Frank (his real name) was one of my best friends.  We met nearly by chance.  Someone in the church told me about him.  They said he was a past CEO of Child Evangelism Fellowship, International.  Also, he had a tremendous history of investing funds profitably, so profitably that he was asked by a Catholic Cardinal to help manage the funds of the Vatican.  My first meeting with Frank and Genevieve was magic.  We took an immediate liking to each other.  Their gorgeous home on the edge of a beautiful country club became a place of refuge for me.  I knew that I could stop by anytime and be lavishly welcomed.

There was so much about that friendship that nourished me.  Frank’s management and investment background regularly advised me in how to make decisions.  He was retired and always had time to stop what he was doing and spend time with me.  The reverse was true.  If he hit on something he needed to talk about, he knew that I would respond in like manner.  Imagine a white-haired guy in his 70’s, gold rings, gold Rolex watch, and always the finest in just about everything.  He drove the current year Cadillac.   He reasoned that Genevieve, who was wheelchair bound, could get in and out of a big car like that…much easier.

I have a few personal treasures in my possession that came from Frank and Genevieve.  He gave me two of his personal paintings.  In our entry way, you will see a mosaic (small inlaid stones) that form a picture of a man enjoying a glass of wine while his wife goes about taking care of domestic chores!  That mosaic is a gift from Frank.  He purchased it from a priest in the Vatican who specialized in such art.  Not typically my style, but special because it was a gift from Frank and Genevieve.  In my office at home, I have a page from the 1611 original King James Bible.  Don’t be too impressed.  There were lots of copies of that original version, so the value is not significant.  But, the value to me is priceless because, again, it was a gift from my two very special friends.

I think you get the idea about how much these two people meant to me.  However, that is not the point of this editorial.  The point revolves around what happened to this wonderful couple when dramatic changes hit their lives.  Frank was one of the most attentive husbands I had every observed in action.  His life truly seemed to revolve around her.  Love shined from his eyes and tenderness radiated from his hands.  He never once referred to her as a burden, just pure joy.

Her dementia and Alzheimer’s came with lightning quickness.  His dear partner deteriorated nearly overnight.  It was my privilege to walk with them through thick, indescribable darkness.  Genevieve cried out from the care center, “I just want to go home.”  Only she didn’t have any idea about where home was.  Southern California?  Illinois?  Somewhere, just not here!  Frank, on the other hand, suffered terribly over being home alone in that palatial residence.  One evening I stopped by, as usual, unannounced.  I stood at his doorstep and listened as he cried out to God from deep in his soul, “God, take me home.  I can’t go on.  Life without my Genevieve is not worth living.”  In a moment I stood in his entryway just holding him while he sobbed on my shoulder.

It didn’t take Genevieve long to “go home.”  Home wasn’t Southern California, Illinois or Oregon.  It was heaven!  Her graduation from earthly life ushered her into the personal presence of the One who personally arranged her heavenly home to a “T!”  The funeral was as Shakespeare penned, “Sweet sorrow.”  Frank expressed both relief that Genevieve was set free from the torture of the fears that had controlled her final days, but terribly sad that his darling companion had made her getaway.  Sweet sorrow!

I wish I could say, “And he lived happily ever after!”  Not so.  Within weeks, Frank took near total leave of his senses.  Against my counsel to take some time to deal with his grief, he changed nearly everything in his life…to the point where he sold just about everything and moved to a different town.  To make a long and interesting story short enough that you will read to the end, Frank met a petite and high energy lady in the parking lot of his new condominium association and soon asked her to marry him, which since Frank was a man of considerable wealth; she was willing and eager to do

My seat to watch the developing tragedy was a box seat, front and center.  Within the space of a couple years, an amazing transfer of wealth had taken place.  Just about everything I had feared for my “adopted dad” came true.  I spent a significant amount of time with attorneys trying to find help that would protect him.  Unfortunately, the new lady took him for a lot of what he was worth and subsequently road off into the sunset with hundreds of thousands of dollars, all for the investment of about two years of time and trickery.

Believe it or not, this is not an editorial about elder abuse or particularly about Frank and his troubles.  The point that is on my mind today has to do with a simple word…transition.  Transitions are a normal part of life.  I read today about a young man in our congregation who is in the process of obtaining his driving permit.  Transition.  Life will never be the same for him, or, his family!  A lady in our church family just had a sister pass away.  Transition.  My granddaughter is going to be the owner of a new puppy on November 7^th.  Transitions are those times in life when something happens that changes quality, direction and relationships.

Now, let’s get to the point.  Transition is what has been happening at our church especially for the past few years.  Churches that ignore or deny transitions tend to miss out on what God is doing in a new time and in a new and different culture.  What recently happened upstairs in the Children’s Ministries Department is an example of proactively cooperating with transition.  What happened last evening in the Conference Room when sixteen people gathered to learn about  Celebrate Recovery  and to see how we can address the hurts, hang-ups and habits of people in our culture is a great example of cooperating with transition.

I had an extended conversation recently with a District Superintendent who had the sad experience of meeting with six people who handed over the keys of the church and sadly said “Goodbye” to many decades of faithfulness and sacrifice.  The DS was very clear that had this church been able to make the transition to give the ministries over to the next generations and new culture that the church would be alive and well.  They just couldn’t make the transition.

It was in the spring of 2005 that I was contacted by Dr. Hugh Smith regarding the possibility of coming to pastor the Longview, WA, Church of the Nazarene.  Those of you who traveled the inside track of that experience know that I was very clear about my need to pastor in a setting where people recognized the need for change and were willing to make changes.  I intuitively knew that I had the energy and the fortitude to do what it would take to lead one more church through transition.  Had that Church Board not convinced me that they wanted to face the necessary transitions, I would have turned them down. 

Our transition has been challenging and, at times, a bit scary, but with all my heart I do believe that God has been leading and guiding each step of the way.  Transition is hard work.  There have been signs recently that we are turning a corner, and I say that with some reservation.  I’ve been at this long enough to know that church transition hasn’t happened until people get serious about cultural change and the fact that our Dear Heavenly Father longs for the torch of His Kingdom to be passed from generation to  generation.  There may very well be other changes and transitions to face.  Will our facilities, the way they are, best serve us as we serve the people God brings to us, and takes us to?  Will our current programs be adequate to create…Champions for Jesus?  My, what important issues!  For every church that is willing to face such issues, there are a hundred that will refuse.

My advice at the close of this article is…as much as possible face transition with purpose and passion.  If you know it needs to happen and that things are going to be different than they have ever been, half the battle is already won.  Think of those parents of the young man who is getting his learner’s permit.  Can’t you just see their white knuckles and their pale faces!  We survive better by anticipating change and then doing our best to make the most of it!  With all my heart I encourage you to avoid the “Frank syndrome” like crazy!  He failed to listen to those around him who were trying to give him good advice about transition.  Facing it mindlessly is as bad as not facing it at all.

One of these days soon, we will rejoice in having cooperated with the need of our congregation to…turn outward.  The harvest is on its way.  Pray with me that scores and hundreds of people will come to know the best life through Jesus Christ because we said “Yes!” to transition!  And I believe it shall be so, because I believe in the One who is able to, “…do immeasurably more than what we ask or even imagine.” (Ephes. 3:20)