What a great gift!

[Pastor Dave]

Today was the final worship service in the 184 year history of the congregation I have served the last 6 years. After an emotional service, the congregation was nice enough to present my wife and I with a generous gift certificate for AMTRAK! They know I love trains and the church council chair announced at least they were riding me out of town on the rails! Looking forward to an unexpected great trip somewhere this spring.

 

[Cascadia]

Congratulations, I guess your people know you very well! Hope you can plan a really spectacular trip. Are you retired now?

 

[MrEd]

good luck pastor dave.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Still about 10 years from retirement.

 

[sunchaser]

Is your church closing it's doors? If so, that is sad. Where had you been serving? My hope is that your next Church home will be just that- 'home'. Enjoy your trip, both you & your wife!

 

[greatcats]

Does this mean your church is closing? For what reasons and what denomination? That certainly was a nice gift of your congregation.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

That was great news pastor Dave. Glad to hear it.

Some one at my job actually gave me a small gift certificate several years ago in appreciation for extra work I had done.

This brings back memories of that, for me.

Good wishes both on your trip and on your future plans.

 

[Steve4031]

Im laughing at the idea of being ridden out of town on a rail. That was funny. I hope things are well with you and your church.

I wish my colleagues were the same. A few try to butter me up so they can sucker me into doing extra work. I just look at them and say, "That is a lot of work. I would do it, but your compliments are not going to get me very far down at the Amtrak station.'

 

[AlanB]

Wow, 184 years is a long time! Sad that the doors are closing forever.

But yes, a very nice gift.

 

[Pastor Dave]

My church was First UMC of Easton, PA. Financially troubled for decades and living off it's reserves. Kind of typical for an inner-city parish where the neighborhood changed and the chuch couldn't change with it. But we did some good work there, and I leave only with fond memories. The congregation will be merging with a suburban parish and I will be appointed to another parish in February.

Their gift was so touching as it was something deeply personal, and not just a religious relic to hang on the wall of a future office. Thinking of a a turnaround trip from Philadelphia to Atlanta at this point. Haven't done the Crescent since pre-Katrina.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts.

 

[Everydaymatters]

It sounds like your congregation knew you well and loved and appreciated you.

Best wishes.

 

[caravanman]

Congratulations on recieving an Amtrak gift. It is good that you have another job lined up.. no need for unions in your profession I guess..?

Ed

 

[Pastor Dave]

Ed,

As we like to say in my business - the pay isn't much but the retirement benefits are "out of this world!"

 

[rail_rider]

Pastor, will you have to move or will you be staying in NJ? Maybe on of these days we'll pass through the Trenton station on the same day.

 

[TampAGS]

My church was First UMC of Easton, PA. Financially troubled for decades and living off it's reserves. Kind of typical for an inner-city parish where the neighborhood changed and the chuch couldn't change with it. But we did some good work there, and I leave only with fond memories. The congregation will be merging with a suburban parish and I will be appointed to another parish in February.
Their gift was so touching as it was something deeply personal, and not just a religious relic to hang on the wall of a future office. Thinking of a a turnaround trip from Philadelphia to Atlanta at this point. Haven't done the Crescent since pre-Katrina.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts.

Wow... sounds like a very similar situation to the congregation where I grew up in Daytona Beach, which is still attended by my parents and my sister's family. It is an inner-city Baptist church (Cooperative Fellowship, not Southern Convention) that now finds itself with a much larger facility than it needs or can support. Based on your experience, do you have any advice for congregations which seem to be on the same "track"?

 

Your post brought to mind a spiritual I sang years ago with the chamber chorus at my university.. "Glory Train". :lol: It was on our program during a tour of Quebec. Unfortunately none of our travel was by train, but it left me with fond memories all the same.

 

I'm sure your trip will provide memories to treasure as well. Peaceful journeys to you on your trip and in your next parish assignment!

 

[George Harris]

My church was First UMC of Easton, PA. Financially troubled for decades and living off it's reserves. Kind of typical for an inner-city parish where the neighborhood changed and the chuch couldn't change with it. But we did some good work there, and I leave only with fond memories. The congregation will be merging with a suburban parish and I will be appointed to another parish in February.
Their gift was so touching as it was something deeply personal, and not just a religious relic to hang on the wall of a future office. Thinking of a a turnaround trip from Philadelphia to Atlanta at this point. Haven't done the Crescent since pre-Katrina.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts.

Wow... sounds like a very similar situation to the congregation where I grew up in Daytona Beach, which is still attended by my parents and my sister's family. It is an inner-city Baptist church (Cooperative Fellowship, not Southern Convention) that now finds itself with a much larger facility than it needs or can support. Based on your experience, do you have any advice for congregations which seem to be on the same "track"?

 

Your post brought to mind a spiritual I sang years ago with the chamber chorus at my university.. "Glory Train". :lol: It was on our program during a tour of Quebec. Unfortunately none of our travel was by train, but it left me with fond memories all the same.

 

I'm sure your trip will provide memories to treasure as well. Peaceful journeys to you on your trip and in your next parish assignment!

Totally unrelated to trains: Depending upon the majority ethenticity of the area, you may find a predominantly Black or Hispanic congregation in the area in serious need of a larger or better facility. Many would do all they could to get in a purpose built building rather than deal with conversion of warehouse or store space to a usable church facililty. Also, not knowing what the occupancy permit situation is in your area, it could ease that part of their move as well. In quite a lot of the larger urban areas in this country, you will find that there is no such thing as a zoning that permits churches. They must apply for and get a special use permit regardless of the underlying zoning of the area.

 

[amamba]

My church was First UMC of Easton, PA. Financially troubled for decades and living off it's reserves. Kind of typical for an inner-city parish where the neighborhood changed and the chuch couldn't change with it. But we did some good work there, and I leave only with fond memories. The congregation will be merging with a suburban parish and I will be appointed to another parish in February.
Their gift was so touching as it was something deeply personal, and not just a religious relic to hang on the wall of a future office. Thinking of a a turnaround trip from Philadelphia to Atlanta at this point. Haven't done the Crescent since pre-Katrina.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts.

Pastor Dave, my mother for many years when I was a kid was a pastor at a PCUSA church in Camden, NJ. It really struggled as an inner city parish where the neighborhood COMPLETELY changed. It was a shame because it was a beautiful old building, I wonder what has happened to it.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

In a world society that is falling apart it is nice to hear some good is balancing things.

Mahalo

 

[Pastor Dave]

Particularly for George an amamba,

Churches are sometimes seen as "steadying forces" in changing communities but, being honest, they are just the last things to change. Residents seek out the suburbs. Stores head to the malls. Hotels find nice property by the interstates. Only churches and amtrak stations seem to hold steady.....

 

[caravanman]

I guess a lot depends on the church leaders too.. A leader who asks "is being rude and inconsiderate requirements of the union contract? " could upset some of the congregation, methinks?

Ed

 

[Pastor Dave]

I think caravanman raises an interesting point. For the most point, people I've come into contact with in a variety of settings have been kind and competent. Admittedly, I've encounted my share of Amtrak workers who seem more along the line of disgruntled. Don't get me wrong - most are quite nice - but the few bad apples certainly have soured some to train travel. You would think that the union would want to rid itself of bad representatives since I'm sure that congress people who are not high on long distance passenger rail receive letters from disgruntled travellers about poor service staff. This only strenghtens their case to reduce subsidies for Amtrak.

What some Amtrak workers don't realize is that we are providing them with a double blessing. As a sleeping car passenger I am usually paying more to go someplace than it would cost me to fly or even drive. They put down my bed and give me some ice and in return usually get a nice tip. On top of that, as a taxpayer, I was paying them before I ever stepped foot on board.

I also can't figure out why those few bad apples seem ignorant to the possibility that it takes more energy to be nasty than it does to be nice.

My system (the United Methodist Church) faces similar flaws. Once we are ordained as an "elder" we are essentially guaranteed a job unless we get caught in some sort of moral or illegal act. We have our bad apples too. For those disgruntled colleagues the best pressure is sometimes peer-pressure. Perhaps the correction of less-than-mannerly Amtrak workers has to come from fellow workers.