$625?

You know… sometimes God’s people are just amazing. Just 2 days ago Derek and I published a little mini-manifesto about church’s not taking good care of their youth workers.

And people have begun giving. I mean, we don’t have our ducks in a row and people are giving. Other than saying… let’s raise $5000 to get us started helping people in tangible ways… we don’t know what else we’re doing. Well, we didn’t two days ago, we do now.

Last night, we agree to start a 501(c)3 charity to handle these funds and help youth workers. In fact, fellow administrator and friend, Patti Gibbons, will be heading that up. So YMX, LLC and this new entity will be completely seperate legally, but completely united in mission.

So, I’m praying for Patti as she weighs through mountains of paperwork. I only ask that people in youth ministry give. Give biblically, over and above what you give to your local church… but give. Likewise, if you can’t give… help us in raising funds to meet some needs.

Need a story?  This happened this week…

I come in after putting in a really good Wednesday night service with
the youth, to find that the pastor had been going around to the deacons
of the church and meeting with them privately about me.  The long story
short is that I was given the option of either taking a month’s
severance pay and leave immediately or to appear in front of the
deacons the next day who (according to the church’s really messed up
bylaws) had the power to send me packing with no severance.  With a
baby on the way, I obviously chose choice #1 and packed up my office. 

What
makes it worse is that I was not allowed to even come back for Sunday
morning to resign properly in front of the church.  I cannot come to
Wednesday night this week for a last message or anything like that.
Simply, that’s the end of my time with this church.
Now, I’m
finding out that there are people in leadership (deacons, etc) talking
bad about me now that I’m gone.  One youth emailed me saying that she
heard "many reasons why quit, but [she doesn’t] believe any
of them."

See… not every local church is as good as mine. I heard a great analogy that most churches treat staff the way people treat the couch in their living room. One day it’s the centerpiece of their house. The next day it’s out on the curb getting rained on.