Transition Team.....(part 2)

(continued from yesterday)

When the associate pastor read his and the senior pastor’s resignation letters, I sat on the back pew weeping harder and longer than most long-time First Baptist members. But, then again, I knew all about church splits. The little Baptist church I grew up in seemed to have a split every few years just for the heck of it. I had seen hatred in the eyes of my fellow church members toward pastors and other brothers and sisters in Christ. And I had just left another church I saw headed that direction quickly. I had watched as parents refused to let little children play with their best friends anymore because they were “one of them”. My heart was totally broken; I knew what this meant.

But I was also uniquely qualified to help mend my new church. I could look at both sides in love and say “You are both acting stupid.” (in love of course!). I could help foster an attitude of softness and of longing to bring back those who had left with the senior pastor. I would even speak of the former pastors positively, reminding those “on the other side” of the wonderful things that they HAD done there. Sure there had been too much pride and impatience on their part but just look at the new warmth, Spirit-led services, growth of new members…a good deal of the reason why they were no longer cold and sorta “uppity” was because they were no longer in the rut. They had been shaken out of complacency. I begged people considering leaving because of the split to reconsider. God had NOT walked out of this church when the pastor did; He was still here working among His people. I was also uniquely qualified to try to help my new church through the “worship music wars”. I LOVE hymns; I sing them to myself and my children all day long…literally. I HATED praise songs when my music director from Macedonia introduced them (Sorry Eddy!). I called them “chanting”. I was very resistant…shamefully so. But I slowly acclimated. Now I love a combination of the old and new. So I understood both sides and tried to get both sides to understand and respect each other. I threw myself into helping this church heal and trying to help it grow again. And I grew to love those people like no other.

God brought us to First Baptist less than a year before the split. Then God took us away from First Baptist right as the last staff position was filled. Rodney was sent to Cincinnati a few days after our new worship pastor started. We followed a month behind him. We were the transition team! God knew what was going to happen at First Baptist and sent us and several other families there specifically to help it during those trying times! Amazingly we, and several other families that came in right before and after us, left for different reasons right as the new staff took over. We were ALL part of the transition team….God was taking care of His people at First Baptist way in advance. All of it was SO hard…and I guess…so necessary. God works in mysterious ways. Now I don’t know why this Georgia girl is here in this tiny town of Walton, KY….outside of Cincinnati…in the cold slush (*sigh*) but I’m sure God has a reason. I’ll be happy when I can see it, though! I know I am impatient and, like Israel, sometimes forget His provisions of the past. But hind sight is 20/20….sometimes….when God allows.