Читать книгу A Million Blessings - Angela Benson - Страница 12

Andrew stood in the back of the ballroom he and Sandra had reserved for the dinner that was now in progress. This meal was about much more than food, though. Andrew had considered the things Pastor McCorry had said and knew he was right. He couldn’t take Kevin Costner’s “If you build it, they will come” approach if he wanted the new church to be a success. He had the money for a building and he believed that God would send members, but he needed a leadership team to help him and Sandra build the ministry. The two of them had discussed their options and decided to ask five couples in leadership at Praise City to join with them in their new ministry, which they were calling Showers of Blessings.

They knew Pastor wouldn’t like their stealing members from Praise City, but what else could they do? They needed folks they knew and trusted and who knew and trusted them. They also needed folks who believed in their vision. So their first step had been to invite twelve couples and their children to a backyard barbecue. The five couples having dinner with them tonight were the couples from the barbecue that had shown the most enthusiasm and support after hearing their plans. Tonight he and Sandra were taking it to the next level. These were the five couples they wanted with them in Showers of Blessings. Now he had to sell them on the idea.

Sandra looked up from her conversation with Monica Ray and saw him. She waved him back to the table. When he joined them, she leaned over and said, “Everybody has dessert. When are you going to speak?”

“I guess now’s the time,” he said. He stood and tapped his fork against his glass to get everybody’s attention. “The evening is not over, but I wanted you to know how much Sandra and I have enjoyed your fellowship tonight.”

A bunch of “thank you”s came from the gathered couples.

“While you’re finishing your desserts, I’d like to talk to you some more about Showers of Blessings. We’re excited about the path God is leading us on, but, like Moses when he was leading the Israelites, we’re going to need help.” He paused, taking the time to make eye contact with each couple. “We’ve invited you here tonight to ask you to take part in this vision and join the Showers of Blessings leadership team.”

Sandra came and stood next to him. “Because we always want to be honest with you,” she said, “we want to confess that last week’s cookout was your interview. As Andrew said, we want folks with us who believe in the vision God has given us. Your response to our news last week showed us that you were believers. We want you with us, if you want to be with us.”

“We’ll understand if you turn us down,” Andrew added, “and there’ll be no hard feelings. This has to be right for all of us. If you don’t feel it’s right for you, then I have to believe that it’s not what God wants for you. It’s that simple.”

Then Andrew went around the table telling everybody what their positions would be. The Moores would serve as associate pastors of Christian Education; the Thomases, associate pastors of Music and Praise; the Salleys, Youth Pastors; and the Rays, associate pastors of Outreach. The Wilsons would serve as Assistant Pastors and be their closest advisors.

“That’s it,” Andrew said, after he informed the couples of their proposed duties. “Do you have any questions?”

Jacob Wilson posed the first question. “Starting a new church takes a lot of time and effort, Andrew, and we all have full-time jobs. How much of a commitment are you expecting from us?”

Andrew turned to Sandra and chuckled. “How could you let me forget the most important point?” She just shook her head. He turned back to the group. “These will be full-time positions. We’re asking you to take a leap of faith with us and we’re prepared to compensate you. Because the Lord has blessed us financially beyond what we could have asked, we want to share that with you. Therefore, we’re offering each of you five-year guaranteed contracts at three times your current salary and twice the benefits.”

Murmurs went around the room.

“That’s generous,” Gloria Moore said.

“Very generous,” her husband echoed.

“Any other questions?” Andrew asked.

“I’ve never been involved in the formation of a new congregation,” George Salley said. “I want to join you but I’m not sure I have the skills.”

“You have the heart,” Sandra said. “You can be trained in the rest.”

“In fact,” Andrew said, “we’ve planned a four-week retreat in Hawaii for next month. It’ll be a time of teaching and learning, prayer and fasting, and fun and fellowship. We have to be a closely knit team if we’re going to achieve this vision.”

“Hawaii!” Jackie Thomas called out. “Sign us up now!”

Everybody laughed at Jackie’s enthusiasm.

“What about a building?” Michael Ray asked. “Where will we be meeting?”

“We’ll have to find a building,” Andrew said. “We’ve found five properties that could work but we wanted to get you all on board before we made a final decision.” He glanced around the table. “I’m not asking for a commitment tonight. I know you need some time to consider what’s best for your families. Your contracts will be delivered to your homes tomorrow so you can review them as you make your decision. We don’t want to put pressure on you, but we need your answer within the next two weeks. The sooner the better.”