THE ANSWER MAN

“And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. (Luke 12:11-12)

I guess I just never expected to find myself in the position of looking for a full-time secular job, but with the closing of First Assembly of God of Framingham and with the Assemblies of God hierarchy’s reluctance for me to go right into a pastorate or associate pastorate until I’ve had “time to heal”, that’s where I’ve found myself. When you’ve been in full-time ministry for over 28 years and pretty much been your own boss for 23 years, that’s quite a culture shock. In looking at the jobs that are “out there”, there are not too many I’m qualified for.

I DO have a job pending, however. It’s a job at a local telephone answering service company. Listen, I have a whole new respect for people who do that job! I guess I used to think, “Well, ANYBODY can answer the phone!” That’s true. But working at a telephone answering service is a whole lot more than just answering the phone. In order to qualify to even be trained for the job, I had to pass a computer test. No joke- that test was HARD! There were several parts of the test and initially I did not pass one part of it. I was able to do a retake of the part I failed, and I’m pleased to say I brought my grade up from a 58 to an 82!

Today, I spent two hours in training for the job, and I’m scheduled to go in there at 8 a.m. Tuesday to continue my training. I also had to read their policy handbook this afternoon. Today, I sat in on actual calls with my trainer. Over 90% of the calls are to doctor’s offices, clinics, or hospitals. Many close down their offices during lunch hour and I can attest that between 12 and 1 the calls poured in. Some offices and clinics were closed due to flooding and that brought in calls. There are many different categories of HOW you answer a call and how you respond to it. In some cases, you record the messages and the doctor’s offices calls in for them. In other cases, you FAX the messages, or send a page to the doctor. Some clients have their account marked “DO NOT TAKE A MESSAGE!” They just want the answering service operator to tell the caller to call back. Of course, in the event that somebody’s kid is choking to death or something, they’d want to call 911!

The answering service operators need to be very calm and very professional. One caller was frustrated that she’d been calling and calling a doctor’s office and was unable to get through to book an appointment. My trainer just had to remain calm and relay the information on her computer screen.

I also learned that this answering service has HIGH standards of cleanliness and that there’s a whole cleaning procedure you do when you’re done with your shift.
A 55-year-old learns a whole lot slower than does an 18-year-old so this is challenging for me. I hope I’m able to learn all that I need to learn and that I will be able to do this job properly and professionally.

I have a whole new respect for people who answer the phone!

CLEANING UP AFTER A DEATH

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,
and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;” (Psalm 113:7)

“He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,” (Psalm 113:7 New King James Version)

When I say, “Cleaning Up After a Death”, I DON’T mean cleaning up blood at a crime scene or at a “death from natural causes” scene for that matter. I’m not talking about cleaning a dead body, although I know people have to do that. I mean going through people’s effects after they die and trying to sort things out and make “heads or tails” of all sorts of “stuff”. Each of my parents died in 2000 and each of them were pack rats. They threw almost nothing out. My sister and I spent over 7 years on Saturdays going through their things.

It was hard. I’d go over to Canton. I’d spend about 2-4 hours on the project. That was the most I could do in a day. I’d usually leave with a couple of bags full of trash and a cardboard box of things I wanted to keep. Imagine doing that most Saturdays between the spring of 2001 and the fall of 2008. We did. It could get quite emotional. There were SOME things we just could not bring ourselves to throw out. So my sister got three big plastic Rubbermaid containers...one for my late brother Eddie, one for my Dad and one for my Mom. The things we just COULDN’T bring ourselves to throw out or give away and are in those containers in my sister’s attic.

My wife has been asking me to “pack up” my office. A friend of mine who pastored a church in suburban St. Louis, Missouri which struggled and ultimately closed has said it’s like the death of a child. He says I will go through a difficult grieving process. He’s right. I just haven’t wanted to pack up my office although I know it has to be done. One reason I haven’t wanted to pack up my office is that there is nowhere to put the stuff! Some of my immediate family are pack rats. Our residence is FULL of stuff. We frankly need to get rid of at least 25% of the things at our home and there’s no room to add anything else. Another reason is that it reminds me of the death of this church- First Assembly of God of Framingham. As much as colleagues tell me I’m not a failure, walking into that place sure makes you feel that way. I used to get annoyed that the phone would “ring off the hook” with all sorts of calls. Now, the phone is disconnected so it never rings. I used to like to pop onto the internet as a diversion at the office. Now the high speed internet is turned off. There is NO internet to access.

Today, I decided to start working on the office. No I have not started packing up yet. I decided to go through my office shelves, and my files and desk drawers and throw out anything I really don’t want to save. It reminded me SO much of what I used to do with going through my parents’ effects. I forgot that I had some photos of my late brother and my father in one of my desk drawers. There were also candid photos of many church people mostly dating from the late 1990s. There were photos of my kids from the mid 1990s. There were photos of my “walkathon” from 1996. Some people will want to kill me but I got so choked up by seeing the walkathon photos that I threw them out. That was also true of some of the church people photos. I DID save photos of my brother and father. Our church dumpster is just about full and it’s being removed on Wednesday. I think removing it is insane but that wasn’t my call. I did fill several bags of trash just from my office. I took one bag home and will put it out with my family trash this week. I jammed the others into the dumpster.

I know that if my family goes into my office they’ll say, “You haven’t done ANYTHING in here!” It LOOKS like that, but I’ve gone through a lot of stuff and thrown out a lot of stuff. I know I could have and should have thrown out even more. I’m sure there’ll be a 2nd and 3rd time going through the office and more and more things sorted out and thrown out. THEN I will be ready to start packing my books, photos, plaques and other things into boxes.

Mary Ann is saying we may need to rent a storage site for now to put things like that in. I have a file cabinet in my office which I “go into” constantly. It’s very important to me, but there’s no room for it at my residence.

I just never figured on the church closing. I thought some day I’d get a different pastorate or ministry position and just be moving all these things to a new office. As it is, my library is only about HALF the size of a typical 55-year-old Assemblies of God minister’s library. And, my paraphernalia is less that half of what you’d find for most clergy. My office is VERY small....one of the smallest pastor’s offices you’d ever see. Even so, this is going to be a big job and an emotional job.

It’s tough cleaning up after a death.

DOWNTOWN FRAMINGHAM MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES ?!

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matthew 7:6 New King James Version)

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14 New King James Version)

I start with those verses because this piece will surely cause a lot of misunderstanding. Some people who read this will conclude that I’m mentally ill and in need of psychiatric intervention. Others will be a bit less critical but will wrongly believe I’m opposed to the selling of First Assembly of God of Framingham’s 32 South Street, Framingham property, OR that I do not want to see it sell at fair market value. (None of that is true!)

For those of you to whom this piece will make absolutely no sense, please keep in mind that John the Baptist of the First Century was eccentric and weird. He wore camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey. He went out into the WILDERNESS proclaiming the coming of Messiah; and he said some very offensive things in his preaching. Despite his weirdness, he had an important and special calling from God, and through this “different” prophet of God, a mighty work was done.

My friend D.C.M. used to constantly proclaim from the Book of Amos, “I’m not a prophet nor the son of a prophet”. Well, in the eyes of THIS world, I am quite an unsuccessful guy, and an inconsistent guy, yet frankly God has used me as a prophet several times. After my last few blog postings about First Assembly of God of Framingham having its last service and closing I had determined that I’ve beaten that topic to death and that I’d give it a rest. BUT, after reading the main headline in this morning’s (March 10, 2010) MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, MA), this is a piece that HAS to be written!

Please check out: ‘FRAMINGHAM COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER SCRAPS $24 MILLION EXPANSION PLAN’ at

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/highlight/x497924650/Framingham-Community-Health-Center-scraps-24M-expansion-plan

This will be a LONG read but please stick with me ‘cause it’s truly worth reading this STORY!

In 2004, Great Brook Valley Health Care purchased the property at 380 Waverley Street (corner Waverley and South Sts.) in downtown Framingham. It borders our 32 South Street First Assembly of God of Framingham church property. Their plan was to build the “Framingham Community Health Center” there.

Almost from the beginning, the health center began pressuring us for use of our parking lot. The director at that time (who is now long gone) was very pushy. She left a very bad taste with us. I began receiving phone calls, e-mails, and visits from all sorts of key people from various Framingham human services agencies and from some local politicians. There was enormous pressure to use our lot. I don’t know how many times I said “NO”. At one point I met with several Framingham leaders and several of our church leaders and again we said, “NO”.

The health center took their project before the Framingham Planning Board and there was session after session about this project. My poor bored family had to endure me watching numerous Planning Board meetings about this project on cable TV. Finally, in 2006, the Planning Board voted “NO” to the project. Great Brook Valley charged they were treated improperly and were victims of discrimination and actually took the matter to court.

Going back at least to 2005, I began to be strongly led of the Holy Spirit to PRAY AGAINST this project. I have nothing against the Framingham Community Health Center. They currently meet in rental facilities in downtown Framingham; BUT in my spirit, the Lord witnessed to me that this SITE was wrong and this PLAN was wrong. God showed me our church was to have the 380 Waverely Street property and that there was to be a great church and ministry center on the sites of the proposed health center and the church property. Admittedly that seemed absurd. The health center had paid over a million dollars for that property. We couldn’t even afford to buy toilet paper. We were barely afloat. Our church was seriously “under resourced” as Chicago’s Bill Hybels would say. Yet, I kept praying against the health center being built on the 380 Waverley Street property. AND, I kept declaring OUT LOUD that “only the Word of God and the Will of God and the Plan of God and the Glory of God” be done on that piece of property. I would walk by the lot and pray that out loud. I would stand in our church’s parking lot and face the health center property and declare that right out loud.

A couple of times, the health center made offers to buy our property. Some of our church leaders thought it would be a good idea to sell to them. Some of them thought it would be a bad idea. At one point, I spoke pretty strongly to one of the representatives of the health center and really “put the kibosh” on them buying our property. Several of our church’s leaders, including my wife, were furious about this. I have paid dearly in relationships and respect for my actions. But I’d do it again! I’d stake my LIFE on this one, and in many respects I already have!

In March of 2008 the court found in favor of the health center. The matter went before the Framingham Planning Board. Once again, I continued praying against it and praying my declaration prayer about the 2 properties. In May of 2008, the project was approved. Initially, I felt like a fool, but (many of you won’t understabd this) God told me to KEEP up my prayers and declarations. He told me the project would NOT be built and that the Town’s approval meant absolutely nothing. So, I kept up my prayers and declarations.

I will admit that maybe my faith was weak. I was keeping up the prayers and declarations but the reality was that the Town had approved construction. I kept looking for them to break ground and start building. It never happened. Never.
They never built. A project they’d fought SO hard for and pushed so hard for. They never built.

Last spring the lot at South and Waverley was a mess- covered with growth. God told me to complain; to go to the Town and really make a big issue about it. I did. This also cost me dearly with several folks at our church, and I took some serious criticism and disrespect from them, but I was following God. I went and spoke before the Board of Selectmen. It was all on cable TV. The Town made a big issue of it, and the health center owners were forced to clean up the property.

About 6 weeks ago, I was walking along South Street. I hadn’t spoken out my prayer and declarations for several months. God spoke SO clearly to me that day- almost an audible voice. “Bob, you need to go back to your prayers and declarations about the 380 Waverlet Street property. Trust me. That health center will NOT be built. I have a higher purpose for that property.”

At least twice, shortly after that, I DID go out on the stoop at our church building’s back door and OUT LOUD speak my prayers and declarations about the property at 380 Waverely.

Many of you know that on February 21 I was informed by the Southern New England District of the Assemblies of God that our church would be shut down in the very near future. March 7 was the last day. I am no longer pastor there and thus no longer drawing a salary there. The District is selling the 32 South Street property.

For a guy who had the above experiences, that news was like opening up a treasure chest and finding out it was filled with old animal feces.

That’s why I was so jolted when I read today’s headline.

Listen, there are churches and ministries that have access to multi-millionaire donors and also have access to skilled grant writers and grant money.

At this point, First Assembly of God of Framingham is closed and the Southern New England District is selling the property.

I can’t help but wonder if there’s some ministry with access to the kind of funding I’m talking about that wouldn’t want to investigage purchasing the 32 South St. property and then also investigate purchasing the 380 Waverley St. property.

That 380 Waverley Street property is PRIME downtown Framingham frontage. We never had the resources or the workers...not really...but for some church or parachurch group that’s able...there is the potential for a dymanic urban ministry center at these locations. There is the potential for something like a “mini dream center” here. There is the potential for large, successful suburban church to set up an urban ministry satellite church here.

Let’s not drop the ball, here. Whatever happens to me, per se, is not so much the issue. The issue is the prophetic word I’m praying and speaking...the prime real estate here, the urban ministry needed, the prime opportunity...the opportunity for Believers with “big bucks” to make a big investment for eternity.

There could be some mighty downtown Framingham ministry opportunities.
Spread the word. Pray pray pray...

CLAIRE

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; ... The elder women as mothers; ...” (from I Timothy 5:1-2)

There are SO many ramifications of a church closing. Most of you know that First Assembly of God of Framingham where I pastored for over 23 years held its last service this past Sunday. The corporation will remain open...probably for at least a year. The worship services, classes, and all the “religious life” of the church are pretty much over. People speak of the church as a “family”. That’s particularly true of a small church. In a church of under 30, there is a STRONG sense of family. There is a HUGE sense of loss when such a church closes.

I’ve been told “People are resilient...even elderly people are resilient...they’ll find other churches”. In some cases, I’m sure that’s true. But let me tell you about CLAIRE.

That’s her real name. Claire is 81-years-old. Claire is an AMAZING person. Claire is one of the finest people I have ever known. I first met Claire in late 1986. She was the Church Secretary at First Assembly of God of Framingham. That did NOT mean she had a paid position or that she took shorthand or anything like that. Claire was the elected Secretary of the Corporation; (sometimes called a “Clerk” in certain Protestant churches) and she also came into the church office several times a week to check the mail, put out a newsletter, keep up records, and just plan do all sorts of things. Claire was the person I dealt with when the church was looking to hire a pastor in late 1986 and Claire was the person who helped me get settled in and pretty much gave me the “low down” on the church and its workings in early 1987.

At the time I came, Claire was in her late fifties. To my surprise, she had only been a “born-again Christian” for 5 years and she had been the Church Secretary a little over 4 years. I was also surprised that she’d been a devout Catholic from birth to her fifties and had been “led to the Lord” by her young adult children. My own experience with Catholics born in the 1920s is that most had no interest in being “led to the Lord” in Pentecostal fashion, and certainly not by their baby-boomer offspring! THIS was a very different lady!

I learned that Claire’s husband Jack was not a born-again Christian nor a church goer, but rather a “lapsed Catholic”. I also learned that Jack was an M.I.T. graduate and a very intelligent man. Claire described Jack to me as a man who “has all the fruits of the Holy Spirit without the Holy Spirit”. I was kind of taken back when she told me that and I tried to tell her that’s theologically impossible. But when I met Jack, I understood. Jack is one of the most pleasant, kind, generous, gracious men I have ever known. Everybody at church just kind of wished he’d put a Bible under his arm, come to church, and become a guy who had “all the fruit of the Holy Spirit WITH the infilling of the Holy Spirit” but to date, that has never happened.

I have a very, very close relationship with Claire. Truthfully, she reminds me VERY much of my late maternal grandmother, Mary MacDonald Richard. My grandmother almost never raised her voice or got cross in any way. She was kind, and cheerful. My grandmother was around 3 inches taller than Claire (Claire’s REALLY short) and probably weighed 60 pounds more than Claire, but in the FACE and in the whole attitude and persona, they’re SO much alike! I LOVED to go over my grandmother’s as a kid. Having Claire in the office was like going over my grandmother’s every day!

Claire loved her church. Claire believed that when you joined a church, you committed yourself to it NO MATTER WHAT! Today people say, “People will NOT come to a church if it’s in such-and-such a neighborhood, if it’s small, if it doesn’t have all the modern amenities,” etc. NOT Claire. If Claire’s church met in the worst “...hood” in the area, had an absolute DUMP for a building, and didn’t even have running water...she’d be there every Sunday and every midweek service WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE! No kidding! Anything I needed done... Claire did it. ANYTHING.

As she was getting older and older it was getting harder and harder for her to do things, but she would insist on vacuuming the whole building, mopping floors, filling towel dispensers, running off bulletins, and all sorts of other stuff. Claire and Jack are of modest financial means, but if you looked at Claire’s giving records you’d THINK she was “loaded”! Many years ago when we were in rental facilities, we had to come up with a security deposit, and a first and last month’s rent in order to rent a church office in a modern professional building. Claire took her FAMILY’S “emergency money” and used it for that purpose. When we moved out almost 4 years later, the professional building’s management were not happy with us because we did damage to sheetrock walls, etc. We did not get our security deposit back. Claire did not care. Another time at our present building, a large plate glass window shattered. Claire brought in $500 and told me to have the window replaced. There are at least 30 more stories like that. Claire used to say, “Jack is SO good. No matter HOW MUCH money I give to the church, he never complains.”

Claire needs a hip replacement badly, but she has other complications. She walks with a cane, now with difficulty. This is very hard for me to write, but Claire is slipping a tad mentally. I think of my Dad who had Alzheimer’s Disease. Claire has a long way to go to be as bad off as he was; but there are episodes of definite forgetfulness and confusion. Usually those episodes are not TOO bad; but once in awhile, they CAN be. Claire’s hearing has also deteriorated quite a bit over the past ten years. She wears a hearing aid, but it doesn’t seem to help very much any more. And her voice is getting weak and faint.

Again, this is a woman who has given her all...tirelessly...for 28 years....to First Assembly of God of Framingham. Claire officially stepped down as Church Secretary in February of 2009. Even so, she’s still been at the church building at least 2 weekday mornings every week. “Bill”, a longtime Board member recently observed, “This is Claire’s PURPOSE. If Claire’s purpose is taken away...” and he added the consequences could be dire. My daughter Amy told me that Sunday it was so hard for her to talk to Claire without falling apart emotionally. “Claire’s eyes were full of tears,” observed Amy, “and she kept saying over and over... ‘I’m going to miss my little desk’.”

Claire called me yesterday, wanting to go to the church building by herself and take some of her personal belongings out of the building. (Yes, she’s STILL driving; I’m not sure she should be.) I feel bad, but I kind of spoke sternly to her and said, “Look, I’m NOT in charge there any more. Whatever you do, DON’T go in there by yourself!” I did tell her I’d try to make time to go in there with her sometime this week.

Claire’s not going to find another church. Not with forgetfulness and confusion, needing a hip replacement, a major hearing loss, and a faltering weak voice. During the entire tenure of my pastorate, no one supported me more...no own worked harder...gave more, etc. Incidentally, during the years, there were those families and individuals who would sometimes ANGRILY leave the church. Some of them made a point to let it be known what they thought of me- and it wasn’t much. What they DIDN’T realize is how hurt Claire was when they’d say things like that and leave. Every time someone left the church with a bad attitude, it was as though Claire went through Jesus’ scourging.

I must say, it pained me to see that. She kept in all very quiet, but sometimes she did tell ME about it. Numerous people have deeply hurt Claire over the past 23 years. I will admit, I used to “stew” about that and I really had to wrestle with God about it. I would think, “If they want to hate me and be nasty to me and leave the church, FINE, but WHY cause disappointment, pain, and heartache for Claire?!”

No, Claire’s not going to find another church. She gave and gave and gave... She sacrificed. Everybody else came first. She loved and she served, and loved, and served, and loved, and served, and worked.

What has happened to Claire...the loss of her church...no matter what the church financial picture was, or the low attendance, or my own leadership failures or anything else...

it just doesn’t seem right.

"DON'T YOU FEEL RELIEVED ??!!"

“He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.” (Proverbs 27:14)

On Saturday, someone called me and asked me how I’m feeling (regarding the church closing, not having a job, etc.). All I could answer is “surreal”. I think it’s going to be a long time before I can really put together an objective/balanced commentary on what has transpired in my life and in the life of the church I pastored over the past year and especially over the past couple of months. I was continously employed as a church associate pastor and then as a “solo” pastor for 28 and a half years. That’s a lifetime.

The GREATEST part of my week was Sunday morning! I loved teaching my Sunday School class and I especially loved “being in the pulpit”. A lot of folks will not understand this, but I have the personality and temperament of a performer. Two of my kids, Jon and Rachel, have this SAME personality. The late radio and stage personality Larry Glick had it. My uncle J.P. Keddy was a personal friend of Larry Glick’s. He told me Larry Glick was actually a very shy person. I brushed by Larry Glick one time in “Islington Center” on Route 1A in Westwood, MA. I was going into the post office and Larry Glick was just coming out. I recognized him from having seen photos, and had seen his car, a black Cadillac with the license plate N 777 parked out in front of the post office. Larry looked quite retiring and almost timid as he walked by me and got into the Cadillac. It was hard to believe this was the guy who made people in 38 states and 10 Canadian provinces laugh every night on WBZ radio Boston. It was hard to believe this was the charismatic stage hypnotist. I’ve ALSO heard Rush Limbaugh is a shy person off the mike and off the stage.

My son and daughter can be almost painfully shy- yet once they walk on stage, they “OWN” the stage and the audience loves them. I know, I know. Ministry isn’t supposed to be “performing”. It’s ministry. I know. Although, having met and seen healing evangelist Benny Hinn up close and personal (I really HAVE) you can’t tell me he doesn’t “PERFORM”. Listen, he DOES! Losing that Sunday public speaking time is frankly very tough. There was also the identity of being “Pastor Bob Baril”. I have had that title for over 28 years. Today, as one woman left the building, she said, “Well, NOW I’ll call you ‘BROTHER BOB BARIL’!”.

“Yeah, I guess you will,” I replied. I kind of didn’t know what to say.

Today someone also asked me if I have a business card. I realized my business cards all have the church address and phone number...so I guess I DON’T have a business card.

Finally, several people have said to me, “You must feel SO relieved that it’s over...that the church is closed...that you don’t have to carry that burden anymore!”

Well, to use a Richard Nixon type of phrase, “Let me just say THIS”: I still have keys to the church building. I was told by my ecclesiastical superiors that since they are letting me live in the parsonage for at least 6 months, I shouldn’t mind getting the mail at the post office, checking in on the church building several times a week, etc. So, I used to be at the head and now I’m the tail. I wonder, if the building gets sprayed with graffiti or the windows get smashed out...who’s gonna take responsibility for that?

When I go to the church building....am I trespassing? Am I the leader? Am I the custodian? Am I an interloper? who and what am I?

And, yes, now in a sense I feel like an interloper and moocher living at the residence for the pastor of a church that doesn’t exist any more...or DOES it?

The corporation still exists.

So, I gotta be honest:

Maybe I’ll feel a lot differently in months to come, but right now I don’t feel relieved. I don’t feel one bit relieved.

Would you?

BEAUTIFUL WORDS

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)

This is a very, very difficult time in my life. However, in the midst of this difficult time, I've been receiving very kind notes, phone calls and e-mails.

The following is the text of an e-mail I received from a female local church pastor here in MetroWest. She intended this for me and not for publication, so I'm going to leave off her name and her church's name,but I was so blessed I wanted to share it with you.

Here it is:

"Bob, I was so sorry to hear about the closure of your church. What a painful, heart-wrenching time, for you and for the folks whose lives have been changed at that church. In the midst of all the grief and complication, I hope you are able to look back on your ministry there and see how many lives you have touched, how you have created space for the Spirit to move and heal and transform lives and communities. You have certainly made a tremendous impact on the town of Framingham, and on the Interfaith Clergy.

I will always treasure your willingness to be who you are and also respect who other people are--and to honor the different ways we live out our faith. You have done so much to break down stereotypes and barriers--that is a huge gift. And your dramatic presentations of biblical characters at Good Friday are unparalleled.

You are a very gifted person, and I trust you will find a new avenue for your ministry; I know that along the way it is very difficult to trust that.

I plan to be there on Sunday afternoon.

Can a group of us take you out to lunch to celebrate your ministry sometime soon?

Peace, (....her name....)"

I wrote back that I do hope we can arrange a lunch with many of our colleagues sometime soon.

ALL THINGS MUST PASS

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version)

“All Things Must Pass” is a song that was written and sung by George Harrison of The Beatles. I guess it’s a fitting title for this piece.

The decision has been made by the local Assemblies of God hierarchy to close First Assembly of God of Framingham. My wife, kids, and I came to Framingham to pastor over 23 years ago. This is a surreal experience for me, for our family, as well as for our church congregation. I’m not writing with any animosity toward the Assemblies of God hierarchy. My “denominational” leaders have been pleasant, fair, and gracious to me and my family during these very difficult days.

The final decision to close the church in Framingham was made recently. Mary Ann and I were informed about it a little over a week ago. Yesterday, at our church’s Annual Business Meeting, Rev. Bill Button from the District Office in Charlton, Mass. came and told the church of the decision to close its doors. I also read my resignation letter; resigning as pastor.

First Assembly of God of Framingham has been small for many years and very small for the past few years. Church finances have been at the crisis stage for at least a year. That’s been very stressful for my wife (Our Church’s Treasurer) and for me as the Pastor. Despite our church’s decreased size, we have touched the lives of a number of people, not only at our church, but also throughout the Framingham and MetroWest communities.

The largest percentage of our regular attenders are over age 60 and many of our regular attenders are disabled in one way or another. Most of our church’s people are going to need quite a bit of pastoral care and spiritual and emotional support over the weeks and months to come. That greatly concerns me.

Our church building’s doors are soon to close, but they’re still open for a few more days.

This coming Sunday, March 7, 2010, will be the final Sunday at First Assembly of God of Framingham. As always, we’ll have Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. and the Morning Worship Service at 10:30 a.m. And, as always, visitors are welcome; although this service is especially meant as a time for present and past members and attenders of our church to heal and get some “closure”.

We do have a PRIVATE dinner for our church family at 12:30 p.m. Part of the reason it will be private is that we have a limited amount of food being brought in from a caterer and cannot accommodate “extras”. But in addition, this dinner will be a time for the church family to come together and remember many good times and some not-so-good times; to support each other, and to laugh and cry together.

I hope this next part will not sound too much like like announcing “calling hours” at a funeral home, but after the church dinner, from approximately 1:30 p.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. (and MAYBE a little bit longer) I’ll be present at our church building to have coffee with any of my clergy friends and personal friends who want to stop by for a little while, say hello, and enjoy coffee and socializing with me. Even my blog readers who have never met me in person are welcome to drop by on Sunday afternoon for coffee and “meet & greet”! We’ll just keep making pots of coffee as long as we need to!

First Assembly of God of Framingham is located at 32 South Street (corner South and Taylor Sts.) in downtown Framingham. We’re right off Route 135 and our property borders that of the Chicken Bone Restaurant. We’ve got a parking lot which is accessed off Taylor St.

Incidentally, for those who know my daughter Amy (who is a nurse, married, and lives in Missouri), she will be present on Sunday and I’m sure she’d also love to see some of her MetroWest friends!

Finally, my resignation letter is a matter of public record. If anybody wants a copy of it, just send me an e-mail requesting it to

revrbaril@aol.com

I’ll be happy to e-mail you a copy.

God bless you.

P.S.- It looks as though I may not be working in full-time ministry for quite awhile. As of Monday, March 8, I am unemployed. I need some sort of secular employment ASAP. Any leads or info. would be much appreciated!