curbs and the bathrooms inside were non-accessible, would you feel truly welcome there?

In today’s world, more and more people are surviving illnesses and injuries that would have caused death in the past. They live, but they have disabilities. Some disabilities come with age; everyone faces those. Disabling accidents happen even on our city streets, and one could happen to any of us on the way home from services next weekend. Isn’t it wise that we prepare for a world with growing number of persons with disabilities? Although you may now feel as healthy as I did 30 years ago, things can change very quickly.

Rich Curby

Thoughts

It seems to me the poem about the blind men and the elephant is as allegory for many situations where one person believes their view is so right, no other views are valid. Situations like: the world will come to an end next month; you need to convert to my religion; our political party is always right and yours is always wrong; our nation is the only fair one, and etc.
I try to realize that even the religions and nations that seem to be doing the most harm have a view of a piece of God that is valid. The problem arises when people seek to enforce their view and make all others live as they do.
The wise thing it seems to me, is to try to see the view of others and accept their right to behave as they do as long as they give me the same right.
It is not my responsibility to convert others. If it is and if I am wrong (I don’t have all knowledge), am I responsible for them living in Hell. I will let God convert people. I will try to live in a way, so if people like what I have, they will try it, too.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

The Blind Men and the Elephant

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! But the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me “tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk with in his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he,”the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most the wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“’Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth who chanced to touch the ear;
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong.
Though each was partly right
And all were in the wrong!


John Godfrey Saxe
American Poet 1816-1887