MTM Logo
Join us on Facebook
FFF
Skyhouse Mall:
Shopping from any of the stores listed here will earn a rebate for the MTM Foundation

To Lend A Hand

By Roger Lovette, D. Min.

We came from all over:  Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama and even the Bahamas.  Some of us brought wives and husbands.  We were a cross-section of the church:  Presbyterians, United and Wesleyan Methodists, Episcopalians and Baptists.  What drew us to Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee was a commonality.  We brought with us pain, fear, and anxiety.  Some came with shame and embarrassment.  All of us came with hope.

We had all been beaten up, abused, hurt and wounded by a church.  Some of it was our own doing - but that did not lessen the pain.  We started on a Monday afternoon and reluctantly parted on Friday afternoon.  And in between that beginning and parting a lot happened.  We shared stories.  We reached across whatever divided us and helped, prayed, and cried.  We opened our hearts to the power of the Scriptures.  We took long walks and talked.  We sat under tall trees and whispered prayers.  We had help from a Psychiatrist and a Pastor who had gone through forced termination.  We talked about health and nutrition and networking and learned much about anger, forgiveness, and moving on.  We even talked about legal matters.

By the week's end we left exhausted and hopeful.  Somebody cared.  Somebody reached out.  Somebody understood.  Someone gave us valuable suggestions.  We promised to email and phone.  We knew, thanks to MTM, there was a place to call and we would be heard.

Since its inception, MTM has conducted 39 retreats in seven states for 386 people from 24 states and the Bahamas.  They represent 22 denominations. Carson-Newman College and other institutions have opened their doors and hearts to us.  They provided rooms and food for a whole week.  Those who attend MTM retreats pay almost nothing for a week of help and hope.  Frederick Buechner says: "To lend each other a hand when we are falling, perhaps that's the only work that matters in the end."  MTM makes that promise come true in the lives of a multitude of wounded men and women.

Dr. Roger Lovette, Birmingham, Alabama, has served on the MTM board and has participated in several retreats.  He is a retired Baptist minister and serves churches through the Intentional Interim program.