Joy of Simple Faith

In pondering the changes we have experienced over the last year, I realize how the heavens have opened up for me and this may have been the most joyful year of my existence, other than in the times surrounding giving birth. We are in a joy-filled place. It's not a matter of family circumstances in and of themselves: Gary's job situation still has its uncertain aspects to it, which only reminds me of all the times in the past that God has been faithful. We have the same house which still has an overwhelming amount of work remaining to be done before we can put it on the market--which we want to do, to find a house that won't own us so much. This one takes more care than we care to care about. So it isn't job or house. We have the same kids, who still love (and at times love to provoke) each other, one of whom is still in college, one of whom is still homeschooling. So those things haven't changed. I am still an at-home mom, still beset (alas) by the same physical and character flaws more or less that I've had for some time; still not too gifted at housekeeping...so that hasn't changed. The weather is still prone to be rainy throughout what is still supposed to be summer (though at the moment the sun is shining on my inexplicably crispy lawn).
Our faith is in the same God. Our Bible is the same Bible. Our church is...well, that is a change! That is a change, and we are helped. I can't put my finger on exactly what-all makes me rejoice in it...maybe because there are too many aspects and I don't have enough fingers to cover them. I love the congregation (though I did before as well). I love the dilapidated building (though when I first saw it, it gave me pause). I love the freedom. What freedom is that? I'm not sure, it seems that it's a feeling the source of which I can't exactly pinpoint. I think it may be the feeling that there's not a church standard, a church culture, apart from the Scriptures that I have to adopt and live up to. Instead, I am gradually learning to shed the cultural norms that I have adopted as part of my faith that really have nothing to do with it. And when we do something in the church, our pastor is quick to make sure that our motivation is right; he doesn't want us motivated out of duty, obligation, fear, guilt...for that I am thankful. It is a beautiful feeling; I feel unhindered, like I could fly, for the joy that I have these days.
It affected my Bible reading this morning. I was reading in the Psalms, and connecting with them. They have a magnified dimension, such a personal, heartfelt interaction.

I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
Psalm 40:1-5

A Gradual Transformation and a Self-Examination

If you've read much of my other writings about our little church, you may have gathered that it is in a pretty dilapidated state. I haven't fully blogged regarding what its problem is. About 50 years ago, I gather, it burned. The church had no insurance and rebuilt with what they had. Because it wasn't a wealthy church, they built it poorly with cinderblock, unreinforced with any rebar. Over the years the walls have become troubled with moisture leakage, and therefore within the walls, within the cinderblocks, we have mold and mildew. (This doesn't show visibly very much on the walls, but there are places where the odor of it gets kind of strong sometimes, and affects some members of the congregation more strongly than others.)
The congregation has been planning to build, but with some frustration over gaining road access to the beautiful property that one couple kindly gave the church. With plans to build, and a small congregation, there hasn't been much interest, energy or money to maintain the building we have, especially since the structure itself will probably be of no value when we sell; only the property. Still, with no particular building timeline in view, I've been praying for vision and clarification, and working on painting the inside, with help from three others, and we're getting a work party together to fix up some of the outside grout so that the outside also can be pressure-washed and painted.
It seems to me that God's hand has been very strongly favorable toward getting these things done. I've had unusual time, energy, and free paint, even in the right neutral, clean and cheery colors--the neighboring city has a program that recycles paint to avoid having it in the dump. Also, we lived in a 1907 fixer-upper house for 17 years where I learned how to research and repair things; I know and understand some of what old buildings are about and what it is to paint. It has occurred to me, to my delight, that God is using that 17 year experience for His Kingdom now. So I've been there a lot painting. Still, I end up getting a little extreme. I work and get a little overexuberant, a little strident maybe, lately, in my desire to see it as fixed up as we can do--not bossing anyone around, just poking around more than anyone is used to, and trying to find any place where a mold problem can be easily fixed (since reducing its odor was one of my main motivations).
I think our pastor looks a little askance at all this activity and change, though I was hoping it would encourage him. (And I think it has, except when he sees me a little overly absorbed in it.) He preached on Mary and Martha last Sunday. It just occurred to me now, was that a hint? (Surely not...) Still, I don't think anyone in the world has heard me breathe one complaint, one "Why don't you make Mary get up and help me?" No, I haven't. I love every brushstroke, every roller stroke; if "Mary" wants to help, it's great, but I'm having fun on my own. It's so gratifying to see so much change in so little time!
Still, when Pastor came down to help me by getting a dehumidifier out to dry up some moisture I'd left by cleaning a wall, I walked through with him and discussed various issues along the way. I realized I was making him somewhat nervous. He never makes me nervous (probably never makes anyone nervous, at least unless they should have reason to be) and I was sorry to think I'd troubled him. He pointed out later that I should make sure I'm getting my work orders at the feet of Jesus. Another link between Mary, Martha, and me. Mainly, I think, Martha and me. (Sigh.)
So if I've been praying pretty continually regarding all the work, but then getting a little strident as I go, I think something is getting mixed up. Am I dropping His orders and filling my own? Are my motivations wrong? I felt Pastor's nervousness meant I'd been lacking for the right attitude and trampling toes some, though I had been thoroughly enjoying the work; actually getting kind of excited because some plans were becoming actualized and things were going so well. I just have to be careful how I affect others along the way, and that I go in His strength and not my own.
I hope to get a picture of the church as it is (didn't take any before-pictures of the inside) to post, and then post one after it's painted so we can compare before and after shots regarding the outside paint job. It's a great little building, in my mind, though probably just because I associate it with how great it is to be there on Sunday mornings. It's the best! I'd rather we'd keep that little building than have a towering cathedral, if the people inside had to be different too.
I asked Pastor today at church whether I had indeed made him nervous, trampled his toes, so to speak...and he said no, that his main concern was that I was actually getting my orders from Christ. So all is good, and I just imagineth too much. Praise God!

A Graduation Ceremony

Yesterday we went to a graduation ceremony for a couple of boys, Dean from our church and Tanner from a neighboring church (and these two churches work so much together in friendship that many times the idea of blending them has been suggested). So people from both churches crammed into one, and after much fellowship the events started. The boys are incredibly musical, and they played their guitars for a good while at the beginning. Tanner is the son of the pastor of the other church, and so his father spoke at length. Then the Tanner spoke at length. Then Dean's father spoke a good deal too. Interspersed among these were songs the boys had composed at different times in their lives--good songs, too, and they sang them for us, playing their instruments. One switched to a French horn for one song. They each probably play a great number of instruments; they are very gifted in that regard.
There was a series of photos, too, and since the boys' lives were so intertwined in friendship, they combined the two boys' photos into one slide show. It was amazing all the common points of interest that the boys have: Their musical talent; they were both homeschooled; they hunt together, play paintball or airsoft together (I don't know enough to know which); they love animals, including horses they have owned; they come from fairly big families; they've both been raised out in a country setting. They are as close as brothers, it would seem, understanding so much about each other and relating so well.
The best, most meaningful thing they share is their faith, and it was brought out passionately in the speeches, in the songs that they wrote and played, in every aspect of the graduation ceremony. They weren't done after the slide show, either. Then Dean spoke, and then our Pastor Ken. We all sang a couple of songs, the boys received their diplomas, pictures were taken and the ceremony was finished. Of course, I don't give enough details regarding their speeches to fully illustrate, and that (especially having two pastors at hand) would take a good deal of sharing; but they were all wonderfully done, articulate and masterful. It was a beautiful ceremony.
I couldn't help but look back at our own graduation ceremony that we had for Katie a couple of years ago. I am not articulate on my feet. I wouldn't exactly say that Gary is either. In fact, since I don't remember us having seen another homeschool graduation of this type especially like the one last night, we didn't even think to put together any speeches, and we spoke off-the-cuff. I'd often regretted, after having 12 years to prepare in a way, not having done preparation for that aspect of the graduation; God could have been shown off in so many things that He brought us through during those years, for so many ways He provided for us, for all that He taught us, that in spite of many things against us, thanks to His provision we succeeded in homeschooling all through it. In spite of our lack of preparation in making any such speeches or taking that opportunity to glorify Him as well as we should have done, God is gracious. Katie is finished with high school however we accomplished it, and she has been working successfully through her college time, getting good grades, making many meaningful relationships, growing and learning in faith and in other regards, and having a memorable, enjoyable time for the most part.
It was an enriching, beautiful time last night, even though it brought me to cringe again at my own inadequacy. Even in that regard, though, it again gives me reason to also rejoice at God's grace (2 Cor. 12:9-10) that when I have come up wanting, has continually set my feet upon a rock because of His power, and not mine. Every mention of their faith was something I could relate to and rejoice in for themselves and at the same time for ourselves. I think that is the beauty of fellowship and the family of believers. When we rejoice, we all have so much reason to rejoice together; any lack on our own part, unless it is our own lack of faith, shows God off for who He is, altogether loving and gracious, and able to provide for our inadequacy and make all things work together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). I am very thankful for these boys in so many ways, being so well equipped for life in so many regards, and for their friendship together, for their close family relationships, for their careful upbringing and education, but most of all for their strong faith that will help them through everything in their lives.

We Have the God of the Impossible!

Well, the secret's out, if it ever was a secret. I was at the church painting in the fellowship hall and Pastor came in, the first time I saw him at church since they went on their (shall I say the usual adjectives, very much deserved, needed, overdue...) sabbatical. He is re-entering the workaday world of the pastor of a tiny church. I was hoping to get a whole ton of painting done, and a few other projects, before they returned. We only got a limited amount--the sanctuary, the fellowship hall, the nursery, a Sunday school room; priming part of the downstairs hallway. There are still lots of rooms to do, besides the outside! My life demands continue and that's that. And Pastor, in his usual quiet way, told me of what had been going on in the last week or so, and sounded just the slightest bit reluctant to come back. Can't say as I blame him!
So my secret was all the painting, but I'm not sure that it was a secret because I don't know whether he came into the church much in the time in between, when I wasn't there. There's still much to be done! While working I also discovered many more little projects yet to do besides those that had been obvious. (Sigh.) But I also discovered that there are other people who want to do these things too, and between them and myself, we will make some progress, Lord willing. We could work for years and there still might be things to do, but we're off to a good start!
There's a huge debate, an unworkable one (except that we can hope, and hopefully assume, that God is on our side, which makes all unworkable things workable) regarding whether the church is worthwhile to put much effort and money into before we build a new facility. The problems are complex. Lack of adequate money for a new building yet; lack of ready access to the new property; structural problems in our current building...and a number of other things. When a person hears them all, it can be overwhelming. Except. When we were reading Ephesians, back when our pastor was preaching on that in the old days before he left on sabbatical, one of his points of emphasis was, "But God..." which is the beginning of Ephesians 2:4 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us..." Which Tim found great joy in emphasizing as we'd read it. I'd have to stop in our reading, and he would imitate Pastor, "But God..." and he and I would chuckle and continue our reading.
Whenever you find an impossible problem, an unworkable puzzle, a discouraging difficulty where you feel claustrophobic because of closed doors and windows, and nothing opening up to let the air in, that kind of situation is God's specialty. You may have troubles, "but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us..." ...God can break through the walls, the roof, the chimney, the fortress of our impossible problems! He has been called the God of the Impossible. That is an apt phrase, a name that really catches the character of how God works in the life of the desperate.
So I look upon our little church full of projects as a church of possibilities. The building may be impossible, but it's owned by a God who can whisper a word and make those impossibilities into dust that the wind drives away. Maybe He wants to see what we will do with it, before He gives us anything bigger. That sounds consistent with His word, in the Parable of the Talents: "'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Look to the possibilities. Do what we can. Don't be discouraged, because we have the God who is able. We have the God of the Impossible.
Mark 10:27 "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'" I know this verse is taken out of context. It has to do with the salvation of men. Buildings are less rebellious stuff than the hearts of men, so if He finds all things possible starting with the hearts of men, our church is no big puzzle to Him either. Hallelujah! God is good, but we knew that! Amen, brother!

Mighty Small! We Got the Power!

Our church is small, but it's mighty small! That showed up today when we had a shower for Stephanie, a woman who has had quite the year and a half or so: she accepted that Christ was her Lord and Savior; she got engaged, got married, and is now very much expecting their first child. So the church had a shower for her. Now, I've seen big churches have decent-sized showers, and I would assume that a little church would have a little shower. But this church is no doubt the exception if that is the rule. We had a barbecue and potluck and shower all rolled into one, in place of second service--see, our church knows how to celebrate!
So while she opened her gifts, the men were there, and one of the women encouraged them ahead of time to make sure to do their "oohs" and "aahs" right out loud, not to hold back in order to appear macho. So with every bib, diaper, binky, quilt, and onesie, we would hear the most macho "oohs" and "aahs"--reminiscent of a men's choir. I think we miss out when we make a shower for women only! (You would have thought the gifts were along the lines of fishing licenses and flourescent hats.)
And this little church--the women don't just make one quilt or homemade blanket for the mom--I think there were four. Along with fancy burp rags. It could make a person almost change their mind and want to have a baby--no...still! (And I can't take credit. All of our gift was storebought.)
And the food? Well, no little church can put on a potluck like our church does. Hamburgers, hotdogs, seven-layer salad, watermelon, beans, a huge cake, casseroles, salads--almost like feeding the 5,000. Some neighborhood kids came in and had some too, which made one woman a little nervous. I say, feed them! We have plenty to go around!
How nice, though. I was quite proud of our little church. They know how to put on a swingin' party!

Friendship, Fellowship and Gladness

For the last couple of months, our Pastor Ken and his wife Kit have been on an overdue, much-deserved and needed Sabbatical. They did not go far, only to Alki. It was just a time to get away and reflect and redirect their ministry back into line with what God's priorities are for them. I hope it is very restorative and refreshing.
One of the things that Kit mentioned that she would find encouraging was the hope that someone would draw their son Jay into mealtimes during their absence. This seemed just in line with the very things that we would want to do. Jay is a far quieter sort than we are. When a person is quiet, I tend to be mystified by them, intrigued to know what they are quietly thinking. I respect the person of fewer words; I can't imitate their quiet nature at length, because I become downcast if I am quiet too long. The Bible has great things to say about the quiet person, and not so great about the person of many words. I guess this should incline the talkative person to be careful in their choice of words, and as time goes on, I am improving in this, but I have a long way to go.
Anyway, Jay has been coming over here most Sundays. A couple of times we have had another person too, but most of the time it has just been him. It has been great to get to know him, to see him become more relaxed around us. I think he has become a bit readier to speak around us, to know what to say. We have all come to really enjoy his visits more every time.
Jay never declines to play games when he comes to visit. (For some reason this has surprised me; I'm not one to think of playing games, but we've done it more consistently when he's here than any time previous.) We've played Mexican train dominoes, Scattergories, Nerts and Dutch Blitz. Maybe some other games too, but I don't remember. It seems that games bring out the competitor in me, to my shame. I get pretty intense during the games; Katie does, too, making all sorts of snide sideways comments in my direction (I never make any in hers, do I?) and making all sorts of funny noises as she looks for an available outlet toward a winning hand. Jay quietly works at his game and just observes us with patient interest as we compete and ever more patience as we laugh hysterically, uncontrollably, if we win. (He says his father suffers that same tendency. Our pastor? Shocking!)
And we learn wonderful little things about the history of the church we're attending, about their family, about life in Granite Falls. Jay learns funny little things about our family, like how Tim looks like a little bear in his fleece pajamas, and how readily our meats go up in flames on the barbecue or our rice goes up in smoke on the stove, or our defenses flare during game time, or my Erma Bombeck style of housekeeping. We learn how patient he is with all our faults, how easygoing and kind; he learns how passionate we are about every little thing.
Though it appears we are opposites, I think we are getting along well together. I hope this pattern of visits will become a regular aspect of our lives, that there is no reason for it to stop just because his family will be back together. Pretty neat how a quiet single guy and a crazy family can come together in friendship and faith and fun, and it all works out for good. God has blessed this time of fellowship! And we are glad.

The Pastor Goes on Sabbatical

After 17 years of ministry at our church, our Pastor Ken is going on his first sabbatical coming up this month. I have gotten the impression that this is not fully understood by everyone; people haven't been saying anything particular that I've heard, but one person expressed that she had wanted to hear what the speaker from our denomination came to say (though he barely touched on the matter of sabbaticals--their purpose and what we were to expect to have happen through them). I asked Pastor whether people had supported or opposed it. He said they hadn't said much either way, which I think he supposed meant they didn't know what to think of it. I am supporting it entirely, because I've had the benefit of reading one of Eugene Peterson's books, The Contemplative Pastor, where he described the healing and focus and restoration that came from his church sending him on sabbatical. His lasted a year; Pastor Ken will be gone three months.
I think that people tend to think that such an amount of time "off work" is automatically time that is expected to be filled with travel and entertainment to whatever extent a person can afford it. However, that is not the general goal of a sabbatical, and Pastor Ken has resisted the idea of a trip when it was suggested--he is staying fairly closeby and intentionally not traveling during the time. It is a foreign idea to most of us, but a travel time would add its share of strain and distraction, disallowing the intended time to be spent in reflection, study, and prayer.
Pastor will have just returned from a missions trip that was productive but in all ways strenuous, and he was sick and tired even before he left. I don't expect that he will come back at all rested--probably all the more exhausted. He really needed the sabbatical for months before the missions trip happened. He is the one worker who is almost always physically present at our little church, and though we have another pastor (who works in construction part-time), and we also have capable elders, I get the impression that the bulk of the ministry falls on Pastor Ken--he does most of the sermons and pretty much sees about the running of the church, ministering to the people, and I think he tries to do more than he should be called upon to do because at times there aren't others doing all that needs to be done.
Because the church is small, I think people suppose that the pastor's job is small. If you contrast a small church with a large one, though, a large one has a staff of workers all through the week along with many volunteers and probably more funds for those things that the congregation can't do. Our small church has one full-time pastor, a part-time pastor and an elder board, and then a small congregation. There isn't the staff and there aren't so many people to do or fund the surrounding work. There aren't as many observers who notice the details of the things that need to be done. By the time you subtract the older and crippled folk, the moms who have lots of children that they homeschool, the men who work full-time, and the young people who are overwhelmed with just starting out in life, there are few left who have the time and focus to do the remaining work. The pastor walks in and out of his study and the things to do stare him in the face week after week unless someone does them. A person calls and the pastor answers the phone, rather than a receptionist. No one screens the calls. Someone knocks on the door, and the pastor goes to answer it. His job is probably enormously bigger than that of the pastor in a large church. I think the reason I notice this is because I've been a member of many larger churches, this is the first smaller church I've seen, and I know that the contrast would be staggering to the person experiencing it. It's ironic that the small-church pastor with so much on his shoulders realizes less recognition than the one with the huge support system around him.
Pastor says he needs to get away to re-evaluate, to hear what God has to say, to line his ministry up with God's priorities. I think that he gets pulled in a variety of directions, more than any person should. I am amazed that his temperament stays as calm and quiet and gentle as it does. I think mine would go ballistic in short order with all the daily demands that he faces!
Not only will a sabbatical be good for Pastor Ken, but it will be good for the church. If nothing else, it will help us just to see how big a hole is left when he leaves. I don't think it will be like the picture of removing a boat from the water, where the space the boat took is immediately displaced by water such that it leaves no impact. It will be more like having a huge tractor remove a tree from its soil--it will leave a gaping hole where all the roots, big and small, had become accustomed to the tunnels they had made in their surroundings, winding around rocks and clinging to anything stable. We will keep expecting the tree to be there, and keep falling into the hole. After a little while, we'll learn to bring a bucket of dirt to help fill in the hole. Perhaps by the time Pastor returns, the hole will be filled--there won't be another tree there, but the gap will be such that we're no longer getting hurt by falling into the hole he left. He'll be welcome back, of course, but perhaps in part because of our filling that hole, he'll be able to stand a little taller, digging his roots into some fresh soil. And we'll see him in the new light that comes with the refreshment of his time away and new perspective.
In pondering the matter of the sabbatical, today I googled "pastor sabbatical" and came up first with an article from Christianity Today called Give 'Em a Break--and I think it does a good job at presenting from a first-person description what the benefits are. It also adds some compiled suggestions for providing the money to pay for a sabbatical. Believe me, if our little church can do it, probably any church can!
A Review of the Video: Why You Should Give Your Pastor a Sabbatical, Roy Oswald, Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute quotes its presenter, Oswald, as saying, “90% of what a pastor does is invisible to 90% of the people 90% of the time.” For those who doubt the necessity of this sabbatical, I think perhaps this explains why they would wonder--the work isn't like building a visible brick wall; it's spiritual work. Eugene Peterson describes pastoral work as being like the angles of a triangle: time in prayer, time studying the Scriptures, and time working among the flock; he says that these aren't things that observers can evaluate as to whether they are being done or not. The time these things consume depends on the conscientiousness of the pastor. It's not much wonder that we might not appreciate this work fully, when we can't really see or evaluate the actuality of it.
Not only does the pastor need to do those three main things, but you can imagine how the natural earthly demands of a church, such as the maintenance of the building, might tend to worm their way into this triangle of responsibility and weaken the structure and focus of the pastor's work; every member of the congregation might have their unique opinions, requests, confusions, demands...and if (considering Oswald's quote) they don't see that the pastor has much work to do, they might be surprised and disappointed if he doesn't respond according to their expectations. This video review article is good also, in that it presents what a sabbatical requires of the congregation, and a list of its benefits.
Nine Marks (a website for equipping pastors) has an article about it too, Caring for the Pastor: The Sabbatical. This has good advice for the church, recommending constraints that make the most of the sabbatical time.
I hope that our church will discover all the benefits that comes from this sabbatical. I hope that they will consider providing one every few years from this point on. I hope and expect also that this sabbatical is just what is needed to restore Pastor Ken to a new energy and enthusiasm. I've never seen a pastor who deserved it more.
Today (4/6) Pastor was talking to us about his upcoming sabbatical. I thought of my closing sentence here when in reference to the sabbatical he said something to this effect: "I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve this sabbatical. I have never really felt right taking a paycheck from you." I've never heard this kind of talk from a pastor before--and he receives less pay even now for all he does than any other pastor of ours ever did, even the one 20 years ago who was having dinner at our house and complaining about his low pay--which wasn't all that low, to be quite honest; and that one didn't even really preach from the Bible, and he had a secretary besides.

Fellowship and Unity Among the Churches

Tonight we went to a Pine Car Derby at a neighboring church. The churches in Granite Falls do something wonderful that is new to me in all our 22 years of attending churches: they work together, they interact, they support one another, they love each other's congregations, they fellowship together, they show the unity of Christ between congregations. The pastors feel perfectly comfortable with this.
In fact, they're going to work together to spread a compiled information sheet about all the churches to the residents in the area. Volunteer members from each congregation will participate, and it's not to compete but to collaborate.
I talked to one of the women, I think her name was Charlotte, from this church tonight. She was thinking aloud about other ideas that she thought her church might plan for the summer: fellowship gatherings by bonfires outside in the summer; a potluck and hymn-sing (I've heard of them, never seen one)...then I talked with another woman, a grandmother whose name I think was Diane (maybe not). She was just bubbling over with ideas for children's get-togethers, including an upcoming one that was actually in the works to happen in a couple of weeks with pizza and games. As we went out to the parking lot along with her husband, he was talking about how he'd like to have an overnighter by a bonfire for the kids in the summer, or something. You could tell they were all just bubbling with ideas for community fellowship, and it didn't seem that they'd been told to think up ideas, that they had been brainstorming and comparing notes, from anything I could tell.
Our church had a New Years' Eve party with dodge-ball in our sanctuary. People from other churches and from the English-as-a-Second-Language classes came. Our pastor gets together with pastors from the other churches for fellowship breakfasts, and the Community Bible Church congregation and ours get together for a number of gatherings during the year; in fact the pastors and two other congregation members are heading out on a missions trip to a very far and remote area (with no particular tourist appeal) within the month.
So what gives these churches freedom to fellowship between themselves when the churches I've attended in the past would never have done such things? I think it is the pastors' contentment with the size of their congregations. They aren't striving to be huge; they trust God in His direction of people to their church or others as He will. They are aware that knowing their whole congregation is a huge plus. They aren't afraid that they'll lose their congregation to another church, and they aren't intending to draw people from another church's congregation.
Tonight's Pine Car Derby was a very sweet and simple interaction between the two church families; it wasn't costly or ornate. It isn't that everyone showed up, but it was a great opportunity for fellowship. I got to talk with people from our church and theirs, and I think the unity in Christ had to be a blessing not only for those who visibly attended, but for Christ Himself.

The Beauty of Church, and Change

The other night as I was getting Tim off to bed, as he was lying there winding down for the night, he was reflecting on our church. He sighed (he does that when he's content) and said how much he loves our ugly old church building. He loves that it's old. He loves how worn out it is. I've been thinking the same thing.
The building is cinder block and covered in about 20 coats of yellow paint. It was built about 60 years ago when the original structure burned down. The front steps are of concrete covered in indoor-outdoor "grass" type carpeting...and it's worn through to the concrete...and the concrete is worn to a rounded edge.
When our pastor was visiting our house one night, we showed him a plate that was given to us as a momento of our wedding. We were married in a very traditional chapel-type church in Hillsboro, Oregon, the Old Scotch Church, and the plate had a drawing of the church on it. Pastor Ken looked at the plate and with a wry smile, he said, "We couldn't really do that with our church." I suggested that we could, with a doily over it.
Last night when we were describing our church building to some friends over dessert and dominoes, their grown son said regarding the worn front steps, "That's a good thing." And it is. Those steps show the impact of every footstep that has gone in and out of that church over the years, a testimony to a long continuity (if a small congregation) of faithful believers. The church has remained tiny, and I think it's because of the visual lack of initial appeal in the outside of the building; but the tiny congregation is as sweet as any I've seen. Some friends of ours seemed to be pretty put off by the outward appearance, and that's fine.
We have plans to build a new facility, and it promises good things--the property that the church was given overlooks a beautiful small lake that you see driving into Granite Falls. It's a very appealing site (aside from the mosquitos, which loved the taste of my blood last summer). I can't help but dread a little bit the changes that will undoubtedly occur on the occasion of its opening. There will be a whole population of people who will no longer be put off by the building's appearance. A new building seems like it will unavoidably change the character of the church in general. We've seen a couple of times what is called the "new paint syndrome" of opening a new church building for a church that has already existed beforehand elsewhere, and the growth of the congregations as a result.
Yet who can complain? It is a good thing. It's God's provision for His purpose. If a person is put off by appearance, and conversely attracted by appearance, I'm sure that accomplishes something in sifting people according to the time and place and purpose that God has in mind. If the appearance of a new building is the cultural appeal that brings more people in to hear the gospel presented, so be it. Just so long as the biblical message of the church isn't weakened as a result in hopes of growing the numbers rather than strengthening the spirits of those who attend, who can argue?
That wasn't all that our Tim had to discuss about the church. Last night, after having talked with our friends and telling them about our church, Tim was pondering with pleasure the idea of coming to church this morning. I told him, "I hope the main thing you're looking forward to is the fact that we go to worship God, not that your friends are there." He understood that, and claimed that was in fact his primary reason, but he also went on to say, "I bet Pastor Ken has never said a swear word." I was surprised, partly because I thought he'd bring up something about the friends his age, but he is strongly impressed by the fact that the pastor has befriended him personally. I said that chances were that the pastor had in fact sworn before, that he is only human, after all. He said, "Well, you think he's pretty good." Yes, I respect, admire and will try to imitate the way that he lives out Christ in his life; I haven't found fault with him. Still, I don't make him out to be beyond what humans are capable of. It's easy to put leaders on a pedestal, and I've seen it done with very bad results before. We have to realize the human limitations of everyone, holding them accountable to the perfect standard of faith in Christ, but realizing that all fall short; it's not fair to anyone to expect them to be perfect.
So we look forward to Sundays, if you haven't noticed. It's solid teaching, there's a very sweet fellowship, and I treasure each time we're there. I walk up those worn concrete steps and open the heavy, battered wooden door with great anticipation. The character of the church may change with time, but as long as God is at the center of what goes on there, it's the way it should be.
Well, I stand corrected. I told Kit, Pastor Ken's wife, about Tim's comment, and she said, "He's right. I can vouch for that. I've never heard him swear, and he's never sworn. It isn't that he holds it back, it just isn't there." Well, there you are. I guess Tim could tell, somehow, in Pastor's gentle demeanor. That pedestal...it can be pretty hard to kick out of place sometimes!