We are about to get a new church directory. Usually, I notice the big change is that the babies are not babies anymore, or that some dear ones that were with us before have gone on go be with God. In looking at this directory, I'm going to be missing some really dear people who have moved on from us since the last directory.
About 2 years ago now, we had an exodus. Almost 40 families that were with us are no longer calling us their church family. Some moved due to jobs, some moved due to retirement, but the majority of them moved due to situations that should not have happened. It wasn't a big, ugly split like you read about, but just a departure. We were too traditional, we were too liberal; we were too inclusive, we were racist. I guess, bottom line, we just were not what those people wanted.
Even now, I grieve over this; why I don't know. Andy and I have moved our membership from place to place before - life goes on. You make new friends. We've almost added back in number those we lost, they are great people and we love them dearlym but just think where we'd be if we were ALL here, worshipping together.
If I could put all those people in a room together, I'd tell them that I love them, that I miss them and what they brought to the brotherhood here in Pleasanton. That I wish they'd talked more to us before deciding to go. That they'd given us a chance to come to an agreement on what it was that took them from us.
All I can do now is to really love the folks God has given to us even more; to make this the place they want to be, so that we never go through a time like that again. If we can learn from this and become more the church God plans for us, then perhaps that is the good that came of this. I've got to believe something good is ours for the taking, or it will all be in vain.
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1 comment:
great minds . . . I was just thinking the same thing. Looking at old directories and missing those faces. It was a sad afternoon.
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