I'm Doug Dennis and I'm an Idiot!

The last two Mondays have been two that I would just as soon forget. Here is the account of the first Monday. The second Monday story will follow tomorrow. June 30th was moving day. What a day! As long as I can remember how tired and sore I felt the next morning I will never be tempted to move again. But my fatigue should have been expected and was the least significant event of this memorable day.

Being the person that I am, I had a plan for the day. Not much went according to the plan.
1st: I had reserved a U-Haul truck 3 weeks ahead and had checked with the dealer personally twice in the last four days before to insure that I would have a truck at 8:30 am. 8:30 am came and no truck! I had to go to the U-Haul center in Gastonia to get a truck and the packing started two hours late.
2nd: I thought I had Josh, Trey and two men from the church to help me pack. I had Trey and at least six men from the church to pack the truck (way to many to pack effectively).
3rd: I knew from multiple prior moves to turn the gas value off the grill before putting it on the truck but in our haste to finish forgot. I will come back to this detail later for this is the detail that makes this moving day memorable.
4th: I thought I had two friends planning on help Josh, Trey and I unload the truck in Archdale. Josh did arrive late but his car is having transmission trouble and he had no business driving to Archdale. So, Pam, Trey, Elizabeth and I made the trek toward Archdale with each of driving a vehicle. In route I learned that one of our two friends in Archdale would not be able to help but within five minutes got a call from a third friend and his wife were planning on helping us and the other original friend was bringing his son. PTL!!

Upon arrival in Archdale, I determined that I would need to angle the U-Haul truck up our steep driveway to keep the truck from bottoming out. It was during this angled climb that I think something moved inside the truck. Anyway, some how and some time near the end of the trip the gas control knob on the grill turned on and igniter switch was pressed so that the grill fire lit. When we opened the back door of the truck smoke came rolling out. I blistered my thumb getting the grill fire turned off but the damage had been done. Our coffee table that was close to the front of the grill had melted and warped. The freezer door that was against the back of the grill was severely blackened. Several plastic baskets near the grill were ruined. Soot was on everything near the back of the truck and a burnt plastic smell was in everything on the truck.

We spent several hours cleaning up that night and the next day. The smell is gradually lessening as we wash clothes, remove emptied boxes and the odor naturally dissipates. My loving wife was brought to tears as she reflected on what might have been (including the loss of all our belongings and maybe even my life).

Why did God allow me to forget to turn off the value to the gas tank on the grill? I had always remembered to do this on every other move! I am not sure but here are some possibilities:
1) To remind me that I need to be humbled from time to time. I now reference the title given to this story.
2) To remind everyone that He still is looking out for us, even when we do stupid things. This story could have had so much worse an ending.
3) To serve as a reminder of others to not make the same stupid mistake that I made, especially my children who will probably move many times in the future.
4) To help Pam and I to realize what the most important things are in our lives. Obviously it is not the “stuff”.
5) To serve as a powerful sermon illustration in my future ministry.
6) ??? (Only time will tell what other reasons God may have had!)

Transition Team Appreciation

Last night our congregation met for a pizza party and time to celebrate the work of the Transition Team. Everyone signed cards that were given to each team member along with a small monetary gift. I reminded the congregation of all the work that the team had done over the last year. The details of this work were listed in last week's blog.

But then the team turned the tables on me and surprised me with a unique gift. They had a lapel/tie pin especially made for me. It was shaped like a shield (of faith), had an image of a cross with a dove overlaid on the cross and the dove held an olive branch. In the very center of the pin a small diamond had also been set. There was a certificate of value included with the pin stating that the current retail value of the gold and diamond was almost $600. But, as they say, the pin is priceless to me. This is a special gift from a special group of people and I will cherish it for as long as I have my memory.

I concluded the service by telling the following story of a lady named Kiva. The story speaks for itself so here it is:

During our early days of my pastorate almost 4 years ago I told the story of Kiva. I told the story then as an example of how God can bring reconciliation and healing to broken relationships and revival to churches when people simply obey the Lord’s promptings. Let me briefly remind you again of this powerful story of obedience. Kiva was one of the prayer warriors of the church, her husband served on the church board, and both her children and grandchildren were very involved in the church.

But six years before I met Kiva a very hurtful event happened. Kiva’s son-in-law, who was also the church treasurer, had an affair with a lady who had also been raised in the church. This affair had gone on for quite some time even after repeated denials. This affair resulted in two divorces – both of key leadership couples in the church. The adulterous couple then got married and left the church.

Kiva was deeply hurt and offended at this wrong which her daughter had suffered. But Kiva had let the offense grow into a root of bitterness deep within. Over the course of my first two years as Kiva’s pastor I would from time to time preach on the core message of the gospel – forgiveness.

One day she told me that God had convicted her about her bitterness and that she had called the woman who had caused so much hurt to her daugther and asked her to forgive her of this bitterness toward her. I asked Kiva to pray about sharing this, in general terms, with the church when the Lord led her to do so.

A few weeks later she came to the platform as the congregation finished singing a song and turned to ask the congregation to forgive her for holding the church back for the last 8 years while she had carried this bitterness inside her. Her repentance, public confession, and obedience prompted a congregational revival. Over the next hour, others stood and made public repentance and private reconciliation. Many came to the altar for prayer. The church experienced a strong movement of God that lasted at least one full year after that Sunday morning.

In many ways our Unified Service last July reminded me of that Sunday morning. Some things were different – our service had been planned and prayed for; the other one was a spontaneous event. But in both God showed up and helped us to heal many past hurts.

I remind you of this story because there is a second chapter that I have not told you. This past February Kiva’s church had been instructed to prepare themselves for a scheduled revival. So, Kiva, now 85 years old, began to ask God to show her anything that she needed to repent of or make restitution for. God reminded Kiva of a very mean and vindictive letter she had written to her former son-in-law over 20 years ago. Though the man had terribly wronged her daughter, God told Kiva that she was wrong to say what she had said in her letter.

Within a week God opened a door of opportunity for Kiva to speak privately with her former son-in-law. She asked him if he remembered a letter she had written to him long ago. He said that he certainly did. Kiva asked for his forgiveness and he simply sat in silence. Still Kiva went home rejoicing because, once again, she had experienced the joy of obedience and the freedom that forgiveness provides.

A few days later Kiva received a call from her former son-in-law. He asked if he could drop by her house and she quickly said, “Yes”. When he arrived, he was holding an envelope. He had kept the letter for over 20 years and stated his desire, more than once, to use it against Kiva as an act of revenge. But now he turned to Kiva and asked if she would like for the two of them to burn it together. The two of them, along with Kiva’s husband, went to the fireplace. As the flames rose to consume the evidence of a by-gone hurt, the tears flowed down and God brought a measure of healing to a broken relationship.

Kiva found forgiveness for her wrong through an act of humble obedience. The next week God reminded Kiva of what her former son-in-law’s favorite dessert had been those many years before. So what did Kiva do? Into the kitchen she goes to make him a sugar cream pie. As she delivered it to his door, it became her token of the forgiveness that she had also granted him for the deep hurt he had brought into her life years ago.

I tell this story tonight to say that forgiveness is a process. Do not think that because we have completed a year of intentional interim ministry together that the work of God is completed in your life. Even if you took steps of reconciliation and forgiveness over the last few years God may remind you of further steps you need to take in the future. If He does, don’t dismiss His promptings because of your earlier obedience. Just keep obeying the Lord. If you do – God has greater things still in store for you and your church. I pray that you will see these greater things and find His favor in the future.

Transition Team Concludes Work

The Transition Team had their final meeting this past Sunday evening. This was the conclusion of a year of intense work together. This Sunday night our congregation will participate in a Transition Team Appreciation meal and service. These ten team members deserve every pat on the back and word of affirmation that they shall receive.

I will remind the congregation at this Team Appreciation event of how the Transition Team was formed. Last May the congregation made nominations for the Transition Team and from these nominations the church board selected team members so as to have a balance of age, gender, church tenure, morning worship service attended, and perspective on the most recent church conflict.

I will also share how the Transition Team has been:
* A group of maturing leaders respected for both their skills and temperament for group work
* Representative of the entire congregation with all of its diversity
* A strategy to communicate the message: this is the work of the congregation
* A model to the congregation of how diverse people can work together in community
* A new group with a new group life leading the church toward a new day of health and wholeness

Some interesting notes about the level of commitment of the team members are:
* Began with an Overnight Retreat
* Met 30 times as a full team
* Met numerous times in smaller working groups & committees
* Led Unified Worship Service
* Led 4 evening congregational meetings with a meal or snacks
* Conducted 3 Congregational Surveys & presented results

The five transitional tasks that the team led the church through with highlights from each task include:
1) Coming to Terms with History
Conducted Congregational Survey
Facilitated Small Group Discussions
Led Unified Service
2) Looking at Denominational Relations
Presented an Historical Overview
Hosted a Q & A Night with Asst. D.S.
Pastor gave a Series of Messages
3) Clarifying the Congregation’s Identity
Conducted Congregational Survey
Reviewed a Community Profile
Developed a Church Profile
4) Exam Leadership and Decision Making Concerns
Offered 3 Changes to LBA Elections
Wrote Job Descriptions for Ministry Groups and Directors
5) Embrace New Pastor and Future
Conducted Congregational Survey
Developed a Pastoral Profile
Pastor Presented Church 101 Materials

How Do the Methodist Charge Pastors Do It?

Two, three and even four church charges used to be very common in the United Methodist Church. Yesterday I gained a greater appreciation for these multi-church pastors. Here’s why!

Sunday morning I was in Asheboro, NC to be officially introduced to the congregation as their incoming Intentional Interim Pastor. I preached from Ezekiel 37 a sermon entitled: Graveyards Can Be Birthing Centers. My main point was: There is hope if we will admit that we need God’s help, believe that God can help us and do whatever He tells us to do. I met many good people Sunday morning and Saturday evening at a church cook-out; people who love the Lord and their church. I believe God helped us and the process of relationship building was begun that is needed for a vital trust between this congregation and myself.

After lunch with some of the Asheboro folk Pam and I drove back to Bessemer City, NC for a full evening at my current church. I chaired an open congregational forum discussing the future of the Future Facilities Fund that the church has. The congregation members will be completing a survey over the next two weeks. The intent is to find the current heart and mind of the congregation regarding this fund prior to the arrival of the new pastor. As soon as the open forum concluded I met with the Transition Team for our next to last meeting. We reviewed some ministry job descriptions that some of the working committees within the team had prepared. We discussed what we had learned about ourselves and our church over the last year. The 11 members of this team (including myself) have bonded so strongly over the last 12 months. It will be a year that none of us will ever forget!

I got home last night about 9 pm trying to process a long day of engaging in two different congregations; one that I have come to love dearly over the last four years and one that I will come to love just as much over the next two years. Like I said – I have a greater respect for those pastors who serve multiple congregations week in and week out.

Church Signs Everywhere Said the Same Thing

Sunday afternoon I drove about 4 hours to spend the night and Monday with my Mom. On the way we stopped and had a Mothers Day lunch with my wife and gave her a nice (I think) card. The thing that both my wife and I noticed was that every church we passed (must have been a hundred or more) all had the same type of message on their signs. They all said something like: Happy Mothers Day!!! Not one sign made mention of Pentecost Sunday.

So I can't help but think that the number of Christians who were reminded of one of the greatest days in Christian church history were very few. I like moms in general, love my mother and the mother of my children but I still keep asking which is more important: Mothers Day or Pentecost?

The good news is that Pentecost only has to compete with Mothers Day more than about once a century.

Your Answer Please!

Last Sunday, May 4th, as I gave the announcements to the congregation , without prior thought, I asked if anyone remembered what was special about next Sunday, May 11th. Several called out, "Mothers Day". I then asked if anyone remembered anything else special about it. No answers were given. I reminded everyone that it was also Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church and asked, "Which is more important - Mothers Day or Pentecost?"

Later in the day my mind went back to the question and God seemed to say to me, "Your answer please!" You see I had planned a Mothers Day message for May 11th. So, this week I have been prompted by the Lord, I believe, to change my sermon to focus on the Holy Spirit. I will be preaching from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and focus on what we are to do with our bodies since they are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I have been asking other preachers this week what their sermons are about this Sunday. So far they are all planning on preaching a Mothers Day message. I wonder if I am making to much of this tension between Mothers Day and Pentecost. We will still have a Mothers Day emphasis in the services (including a funny video in the 11 am service) but I feel that the proclamation of the Word should focus on the coming of the Holy Spirit.

My conviction is that since I only have 7 more Sunday morning messages in Bessemer City (next Sunday I will be preaching in Neighbors Grove Wesleyan) they all are taking on an added weight of importance to me. I guess I ought to have that sense of urgency every week. But let's get back to the point of this post - Mothers Day vs Pentecost.

So, what was the sermon Scripture and topic in your services on May 11th? I really would like to know. So, post a comment with your answer please!

The Next Appointment

After months of wondering and waiting for God to open a door of opportunity to serve another church as an intentional interim pastor I can now announce that I have agreed to serve the Neighbors Grove Wesleyan Church in Asheboro, NC as their intentional interim pastor for the next two years.

I will be going to the church under district appointment rather than by a local church call. Our denominational structure is such that probably many of the intentional interim assignments that I receive may be of this nature. The District Superintendent did have me meet with the Local Board of Administration to discuss this “arranged marriage”. After this meeting the board gave their endorsement to this decision. I was very frank and open with the board about what the intentional interim process would be like. The board members all agreed that the church needed to do something different to try to get the church back on the right course.

So what do I know about the Neighbors Grove church? I wouldn’t say everything I know but I will quote you part of what the District Superintendent said to the congregation on the morning of April 27^th.

“I have known this congregation for more than thirty years. It seems like every five to seven years this congregation goes through a cycle of self-destruction.

That has to stop. We are all weary. Asheboro is weary. The District is weary. You are weary. We are all weary of the abuse you heap upon each other in this place. I speak for the District Board of Administration, former district superintendents, the many pastors who have suffered through unkindness and mistreatment, those pastors’ wives and their children, and all the people who have been hurt in this place across the years. This has to stop.

We find ourselves once again in this ugly turmoil. The issues are different this time. Maybe the people are different this time. The pastor is different this time. But it feels the same. And the roots of the disruption are the same:

1) A pastor who does not live up to the expectations that people place on him.

2) People who will not give up control.

Two years ago, on Sunday evening, April 23, 2006, I met with you in a congregational meeting to try to resolve your conflicts. At that time you were given two options – that Pastor Larry Moore continue as pastor, or that the church ask for District intervention. You chose the first option. I informed you that we would go forward with your desire, but that when we come to the time to change pastors, there will be District intervention at that point.

I am here this morning to inform you what that intervention will look like. Although it has been unkindly and unfairly characterized as ‘the District taking over our church,’ you will see that it is a well-crafted plan to get us on the path to healing and health.”

The District Superintendent then laid out a four fold plan concluding with:

“The fourth and most critical piece of the plan is to appoint an Intentional Interim Pastor. This plan comes fully and overwhelmingly endorsed by your local board of administration. The appointed pastor will be Pastor Doug Dennis, a man who has a Wesleyan Methodist background, is trained in this specific strategic ministry, and has the heart for Neighbors Grove church that will be necessary for this plan to succeed. Pastor Doug will be with you on Sunday, May 18, to preach in the morning worship service, and to further explain the Intentional Interim Pastor concept.”

So, I have two more months of service at Bessemer City First Wesleyan. My last Sunday here will be June 29^th. I will then take 3 weeks of vacation and get moved to our new home in Archdale, NC. July 21^st will be my first day in the office at Neighbors Grove Wesleyan. Their Vacation Bible School is scheduled to start that night so I will spend each evening that week getting to know as many families as possible.

Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as I conclude our time at Bessemer City and make the transition to Neighbors Grove.