Weathering the Storm

Last year at this time, we were counting days passing without power, picking up debris, talking to insurance adjusters, and getting used to living with some inconveniences, all because of the passing of a hurricane named Ike. If you look closely, you can still see evidence of the storm, though that long, dark, frightening night is now not much more than a memory and most of the damage has been repaired.

It's been about fifteen months since our church weathered another kind of storm. Being pastorless, and all of the other issues that were part of that whole period of time, was very much like a storm in many ways. There's a shift in the leadership of the church, some things become magnified and distorted, there are reactions to issues that are unexpected, of course there are people whose feelings are hurt, there is choosing of sides, and the potential for damage to the church's ministry is high.

From this distance, it appears we have weathered the storm well. And it was a pretty strong storm for a while.

In addition to some of the "issues" that came up, we faced the loss of several staff members, including our preschool/children's ministry director, youth pastor, contemporary worship service leader, and a senior secretary. The departure of the children/preschool minister also left us with a vacancy in the leadership of our Early Learning Center. But our personnel team moved quickly, search teams were formed, and all that ministry work is moving forward. We're still short a secretary, but we have some volunteers that have helped take up the slack. We had some help with the contemporary worship service leadership, and then volunteers stepped up to fill in the gap there as well.

In fact, one of the most positive points about these past fifteen months has been the willingness of church members to step up and serve. That's a clear indication that members of this church have a strong belief in its future. Sure, we've lost a few members because we are in transition between pastors. But most of the people who've left the church since June of 2008 have relocated because of job moves. But we're still welcoming visitors, some of whom have returned, and on the last Sunday in August we had 200 in Bible study and 250 in worship. Finances are holding up, as expenses have been lower than anticipated, and giving has been good. The ELC is, once again, near capacity enrollment, and 200 parents and preschoolers were on our campus just this past Wednesday enjoying a meal and an open house.

If you're reading this, and you are one of our church members, you know that a lot has been asked of you in these months. You could go to a church that already has a pastor, or to one where you wouldn't be asked to do double duty. The fact that you are here is a testimony to your commitment to this body, and that you believe you've been called by God to be here. That's encouraging. You think there is a future here, too. You're excited about it, too.

The storm may not yet be over. In fact, the scripture tells us that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. In this business, we must always be on guard. We must continue to be the church God calls us to be, and continue to rely on his Spirit and his Word for leadership, and for protection. We must always have a vision that lines up with God's will. We must continue to love each other, and lift each other up in prayer and encouragement. We must continue to minister with compassion and grace, understanding that we are all sinners saved by grace through faith in Christ, still passing through this fallen world. Above all, we need to live the gospel so that others want to know the reason for the hope that we have. There are people everywhere around us who need to see that.

We are blessed.