Hosted by Susanne!
Wow! This week flew by yet it wasnt a great week! I fact, I have been in a quandry all week.
Last Sunday our wonderful, beloved pastor announced he had accepted a church 3 hours away outside of Richmond.. At 32 years of age and aftr 11 years in our church, he accepted for his family and becasue he felt the Lord moving on in his career. And I and many in our church applaud that, but our hearts are breaking!. Now remember we have a very small church, not in building but in people! Already only had about 40 in regulr attendance before covid and have had like 12 during covid. even now as the church is fully open, not everyone came back. And now with the annoucement about 15 have left or will leave. After it is all said and done we will have zero children left.
We have been members here for just over two years. Our appreciation for the our dear pastor and his vision for the church rvitalized us to cpme beside him in ministry and the mission of the church. THen covid came and so many stopped coming, and about 3 of us couples masked up, later got our vaccines, and continued to come and we were happy to see the fruit of our labor. But again even when it was safe to come out those healthy and strong members failed to come.
At this time six of the above people have or will leave soon!
I could stop here and add a few other concerns but I will not. Suffice it to say, at this point Lynn and I are now realizing we cannot continue there. We each have obligations on church committees to accomplish, but we are in
agreement that after that work is done we will be leaving. and our hearts are broken! The problem now is where to go now? Viable choices are rare.
WE love good, conservative, tradcitional churches taht preach the word as we believe it.. that is very limiting. Meaning, churches in our area either teach prederist, cessationism, or they are very liberal in their teaching. We do not like the huge churches that attract the masses.
I guess we are jsut picky and odl in our viewpoint, but at this stage of life, we want what we want from our church!
We sat in massive, loud churches for decades, and now we are seeking traditional!
Anyway.. Here are some photos from the past week.
One opf our outreach adn Missions minded events was to serve water to the Keystone 5 K race. It was great fun, ands the church was invited ..Many said they were coming to run,
Here we are.... all of us who have stayed true to the church just as the runners were rounding the final corner! No one else came from our church.
Here is our beloved pastor who has worked so hard to build up the church . This young couple has two small children. Their days at the church are numbered. And you can't blame them.
I am not trying to speak ill of our beloved church, I am jsut so undone becasue it all un ravelled in the span a of couple of weeks. We had been blind to the flaws that had been evident during the season of covid. But I heard a very difficult word this week. The lady who runs the Keystone Center who has contacts in many churches told us that at this time there are 12 churches in our city which have not been able to get a pastor.. either they refuse to come to our city or they just do not exist. Now we do have a young man, a friend of our pastor, who has preached in his absence and he is very well liked. He will fill in for a time. But he can not stay longer than August. He is a full time professor at University!
So these are such troubling times. Sleepless nights, and sad hearts are aplenty.
ON a good note. We three couples met at Gerri's and David's, one couple of the three for a great time of loving fellowship on Memorial Day. I had written previously about making scratch baked beans and they turned out pretty good. I think I over cooked the bacon and in the crock pot it dried out a bit, but the flavor of my homemade sauce was spot on and I was pleased with them!
And ta-dah! my hydrangeas are blooming!!!
OOOH, Laa Laa!
Praying for you and your congregation...as well as for your Pastor and his family as they prepare to move on to the new ministry to which they have been called. Having served in the ministry for over 30 years, many of which was in very small churches like yours, my husband often had to be bi-vocational just so we could survive financially. When another church that promised better pay and more people, etc., we were so happy to accept such a call...but often found "all that glitters is not gold", and we often found ourselves wishing we'd stayed with the smaller congregations who loved us as well as the Lord. So I understand your situation all too well, as well as your Pastor's. Keep them in your prayers as they will need it. And may God guide you and your husband and your other friends who attend your church as you seek God's will and guidance for your future and the future of your church. I know He will give you wisdom as you pray, and will show you what He wants you to do from here one. I am truly sorry that your church is going through this. May God refine His church and continue that which He has begun in you and in your community, in accordance with His will. Your hydrangeas are gorgeous!!! God bless you...
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