Greetings...
Well, it has been quite some time since I came to the blog...there have been some interesting events since the last posting...
On January 30, 2011, I resigned as Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia...why you may ask? Let me explain...
This has been a difficult church from the very beginning...there seemed to be a conflict around every corner...church members who were more concerned about how the church was run rather than the lostness of humanity...and it continues even to today...I will for as long as I live never understand the heart of "Christians" who are in the church but not really of the church...At any rate, since the summer of 2010, there has been a concentrated effort on the part of a certain faction within the church to "run me off"...in September, it came to bear in a way that surprised even me...A certain Deacon within the church accused me of all manor of things that simply were either made up or were outright lies...I was even threatened with "Physical removal from the Pulpit if I showed up on Sunday to Preach"...In finally speaking with the Deacon Body as a whole, this was proven...
In recent days, I was accused of committing a crime! One of my own staff members accused me of "Theft by Deception"...why is that important? Because in the September "coup" attempt, they realized that our Constitution and By-Laws do not allow for the removal of the pastor unless he does something "immoral or illegal" This is what makes this accusation so important...I was accused of stealing from the church because I simply asked for a reimbursement for monies that I SPENT in a routine Ministry Function of a Lunch for a new staff member...Now, I didn't actually pay for the new staff members lunch, but I still spent money during this lunch for myself, spouse and family...there WAS NO THEFT...this argument is Stupid on its face...the aftermath...I have even had one person, an older female, going around telling people that I was embezzling from the church (I never collected money, counted money, took money to the bank; never wrote any checks, never signed any checks...but yet I embezzled?)The people behind all this deny there was any coup or even any group...they even deny that I was threatened in September...
The Personnel Committee, which has sole authority to set the severance package of the pastor, decided on 4 months...the Finance Committee decided on 4 weeks, even though they have no authority to do so...they claimed that a line from the Personnel Policy Manuel is their guide: "In the event of DISMISSAL, the employees is entitled to 1 week of pay per year of service with a cap at 3 months"...The only problem is that I was not DISMISSED, I resigned...they know this, but they refuse to budge...
There are many within the church who are oblivious to what has happened and why and of course the faction now in charge want to keep it that way...
If you are the praying type (as a Christian, cause it won't do any good to pray to alla)then I would ask you to pray for me and my family...there may be a twinge of bitterness in what has been written so far, and I certainly don't want that, but right now I am angry and hurt at what my family is now having to go through because of their actions...We will in all likelihood loose our home and also face financial ruin...I can handle these things personally, but I am not sure that my family can...so I would simply ask you to pray...pray for God's sustaining grace, His provision, and His mercy...Pray also for Fairview Baptist Church...they are in trouble and don't even know it...
Thanks for reading my blog through the days of its existence and please know that I will be writing more in the days ahead to allow you to see what progress God is making in my heart as I travel through this time because eventually, God will be glorified and people will be blessed, even through difficult days...
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