It is finished...almost

Today was the day that ministry at Sexton Chapel United Methodist Church came to an end. It was the final worship service after more than 100 years of services. To say that today was surreal would be an understatement.

We had 20 people in attendance at this final worship service. You would think that with a membership of only 17, that that would be a good showing...actually, it was heartbreaking. Of the 20 people that were able to make it, only 5 were current members of Sexton Chapel. A couple of our regular visitors were home recovering from hospital visits and a couple of our members and regular attenders were at home sick. There are also several that are now residents of nursing homes that were unable to attend. Two of the people present included myself and my DS. All of our other visitors have been present at the church at one time or another attending worship services, Bible studies, or special events.

There was one family that had 2 church members present from the same family and they brought 5 other family members with them from their extended family. That says a lot to me about the importance of this church to that family. At least four generations of this family had been affiliated with this church during my time here; and this morning 3 generations were present in worship. This family had experienced baptisms, weddings, and funerals of loved ones through multiple generations. There was much solemness in these folks.

I have to admit that I was reluctant to preach this service. I tried to talk the DS into preaching at it, but he said that I should do it. So I did. I utilized the text out of Ecclesiastes 8:1-15 and John 12:23-26 as the basis of my sermon. I thought it was appropriate to end our time together by beginning our morning teaching with the same text that helped shape our decision making process. I did my very best to present the gospel and to have the focus point towards the resurrection. It was probably not the worst sermon I have ever preached, but it definitely wasn't the best. It was, however, among the top three most difficult sermons I have had to give during my time in pastoral ministry.

At the end of the service, the DS came up and shared some words of experience and re-enforced the thoughts of resurrection and how when we go to our new church(es) we have the opportunity to grow and be a blessing because of what we have been through together here.

He then gave the declaration of purpose and the declaration of deconsecration. Here are the words that were spoken:

Declaration of Purpose
"The time has come for this congregation of Christ's holy Church, under God's leadership, to disband and take leave of this building. It has been consecrated for the ministry of God's Holy Word and Sacraments. It has provided refuge and comfort for God's people. It has served well our holy faith. It is fitting, therefore, that we should take our leave of this consecrated house, lifting up our hearts in thanksgiving for this common store of memories."

Declaration of Deconsecration
"This building, having been consecrated and named the Sexton Chapel United Methodist Church, together with the land on which it stands and all objects remaining in it, we now deconsecrate and release for any honorable use. We declare that it is no longer the place of meeting of a United Methodist congregation."

These words were followed by prayer. You could see tears in the eyes of many. You could see others with their heads hung low...heartbreaking is the only way to describe it...I have no other words.

There was a part of me that wanted to join them in their tears and there was a part of me that wanted to remain strong...today, at least, the strength won out. My insides felt a lot like I felt when I first got to the treatment center more than a decade ago and they placed my on antidepressants and psychotropics while I was detoxing...simply put, it was (then and now) a mind blowing numbness that leaves you incapable of much emotional response. When you want to cry you can't. When you want to laugh you can't. There is nothing more than really heavy numbness.

I am sure that in time the grieving process will continue, although I know not what form it will take.

I wanted to offer a word of thanks to all of you who have endeavored to be in prayer for me and this little church. Your presence, and God's, has been felt and has been a blessing during this time.

We are a week away from the final vote (church conference) at Edom UMC to complete the merger. Then we will be neck deep in transfers, etc. I am sure that there will be much more to talk about as the process draws to a close...hence the title of this posting: It is finished...almost. For Sexton Chapel UMC, the end of an era has arrived. For Edom and for the individuals involved, there is still much work ahead of us.

Shalom,

Russell