getting ready for the "next step"
(um...why did he put that in italics?)


i've haven't strayed onto the topic of huffman united methodist for a while now. the fact that i haven't been to a worship service there in several weeks isn't the whole reason i don't guess, although i am sure that it plays a role. i can't cite "out of sight, out of mind", because the church has most definitely been on my mind what with the upheaval in the children's place (humc's "ministry" of a daycare that hannah attends). it's more that, because i haven't been around on sunday mornings, i have tried to focus on good thoughts rather than negative ones. this tactic has worked to some degree. only for a short time after reading the weekly mail-out bulletin do i feel ire towards the church, and then i have moved on to hannah or sarah or sports or something more worth my time and effort.

but then i read rick's latest column. in it, he describes in short the life-raft of a position that the conference created for him to get the hell out of huffman and he tells the congregation in name that we will be welcoming rev. chris denson and his family to our fold come father's day. those two items are fine and good, but what i focused on and can't shake just yet is that he mentions that under our new pastor's leadership, huffman is ready to take the "next step". the words, "next step", are italicized. you can misspell words by accident. you can splice a comma by accident (i assure you). you can be thinking something in your head and your fingers type something else by accident (this also, i know). but you do not italicize by accident. rick was trying to make a special point with this move, and it's up to us, his readers, to understand and analyze this non-accident.

personally, it scares the hell out of me for huffman all over again. to me, there are only two ways you can take it. the first? he knew it was cliche'. he knew that the "next step" or taking said step is the go-to transitional phrase that every pastor must choose when he/she is leaving one church and handing the reigns over to someone else. this comment is the lame-duck's way of saying "the right thing" and allowing the congregation he's giving the finger to or being pulled away from a glimmer of hope as he/she exits. "don't worry, church X. rev. whatshisname is a wonderful man, an excellent preacher and you are ready to take the next step in your ministry with him." so, in scenario one we see rick understanding that he is using the old, tried and tired cliche', but being ok with being unoriginal and using it anyway. in scenario one, italicizing "next step" is lame, but it's understood.

scenario two is worse, but more likely. the second way we can take his comment is as a backhanded way of telling the church that we are screwed. we are to recognize that, cliche' or not, rick fully understood and wanted to use the phrase, the "next step", and in his mind, he knew what that really meant. for all intents and purposes, huffman's next step, you see, is to die. for years we have been able to play the "we are an aging church" card and still feel optimistic about the future of our church. but that time has come and gone. huffman is no longer aging. we have, in fact, aged. we have a goodly number of baby boomers in our midst. we have even more above or well-above retirement-aged persons. we have very few generation x'ers. we have very few youth and children. and what is worse about these vary vague demographics is that we, as a collective, seem ok with that. yesterday morning, a graduating class of seniors (the vast majority of which are no longer active with the youth group) were told 'that they'll always have a place at humc' and that 'we hope that you'll consider coming back to us after college'. the notion of never leaving was not even discussed. hell, like i said, most of them had already gone. but the why's and whatnot's of those individual young persons are not the issue here. the issue is this. rick knows what i know. that one of the conference's flagship churches of less than twenty years ago is borderline, if not altogether, irrelevant. he was just too chicken to say it. instead, he italicized "next step" as to not step on anyone's toes on the way out the door. bravo, rick. bravo.

huffman's been littered with "next steps" and missteps over the last several years. a retirement-age bishop yanking john rutland away from a congregation still brimming with potential and replacing him with the divisive and incompetent charles lee was one. cutting charles lee off at the knees (probably a good move), the church pushed him out and brought still-brimming-with-potential pastor rick "i want to know the song of your heart" (probably an ironic and bad omen from the get-go. there was still a bad taste in the mouth of the older members at huffman from our first failed non-traditional worship service named, you guessed it, heartsong.) on. unfortunately, shortly after rick came, the 500 lb. gorilla in the corner that is the children's place (look for more on the daycare in a future post soon) lost their capable and kind director. replacing her with an incapable administrator with a hard heart and no ties to the church was another misstep. the congregation and the staff failing miserably with two more (r.i.p. gracelink and manna mondays) non-traditional worship services were not fatal, but mere kicks to the groin of a church already on the ground. the final misstep to this point? our pastor cutting his own losses while his reputation (deserved or undeserved is for another debate) is still intact and floating on his life-raft into the uncharted waters of "new opportunity".

either way you slice it, huffman's next step is not a sight for sore eyes.

hope does remain, though. in the form of a daycare that is our only root into our community. a daycare that has also seen it's better days but may remain the only ministry at our church currently brimming with potential. does rev. chris denson understand this? not a chance. and we, as a collective, will be fighting for our lives to help him try and get it. there are those on our own staff that wish it would close it's doors yesterday. but hope does remain. in the kids and teachers that walk our halls during the week but do not sniff the sanctuary on the weekend.

whatever the next step is, huffman, we have to hold the children's place hand and let it lead us into the unknown. if you are not comfortable with this idea, i hear that trussville and clearbranch openly accept and embrace people that have rationalized themselves away from what once was a good and happy place.

fuck next step. the time to fight for our church is now.