Our church

Jim and I have been attending our church for about 4 years. It is a small church and we have been blessed here. But about 2 - 3 months ago, things started to, what seems in my eyes, fall apart. The church administrations person quit to become a hospital Chaplin. That part seemed well and OK as she had received her divinity degree and she could not in our denomination become a pastor. It wasn't long after that, while we were on vacation in fact, we learned that our pastor had suddenly without notice to anyone in the church taken a month medical sabbatical. We don't know much more then he called the district council and told him he was at his wits end and this is what they suggested. That was back in Sept. The last we heard he now was not going to be back until maybe Dec. We are still paying his salary, and I have no qualms about that, unless of course he is not going to come back and that would make me sad.

It was within a week after pastor left that the music director left. Then one of the elders, who in my eyes this was what should happen, resigned. Then 2 Sundays ago the youth pastor resigned, which in my eyes was right too as he was drawing a salary and really not doing anything that he was hired to do. With all this going on you can imagine that the church is struggling financially and loosing some of its membership. I was talking to a friend that knew more of the history of that church then I do and it seems to have this history. It grows, and then boom, something happens and the church falls apart. It gets to a small core again, and they start over and it grows and them boom, there is something that almost fully destroys it. This is the 4th time I guess it is going through this. I wonder if there is some kind of curse over this congregation.

I am wondering because the building itself is so small and we have no place to really have an all church pot luck or place where we can just all gather together to get to know one another that when something happens (like a disagreement between an leader and a flock member) they just leave because they have no real ties to the church other then that person they had the run in with. I don't know,, but I think it could be a reason. If we know only a small number of people in the church what is to want us to keep on returning to that church when there are other churches that we can go to to get fed the word of God. Well it is my thoughts anyway

Sandi