Actscelerate.com

A trip, a memory and a brother who needs prayer support

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/16/15 10:16 pm**

My daddy wasn't a carpenter nor brick mason, but when folks were working on a church or an addition, he was the best helper any worker ever had He kept mortar mixed and brick and block available. I had a knack for building and when I thought I was a pastor I built one fellowship hall and SS rooms at a church. Then later I remodeled a Garage and started a church then built a parsonage in Gaston County. I said that to preface a short trip my wife and I just took

She said drop your plans we are going to the mountains. In doing so we drove by a church we once pastored and were I had built the fellowship hall and SS rooms without a permit. It appeared that work was being done so we stopped by. No workers present. We made our trip to Bat Cave and headed back this time a door was open so I stopped. There was one worker. I smiled and asked if he had a permit? He smiled and said yes.

It was the pastor. I told him I did not get a permit to build the building 50 years ago, he smiled and said he had heard or something like that. He was the only worker. When the building was built the help I had was Kenneth Hensley and myself. We had a good time, seriously. When I was pastor the church ran 20-30 in attendance. That is about the same now. This pastor's only help was his wife who was doing the painting and cleaning up.

We gave a donation, promised to pray and left because we did have some commitments. I could tell the pastor was hurting. He had just lost 4 members. When you are running 28, 4 means a lot.

Now to be honest, the labor NEVER got to me, even if I worked for weeks alone. I have loved driving nails since I was 4 or 5 years old. Back then dad let me straighten nails and drive them into scraps. I know now that the love of the physical labor was because my calling was not to pastor but to work and assist in youth work.

My thoughts went to the hundreds of pastors who will work this week, because they are called. Who will clean the church, unstop the commodes, find the leaks and fix them. They will cut the grass and prepare sermons, visit the sick and pray for his sheep.

May God bless you guys who have done it and will do it. Some churches will never grow, that particular church never has been consistent in growth. It did reach 100 once but the majority of its life has been small, seems it always will be. But they still need a pastor. Please remember our brother in prayer, he was down. I promised to pray and am.
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