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In This Issue
Becoming a Midwife
Ruth Wissmann, My Calling - My Heart
Charis Family
Hannah Price
Charis Cuisine
Peanut
Noodle Salad with Edamame and Bok Choy
Charis Around the World
Childbirth in Kenya
To enjoy past newsletters, visit the archives:
Newsletter Archives
Mark Your Calendars
Charis Workshop
“Communication,
Teaching, and Coaching”
Saturday, March 21, 2015
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
At
LifeSong Midwifery
in North Port, Florida
For childbirth educators,
doulas, midwives, or anyone who would like to improve their ability to
communicate with and educate expectant families.
At our workshops, learning is interactive, hands-on, fun, and interesting. All
Charis workshops are taught from a Christian perspective, giving God the glory
for His marvelous creation and how He so wonderfully created women to bear
children.
You will spend the day making new friends and becoming more skilled in preparing
effective introductions, asking powerful questions, creating a learner friendly
environment, capturing the attention of learners, helping clients embrace their
responsibility of making informed decisions, and so much more.
In addition to the valuable skills acquired at the workshop, you will also take
home with you an assortment of visual aids and other valuable teaching tools to
enhance your future students’ learning experience.
A delicious lunch will be provided for all the workshop attendees to enjoy as
you get to know each other better during a midday break.
To
register, complete the
Registration Form
and mail it, along with payment, to:
Charis Childbirth
P.O. Box 6900
North Port, FL 34290
Childbirth Preparation Classes
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Presented by: Birth InSight
Christi Jones (CCE, CD) and Aimee Roberts (CCE, CD)
Weekly Series
February 26-April 2, Thursdays 7:00-9:00
April 16-May 21, Thursdays 7:00-9:00
May 28-July 2, Thursdays 7:00-9:00
Weekend Series
February 20 & 21 (6:30-9:30) and
(9:00-3:30)
May 1 & 2 (6:30-9:30) and (9:00-3:30)
August 7 & 8 (6:30-9:30) and (9:00-3:30)
For more information and to
register visit our
website
or call 757-270-0437
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Attention Aspiring
Midwives!
You will love the flexible, thorough, distance academics
course offered through Charis Childbirth!
Check it out!
Want to serve childbearing families as a Certified Doula or Childbirth
Educator?
Become trained and certified through Charis Childbirth!
Take a look
at our unique certification process!
If you seek a school that offers the convenience of self-paced distance
learning, personal mentors for each student, a commitment to the highest
excellence in education, a family-like network of students and birth
professionals, and education from a Christian perspective, Charis may be just
the right fit for you!
For more information
Visit the
Charis Web site
for course description and outline.
Update
Charis Membership
We at Charis are extremely grateful for our wonderful members. This past
year, your dues have made it financially possible for us to creatively
correspond with people in areas of the world where internet is spotty at best.
Having all forms of communication available for us is essential if we are going
to successfully train birth professionals in the far reaches of the earth.
As our community of members grows, there will be more funds available for even
more world-impacting outreach. Thank you!
Membership is due every December 31 for the coming calendar year. So, if
you became a member on or before December 31, 2014, your dues should be mailed
by the middle of December, 2015, to be sure it is received in time. If you
become a member sometime in 2015, then your membership renewal is not due until
December 31, 2016.
You can send your membership form and $30 dues to:
Charis Childbirth
P.O. Box 6900
North Port, FL 34290 |
Our Director's Heart
ancient art - unknown artist
El Shaddai and Nursing in Public
Have you ever studied the different names
of God that are used in the Bible? I find it fascinating! Every time
I do, I learn something new about God. I also learn things about myself
since, as His child, I am created in His image and am a representation of Him to
the world.
One of the names of God, El Shaddai, has been translated to mean “Lord God
Almighty” or “All Sufficient One”. Literally, it means “God the Breasty
One”. Chances are pretty good, due to our culture of perversion when it comes to
breasts, that won’t be the topic of this week’s sermon-- but, it should!
As one who breastfed my children, I get pretty excited about the fact that the
symbol of God’s “all sufficiency” is breasts! And, when I think about how
God’s provision for His children is not something he normally chooses to hide
(quite the opposite!), I am encouraged that mothers who nourish their children
with their breasts are intended to be a representation to the world of how He
takes care of our every need. Babies are completely dependent on their
mothers’ breasts for sustenance just as we can trust God to be “all sufficient”
for us. Within Himself is everything we need.
So, I want to encourage Christian mothers to nurse their babies in public!
(Now, I’m not suggesting that you should be an exhibitionist! You don’t
have to literally show your breasts off in order to accomplish this goal!
You can be discreet, but still make it known that you are nourishing your babies
at your breasts. Don’t slip away silently to secretly give your babies a
meal in *gasp* a public restroom.) Show the world, as God’s
representative, that He is equipped to meet our every need just as you are
equipped to meet your baby’s every need!
I was delighted to discover that the Pope recently encouraged the mothers who
had brought their babies for baptism to breastfeed right there in the middle of
the baptism service. Kudos to the Pope! I wish more church leaders
felt the same way!
Churches should be the first place to extend a warm welcome to nursing mothers.
After all, there is nothing more natural and in line with God’s design than
breastfeeding. But, sadly, that is not the case.
In my years serving growing families, I have had many women tell me that they
were discouraged from nursing at church. Some were required to sit alone
in a “nursing mothers room” where they had to watch the church service on a TV
monitor; some were asked to nurse in the nursery and miss a lot of the service.
Some moms did as they were asked, but many became discouraged because they
didn’t want to hide and miss out on life. Some, especially first-time
moms, resorted to feeding baby with a bottle during church. Some gave up
nursing out of shame. Many left the church because they were unable to
care for their babies as they felt was best within the rules of the
organization. Some who left the church have never become involved in
church again. These are not rebellious people, these are wonderful mothers
who love their children.
The pastors don’t know about this, but the moms talk with their midwives about
it. Some have told me that they feel like failures. I have listened
to the stories, wiped away tears, and provided encouragement.
A month or so ago, a client called me very upset. She, just this past
year, started going to church. She quickly became connected, loved the
fellowship, and enjoyed her newfound growth in Christ. She was delighted
to find a place to serve in children’s ministry where her gift of nurturing and
love for children could be used. When her baby was hungry, she would
discreetly breastfeed in the nursery where she served. One of the women at
the church was uncomfortable with that, however, and complained to the
children’s ministry pastor. This pastor called my client to let her know
that she was not to nurse her baby in the nursery any longer. When she
tried to reason with him, he spouted off some scriptures and let her know that
she was to submit to his authority. She was shocked! Because of her
maturity, she did not abandon the fellowship there; but, she did step down from
children’s ministry so that she wouldn’t be stuck in the nursery when her baby
was hungry, now nurses elsewhere behind closed doors, and plans to continue
serving in other ministries. My heart breaks for her for many reasons—for
the abuse of power, for the misrepresentation of the Word, for the insensitivity
to her needs and her baby’s needs, and the list goes on. Sadly, this sort
of thing happens all too often-- and it shouldn’t!
Please remember El Shaddai, “The Breasty One” who is all sufficient and that
breastfeeding mothers should be celebrated for their beautiful representation of
God to the world when they give of themselves in that way. Please provide
an atmosphere at church gatherings and other public places where mothers are not
torn between their instincts to nurture and nourish their babies and the
cultural expectations placed on them. Please, next time you see a mother
nursing her child, thank her. She is doing an amazing thing that is
perfectly in line with God’s purpose!
Blessings,
Kristin Schuchmann, CPM, LM
Executive Director, Charis Childbirth, Inc.
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