Lousy Preaching

I appreciate the president's letter in the [January] issue. Maybe the people would be more friendly if the pastors preached better. Church people get grouchy when they get starved from the pulpit.

Jim Norton

Via e-mail

To Judge, or Not?

That was an excellent piece by Mark Carr in the January 2005 edition. He points out that making judgments about moral issues, activities and behavior is not the same as being judgmental towards people. I believe that there is much confusion about this in society at large, as well as the church, to the point that things are ignored that should be dealt with in a clear, sound, Christ-like manner. It seems that we do not have a balanced attitude … we tend to err on the side of saying nothing when something ought to be said. We seem to be intimidated by our "politically correct" culture. It is also true, as Dr. Carr says in the first part of the article, that we should see the good in others as far as possible. Harsh criticism and gossip are destructive to church harmony and unity, but that does not relieve us of the responsibility of making sound sanctified judgments.

Larry Lyons

Orleans, Calif.

Reaching Out Goes Both Ways

In recent months we have had several letters from readers who seem to be lonely and estranged from their church families. Surely the Lord knows this kind of heartache only too well. There are things we need to do, too. For starters, read the excellent column by Pastor [Tom] Mostert in the January Recorder and follow through on these suggestions. Some of us are shy and hesitate to initiate a conversation in the church lobby after the morning service. We need to break out of our comfort zone and do it anyway. Put on your smile and … ask the Lord to send opportunities to you for friendliness and service. Enlist the cooperation of your family and take somebody home to Sabbath dinner. It works wonders for getting acquainted. Let us call the bluff of the enemy of our souls. Our church members do not intentionally forget us, but if we don’t show up on Sabbath, they could forget without meaning to do so.

Erma Landis

Camarillo, Calif.

People, A Precious Resource

Two recent pieces in the January issue of the Recorder stirred me to write this note; one a letter and the other an article from the Union president. I am a middle school teacher that has volunteered to assist two small churches as a lay pastor over the past year. During the last 12 months, I have been disappointed in what I have learned about the way our church is run. From my perspective, it seems too often to run as a business with no compassion toward its most precious resource — the people. When I read the letter, "Not Wanted?" I could clearly identify with his sorrow. His most poignant statement was the fact that the leadership does not know how it feels to be abandoned. I have a bit of an insight to both sides of the issue. On one hand, the conference leadership will say members must be involved in sustaining the church. Which is true. The members, on the other hand, say that the conference must take responsibility and show some interest in us. Which is also true. Mostert encourages us to make our churches visitor-friendly. I would add that we need to also make them member-friendly.

Donald Ramey

Tulare, Calif.