My view
ing to do with supporting the accepted interpretation of God by the ELCA, an interpretation entirely created by falli- ble humans. The question isn’t, “Does the church need you?” More properly it
is, “Do I need the church?” John Wick Glencoe, Ill.
… but not to all
Four years ago my wife and I returned to our Lutheran roots. We cannot express enough how we feel about our faith (as Lutherans/believers in Jesus Christ), nor can we agree more with the editor’s July column and the quote about faith being handed down by believers coming together. Our response to such a statement is a
resounding, “Amen, brother.” Tim Kirkman Dallas, Ore.
Story on target
How interesting that the article on two people taking part in a paired kidney exchange (July, page 27) should appear in my mailbox during PKD Awareness Week. Glenna Glimpse suffered from polycystic kidney disease, the most common genetic life-threatening dis- ease in the world. I have PKD, and I’ve seen what this disease has done to my family. Thank you for helping spread the news on organ donation, specifi- cally kidneys. If the article decreases one person’s wait on the transplant list
it will have had a positive impact. Nancy J. Miller Allentown, Pa.
Send “Letters” to: Letters to the Editor, The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4183; fax: 773-380- 2409; email
lutheran@thelutheran.org. Please include your name, city and state. Your letter will be considered for publication unless you state otherwise. The Lutheran publishes letters representa- tive of those received on a given subject. Be brief and limit your letter to a single topic. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Letters must be signed, but a re- quest for anonymity will be honored if the subject matter is personally sensitive.
“My view” submis- sions should be 400 words on a societal event or issue or on issues in the life of the ELCA. All submis- sions are subject to editing. Send to: “My view, ” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631; email: lutheran@
thelutheran.org; fax: 773-380-2409.
Dickson is a college chemistry instructor, retired ELCA pastor and author who lives in Hickory, N.C.
By Charles W. Dickson
Forfeiting opportunity Pastor house calls a relic of past?
S
ome disturbing events occurred in my ministry this past year—in the form of compliments. There was the man who told me as I visited with
him and his wife in the den of their home, “I’m 67 years old and have been a church member all my life. You’re the first pastor who has ever been in my home.” This comment might not have been so bad except for one fact: I had already heard half a dozen similar state- ments during the year. I began to ask myself if I should feel elated or worried. Are house calls really a relic of the past? My anxieties were somewhat alleviated when I
reflected on an experience in my early ministry. My wife and I visited her home church. We went to the early service and found the pews nearly full. Then my mother-in-law said, “We always go to the early service because it isn’t so crowded.” I thought I was in for a treat and about to hear a dynamic
preacher. After all, what else could explain such fantastic attendance? What I heard was a 30-minute systematic the- ology lecture which, although centered on the gospel, was something I regarded as strictly dull. The real explanation for the attendance would be revealed over the next couple of years when I discovered that the pastor had a secret. He made calls … and calls … and calls.
If a visitor came to a service, he was on their doorstep
within a week. If a member missed a couple of Sundays for which he did not know the reason, he visited them. And when members lost loved ones, he placed the dates on his next-year’s calendar and made a call on the anni- versaries of the deaths, knowing it would be foremost in their minds. With that kind of ministry he probably could have read
them yesterday’s ball scores and still filled the pews. If my recent experience of listening to these people is
in any way indicative of what is happening nationally, the church is in danger of losing one of its valuable assets. In no other profession of which I am aware does a person have access to people’s homes as does the pastor. When an athletic team fails to show for a contest,
they forfeit the game. When pastors do not show up in the homes of their people, they forfeit the opportunity to minister.
August 2012 49
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