Searching For Something New

I forgot how hard it is to find time to blog! It's even harder now that I have to fight Hayden for computer time. He just gave me a 2 minute warning...so I better think of something to say and FAST!

Right now I'm very sad. I just got my mail and was reading our church bulletin. It turns out that our minister who had recently taken 2 months leave to decided whether or not he was going to retire has decided to retire. It's very upsetting to me. You see, he didn't just hit retirement age and decide he was ready to spend his days on the golf course. He was single-handedly pushed out of our church. By a sour group of members who used to call themselves his friends.

Apparently this group decided that recently his views were too liberal for the United Methodist Church and they didn't stop pushing until he left. He had been the minister of our church for over 12 years. Which was a record for that church; before most ministers had moved on within 6 years.

I personally do not find his views too liberal. Nor apparently do many others as his entire staff has since left the church along with many many members. I'm in limbo. I just quit going during his time off and now that he has made his decision, I'm not sure what to do. I dont really want to stay there with those that were so cruel. But I dont really want to leave either. This is the church I grew up in. But for me, it was because of this minister that all my good memories were held there. That church is where I became a Christian. It's where I found some of my best friends. It's where I was married. It's where my oldest 2 children were baptized.

But do I stay there even though I'm uncomfortable with the people there now, just because the building holds those memories? It's going to be a bumpy ride. I mean there is no staff. There's no permanent minister. Or do I use this time to explore my options and maybe find a church that is more fitting to my families needs. Because obviously...the "liberal" in my old minister which I so agreed with will not be coming back into the church with whoever the new minister is. The people who made it their mission to push him out will not hear of it.

Its just so sad. He's gone. And I'm lost. Making a decision like this that will likely affect my whole family is exhausting! I have looked into our local Vineyard church. It's pretty appealing, but I dont know..there's a lot of hype behind it. Do any of you attend a Vineyard church? If you do...let me know your thoughts!