March 23, 2009

Dear Friends,

In medias res – in the middle of things.

Take a moment to step, in the middle of things of REACH, smack in the middle of the lives of those who, with the help of REACH, are searching for life purposes, and learning to dance, even when sometimes the melody is in a dark and minor key and the steps are labored and slow.

This last weekend Warm Beach Christian Conference Center hosted a weekend with my friend Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University and Honorary Chairman of REACH. Whenever Tony speaks, the rhythm and pace of his delivery resembles an energetic black Baptist church choir - rhythm, spirit, message and power. His knowledge of histories - world, church, biblical, human and political; his knowledge of our need to learn and laugh, his power of story-telling, his timing of the most unexpected joke, his love of communicating truth and good sense seldom fails but to keep his audience at seat's edge and begging for more. Not unexpectedly, and for the sake of REACH, this past weekend was like that.

In medias res, in the middle of things, Tony's talk and heart turned to the thing he profoundly cares about - the needs of those who suffer and the power of those who don’t do something to relieve suffering. In the middle of things that weekend, Tony turned his attention on how our REACH children depend upon the time and effort and generosity of those able to make a difference. Those who stop in the middle of busy schedules to volunteer time, to donate supplies, to drop in to our office to learn more about our work; those who send a small or large check to sponsor a child here in America, to make a difference to a child who in the middle of everything suffers an intolerant and unrelenting disease.

Am I not a child?
Hath not a child hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?
If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?

Adapted, Merchant of Venice

Just this last weekend the rhythm and pace of Tony's talks required that his listeners remember that the suffering of children with HIV/AIDS does not stop because an economy falters. The needs of our ministry do not diminish nor do the requests for help that come our way. In medias res -- it is in the middle of things for REACH, in the middle of writing grants, planning events, organizing volunteers, paying the rent, comforting grieving families, catching our breath, hoping that we can sustain the work, that we pause and give thanks for the reminder of our great privilege of serving our families and for you, those of you who join with us by financially supporting us.

Love one another,

Susan K. Slonaker

P.S. Please continue to give through our website, here, the United Way, Combined Funds Drive REACH charity #1478845 and with matching gifts at work.