New Monmouth Musings: The Key That Changed My Ministry

When Jean and I lived and pastored in Philadelphia, we resided in a house connected to the church by a narrow breezeway. Because our home was adjoining the church and looked like a part of the church, we would have frequent occasions when visitors would knock on our door thinking it was the church office. At that time, we had four young children under the age of 8 and a very busy ministry. My only office was in a small 6 by 10-foot  room off the kitchen. It was there that I did all my counseling, wrote my sermons and met with whomever needed to see me. It was not an ideal situation with Jean nursing our youngest, and with three other active children running around the house often in search of special attention.

While on several occasions I had asked the elders if they would build an office for me so that I might have a more private a place to engage in my ministry the response was always the same: It would cost too much money, there was no place to put it, and your predecessors never needed one. I might add my predecessors never had four young children running around the house or a young mom who was desperately in need of some privacy.

As our children were growing and our ministry was expanding, not having an office was becoming more and more of a strain on both our family and our ministry.

And then it happened. One day one of the newer members in our church, a 78 year old retired contractor who with his wife had left their white suburban congregation because they wanted to be a part of an integrated church, knocked on my door and asked for key to let him get into the church. Unbeknownst to me, Clarence Hoff had become aware of my need, and I mean he was ready to do something about it. I provided him the key and continued to go about my work in my tiny office.

Later in the day I went over to the church and as I walked through the hallway, I glanced to my right only to see Clarence proudly standing outside my newly fashioned office.  Knowing how desperate I was to have an office in the church, Clarence had taken it upon himself to build me one. I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to see the faces of my elders when they walk in on Sunday and see what he has done.” With no permission or forewarning, Clarence had seized the initiative and built me an office, and in doing so he had probably saved my ministry and more importantly my marriage!

Sometimes when we see something that needs to be done and no one is willing to do it, we need to seize the initiative and do it. Yes, it is sometimes true that it is better to do something that needs to be done and ask for forgiveness later.

As Solomon records, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, go and come back, and tomorrow I will give it to you.” Proverbs 3:37-28

Now I am not suggesting that one of you takes a hammer and some nails and sneaks into our church and does some “on your own” remodeling of our downstairs’ kitchen and Sunday School area, but if you do, let me suggest your first stop and renovate the men’s bathroom.  And yes, please don’t let the word get back to the elders who encouraged the renovation.

Have a great day in Jesus,
Pastor Tom