These Last Few Weeks, Both Amazing & Quite Complex!

You might have noticed an hiatus in my writing, though some of you did know that I had planned a trip to Africa.

The trip had been anticipated for years given a promise made to my grandson when he was only a few years old. He had constantly expressed wonder and a love for large animals, lions, elephants, giraffes and such.

He would soon turn eleven, now old enough to experience such a journey. So, my daughter and I for the last two and one-half weeks have journeyed with him across Tanzania by way of Ethiopia. He has now swam in the Indian Ocean!

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the gracious aid of a dear friend, native to that country, and her two years of planning. As well, God blessed us with an amazing safari guide and given his familiarity with the land, we saw animals galore.

At times and in between the wonder of such wildlife, I found myself weeping at the poverty witnessed intermittent the villages that we passed through. I am yet to fully understand what my response might be given the beautiful people and scores of children, all with of such potential, yet growing up in crowded conditions, with infrastructure so lacking that ground transportation was our biggest challenge.

Conversation with numerous people throughout the trip provided evidence of on-going governmental power struggle, often complicit in the evident neglect and corruption.

I must say, some of the worst witnessed in my lifetime of travels across multiple third world countries. Note the picture above of a long abandoned massive multi-family project in Tanzania. "Facilitation fees" was the term used to connote expected government bribery payments.

Still yet, we were met with smiling faces and generous accommodation by scores of amazing people across this great preserve of both wildlife and nature! A life changing memory for the three of us!

Meanwhile back at home, the ministry facility that drew me out of my twenty year professional career as an educator, and one to which I gave 30 years of my life, lay on the ground, demolished by its new owner.

I had served first on the church's staff and then as a consultant across the tenure of four senior pastors.

Privy to many behind the scenes decisions, as well as decades of negotiation with the neighboring university regarding land use, I somehow knew this day would occur.

The first hint of an offer occurred almost tongue in cheek during a meeting with the university leadership and myself in 1993. We were in their 100 year growth corridor, yet the church was demonstrating extraordinary favor within the community, thus their need to collaborate.

"Would we ever consider selling?"

My shocked response to their inquiry was almost a rebuke given the high impact vision we had recently layed out, which would lead us into the year 2000!

Afterwards however, and immediately upon each pastoral transition, a growing pattern of inquiry from the university would occur.

At one point we even made an high offer to them, one that would advantage a fresh start. They countered, but with that counter came resistance from within the congregation, such that the senior pastor saw the writing on the wall, then moved on.

However, each time there was a dilemma, it seemed that favor came our way. Yes, my now aged mind is full of such break-through moments as I was privileged to watch the campus grow from eleven acres to thirty-five. Not your typical Pentecostal church!

Senior housing grants, community funding for a multi-church driven inner-city family resource center, a counseling center, thriving dayschool, and yes, acres of land sufficient for parking hundreds of families on Sunday!

Yet with each new pastoral transition, came new challenges given the carrying costs of such a large complex.

It was 2015 when we began to feel a certain reality that downsizing was imminent. I was asked to explore new possibilities for revenue.

I began conversation with a developer as to the best use of our perimeter properties. Student housing seemed a niche market with promise. However, the challenge was that the church's most disposable parcel, some 10 acres, sat between a residential development and another small two acre parcel which ironically had housed another denomination's regional headquarters.

Again, as had been the case many times before, it seemed God would make a way. A forward thinking fellow parishioner had earlier purchased several adjacent homes in the aforementioned residential development, carrying them as rentals, just in case they were ever needed by the church. He was willing to sell. These homes would serve as buffer lots, if needed.

As well, I had relationship with the leadership of the adjoining denominational headquarters and a deal was struck with them as well. My years of service on the local planning board were of benefit as well in rezoning.

My first recommendation was that the church put their land into the deal, in return for an equity share in the proposed student housing development. Such partnership would provide income stream sufficient until the greater church campus could be retrofitted in order to better fit the ministry.

My developer was open to such, even reviewed a recommended drawing for a new church facility.

Over time, the large existing sanctuary had become antiquated, originally build for accommodating the dramatic performances that early on were catalytic to the church's enormous growth.

Rather than becoming an equity player in the student housing venture, the leadership's preference was cash from the land sale. Thus, the developer began to frame a long term strategy with the university, without the church's involvement. A missed moment perhaps.

All those years of experience have provided intriguing "what-if" stories, all unfortunately and quite suddenly culminating with Covid, as this sinister epidemic did her number on this campus, along with the church "industry" nationwide experiencing a dramatic downsizing.

What was mentioned almost tongue in cheek in the meeting back in 1993 now seems prophetic.

I am grateful for my time away in Africa, a timely buffer for an otherwise surreal moment in my career.