Written by Gerri Igarashi Yoshida (Bronx, NY)
From April to June I took “Managing Anxiety” (Faithwalking Foundations Module 3) with the Regional Synod of New York of the Reformed Church in America. With the teachings and coaching I made spiritual progress and breakthroughs in understanding myself and improving my relationships. However, a couple weeks after the course ended, I found myself stuck, discouraged, and frustrated because I missed the weekly support and interactions.
I am so glad the leaders of that Faithwalking module recommended that we join the Keep Calm weekly meetings with Ken Shuman. I felt warmly welcomed, and the small group breakout rooms gave me a chance to get to know individuals easily. I appreciated the insights Ken taught each week. Sometimes he reinforced ideas I learned in “Managing Anxiety.” Other times, he introduced new concepts that made connections or deepened principles that I want to explore further.
Most of all, I appreciate that I have a group of people who are committed to growing as followers of Jesus. The honesty, openness and courage of others empower and challenge me to share my struggles because I am finding compassion and support. Since my parents died four years ago, my relationship with my sister in Chicago has been difficult and strained. As I observed how others are using self-awareness as a tool, that gave me the courage and confidence to change how I relate to my sister. Instead of feeling burdened by her problems and impatient with her shortcomings, I learned – much to my surprise – that when I asked for her help and attention, that our relationship greatly improved. Now I feel that we can listen and support each other. It is not my responsibility to rescue her from all her problems and be the big sister who bosses her around and tells her what she should do. Instead I can practice being a non-anxious presence and trust that God is in control of her life.
During COVID-19 there are so many things that cause stress, fear, uncertainty. It is wonderful to have a safe haven that provides guidance on how to handle feelings and situations that are overwhelming. I appreciate how everything is brought back to the Bible and how Jesus would have handled himself in difficult conflicts. The weekly meetings are a calm in the storm and a place to recharge my spiritual batteries so I can bring hope and peace into my interactions at home and at church.
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Why Faithwalking?
We believe that God’s intended design is for wholeness in individuals, communities, and the world. We believe that God’s hope is for shalom to be present, which includes peace, unity, completeness, wholeness, and well-being for everyone and in everyone. God’s hope is for the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
We live in a world of brokenness: People are chronically anxious and reactive, internally conflicted, frequently unloving, and regularly unconcerned about the common good. Many Christians are inconsistent in following the way of Jesus.
Our Mission
To make wholeness possible for individuals, communities, and the world.
We do this through a process of spiritual formation where people are equipped with tools to gain freedom from wounds of their past, grow in emotional maturity, and live lives of purpose on mission with God, so that they increasingly follow the way of Jesus by serving the poor, the marginalized, and those in need, working for the common good, and restoring individuals, social systems, communities, and nations to God’s intended design.
Our Vision
Our vision is for Faithwalking to be accessible to every person in the world so that participants become agents of wholeness in their own context.
