wfn.org | Pastor shaves head as a reminder to pray for sick parishioner

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 20, 1998     Contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
{309}

NOTE: Kaye's last name is withheld by request. UMNS is trying to obtain
a photograph of the Rev. Scott Mendez-Andrews.

By Robert Lear*

As the Rev. Scott Mendez-Andrews travels about his three-point parish in
the southwestern corner of North Dakota, his glistening, freshly shaved
head is a call to prayer.

About 500 miles away across the Black Hills, in a Denver clinic, a
parishioner lies in isolation seeking new strength in a yearlong battle
with cancer.

In early May, Mendez-Andrews said goodbye to Kaye with prayers and a
hug.  A woman in her 40s, she and her husband are continuing a fight
that once held some promise of success but now calls for renewed effort.

That same afternoon, the pastor found a news clipping he had saved
telling how a class of fourth-grade boys had shaved their heads to show
support for a classmate who lost his hair during successful chemotherapy
treatments for cancer.

"As I explained to the three churches I serve, until Kaye comes home I
will not have any hair on my head," Mendez-Andrews said. With that, his
light brown hair was shaved off.

The action, he said, has two goals: "First, to remind myself to pray for
Kaye; second, to remind others to pray for her as well."

The response was overwhelming, he said. Some of the parishioners were in
tears on the Sunday when he announced his plan.

Within a week "some amazing things had happened," he said. Now, all
three congregations in his parish "have rallied around on their own."
His parish comprises Hettinger United Methodist Church, which Kaye
attends, Hettinger United Church of Christ and Reeder United Church of
Christ. The churches range in size from 26 to 87 members.

One church has organized a pancake supper with a goal of raising at
least $1,500 to help offset medical expenses. A local bank has begun
taking other donations.

A Sunday School class determined that the pastor's shining pate could be
rubbed for a donation of $100 -- an offer not yet taken up in Hettinger,
population 1,500.

"People on the street have started to say to me, 'I prayed for Kaye
today,' " Mendez-Andrews said. "I had no idea that such a simple thing
could have such an impact."

There has been little negative reaction. "My wife doesn't like me with a
shaved head, but she understands why I did it."  His 2-year-old daughter
wasn't impressed, either.

How long will Mendez-Andrews keep his head shaved?

"Until the end of the summer when Kaye comes home," he said. Even if the
treatments are not successful, he added, "she still will come home."

# # #

*Lear is a retired staff member of United Methodist News Service
residing in Wernersville, Pa.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
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