A Popeye Moment

The United Churches of Christ have lost 97 congregations thus far this year -- as a direct result of their official sanction of same sex unions.

"It is a crisis of lost churches, lost funds, and lost unity," stated Dr. Bob Thompson, a U.C.C. Minister from Corinth, N.C., "brought on by the actions of our national leadership."

One of the 97 is in our own community. Since their vote to withdraw, we've been helping them by supplying inspiring, evangelical Bible-based preachers from our own congregation.

They are a wonderful congregation -- good people, who finally had a Popeye moment:

"That's alls I can stands! I can stands it no more!"

There is renewed faith at the church now, and hope for a bright future, as they get back to the basics of preaching the Word, sharing the Gospel, and discipling the believers.

I ran into one of their board members at the Christian bookstore the other day. She was picking up new hymnals. It was a good move in the right direction, because the old ones neutered God and omitted the hymns referring to the blood of Christ.

With a fresh appreciation for that brave little country church, I left the bookstore humming, "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand"

-----
footnote: I got the "Popeye Moment" idea from Bill Hybel's talk at the 2005 Leadership Summit.