some times iam ashamed to be associated with churches
( I am not ashamed of christ )
just what isaw this evening was a corker and a kick in the teeth I am and have been a childrens worker within our fellowship for five years now
and what happened this eveing took the biscuit for somtime now the kids ministry has been under goig a lot of struggle due to lack of finances and staffing issues but weve held it together through thick and thin, so the leadership has been talking about chaging things alittle
( change is good f done properly )
so earlier this month ameeting was called for today
nothing was mentioned about the nature of the meeting
so the bomb shell was dropped the present kids ministry has been shut down with immediate effect
non of the childrens families know since we broke up for christmas last friday and for a lot of the kids this is the only thing they have that they can enjoy for a few hours each week and they're expectin to come back after the break and it aint going to happen
evenif the leadrrs had said at begginning of the month that they was shutting us down at least then we'd have had time to make necessary preparations
but to not even tell us staff was unfair and un-ethical
merry christmas yeah right
pardon my ranting
i posted this at abou 4am this morning
was still in shock
and am somewhat calmer now
Thy will be done O God, and not mine.
That's very sad. I pray that the Lord will comfort you and all the other helpers. Also that He will lead you forward into the new things he has for you, and give you hope for the future. For the children that He will console them and help them to adapt and give them new ways to keep close to Him.
I am reminded of something Edith Cavell said, before she was shot: "there must be no hatred or bitterness in my heart for anyone." It really helps to forgive those who hurt you, even if their thinking looks wrong to you.
God bless you and help you to grow in His will, and become even more beautiful to Him.
you are right of course Menorot
all this happened tuesday evening, emotions were high (that is to be expected) unfortunately things got out of hand somewhat, the meeting finished abruptly, and words were said afterwards by myself and others, comments that should never be made by any believer.
since that evening i have calmed down alot and spoken in private to the leaders asking for forgiveness for my own unrighteous words and actions
( i still have to speak to the Pastor ) and together we have (i and the church leaders ) talked about the near future plans for a New and Better Childrens Ministry
so all is not lost
but its effects has been two-fold, unfortunately the building was in use by another group, The Worship Team of which some of the youth are part of ( some of the youth grew up in Kids Club) so the news spread quickly with devastating effects, which has sent Shockwaves through the Youth Ministry as well, some of them have already decided to leave the church which is unfortunate
the other effect is that the rest of the team have decided to go it alone and try to restart the group outside of the church from another premises
( a knee-jerk reaction ) they are however still going to attend the Church in an attempt to "get one over on the leaders" which is an unhealthy and highly dangerous attitude
i on the other am backing the Church Leaders Decision and Future plans
for the reason that having spoken in some depth on the way Kids Club has been run and the atttitude taken towards it and some of the material being used to teach is wrong
so i am now getting the "cold-shoulder treatment" which bothers me a little, but i can take it
i am however still dissappointed with the way the meeting and the decision was handled. but considering the facts the reasons for the decision to shut it down are right and just. despite this it would'nt have made much difference whether we were told one month ago or a year ago, it would still have hurt
but my position is Crystal clear i stand with The Pastor, The Assistant Pastor and the Children and Youth Ministry's and i will continue to.
as for the Plans for the New Childrens Ministry im Going to Support it and if that decision puts me at odds with the rest of the team, former team mates " well, so be it"
I admire you for your nobility and faithfulness to your church leaders. It's a hard time to go through, and it sounds like a bad atmosphere among some people. I'm sure the Lord is teaching you lots of lessons right now, and that He will bless you for your willingness and humility.
These things take time. Similar things have happened to me, but as you get older you can look back and see how all things work together for good for those who love God, and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).
Sometimes it takes years for everything to come right, but when we look back we can see that it was all in His hands.
You feel that perhaps your leaders were misguided in the way they handled the situation. I pray that the Lord will help you to be more aware of what the mistakes were, and grow better leadership skills yourself. And another thing, you don't know what pressures the leaders themselves were under. Sorry if I sound like an agony aunt, but I have been there myself.
God bless you and keep you in His love.
I actually did not read this thread until I read your requestion to have it reamoved.
We had an almost identical thing happen in our Church about three years ago - I am not involved in childrens work in the church but I was involved 'on the sidelines' in fact probably instrumental in the changes that were made. Yes, there were hurt feelings and recriminations even.
After three subsequent changes we have now got things settled with an assistant to the Pastor, his wife, and two sons overseeing the whole childrens and young peoples ministry. We have increased over three years from about 40 youngsters to about 120 most of whom are previously unchurched. We also have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings and Sunday mornings dedicated to the children and young persons ministry.
I trust and pray you will allow God to work out the plan and purpose He has for your life. I personally, had a real struggle coming to terms with yeilding to God's plan and purpose for my life - it wasn't at all what I wanted - but it was well worth it - when I yielded to His Plan and Purpose not only did He reward and bless me abundantly - did something else - HE EMPOWERED ME! When that happens you KNOW you are slap bang in the centre of His plan and purpose for you.
DavidJ