shock ... devestation ...

Today, my pastor preached a wonderful sermon. One of his best.

When it was over ... he came down from the stage and on the stairs he said what an honor it is to be in the ministry ... to be at all the births, the weddings all the celebrations in life and to even be at the funerals ... I started to get a bit 'oozy' at this point and then thought ..nah ... it's Thanksgiving ...he's just saying how thankful he is ...

Then he said that when he got here 10 years ago the teenagers were just nosed kids ... (ooozy again ...nooooo he's been here 10 years! That's it!)

No, wait .....

He resigned. Just like that ... a few sentences then he gave his resignation. In a few weeks ... he'll be gone.

He and his wife are leaving not only our church, but the ministry.

It's a shame. In my book, Friday Fellowship, that is coming out, in October, which is minister appreciation month, I write a poem about ministers and how they are special ...and the devotional is how they are leaving the ministry in droves ...and how ... we as their flock don't do enough to prevent that ... how ironic, that now ...as my book is about to come out ...my pastor, who I've loved and prayed for so much ...who I wrote the poem for, is resigning.

My heart is breaking, I've worked closely with his wife for 7 years. My ministry partner is going. I am not sure that the new worship pastor will need 'a Peggi'. That's my title "a Peggi". We've never given what I do a title ... the teacher's in our worship team have just deamed it 'a Peggi' and wished they had 'a Peggi' for their classroom. Carla is sure that a new minister will need me more than she does, but I'm not foolish enough to assume that ...everyone is different. Different people do things differently. Of coarse, I'm available and willing ... but ...not presumptious. I don't sing anymore, my voice is gone. So, with Randy and Carla leaving, I may be loosing my place of worship.

This means, that our little church .. our struggling little church, that has limped along so painfully without a youth pastor for the last several months ...is now down a senior pastor, a worship pastor and a youth pastor. Leaving us with a support pastor (who's been praying about leaving for well over a year) and a children's pastor ...who, I've wondered for well over 6 months if she's on her way out. She's so very tired.

Our church secretary is recoverying from Breast Cancer and has been the secretary for something like 25 years ... will she stay?

What will happen from here ... only God knows. Thank God that he does.