…the post and the photos of the place is here, but there is a story that I didn’t tell.
It’s not about the story in the news (I heard rumors of it but I there were just rumors and I was there to cover an election so I didn’t dig) but there was something more basic.
As I wrote I was given a tour of the church place:
I want to give the thanks are due for the tour that was arranged without notice. It is a big place and it took quite a bit of a very nice lady’s time in the afternoon to let us see it.
What I didn’t mention is I got there around lunch time, so I had to wait a bit before someone was available our tour (I was there with my pal Joey). So while Joey and I sat waiting I figured I’d continue to pray my daily rosary.
I’ve mentioned before that I like the rosary because you can pray 31 different intentions on a single rosary. For whatever reason at one point in my Rosary I drew a blank when trying to decide on an intention. So I figured hey I’m at a huge church the secretary is right there I’ll ask her if someone in particular needs prayer. So I went over and asked her and we had the following exchange:
Me: Excuse me a moment, I’d doing my rosary right now and was wondering if you knew of anyone that needs prayer?
Secretary: We all need prayers.
Me: Yes I know but is there anyone in particular that needs prayer?
Secretary: I can’t think of anyone sorry.
This church has over 10,000 people who attend services, a school for k-12. She takes calls all day from people and sees the visitors who come every day and she isn’t aware of a single person in the congregation who has need of prayers? Nobody at all?
What do you have a church for if not to pray for each other?
Let me tell you something if I’m a person attending this church I’d be a lot more worried about this than any sins of Eddie Long. Pastors come and pastors go, everybody sins, but if your church isn’t supporting each other in prayer then it’s not a temple of God.
Put it another way: At the gates when St. Peter asks “Did you pray for your neighbor?” I don’t think you want to answer: “No but my church has cool sculptures!”
I wouldn’t bring this up even now, but at New Birth the congregation right now is taking a hard look at their church and if this is where the congregation is when it comes to faith and prayer then this is a church is in a crisis bigger than they realize.
I ask my readers to pray both or Pastor Long and the congregation. On the Rosary I suggest offering decade 14 Carrying the Cross or Decade 18 The mystery of the Pentecost
