The Minister Buys a House

Our new rector has bought a house
A stone's throw from St. David's
In the Long Pond section of
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

After a year in service on Cape Cod,
It would appear that he has resolved
To put down roots in the community,
And serve his church until retirement.

At the annual meeting in January,
He announced that this was the first time
He had ever looked forward to such a gathering
In his twenty some years as a minister.

With a year of stability accomplished,
He knows well the individual congregrants,
The situation in which he serves,
And the challenges ahead of him.

He suffers the petty complaints patiently,
Recognizing that they mask deep suffering
Among so many of those in the pews.
Then proceeds to do precisely what he plans.

Foremost is a review of the many ministries
Presently undertaken in the name of the church.
Starved for volunteers, some languish unfulfilled,
Causing their proponents brittle anxiety.

The hunger for education in the faith
Is being approached with new offerings
By the rector and lay persons
As time and schedules permit.

A strategy for growth and solvency
Remains both elusive and difficult.
However, one or another person drifts in,
Replacing those who depart to a better life.