John D. Roth - Where the People Go: Community, Generosity, and the Story of Everence

Historian John Roth has crafted a compelling inside look at the seventy-five-year saga of one of the enduring Anabaptist-Mennonite church institutions. Readers of all stripes will meet the fascinating personalities who led the organization along a twisting and turning path that led to what came to be Everence.

STEVE BOWERS , former vice president of marketing for Everence

From the perspective of a Mennonite agency that is blessed to be served in many ways by Everence, John Roths eloquent telling of the larger story of faithfulness to the values of mutual aid in this organizations founding and history gives me even deeper appreciation for the resources and stewardship that Everence provides today.

KAREN E. LEHMAN , president/CEO of Mennonite Health Services

I had the privilege of reviewing early drafts of this book and then discussing the key themes with John Roth. Because I had worked at MMA/Everence for thirty-two years, I thought that I knew most of the stories and had participated in discussions concerning all aspects of mutual aid. However, I was stretched in my thinking by the way Roth connected the various mutual aid themes with a biblical grounding. This book will give the reader an increased understanding of Anabaptists mutual aid and stewardship practices and, most importantly, why mutual aid is a key and vibrant element of our faith through changing times.

STEVE GARBODEN , former interim president and senior vice president for Everence

Throughout the history of the church, Christians have sought to care for one another and have worked to create ways to give aid to those in need. John Roth masterfully tells of the birth of a new innovative organization, created to help the church care for those in need in the changing landscape of the twentieth century. Today, Everence continues to seek creative and innovative ways to assist Anabaptist churches in meeting the spiritual and financial needs of their members. The Brethren Church is blessed to be a partner with Everence in this endeavor.

STEVEN COLE , executive director of The Brethren Church

Herald Press

PO Box 866, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22803

www.HeraldPress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Roth, John D., 1960- author.

Title: Where the people go : community, generosity, and the story of Everence /
John D. Roth.

Description: Harrisonburg, Virginia : Herald Press, 2020. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020011602 (print) | LCCN 2020011603 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781513806785 (paperback) | ISBN 9781513806792 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Everence (Organization)History. |
MennonitesCharitiesHistory.

Classification: LCC BX8128.W4 R68 2020 (print) | LCC BX8128.W4 (ebook) |
DDC 267/.1897dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020011602

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020011603

WHERE THE PEOPLE GO

2020 by Herald Press. Released by Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia
22803. 800-245-7894. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020011602

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-5138-0678-5 (paperback);
978-1-5138-0679-2 (ebook)

Printed in United States of America

Cover and interior design by Merrill Miller

Cover photos: composite using an image by bowie15/iStockphoto/Getty Images and portraits of staff and members compiled by and used with permission of Everence.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Every effort has been made to secure permission from the photographers and subjects whose images are depicted in this book. However, at press time the source of some materials remains unknown. They are included with the intention that acknowledgment will be made in future editions as such information becomes available.

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the copyright owners.

24 23 22 21 2010 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The test of any organized program of mutual aid is not the form of its organization or of its operations, but rather its purpose, its objectives, and the spirit with which it is carried on. Does it encourage its participants to seek first the kingdom of God? Does it promote Christian stewardship?... Does it encourage each participant to bear his own burden as much as he can and gladly do what he can to help to bear his brothers and his neighbors burden?

Guy F. Hershberger

We respond to Gods love by service in all areas of life. So we must assist and prod ourselves, our congregations, our institutions, and our government to care for all people as together we work to promote health and relieve suffering in the name of Christ.

Healthcare Access statement,
MC USA delegate assembly (2005)

Introduction

T he scene has become one of the iconic images of American culture, as comforting and familiar as a calendar photo of Yellowstone National Park or Mount Rushmore: a swarm of sturdy, bearded laborersmany of them poised precariously on raftersare scattered across the skeleton of a half-built barn. Against the backdrop of cornfields, well-tended gardens, and a simple white clapboard home, the structure rises, miraculously, in a single day, as an entire community converges to lend their aid after a fire. For many Americans, the Amish barn raising has come to represent a host of ideals that embody the best qualities of our shared humanitycommunity, trust, hard work, and the comforting assurance that we are surrounded by friends who will generously offer their help in our hour of need.

To the outsider, the Amish barn raising appears simple, orderly, and spontaneous. A large group of men and women appear at sunrise, work hard, enjoy huge meals, and return home by sunset, basking in the satisfaction of helping a neighbor and the pleasure of witnessing the transformation of a charred foundation into a beautiful barn. Behind the event, however, is a remarkably sophisticated organization: key leaders collaborate on dates, budgets, and various complex supply chains to ensure that the necessary materials will be available at just the right time. A foreman organizes and oversees an elaborate division of labor that aligns tasks with appropriate skills. Seasoned carpenters ensure that corners are square and joints secure. Meanwhile, Amish women also engage in a carefully choreographed plan to fuel the labor with hearty meals, served up in shifts so that the work continues without interruption.

But the most crucial element of an Amish barn raisingwithout which the whole enterprise would collapseis a profound sense of community, woven together by deeply held religious convictions, shared traditions, and a thick web of personal relationships. More than anything else, it is this awareness of interdependence that makes the principle of helping each other in times of needwhat is often called mutual aidboth possible and joyful. And it is this tangible expression of community that makes the scene of an Amish barn raising so fascinating to modern viewers.