Many interesting events have occurred on October 24 throughout history:
*Jane Seymour, third wife of King Henry VIII of England, died 12 days after childbirth in 1537.
*The 40-hour work week began in the Unites States in 1940.
*The charter of the United Nations officially came into effect in 1945.
*The great Dodger Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson, died at age 53 in 1972.
*The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, in Game 6 to win the 1992 World Series.
But on a more personal note, events that surfaced on October 24, 2009 signified the conclusion of a fruitful church ministry for my wife Kim and me, which I’ve detailed in my book Church Coup: A Cautionary Tale of Congregational Conflict. (If you don’t have a copy, you can order one by clicking on the picture on the right.)
Since we resigned and left the church in December 2009, I’ve started a blog (303 articles and counting), formed a non-profit ministry, written a book, conducted seminars on addressing conflict biblically, and counseled lay leaders, staff members, and pastors who are undergoing conflict in their churches.
I plan to continue doing this – and much more – as long as God gives me breath.
But I’ve never celebrated online the wonderful ministry that my wife Kim and I enjoyed for nearly that entire 10 1/2-year period. In all my writing, I’ve never even mentioned the name of the church where we served or the city where it’s located … and that policy will continue.
Most of the time, my memory won’t allow me to mentally navigate to any time before 2009. But just looking through pictures of happier times evokes a positive emotional reaction for me, which is why I’m glad I took thousands of photos documenting our ministry.
Rather than recount the pain, today I’d like to remember times, events, and people that the Lord blessed … and that once again bring a smile to my face.
____________________
In 1999, the Lord led my wife Kim and me to a church that we didn’t really want to serve. The church building was invisible from the street and located at the end of a long parking lot (behind the trees in the photo) … and yet perched on a beautiful lagoon.
A group of 29 parties banded together and donated funds for us to have a down payment on a house … just 30 seconds from the water.
The Lord blessed the ministry to the extent that we became the largest Protestant church in our city and eventually built a worship center on the church’s small, one acre property.
Several years later, 785 people attended our two worship services on Easter … more than maximizing the small campus. That year, the congregation donated nearly a million dollars to the ministry.
We hosted many outreach events on our campus, like Summer Bible Camp for kids …
and Western Fall Fun Fest for families every Halloween.
We penetrated our community by marching in the city’s annual Fourth of July Parade, passing out literature about our ministry, and even winning several trophies.
Our church also took four mission trips to Moldova. The first time, I taught a course on Christian marriage – the final course in a 3-year leadership training program – with the graduates pictured below.
Three years later, I taught pastors and leaders in Moldova how to manage conflict in their ministries … right before walking into my own conflict back home.
Kim also led two teams to Kenya, culminating in generous donations from our congregation and community for the building of a well in a remote village many hours from Nairobi. Kim led a team for the dedication of the well. In the photo below, Pastor Peter obtains water from the well, and then …
Kim meets Stephen Musyoka, who was then Vice President of Kenya. He flew into the village via helicopter for the dedication.
One of the great things about Kim is that she adapts to any situation, whether it’s joking with a VP …
speaking in front of a village …
or sharing the gospel using the Wordless Book.
Throughout the entire 10 1/2 years at the church, Kim and I served as a team. Our daughter Sarah came around at key times as well.
In retrospect, it’s good that I left the church when I did. While I’m still not crazy about how we left, God will handle those things.
My friend and mentor Dr. Charles Chandler says that while a church can take your job, they can never take your calling. That’s certainly true.
But there’s something else that no person or group can ever take away: the hundreds of lives that were changed through that ministry.
When I first entered Talbot Seminary in 1975, my initial class was with Dr. Charles Feinberg, who was a legend in Christian circles.
Dr. Feinberg told our class, “If you can do anything other than being a pastor, do it.”
I’ve felt that way many times!
But I’m glad for the 36 years that God allowed me to serve him in pastoral ministry.
And I’m grateful that God now allows me to help other pastors and churches navigate their way through conflict situations.
It’s my personality to draw on past experiences to help others … and yet none of us can afford to dwell on the past too much.
As baseball immortal Satchel Paige used to say, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
Restoring Kingdom Builders 