A Blessed Arrival
advent- the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event ‘
Note* The dates and timeline of this story could be completely wrong, but it is how I remember it six years later.
On Christmas Day, 2015, a fire broke out in the sanctuary of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. Luckily the flames were extinguished quickly, but not before smoke had damaged the sanctuary and its contents, including the massive pipe organ! It would be a year before we would be able to hold a service in the sanctuary. During that time, two events would change my life. First would be the arrival of Terry Deane, JM’s first female senior pastor. The second would be the death of Don Warren, my husband of forty-one years.
When Don contracted metastasized kidney cancer in the summer of 2016, we knew the prognosis was not good. By late October, the end was near. It was then that I could see that he was filled with anguish and fear. He said that he was sorry for things he had done and was afraid that God would be angry with him. I tried to ease his mind, but he did not believe me, so as he slipped into a coma, I called Pastor Terry. When she arrived, she took his hand in hers and softly whispered to him that everything was going to be all right. “Don’t be afraid, Don. Jesus loves you and forgives you.” Don never regained consciousness, but I felt in my heart that he had heard her and knew that she was his advocate. It was for that reason that my daughters and I were happy to have her to narrate his Celebration of Life five days later.
As the years went by, Pastor Terry and the congregation grew to love one another. I was especially happy to have someone to talk to “woman to woman”! Terry shared my joy when I began to date again, she counseled me when I opened up about my survivor’s guilt, and when that boyfriend I talked about had two heart attacks and congestive heart failure in October, she checked on him and me every day!
During the last few years, our congregation has weathered a pandemic; managed another major renovation and clean out of the church; and begun on-line church services. Terry did not shy away from Zoom meetings and YouTube sermons even though I suspect they made her a little uncomfortable! The result is a church where on-line services, Bible studies, and concerts are the norm! Yes, she had plenty of help to set up the new technology, but she also knew the time had arrived to reach those who could not come to the church building.
Recently our congregation learned that Pastor Terry Deane will be stepping down to spend time with her family! During this Advent Season when we are celebrating the arrival of the Christ Child and the lessons He would later teach, let us remember to thank all who spend their lives sharing His message and who arrive to help us in our time of need.
Becky Warren
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