Marathon Weekend

I'm finally resting a bit today after an insanely busy weekend! Saturday (after a late night helping at camp when the water went out in the lodges) was very full.

I led a marriage workshop 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., using the Prepare-Enrich program. That's what I use with couples for premarital counseling, but it was my first tiem using it in a group setting, and also the first time I'd used it with married couples. It ended up going really well though, and I spent the times when couples were off on their own, helping one of our youth, who had very graciously agreed to babysit. It was a really great time, and the weather cooperated so that coupels could really be out an enjoying Manidokan while they were talking. And together as a group, we had soem good sharing, and all done with a sense of humor--just a great mix of people!

Once that ended, youth began arriving for the lock-in at camp. In the end, we had a small group, but we just had a relaxing evening (well, aside from a few of us helping Chris clean up from dinner service, since the cook had gone home sick). We sat around a campfire and grilled hotdogs, made s'mores, and it was nice, I thought, to have some laid back time. We got to bed before too late, but Sunday morning came quickly, and I plowed through the two services only to head back to camp to help set up and be there for the annual Manidokan open house!

It was after 6 p.m. before Chris and I were done, though things all seemed to go well. We had 50 people or so out for the open house, and though it was chillier than Saturday had been, I think it went really well! We were very blessed, since the deaf camp is moving to Manidokan this year after a long stint at West River, that two of their interpreters were there for the open house. We had a good number of deaf campers and their families stop by, and it was fun to see all the kids' excitement looking around camp! I had a great talk with one of the translaters, and learned a lot about deaf culture and I am really looking forward to that week of camp!

One of the youth who came to the lock-in, Eric, wants to become a pastor, so he definitely got a view of how crazy things can be! Sunday morning, as we munched on little donuts and waited for the girls to get ready to head to church, I had my laptop out, finishing up the slides for the 9 a.m. worship service. I usually have those done Friday, Saturday at the very latest, but I just had NO time. And once we got to church, it was a busy rush getting things ready for the thousand little things that needed to be done.

One of the things I've been struggling with lately, both in my own life and in hearing the stories of others, is the unkind, often hurtful way that Christians speak to and about each other. Hearing about people who aren't very active Christians who find themselves working in specifically Christian settings should lead, it seems to me, to hearing of a life-changing experience in which a person feels drawn themselves to follow Jesus. In reality, too often these accounts end with that person being turned off, having seen how Christians, for some reason, treat each other in ways that do not testify to Jesus' love at all. Petty comments, sarcastic and manipulative ways, and controlling people seem too prevelent in the Christian community. Now, none of us are immune from those sorts of behaviors. After all, they all tie into the basic understanding of sin as a focus on self, being turned inward, and not towards God (and by connection, others). What gets me are the people who act in these ways but think the rest of us don't know what they're up to. Or that others who simply abide their behavior actually support it.

As a pastor, I find that you are a target for all the problems people have, especially at church , and sometimes even beyond! People give the pastor a lot of credit for what they're able to do, to the extent that they blame us for things that don't go how they want (because who cares whether anyone else in the church wanted it another way) or they expect us to read minds (like knowing when they're upset when they don't come to us, or knowing what they expect us to do, and hence, being upset when we don't do something they never asked us to anyway). No pastor got into ministry to upset people (well, I don't think so at least) and yet it is impossible to be all things to all people. And each pastor has different skills, and at any time in the life of a congregation, there are different issues that (a) are pressinging and (b) that particular pastor is actually able and equipped to address. It is certainly easier for people to sit back and expect someone else to fix a problem. Or blame someone when they don't get their way.

All that said, there are always amazing people who will step up and take part in making their little piece of the ministry thrive. And people who will just come and graciously but directly share their concerns with you. There are indeed people who recognize the position that pastors (or really any leader) are in, and they will do what they can to help. I think the challenge is not to let the difficult and unkind among us to dictate how we ourselves will act. The desire to push back at them with the same immaturity that they come at us with is strong, but too many people have been pushed out of leadership because of the meanest and pettiest among us.

May we all, in the model of Jesus, not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And may we all have the energy to make it through marathon weekends!

:-) Sarah