Avoidance

I guess that's as good a word as any for it.

It's real. It's official. And I've been avoiding writing about it. Three Sundays ago our congregation voted to dissolve as of May 31, 2009. It was a very difficult decision, and has been coming on for a looooooooong time. Yet it's hard to keep a congregation going when what comes in doesn't come close to what's going out.

The congregation is incredible! They were the ones who brought up the subject of bringing the ministry to a close. It wasn't easy for them to do that, but they want to be able to end with dignity and the ability to help the community with the resources they have available instead of spending it all on keeping the doors open.

Of course, people feel sad and a bit lost. For many, it's the only church they've ever belonged to. And they've a heart for each other as well as for ministering to the community.

As I'm typing this, I've been watching a tv report on the closure. Weird feelings to have it out there like that. There'll be an article in the local paper tomorrow, too. Doesn't help any that I HATE watching myself on tv. Part of me wants to crawl under the covers and hide.

It's one thing for those of us in the congregation to say that our ministry is coming to an end. It's another to have some stranger announce it to the world.

Well, tomorrow may be interesting. Our plan is to sell the building and use the proceeds to help maintain the children's center, plus help other community programs as we are able. Betcha I get a whole lot of calls from realtors and others!

Maybe I'll be able to say more about the process and how I'm feeling later. But I did manage to get past the first post!