Spring 2026

Volume 16, #1

Painting by Eve Newman, who believes that butterflies symbolize hope!

TheVOICE  

of the

United Methodist

 Disability Connection



MENTAL HEALTH EDITION

Greetings in Christ! 

These are not normal times! We are bombarded daily with news of crisis after crisis, violence, and betrayal of trust. I have found myself struggling to maintain my mental health and spiritual wellbeing, and suspect I am not the only one. While cutting back on media exposure is one strategy, we risk missing important news and stories of people who are making a difference. We might also be tempted to withdraw. However, isolating ourselves robs us of the chance to work in community to create a world of inclusion and safety for all of us, but especially for those of us with mental health challenges and with disabilities.

Discerning and following the path of Jesus in these turbulent times is not something we can accomplish alone. I decided to gather wisdom for staying grounded and in good mental health from our collective UM spaces. I looked for guidance on how to speak out, engage in acts of resistance, and choose one's own best path of advocacy, witness, and support. I sought voices that validate our feelings but help us avoid succumbing to debilitating rage, fear, and/or depression. 

While the recent events in Minneapolis were the stimulus for much that is in this issue, the core message is far broader and remains applicable. I hope that these offerings will nurture hope and courage for your journey so that together we can continue to make a difference in our homes, churches and communities.

Blessings,

Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, VOICE editor

Personal testimonies on living with courage and hope

Excerpts from two Bishops' Pastoral Letters

Scripture selections

Poem - Blessing for the Brokenhearted

Hymns and songs for strength and soul care



Donate to the DMC



Disability Ministries Committee of the UMC

UM Association of Ministers with Disabilities

UM Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries 



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VOICE Archive

Love is all around, even when the things and time seem so uncertain.

We're here for one another.

We can share compassion --

Everywhere we go, showing up for one another when we need some new signs of hope.

It's never too far away.

It's never too late to shower each other with love

All around our state of Minnesota and all over the world.

When everyone needs healing the most.

For all of our neighbors who live in fear

Because of the color of their skin and for being forced to go back where they came from. 

Eve, an artist and woman with intellectual disabilities, lives about 10 miles from where the worst of the ICE activity occurred. She woke up very early and started writing the other day, after reading the request for articles. She has witnessed smaller protest groups and heard sirens and whistles in her suburban neighborhood, and her day program has had to alter some activities. She has contributed meals (with her work earnings) for distribution for people afraid to leave their homes. In the photo she is holding butterflies she sewed.

Submitted by DMC member Eve Newman, with biographical comments by former DMC member Debby Newman, Minnesota Conference

Photo shared by Eve and Debby Newman.

January 26, 2026

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of God’s faithful ones. 

Dear members and friends of the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church, 



This past Saturday, another heartbreaking story filled our news feeds. A person was shot and killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an incident involving federal immigration authorities. Like many of you, I have seen the images and felt the weight of them. We are living in a time when violence too often replaces due process, and it is taking a toll on our hearts. 

As I watched the news coverage, I found myself asking a simple but painful question: What in the world is happening to us? What we are seeing affects not only those directly involved but all of us. It affects our children and grandchildren; it affects the future of our communities, our towns, and our cities; and it hurts - deeply.  

***************

Many of us are struggling with how to respond in this moment. Tensions are high. Pain is real. At times, people feel trapped in a sense - backed into corners, unheard, and misunderstood. Even as a bishop, I struggle at times to know the right response. I find myself asking the same question many of you are asking: what difference can we make? 

I believe there is still hope before us. You’ve heard me quote Dr. Emilie Townes, and it deserves to be said again: "Hope resides in the dark, you keep watching and working, but you don't ever give up!"

As United Methodists, we are called to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit and respond with faith that moves us to action.  

***************

Jesus warned that in difficult times, hearts could grow cold. That warning still matters. But it was never meant to leave us discouraged. We can choose another way. We can gather our neighbors, friends, families, community leaders, and healers. We can pray together. We can listen to one another. And we can refuse to let fear have the final word. 

Can we? I think we can!  

Change does not happen all at once. It happens heart by heart, church by church, community by community. But it does happen when people of faith stay rooted in love, anchored in HōPE, and refuse to give up. 

And we must not give up. Read that again – We. Must. Not. Give. Up. 

We are called to be people who choose life over death, hope over despair, love over hate - especially for those who feel pressed against the wall by injustice. 

The Church has power when it trusts the Spirit of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit is still at work among us, guiding us, challenging us, and sending us out. We follow a crucified and risen Savior, and with God, nothing is impossible. 

***************

To read the complete letter, please see The Louisiana Conference News in which she also shares "A Companion Litany to Our Social Creed," as found in Paragraph 164 of The United Methodist Book of Discipline.

Scripture Offers Us Hope and Courage

2 Corinthians 4: 1-2, 6-9

¹This is why we don’t get discouraged, given that we received this ministry in the same way that we received God’s mercy. ² Instead, we reject secrecy and shameful actions. We don’t use deception, and we don’t tamper with God’s word. Instead, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God by the public announcement of the truth.

 ⁶ God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. ⁸ We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. ⁹ We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out. (CEB)

Walking by Faith from My Wheelchair

Caring for my mental and spiritual health as a United Methodist Christian living with a physical disability is both a daily discipline and an act of trust. Each morning begins with simple but demanding tasks — transferring from my bed to my wheelchair and putting on my brace. I have learned to see these moments not as obstacles, but as reminders of my dependence on God’s grace.

I draw strength from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 12: 9–10: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This passage reshapes how I understand limitation. What feels like weakness becomes a space where God’s power is revealed. My resilience is not rooted in physical ability, but in faith.

Prayer anchors me. It quiets anxiety and restores perspective. When I feel overwhelmed, I turn to Book of Psalms 46: 1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” That promise assures me I am never alone. As part of the United Methodist Church, I am strengthened by community. Worship, fellowship, and service remind me that faith is lived together, not in isolation.



In times of crisis, courage comes through surrender. Hope grows as I witness God transforming challenges into opportunities to encourage others. My calling is not diminished by disability. Sustained by grace, grounded in prayer, and supported by community, I move forward each day trusting that God’s purpose for my life continues to unfold.

Contributed by Deaconess Monica Bartley, New York Conference

Photo submitted by the author.

Singing as Resistance and Community-building

United Methodist congregations are being called to new forms of living out our baptismal vows to "resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves."

One powerful movement is Singing Resistance, a grassroots collective that brings community members together to learn songs and take them to the street. The solidarity of singing and marching together through impacted neighborhoods is an antidote to feeling alone and powerless in the struggle. Events often raise funds for immigrant support.

Minneapolis has been the center of violent disruption for months, but the city has risen up to meet the challenge. Hennepin Avenue UMC was invited to host a Singing Resistance community gathering that coincidentally took place the same day as Alex Pretti was fatally shot. By saying yes, they provided sanctuary while strengthening their own witness. As the above video interview by Anderson Cooper from CNN went viral, the event inspired the launch of other groups offering opportunities for advocacy and community-building through song.

To hear from the pastor and learn more, listen to a 2/23/26 interview with Brian Draper on YouTube entitled: “Singing Resistance - A Conversation for Lent 2026 with Pastor Elizabeth Macaulay, Minneapolis.”

Given that songs have long been a method for protest and witness in countries around the world, it is not surprising that similar efforts have emerged or grown in recent years.  For instance, Raging Grannies groups can be found in many communities. They use humor to catch the listener's attention, but their songs are strongly worded pleas for justice.

In Ohio, the Harmony Project aims “To build a more connected community by breaking down social barriers, bridging community divides, and empowering the voices of the people through arts, education, and volunteer service.” Programs include prison outreach, working with immigrant students, and a group that empowers artists with disabilities.

Very likely there are groups in your own community that you can join or encourage. Start by learning some of the songs, perhaps incorporating them into your Call to Worship as Hennepin Ave. UMC has done.

Resources:

The Singing Resistance Songbook

Rise up Singing – Songs to Rally the People (songs for a variety of social justice topics)

The music track for “Hold On” by Heidi Wilson

Congregational singing at Hennepin Ave. UMC of “We are Here” by Sarina Partridge

Submitted by Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, Pacific Northwest Conference

Soul Care through Poems and Hymns

Blessing for the Brokenhearted

by Rev. Jan Richardson

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

—Henry David Thoreau

Let us agree

for now

that we will not say

the breaking

makes us stronger

or that it is better

to have this pain

than to have done

without this love.

Let us promise

we will not

tell ourselves

time will heal

the wound,

when every day

our waking

opens it anew.

Perhaps for now

it can be enough

to simply marvel

at the mystery

of how a heart

so broken

can go on beating,

as if it were made

for precisely this—

as if it knows

the only cure for love

is more of it,

as if it sees

the heart’s sole remedy

for breaking

is to love still,



as if it trusts

that its own

persistent pulse

is the rhythm

of a blessing

we cannot

begin to fathom

but will save us

nonetheless.

Poem from Jan Richardson's The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief (Wanton Gospeller Press, 2016), available through the author's website, where you will also find access to her blog.

You may want to also read her poem "Blessing in the Chaos."

From The United Methodist Hymnal

#507 Through It All -

Music video from Onley UMC, Virginia Conference - vocals with piano

# 534 Be Still My Soul -

Music video from Rockville UMC, Baltimore-Washington Conference, uploaded by J. Daniel Ashton - singing led by 4 vocalists, with organ

#584 Lord, You Give the Great Commission

Music video from Faith UMC, Rockville, Baltimore-Washington Conference - choir and organ

Consider also: #533 We Shall Overcome

From The Faith We Sing

#2128 Come and Find the Quiet Center

Music video from Algoma UMC, Wisconsin Conference - male vocalist, piano & violin

#2192 Freedom is Coming - traditional South African; Music video by First UMC at Chicago Temple, Northern Illinois Conference - piano and 3 Gospel Choir leaders as vocalists

Consider also

#2177 Wounded World that Cries for Healing



#2195 In the Lord I'll be Ever Thankful

There is Still Hope

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

We live in a world where hate has become acceptable. Racism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia, all have become acceptable, but, do you know what? Hatred is not acceptable! I am a biracial, bisexual woman with mental and physical illnesses. I live in fear.

My heart aches for those who are being incarcerated and/or deported because of the color of their skin. My heart aches for women who are dying because they can’t get life-saving abortions. My heart aches for those who are mocked for having disabilities that don’t alter their right to exist. My heart aches for a history that’s being erased because it makes some uncomfortable. My heart aches.

Amidst all this pain, there is hope. People are rising up in the streets to defend everyone’s right to exist, to feel love, to be happy, to be safe. People are joining together to support those at risk in their communities. Light is being shined on the shadows of dark souls. Love is standing strong to drive back the hate. In this time of fear and anger, there is still hope. As Mr. Rogers said, we can look for the helpers. We can focus on those doing good instead of feeling overwhelmed by those spreading hate.

We are not alone. God is seeing our pain. He reminds us of what is important in this world. God provides comfort. We must take every opportunity to be renewed by Him, to focus on Him, to rely on Him. God is LOVE and will overcome!

Contributed by Jasmine Ray-Symms, Pacific Northwest Conference

Photo by Ronak Valobobhai on Unsplash

Closing Prayer

Dear Beloved People of The Ohio Episcopal Area,

Let us become communities of sanctuary – places where justice has a face, and mercy has hands:

We lift before you the names and faces

of those who have died,

and the families who now grieve.

Hold them in your healing light.

Make our churches places of welcome,

where the stranger is no longer invisible,

and the wounded find safety.

Let justice walk freely in our streets,

and let compassion become

the language of our nation.

Break the power of fear.

Restore the soul of this land

through the love of Christ,

who makes us all neighbors.

Amen

By Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, the Ohio Episcopal Area, reprinted from the EOC News 01/26/26, where you can read the Bishop's complete Pastoral Letter which ends in this prayer.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The Mental Health Team is a group of laypersons and clergy, representing US UMC annual conferences, who meet monthly by Zoom. We are looking for new members to join us in living out this call. 



As always, we welcome your questions, feedback, and suggestions. Please send them to us at the committee e-mail address and include "Mental Health" in your subject line.

Blessings from the Mental Health Team of the Disability Ministries Committee of The United Methodist Church