After a tragic spinal cord injury, this pastor walks by faith

We walk by faith, and not by sight,” is how Steve Ruetschle  beloved Senior Pastor of the Union Church of Manila  looks forward to his family’s future.

Last June 17, Steve was in a severe motorcycle accident while on a multi-state motorcycle trip in the US. The accident happened in North Carolina where he was vacationing with his family. Medics on the scene made the decision to life-flight Steve to the nearest trauma hospital, where doctors found that Steve fractured his c6 and c7 neck vertebrae, paralyzing him from his upper chest downwards. Steve went through two grueling surgeries to stabilize his neck, and struggled through fevers and infections common in spinal-injury patients. There was a time that even Steve’s mental condition was in doubt, as the combination of trauma and medication used in surgery left Steve in delirium, unable to communicate.

Continuing ministry in manila

The Union Church of Manila (UCM), located in Legaspi Village, Makati has a long and unique history of ministry in the Philippines beginning in 1914. In Oct. 23, 2005, UCM, which serves Filipinos and foreigners in the community, called the multi-talented Steve Ruetschle to serve as the Church’s Senior Pastor. He has since then become a popular figure among his congregation. Filipinos especially love Steve’s charismatic and down-to-earth style of preaching. It also helps that he could sing, dance, and entertain Filipino-style. Pastor Scott Loo, executive pastor at UCM, claims, “Steve is very, very good at karaoke. His impersonation of Elvis Presley is second to none.”

Though everyone continues to pray for a miracle, Steve is likely to remain wheelchair bound, a drastic departure from his previous active lifestyle. Despite this, Steve is determined to continue on as Senior Pastor of UCM. He will go on a one-year medical leave in Seattle, and plans to return to the Philippines in August of 2011. Steve has a special place in his heart for the Philippines, and remains confident that God will continue to use him effectively in future ministry whatever the outcome is of his rehabilitation.

Steve intubated as wife Michelle looks on.

Artist, teacher, counselor, writer, musician

Born and raised in a loving home in Ohio, Steve has over the years served as an adjunct professor, counseled patients in a private practice, and pursued his passion for the arts. While everyone encouraged the multi-talented Steve to concentrate on one area, he couldn’t give up any of the things he loved. After studying Jesus’ parable of the talents, Steve decided that to simply pick something and pursue it wasn’t necessarily the answer. “God has given me a vision that’s big enough to encompass all these things because He has given me the joy from doing all these things.”

Steve’s talents as an artist range from oil painting, illustrating children’s books, to music — both as creator and performer. As a young illustrator, Steve was working for companies like MGM and Warner Bros. In the ‘90s, MGM hired him to reinvent the Pink Panther. Instead of pursuing a career in graphic arts, Steve went to the seminary, choosing a master’s degree in spiritual nurturing over the more traditional Master’s of Divinity track. “A lot of the people I saw coming out of the seminary had the head knowledge, but lacked the perspective that they’re speaking to broken hearts, to real people with real issues. I wanted to be able to read the soul as well as the text. That gives way to the possibility of transformation.”

Steve’s paintings are also larger than life, with eye-catching abstract designs capturing the emotion and impression left by characters in the Bible. When he wanted to learn more about the 12 Apostles, he dug into Scripture and transformed the personalities of each onto 12 giant canvases. “I love to bring creativity to Scripture in order to transform it for me and others. I used to be bored in Scripture, and I decided to bring my joy and talents and play in them. It’s transformed the Bible into a huge treasure chest and playground.”

Family man

Steve is married to Michelle Louise Ruetschle and together they have three children: Aidan John (born Nov. 2, 2001), Jude David (born June 13, 2003), and Zephyr Robert (born May 25, 2008). Since the accident, Michelle has steadfastly stood by Steve’s side and has documented the ups and downs of the new challenge they face as a family in a personal blog, www.steveruetschle.com. Steve and Michelle both exude a spirit of hope and strength in the Lord as they together battle against the tragedy of Steve’s accident. Michelle’s talent as a writer brings to focus Steve’s journey of suffering, faith, hope and extraordinary love.

Luckily, Steve has made remarkable progress since the accident. Steve’s injury has been reclassified as a D-level injury, meaning there are significant nerves and muscles below his level of injury that are able to now move against gravity. However, he still has little ability to regulate his body temperature and has no feeling in his fingers.

His wife admits that even the seemingly mundane things now require a new routine and problem solving: how to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, how to put on clothes, how to get out of bed… and the not-so-normal details: where to keep the many medical paraphernalia where people can best find it, where to dispose of the needles after shots, what is the best physical therapy regimen, and so on and so on. While Steve believes that one day all of this will feel normal, right now it is new and requires effort.

An altered life

Steve in his wheelchair, surrounded by his sons.

Michelle stresses, “Steve has a far higher learning curve. He must learn how to pay attention while trying to ignore the strange nerve sensations shooting through his body, or the odd feeling that he is sitting on a slab of ice. He must focus on how to curve his fingers around a fork, lean to the side without falling, lift a leg or a hip with all of his might in order to assist a caregiver. Psychologically he must fight discouragement when he cannot grip his hand to shake someone else’s… he must learn to ask boldly for what he needs despite feeling like a burden; he must learn how to address the curiosity or discomfort or grief of others as they interact with his disability and his wheelchair. I am amazed at his sheer dedication to getting up every morning, despite the fact that that process alone can take one to four hours. But he rises, again and again.”

Steve has fought for breath each day, all with a smile, a thanks, and a kindness toward others. While he will suffer many ups and downs in the months to come, he is choosing right now to remain positive in the darkest of circumstances, to pray and bless the Lord, and to bless others.

Almost a decade ago, Steve was featured as part of a book entitled I.Am.Relevant: A Generation Impacting Their World With Faith. He was included as an example of forward-thinking Christians who are making a difference by being relevant to their culture. Their kind has been called “roaring lambs,” those who infiltrate and impact their world with their faith. Nowhere in Steve’s life has there been a more apt time to show that this holds true.

Walking again, a miracle

After the accident, Steve was told that there was just a 10 percent chance that he would ever be able to regain any meaningful movement in his legs. A few weeks ago, Steve defied expectations and was able to take a few steps with the help of his therapist and a walker. While elated, Steve feels tentative as well, as he navigates this fresh hope. As Michelle says, “We cannot know how well Steve will walk — whether it will be for only a few steps, whether it will be with a walker or a cane, whether it will be with braces, or in complete freedom, but at this point I feel that we can confidently say, he will walk again. Somehow.”

The walking moments remain small pinnacles of light, however, in the continued complexity of the day to day. Steve still watches his young boys play from afar, on a wheelchair. This limited capacity to physically interact with his family is one of the most excruciating consequences of his disability. But Michelle reminds herself, time and time again, “Instead of worrying, pray. This faith journey cannot be solely fixated on whether or not Steve is healed. It must be about so much more. For there is much that is true and noble and beautiful in our lives. The discipline, the journey, the exercise for us is to see it and embrace it despite all that is also ugly, dark and cursed. These first steps are a part of that journey, a gift, a mercy and a grace that helps us to see.”

No one knows what the future holds for Steve, as his prognosis will play out over the months and years to come. With so many thousands following Steve’s story, no one can doubt the influence and catalyst of the community’s compassion; of what is made possible when the strong and weak carry each other across so many boundaries.

Many around the world have said that they are praying for Steve because in one way or another he “interceded” — placed himself in the heart of a troubled situation for them. The UCM community in particular has been blessed by a new spirit of unity that is evolving as they gather together in prayer and financial support for Steve and his family. Together the members of the Church rally behind Steve in eager anticipation of his welcome home to Manila next year.

Benefit concert

In light of Steve’s accident, the UCM Council has organized a Benefit Concert titled “Songs for Steve.” The benefit concert will be held on Oct. 25, 2010, Monday at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, 7:30 p.m. The concert features major talents such as Gary Valenciano, The Company, artists from Repertory Philippines, Trumpets, and the UCM Choir to name a few. Tickets are available to the general public. Please call Emy Reventar at 0920-9035711 or Elena at 812-6062 for further details and ticket reservations.

For further comments or messages of support for Pastor Steve, please email me at stephaniecoyiuto@yahoo.com.