church

Last night Dave and I drove over the mountain to have dinner in Harrisonburg.  Thirty-eight miles might seem like a long way to go on a Wednesday night just for dinner, but for us it wasn’t as much about eating as it was supporting a friend and fellow Cursillista.

Several weeks ago our friend Jean found herself unemployed following a seriously questionable series of events.  A gifted musician, she had worked as music minister in her parish for fifteen years and was deeply loved by the community.  But, as anyone who has actually been employed by a church knows, a parish work environment is not always heavenly or even close to being a epitome of Christian virtue.  Many times they are anything but which results in individuals feeling a need to seek greener pastures to “avoid the near occasion of sin.”

So it was with Jean.  As much as she loved her community, she felt the need for change and applied for a job at another parish.  She was offered and accepted a new job.  But after informing her pastor she would be leaving, the job offer was rescinded.  When she called to find out the reason, she was told her current pastor had reached out to the new one and whatever he said, convinced him she would not be a good fit for his parish.  And, to put a cherry on the top of this sundae, when she went to her pastor to let him know she wouldn’t be leaving after all, he handed her a letter accepting her resignation.  So, the course of one week, Jean was hired, not hired and fired leaving her unemployed .

This could be the end of a very sad story, but in reality, but the real story lies in how her community of friends has lifted her up both in prayer and financial support.  A “Go Fund Me” page was started on her behalf and enough money was raised to prevent her from loosing her house and keep her going.

Last week we had dinner together and she shared how overwhelming it was to be carried by those who love her and how all the potential snags on her horizon seem to be falling to the side; her house has sold and she has secured a new place to live and she is receiving encouraging signs that she will soon be employed full-time.   The Spirit is alive in her and around her, and she will thrive.

So yeah, driving thirty-eight miles to eat a seriously good Italian meal and listen to my friend tickle the ivories seemed like a little thing to do to show a friend how much she means to us.  And we weren’t alone, in fact the dining room was full of friends and Cursillistas, all doing the same thing.

There is nothing any of us can do to take away the sting of injustice she has suffered at the hands of the institutional church but we, the real church can salve her wounds and help her back onto her feet.

I snapped this photo in the parking lot as we headed to our car.  There will always be storms in our lives, but the rainbow is a reminder of God’s promise that even when our world seems to be destroyed, there will always be new life.  DeColores my friend!