Minister rant (this one's personal, not general)

[politicat]

So, my great-grandfather has been a member of the local United Methodist Church for 40 some years; (before that, he was Society of Friends, but the meeting house disbanded through lack of membership); he's supported them with his time, his money, his labor and his faith. It comforts him, and who am I to take that away from him? This is what he needs at this point in his life. (Not fundy - this is a liberal house, and he's the font of liberal thought.)

The minister from that church though, has been absolutely wretched. He's been out here once, maybe twice, even though we started asking (then badgering) him to come see Grandpa at least once a week (we asked, not asking him to come once a week) in OCTOBER. The guy's showed up once since I've been here, calls occasionally with lame excuses after he misses an appointment.

Okay, it's not like he has a real job. His job is to take care of his parishioners. He's supposed to come out and comfort the ailing, not spend his days on the phone fund-raising. (And people would be far more willing to pay his bloody salary if he WOULD come out to see those who can't get in to church!)

If this is Christian charity, if this is how they're supposed to treat the least among us, if this is following in Christ's footsteps... I'm proud to not be a Christian. I'm so angry that I'm afraid that this lazy minister is going to get a piece of my mind if he shows up again before I go home. He apparently has failed to realize that the atheist great-granddaughter has no illusions about his purported holiness, and knows his holy book as well as he does.

I'm so sick at heart because grandpa needs this guy, and he's not showing....

Pcat

[displacedtexan]

1. Call the president of the church board of trustees.

You can also write a letter and ask that it be read (and recorded in the minutes) at the next board meeting. You might mention that your family has stopped considering a future bequest (in your grandfather's memory) because of this UnChristian situation. I'm sure the board would sit up and pay attention if a possible bequeath (even a small one) were involved.

It could be that you aren't the only one who feels this way about the minister.

You might also consult another Methodist minister. comfort is the goal here.

[Sgent]

2. Call the state/district

Bishop for your church. Somewhat like the Catholic church, UMC's are governed by a conference of bishops. Individual congregations have little or no oversight power for their preacher.

[politicat]

3. Update: Minister leaving in August.

The wife of my grandfather's farm manager sits on the Pastor Parish Council for my grandfather's church. We talked about it, and she took the issue first to the PPC, then arranged a meeting with the Bishop for us.

Among other complaints, ours was rather prominent and the minister's contract will not be renewed in August.

I hope he has to work for a living.

Now I'm home, I've found a Friends' minister willing to drive 40 miles once a week to see my great-grandfather, and has already been out there twice.

And no, there will not be a bequest to the Church. It goes to Hospice and the Masons, which have been far better about showing interest in my great-grandfather.

Pcat

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. It is no surprise to me that the Masonic Order has been a greater

help. An outstanding organization dedicated to high personal ethics and morality.