When I was a "little" Pastor

Crystal Springs, MS

The first congregation I served just announce an anniversary Sunday. They organized at the end of the war...the Civil War! 150 years ago. They had a wall of pictures of all the former pastors when I was there that was scary, and I was on the wall after I left.

I learned alot about the church in those four plus years, and I often dream about that congregation. We had our first two children in that place. Most were kind and loving to us. Gladys Wallace would introduce me around town with the phrase, "I would like to introduce you to our new little pastor". After a while I told her that at 6 ft and 200 lbs I was not little. It was a quaint colloquilism that came to represent to me what the tragedy of cultural Christianity is all about. They have made God a small part of their lives. Could I introduce you to my little God?

The men were the ones whose faith seemed like an uncomfortable suit they had to put on an hour a week. I would often see them heading for the golf course after going home and changing cloths while we were still visiting people in front of the church.

We are thinking about attending, We left 35 years ago and some of the young ones are now the old ones. I still resonate with the title of a book by Francis Shaeffer, No little people, No little places.