Stephen, I was part of that religious crowd till my eyes were opened about 13 years ago. I was once a minister of music, sunday school teacher, bus ministry, Jail ministry, visitation EVERY tues, mens group(brotherhood), choir, Mexico missions, etc or more appropriatly add nausia.

Now that I look back I realize that I could not see past the box of church that I was in. I could see obvious things, even then, such as Deacons being the least spiritual people in the church. Their function is to tend to money matters, and to take up the offering. There are those that see beyond the veil of church that still attend, but they are rebuked for their insulence.

Here is how I became over the bus ministry. We brought some of the kids in our neighborhood to church with us. One sunday their were too many of them for us to carry, so I called a Deacon to find out who was driving the church van that morning to pick up folks for church. The first person I called said that it was not his sunday to drive, so I called another. This one said that it was not his sunday to drive either, the third said the same. I saked if he had a key because I was coming to get it. The next sunday I called, it was the same senario, so I got a key and never gave it back. I drove the van from then on. I remember having over 20 people in a 16 passenger van, later the church bought a bus. And since Darryl and Laurie were bringing all these people to church we'll give them a tiltle ....BUS MINISRTY CHAIRMAN.(B.M. Chairman)Ha

The kids that were were picking up were not desirable to the church. They were poor and would not be able to give money. A Deacon came in my class one Sunday and said "Darryl you need to come and see about YOUR people." Three times a week we heard messages on witnessing and winning the lost for Jesus, but it did not translate into reality, unless you meet the income requirements.

Laurie was asked by the Pastor to meet with the females that would come down the isle for counseling. Once a Doctors daughter came down and Laurie took her to a back room and every few minites the pastor would walk back to peek inside and say are you throuh yet? Laurie thought that this was rude, but when we found out that the pastor had just visited the Doctor and his family, we realized that he wanted to tell the church how the Doc's girl got saved because he visited them. He was hoping Laurie could do a quikie and he could present to the church his newest trophy.

Later Laurie was directing vacation bible school, and the bus was full of kids. The Pastor told Laurie after the second day that this was the most spiritual bible school that he had ever seen. The theme verse for the week was "Harden yourselves as good soldiers for Christ" and was that ever prophetic.

One of the little girls had lice and Laurie said the unforgivable statement "well I wish we would all get lice if someone got saved". Well the Pastor and Laurie had words, and that night they were on the phone at it again, the pastors wife called and hung up on me, I called back and reasoned that someone had to go to the mother of the child and give her some of the shampoo to get rid of the lice. The Pastor agreed, and we were to meet at 7:00 the next morning. When I got to his house, he looked like he had been on a 3 day drunk. He said " I've been up all night thinkin' about this and I'm not going with you", and closed the door in my face. So I took the shampoo to the mother, and she was really nice. A couple of Deacons had gone by a day earlier to see the mother, but they reported back to the Pastor that she was drunk and laid out on the couch. I talked to the mother and she had just has a historectomy and was on medication.

The next day at bible school Laurie happened to see the Pastor go in his office and tried to make amends. Laurie said that he threw his glasses at her and came at Her like he was
going to hit her. I took off work and finished the bible school for the week as Laurie was stressed out. The Pastor left for about 2 weeks and no one knew were he was or what caused
his departure except Laurie and I.

He came back and months later he Preached a message on how the church should pray for their leaders and lift them up to be the ministers that they should be. On the way out after church Laurie went to the Pastors wife and said that she had not prayed for the Pastor as she should have. The Pastors wife grabed Laurie by the cheek and said "you know what I hate about you?" Then somone from the church walked by and they and the pastors wife said their goodbyes and then she looked back at Laurie and said "you think your so high and mighty". Then someone else walked by and each smiled and said see you Sunday.

I thought that it was time to tell someone what was going on. I thought about what Deacons were spiritual enough to handle something like this? and I thought and thought and thought, so I finally decided on a Deacon and a man who was not a Deacon but I considered him spiritual. We met and I told him the story. He told me that that was between me and the Pastor. I was numb. I wondered what kind of situation would the Deacons ever take charge of? Months later the Pastor and I got into it over something else and I left.

I told Laurie that God is not IN church. I found out what it would take for the Deacons to intervene....MONEY. A millionaire businessman's wife and the Pastor got into it at the church. The church could operate from this mans tithes alone. Yes the Deacons come running to the rescue and the Pastor was gone.

It's fake, it's a system, Damn the whole thing. I was more shocked at the Deacons than the Pastor. They would have cleaned up the blood had he killed my wife, just in time for church Sunday. And not to worry about a speaker, the association would send someone. Just keep the thing going no matter what the cost. And you had better be there, can't forsake the assembling of yourselves.

It's insane. Well I didn't intend this to be a novel, but some of Stephens words struck home with me.

L.L. 1