4 years ago, my mom’s church got a new minister.
4 weeks ago, my mom and several friends from church, walked away from their church.
4 days go, my mom told me that this guy had been heard saying “now that they are gone, the church has been cleansed and we can do things our way”.
I know this isn’t a direct quote and shouldn’t be in quotations and there has to a whack load of paraphrasing, but that is the gist of what he said.
This guy (the supposed minister) who is there now has turned people against each other; people who used to be friends. He made it them against us. This is not what a minister is supposed to do. I understand that a minister will bring some changes into a church, but not turn it on it’s head and have people dislike each other.
And he’s not a good speaker either. That is what first made me not want to go to church on Sundays. He doesn’t give a sermon on Sundays. He gives lectures and wants you to take notes. NOTES?! I want your words to ring in my head and my heart through the week. There isn’t a written test at the end of the week. I want to be uplifted. Not told that I’m a sinner and if I don’t do what you tell me that I’m going to stay that way.
This group of people who walked away have a plan. They are writing a letter to presbytery to let them know of the different things that this guy has done. Our church has a handbook with guidelines of what the minister’s responsibilities are. He’s broken a few rules. He’s broken a few spirits. He make my mother walk away from the church that she has known for over 36 years.
This was my church growing up. I was baptised there. I was confirmed in that church. I got married in that church. I had my first born baptised in that church.
And for my mother to walk away from our church saddened me. I try to remind myself that the happy memories will go with us no matter what, but the building is a reminder.
I want to be able to go into the church, sit in the 5th pew from the front on the right hand side and listen to the organ. I want to sit where my dad sat.
I don’t feel welcome there now and am very thankful for the amazing church that BigDaddy, the girls and I attend.
I pray that we can see why this man has been brought into our lives and that God will give us the strength we need to make it thorough these challenges.
