results, you have to put good things into it: self, money, et al, with sacrifice when necessary. Consequently, Durwin didn’t spare anything in that direction when it was for a worthy cause. Of course he had excellent discernment as to what was good and not so good in that regard. Anyway, Durwin badly needed a photocopier to help keep up his high caliber worship.
“Furthermore, the church at large in its interaction with the local congregations was becoming more and more geared to the local congregation having a photo copier. This was before computers were commonly used in churches. There were numerous items that could be photo copied and distributed to the church board and committee members and at times to the whole congregation. Communication of various sorts could be greatly improved with the use of a photo copier. Presently Durwin was trekking to the shops to use commercial copiers for various purposes, again using his own money, which he didn’t mind doing. But it was inconvenient time wise and so on, as you can imagine.
“At a meeting of the local church board, Durwin spoke of the opportunity to buy a photo copier from an assortment of models rebuilt by the manufacturer and with a full warranty for a year, at an affordable price. The church finances were in good condition at the time, as a result of Durwin’s good quality ministry. As he began to explain why a copier was needed, he was cut down briskly by several members. They glanced around subtly at one another. ‘We have no plans to buy a photo copier,’ said one leading member curtly. ‘We see no need for a photo copier,’ said the next one firmly. Durwin tried to explain the need. ‘We have no money to spend on a photocopier,’ said the next person, cutting Durwin off from speaking, and brushing the whole matter aside by bringing up discussion about another topic altogether.
“There had been no debate as to the needs or pros and cons of a photo copier. It was as though their minds were previously made up. Yet there had been no previous mention of buying a photo copier. Durwin could only assume at the time, that since they had already made up their minds that he was a spendthrift, they would never entertain any idea of allowing Durwin to spend ‘their’ money. This assumption would be further adjusted in Durwin’s mind later on when he became more familiar with the full force of the many devious tactics of belittlers in Terraprima. He would then realize that they didn’t intend to let him accomplish anything in their church, period, money involved or not.
“Durwin and Canda pondered many times how they might break through the crust these people had built around themselves; a crust of undisciplined pride which they were determined to protect no matter what, even when it short-changed their church. The Lawtons decided to temporarily put aside any ideas for significant change of any kind in the church. They would move more slowly in that regard-move more gradually, giving the board and committee members more time to adjust and adapt to change. They would try to socialize with these people, hoping to eventually break through and befriend them.
“Before long, an opportunity arose. There was to be a special event at a school, in which many of the congregation’s children were participating. Durwin and Canda showed an interest in attending. The woman who had done the good, though incomplete job of decorating the church sanctuary interior had been showing some signs of initiative in her own way lately. ‘If you would like to go to the event,’ she said half-heartedly and passively, ‘I will get some tickets for you when we get ours.”
“‘Good,’ said Durwin. ‘we’d love to go.’
“The Lawtons were later informed that the tickets had been obtained. They were to meet the woman at the auditorium door at a set time. She would have the tickets with her, and since she knew the seat number arrangements would be able to show them to their seats. The Lawtons thought they were getting somewhere at last. They arrived on time. The woman was there, together with a group of parents from the inner church circle. The Lawtons were immediately taken to their two seats located in the center of a block of seats. They sat down expecting the group to sit down as well. But then the whole group of a dozen or so moved en masse across the aisle and sat together in the center of another block of seats, but on the other side of the auditorium. A small number of people unfamiliar to the Lawtons did come and sit here and there in the vicinity of them, but the Lawtons were isolated from their church members, and not due to lack of seating space in either of the blocks of seats.
“Over in the other block of seats, far removed from the Lawtons, the woman who had purchased the tickets sat in the center of the group of, as I said, a dozen or so. There she made herself the center of attention with her loud and showy mannerism. It became obvious to the Lawtons why she didn’t want them sitting with the group. She was in competition with the minister and his wife for first place in the congregation.
“Over a period of time this woman with a problem did build up a following for herself, mainly by putting the minister and his wife down by complaining about them and their work. In order to build herself up to first place she created discontent over the minister. Her fellow belittlers, of course, fell right in with her as did a few others. They pursued with vigor their long-standing, wayward policy of ‘give us the right preacher and we will build up this church.’ They weren’t looking for a minister who by his preaching, pastoral care and leadership of laity combined would build up the church. The attitude was, ‘just give us the right minister, and we will build up the church.’ It cannot work that way. It simply cannot be done. For one thing, over the years, the ‘right’ minister had never come. The fact is, the right minister for such a church as that does not exist and never has.
“The majority of this, as well as any other congregation, want the minister to be the focal point of ministry, and not by making himself or herself the center of attention either. He is to do it by drawing people’s attention past himself to God. The majority of people of this congregation believed Durwin was doing just that. The belittlers were in rivalry with it. If this church was to be built up, they wanted the credit for doing so.”
“Durwin had a person with a real problem personality there didn’t he?” remarked Owen.
“Yes,” replied Collin, “and with her ignorance, snobbery and belittling, she would later cause him much trouble. And she wasn’t alone. As we discussed earlier in the sessions, birds of a feather flock together. They were in a minority but in this denomination of Terraprima they would get their way. Needless to say, the denomination was in decline in this area, numerically as well as in quality.
“As time went on, the Lawtons made every attempt to socialize with these people in events in and outside of church. But always they were kept on the periphery of this ingrown little society in which most of the church administration had encrusted itself. The Lawtons showed themselves to be quite capable socially in other spheres, as we shall see. But they could make no headway with it in this sick, misdirected church. And it wasn’t the whole congregation that was sick. Neither was it the entire administration. It was those in control of its administration. Power and control was their way of life. It boosted their pride, which in turn was protected by their envious strife and rivalry. When this scenario was, in their minds, interfered with, by good well meaning people like the Lawtons, it turned to rivalry and enmity.
“The Lawtons continued trying to participate in the social activities of the church, but were always involuntarily placed on the periphery of everything by the near social illiteracy and ignorance of these people. At least, that is how the Lawtons saw it then. In time they would learn there was more to it. Meanwhile they decided to make yet another different thrust. They would participate in activities outside the congregation, as much as time would allow, in order to preserve their own sociability and their reputation as sociable people. This could also be good for the church, for the Lawtons would make good friends and acquaintances in the area, which in turn could make friends for the church, giving it a positive image in the community. Such an image had been, from the beginning, a part of Durwin’s planned infra-structure for growth-to make his church a first rate organization in the community, creating the concept of a church on the move.
“The belittlers wouldn’t
