Who Owns That Church?- Part 2

I shared last week about my encounter with Elaine, a woman who bought a church I formerly served because  it was located across the street from a home she owned.  Let me tell you more of that story.  As an example of what a small world this is,  I knew her Grandfather.    It started on a hot June Sunday, the first day that I was serving as a United Methodist pastor back in 1974.    I had risen early that morning at my childhood home in Burlington and driven  the 2.5 hours for my first Sunday as a pastor.  Today, pastors usually move into the parsonage before their first Sunday.  In those days,  you went to lead worship at the new church you were serving before you moved into the parsonage.   I did not stay in a motel because I could not afford it, and I did not stay with any of the folks in the church because they did not ask.   I officiated at my first worship service at Unity Church at 9:30 and then it was on to Friendship Church for an 11 am service.  After sharing lunch at a family reunion I was invited to,  I had a few hours before the 7 pm service at Turkey Church.  With no home to go to and with little knowledge of the community or the location of people’s homes, I remember sitting on the steps of  Turkey Church late that afternoon.   What I did not know is that folks across the street were watching me.  They were keeping an eye on this stranger sitting on the steps of the church.   In a short time,  a man came out the door  of that home across from the church on that hot June afternoon and began to talk.    Of course,  I introduced myself as the new pastor.  He was kind enough to invite me to have dinner with them and to come for a visit.  The man told me his name was Leslie, and he was the Grandfather of my friend who now owns that church.  As I sat in Leslie’s home that June day,  I met his daughter and her husband.    As his daughter prepared dinner,  I learned that Leslie’s wife had recently died.   His daughter shared with me some of the tale of her loss of her mother-  going to visit her grave at the local cemetery on a regular basis… talking to her Mom at the cemetery.   There I was:  20 years old and a pastor for less than a day  and already facing  an opportunity for pastoral care with a family who had lost a loved one. 

I thought of that encounter  of more than 40 years ago as I drove back from Fayetteville last month  and my ironical encounter with Elaine who owns  a church I once served and was the Grandchild of a man who called me his pastor.   No matter what age you are and where you are,  a follower of Christ Jesus never knows when the opportunity for ministry may be laid before you.   On a hot June afternoon over 40 years ago, I found the opportunity to offer care and compassion to a grieving family whether I was ready for it or not.  When will the opportunity for ministry come your way?   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:  God of us all,  we thank you for the chance to minister in your name to the people we encounter.  With the help of your Spirit, help us be ready for the chance that is ours to minister to others;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Who Owns that Church?

A few weeks ago,  I was in Fayetteville for a meeting of the Board of the Methodist University Alumni Association.   I am a graduate of that institution of higher education and was asked to serve on the Board several years ago.  Since we have Board meetings only 4 times a year and there are alumni from many graduating classes,  I do not know most of my fellow Board members very well.  While we were having lunch together, I got to talking with a woman I will call Elaine.  Our paths only seem to cross at alumni gatherings such as that Board meeting.  I discovered in the course of the conversation that Elaine owns a church building.    Not only that,  but the church that Elaine owns is one of the first churches I served as pastor. 

It was way back in 1974 when I was appointed as a pastor for the first time.  They must have thought highly of me for they appointed me as the pastor not to one church, but to 3 churches.  One of those churches was Turkey United Methodist Church which was located in the Sampson County town of Turkey, North Carolina.  To my dismay, the church closed several years ago when the number of attendees had dwindled to just a few.  As Elaine and I talked, I discovered that  she owns the house located directly across the street from the church building and bought the building after the church closed.  While I am saddened when any church closes,  I find comfort knowing that the church building is now owned by a person I know and who loved that church. 

The encounter with Elaine and the discovery that an acquaintance of mine now owns a church I formerly served got me to thinking.   First, it reminded me that a church is much more than a building.  A church is not a building, but a people that gather to worship, learn, pray, praise and a people that go to serve.     Turkey United Methodist Church ceased being a church when people stopped gathering in that place in the name of the Lord Jesus and scattering for those important tasks.    Secondly,  that Saturday afternoon encounter with Elaine has had me asking who really owns a church anyway.  Government offices might have one opinion about who owns a church, and an insurance company might have another.  Gossips in a community might stand around and have their opnions about who in their community owns and runs a church.   While they are certainly entitled to their opinions,  I am of the opinion that in the best and purest sense of the word the owner of the church is always and only the living God.    Have a joy-filled week.- Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:  God of us all, we give you thanks for the Church and for its sure foundation on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Give us hearts ablaze with your Spirit that we might not only gather in the Church but go to be the Church in the world;  through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Why Do the Birds Sing?

As I shared several weeks ago,  we enjoy feeding and watching the birds at our home.  With 5 bird feeders outside our home, the birds visit frequently.  We enjoy seeing the birds when they visit around our home, but we also enjoy hearing them.   I got to thinking recently about the song of the birds.    

Why do those birds sing?  They certainly have reason to sing a song of lament instead of a song of cheer and joy.  They do not know where their next meal will come from, and do not have shelter for the night.   They know not when some other creature (four-legged or two-legged) might jeopardize their life. 

I wonder who those birds are singing for?  Are they singing for themselves simply for the joy they feel?   Are they singing for people who are listening like those in our neighborhood?   I am sure that some person who studies birds has some answer for such questions.

While  I do not know why the birds sing or who they sing for, this I know:   we also have a song to sing and a purpose in this life just like the birds.  I am reminded of the words of the ancient Westminister catechism that say:  

What is the chief aim of man?

To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

In this day and in this life, let us follow the example of the birds and be about our aim and purpose.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:  “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small… the Lord God made them all.”    Praise be to you, O God, for creating the birds and all creatures.  Thank for creating us for your divine purpose.  Help us to live out that purpose for you;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.