Benjamin's Hope Year End Newsletter 2023

BENJAMIN’S HOPE This is our “why“

www.benjaminshope.net

YEAR END 2023

COMMITTED TO LOVING GOD AND OTHERS, WE

THE BEN'S HOPE WAY

FIERCELY RESPECT THE DIGNITY, INTELLIGENCE AND VALUE OF ALL HUMANS. WE ARE CREATIVE, COURAGEOUS, AND COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE. THROUGH THE LOVE OF CHRIST, WE LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE TOGETHER.

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HELLOfrom Krista Greetings Friends, In 6th grade I played Dorothy in my school play, The Wizard of Oz. I remember clicking the heels of my homemade ruby slippers, reciting, “There’s no place like home.” Indeed, now 40 some years later, these 5 simple words ring profound.

For Ben, my 28 year old autistic son, Benjamin’s Hope is home. This is the place where he has belonging and support, where he is known.

In the 10 years since Ben moved out of our family home, he has grown in ways Dave and I could not have imagined!

His life is one of interdependence with people he loves. He is regarded with utter dignity. Dave and I are now an important part of Ben’s life, but we are not his whole life.

Ever aware of our mortality, this is an indescribable gift.

Benjamin’s Hope is a radiant farmstead community where the love of God is made evident through the transformative work of caring for our fellow humans. 32 remarkable men and women of all ages live in 6 homes at Ben’s Hope, supported by 100+ staff members. Yet Ben’s Hope is much more than a place where people live; it is a place where people thrive. Through the Church of Ben’s Hope, our working farm and gardens, and our innovative programming, we worship, learn, work, eat, play, create, laugh, and even occasionally cry together. Every day we experience the wonder of transcendent love.

As we once again prepare to grow, my invitation to you is less about building a couple new houses, but rather this: I invite you to help us create HOME for 12 more people who yearn for belonging, community and purpose. I pray these pages stir your heart to once again join us in the wondrous work God is doing at Benjamin’s Hope!

Know that your faithful partnership is a cherished gift I do not take for granted. I send to you my most heartfelt thank you for partnering with us in this Kingdom work!

In Anticipation, Krista Krista Mason Executive Director

2 Benjamin's Hope | www.benjaminshope.net

LIVE

Home is the place where we feel the safety and love to be ourselves

AM I A DIGNITY-DENIER? An opinion piece by Krista Mason Recently I devoured the book “Being Heumann” written by well-known disability activist, Judy Heumann. Judy had polio as a young child. Growing up in Brooklyn in the 50’s as a person who used a wheelchair, Judy found herself excluded from learning opportunities in a traditional classroom. She faced endless physical barriers; curbs, lack of accessible transportation, a second-floor apartment with no elevator.

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Beyond physical barriers, Judy encountered attitudinal barriers that denied her dignity and humanity. As a change-agent, Judy challenged long-held paradigms and stigmas with perseverance, grit and grace.

She led an advocacy effort that changed the landscape of our nation’s regard for people with disability, and especially physical disability. Judy’s work ushered in a new way of thinking that held paramount the human right of agency: the ability for an individual to self-direct, rather than have a life defined by the thoughts and opinions of others.

As I read Judy’s book I found a question nagging in my mind. Judy extolled that all humans have a fundamental right to be treated with dignity. And, Judy was a woman able to verbally express herself in a most compelling manner. But what of those who are not traditionally verbal, like my son, Ben? How does a person who cannot selfexpress have the same assurance of dignity and agency?

Let’s examine this conversely. Sometimes people who are non-disabled inadvertently strip dignity when interacting with a nonspeaking person or someone who communicates in a non-traditional way. What does this look like? We are dignity deniers when we: Speak with an adult in a baby voice, as though s/he is a child Converse about a person who is present, as though they are invisible Do something for someone that they can do for themselves, when we over-help Forget to afford time to someone who communicates in a non-traditional way and at a different pace Value efficiency more than engagement Value quantitative output more than meaningful participation I’d like to share a learning as a “special needs parent”. [1] Looking back, there were times when I overshared out of a need to connect with other parents, a need to be seen. This is especially easy to do in our social media age, right? It can be hard to discern what needs to be told and when love is better evidenced in leaving some things unsaid.

So, how do we hit the right balance of sharing our truth and also honoring our loved one? I would encourage us to hold paramount the concern for how our loved one would feel about our representation.

Believe me, I have not always calibrated this well. I have shared detail that I later regret when I consider how my words would feel to Ben if he heard or read them. I ask myself, if Ben had words, would he tell me he feels honored by how I speak of him?

If I want the world to treat Ben with utmost dignity, this starts with me.

Whether parent, friend, neighbor or direct care professional, we have an opportunity to help the world see the beauty and wonder of the people we love who have a disability.

Occasionally we encounter a person who so profoundly imprints life and culture that they live on in our collective memory. Judy Heumann was one such person. And (especially for those of us who live in West Michigan) so was Max DePree [2].

Max went to be with the Lord in 2018. His loss is still felt in our community and beyond.

I close this piece with Max’s deeply insightful words:

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.

-Max DePree

[1] In full disclosure, I use the term “special needs” tongue in cheek. All humans have needs. Why are the needs of a person with disability referred to as “special”? Using the term “special needs” is offensive to many.

[2] Max DePree held seven honorary degrees and served on the boards of Hope College and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. DePree was intentional about allowing his beliefs to shape his approach to life, management, and leadership. As CEO of Herman Miller, Max was a leader in demonstrating integrity in business leadership. Max believed in the Kingdom work of Benjamin’s Hope.

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LEARN

A life of purpose begins with learning who we are and what we love

5 Benjamin's Hope | www.benjaminshope.net

Lizzie Kuyvenhoven, an RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) student at Ben’s Hope, has a cherished doll named Emily Elizabeth (from the animated show, Clifford The Big Red Dog). One day Sue (Lizzie’s mom) discovered that Lizzie had taken scissors and cut off Emily Elizabeth’s legs, below the knees. She had also given Emily Elizabeth a severe haircut!

Understandably, Sue and her husband, Len, found this disconcerting. Why would Lizzie do this to her beloved doll? Was something troubling her? As a non-speaker, Lizzie was not able to tell her folks why she had performed such radical surgery on Emily Elizabeth. Sue and Len were left wondering what motivated this seemingly disturbing choice.

Fast-forward a month. Lizzie was in an RPM lesson with her teacher, Ben. Lizzie loves her time with Ben and looks forward to RPM. Lizzie has made remarkable progress and now independently types answers to questions about science, history, and other age appropriate topics. Recently, she began introducing humor into her responses!

Midway through the lesson Lizzie seemed to want to change gears. Proudly, she held up Emily Elizabeth for Ben to see. “Do you have something you want to talk about, Lizzie?” asked Ben.

RPM

Empowering students with the means to express thoughts and learning Eagerly, Lizzie typed, “Look at my stuffed YOU, Mister Ben! He’s my favorite!”. It was all clear, now!

Lizzie had chopped off the girly socks (and unfortunately, legs) and carefully created new legs out of masking tape. Emily Elizabeth no longer had a skirt. And, in fact, the haircut looked very much like Ben’s, complete with a ball cap crafted out of tape.

Lizzie had fashioned her favorite doll to look like her favorite teacher! What glorious understanding!

We now have 20 RPM students, each making progress at their own pace. Our wait list is growing, and we have enrolled additional teachers to become certified.

Lizzie’s story is one of many, each confirming our commitment to make this learning method available to as many non-speaking people as possible. It is estimated that as many as 40% of people with autism are non-speaking. Given opportunity to learn RPM, would they all respond the way Lizzie has?

Likely not, as all learners are different. However, we believe all non-speaking people should have the opportunity to learn. This is dignity.

Want to learn more?

Happiness Falls is a riveting mystery that illuminates the life changing method of RPM (called a fictitious name) in story form. Angie Kim challenges assumptions society makes about non-speakers and uncovers the reader’s yet unidentified biases.

You won’t be able to put this book down!

Thank you to the many people who support RPM scholarships! This is an incredibly impactful way to make a difference, and we are so grateful. We can’t wait for the day when you read Thank You typed by the hand of the student you have supported!

6 Want to learn more? Email rpm@benjaminshope.net or visit www.benjaminshope.net

PLAY

Begins the moment we feel free to connect with people we enjoy

Club Connect is a hip weekly all abilities friendship club for those high-school age and older. Learn more at www.benjaminshope.net!

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WORSHIP

Connecting people of all abilities with Jesus and one another The Best Day Ever

by Pastor Eric Peterson

There’s a great story behind the picture on the cover!

One day my friend Steve and I were talking. We talked about baptism and its meaning as a visible sign of an invisible grace. Steve loves Jesus and wanted to be baptized! He and his parents decided on full immersion. We borrowed a tub from another local church and on a hot August day, the Church of Ben’s Hope gathered under the tent!

Here's where things didn't go as planned. The water temp wasn't quite to Steve’s liking, so he hesitated to enter the water. I thought I’d be baptizing Steve from outside the tub and hadn’t planned on getting wet. As Steve’s anxiety escalated I asked him if he'd like me to go in the water with him. This invitation was just what he needed! Steve nodded with exuberance and into the water we climbed!

One of the indescribable joys of my role as pastor is the tangible experience of baptism. Steve leaned back into my arms, trusting me to bare his weight as he plunged under the water. This immersion signifies dying to sin. As quick as a flash, Steve burst out of the water, his smile wide, a dazzling picture of being raised to new life in Christ!

Reflecting later, I had such a clear realization - this is EXACTLY what Jesus came to do for us! He got in with us! What we could never do on our own, He accomplished by becoming like us and living as one of us, ultimately to die the death we deserved for our salvation.

May each of you know the depth of Jesus' love for you. And, whatever you're experiencing, know that He's right there in it with you!

This picture (and the one on the cover) show Pastor Eric sopping wet at a summer evening service last July. Why is our Pastor soaking wet while he leads our service?

There is something uncommonly beautiful about the Church of Benjamin’s Hope. We are people with and without visible disabilities. Some use wheel chairs, some are traditionally verbal, many are not.

Some choose to sit, others prefer to roam. Some bounce. Some dance with exuberance.

Joyfully, Pastor Eric

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The Church of Ben’s Hope meets every Sunday night at 6pm! Come on out. Everyone is welcome!

ANTICIPATION | Noun 9

The fact of seeing that something might happen in the future and perhaps doing something about it now

We’re almost

THERE

Ben’s Hope operates like an ecosystem with a myriad of elements that each work together to fulfill our mission. We need adequate funding and a team of 100+ staff who align with the Ben’s Hope values and have heart, skill, resiliency and availability. We need community partners, public health partners, volunteers, churches, and a generous community.

The duty of the Board of Directors is to steward resources for present and future stability and discern how God would have us respond to the growing need for services in our community. Every week we receive 5 or more calls from families in urgent need of supportive housing.

When God presents us with a clear and present need AND adequate human and financial resource, we know that it is time to grow.

SUSTAINABILITY | The A.A. Van Elslander Foundation $1M Endowment Challenge Match More than a decade ago Mr. Art Van Elslander saw promise in the vision for an embracing farmstead community where people of all abilities would thrive. His belief and investment is a vital part of our early story!

Today, the A.A. Van Elslander Foundation remains committed to Ben’s Hope and has offered an amazing $1M Endowment Challenge.

When we’ve raised $1M they will match with $1M. We’re making steady progress toward this generous matching opportunity. A gift toward this challenge is an investment in our future.

GROWTH | 2 Additional Homes to Welcome 12 New People One Saturday afternoon, Joe* (who lives here) enjoyed a visit from a long-time family friend, Carl. The two had lost touch years earlier after the passing of Joe’s father. When Carl learned that Joe was living at Ben’s Hope he wanted to reconnect, but he had no idea what to expect. What had life become for Joe, with both parents now gone?

Joe greeted his old friend with a wide smile and a hug. Proudly Joe showed Carl his home and all around Ben’s Hope. Joe introduced Carl to his friends. Carl was deeply moved by the fullness of Joe’s life. The very next week Carl pledged over $1M to build another home. What provision!

We believe God is calling Ben's Hope to serve more people. In response to this pressing need, we are in the home stretch of a campaign to build 2 homes, debt-free. Additional homes will allow 12 people to join the Ben's Hope family and create 20 new jobs.

We’d love to cross the finish line of this campaign with the goal of breaking ground in the new year. We are grateful for your prayer and support!

10 *name changed for privacy

WE‘RE HIRING

Let us be your “why”!

Part and full-time 1st, 2nd and 3rd shifts available 401K with employer match Weekend premium wage Paid training, no experience required Sign on bonus Health Insurance

GO TO WWW.BENJAMINSHOPE.NET TO APPLY!

BENJAMIN’S HOPE 15468 RILEY STREET HOLLAND, MI 49424