Monday, September 25, 2006

My dearest God,

A series of events unfolded today that put a huge smile on my face. I did not know that God had anything special in mind when I went to the hospital to visit a lady who is recovering from surgery. But God had a wondrous plan.

Our church had approved opening our doors to a french-speaking black Haitian Church, scheduled to come to our worship service on October 1 to be introduced and to have prayer for their leaders. Following our worship they would hold their own service. It was mostly all signed, sealed and delivered.

But when I returned from the hospital, the pastor was waiting in my office. He told me that another church closer to where their congregation lives had also approved their facility request. On Sunday they had voted to covenant with that church rather than ours. He thanked me for our generosity and the way in which we had reached out to them in loving service. We shook hands, promised prayers for each other's ministry and he left.

And then I got in my brief case, searching for a telephone number I had saved from a couple weeks earlier. I made the call and a Hispanic woman answered. I told her I was the pastor of Bethel and that I had received her call but had not called back because her request was one that I could not answer affirmatively. She had called to ask if their Hispanic congregation could rent our building for worship and meetings. Obviously with another congregation using our building it would be impossible.

But I then went on to explain that unexpectedly the pastor of the other congregation had just stopped by to tell me of the change in their situation. Our church was now open. I heard this whoop on the line. I invited her to come over immediately to look at our site. She was so excited, she was nearly beside herself. When she arrived with her daughter, we simply walked into one another's arms as if each were greeting Christ himself.

I walked her through our facility, even taking the little girl onto the playground. When we finished our tour, she asked when the building would be ready for them to move in, in the event that we approved their request. I laughed and told her that my congregation was already expecting a new congregation to join us in worship the upcoming Sunday. "Of course, they will be looking for black french-speaking Haitians. If you wish I'd like you to participate in our worship and we will introduce you and your leaders. We will even have a prayer for your ministry with us." She smiled the broadest smile and said, "this is the miracle we've been praying for!" Then she repeated it again. "This is our miracle!"

She went on to tell me that they have loved the church where they had been worshipping. However, the rooms they had been given to use had proven to be too small for them. "People have had to stand since July. We started with 10 just seven months ago and by late summer we had 80 in worship. We knew we had to find a bigger space. But we called many, many churches and they either told us they could not accomodate us or didn't call back. We have received so many nos.

She continued. "Last Sunday I leaned over to the pastor and reminded him that there was nowhere to meet this coming Sunday since the church needed to use the space we were afforded. We need to tell the congregation. He told me that he was not going to tell them. He was praying for a miracle and believing God was going to give it. We did not announce it." "Today," she went on, "I was praying so hard and you called. You are our miracle!" Then we walked inside my office to call the Spanish-speaking pastor. She had already called him earlier to say I had invited her to our church and he confidently said even before she came to our facility to look it over, "I believe this is our miracle! I believe this is our miracle!" We set up a meeting for Tuesday morning.

She was beaming and so was her little girl who played in the bowl of angel cards. She told me that she had grown up in a United Methodist Church. She had met the Lord Jesus as she sang in the choir and played parts in dramas. Fondly she recalled attending church with her father and how grateful she was for the Methodists. Feeling the power of the Holy Spirit upon us, I asked if we could pray together. We took one another's hands, the woman, her child, and the Heavenly Father and I offered God our praise.

As she stood to leave, we both knew this was a work of the Holy Spirit. We knew God's hand had been in the situation from the beginning. We hugged once again as I talked of how this coming Sunday was World Communion Sunday and that there would be no better day to begin our union together than to commune together with the Lord's Supper. "Oh, we would love to do that!" She proudly said.

As she left the building I told her I would begin the process by calling our church council chair who would contact our leaders through e-mail. Since we had approved the usage of our church facility by another congregation, we would simply do everything through e-mail including a vote. I bid her goodbye as she promised to see me in the morning. We walked in separate directions each believing that God had been present with us.

Amazing God,
how sweet the sound!
Your astonishing ways
confound even the brightest and most astute.
We cannot begin to manipulate
what so easily unfolds out of your hands.
You have made us one body.
We prayed to be more diverse.
You have brought the French and Spanish.
Who knows who you will bring tomorrow.
Our trust in you grows ever deeper.
We have seen your face at Bethel.
For months we have known your surprising ways.
You have shaped and remoulded us.
We needed it.
And our joy is full.
Come, Holy Spirit,
be with us and among us.
We seek to love and serve.
May blessings be heaped upon you,
now and forever.

Love in your service, Andrea