My Adventures with God Ch 41: A Prophecy Fulfilled

Ch 41 A Prophecy Fulfilled

After I was offered a few months work as locum at Vermont I had this prophetic vision that I would become vicar at Vermont and have to do battle with the choir. We had still tried to find accommodation back where we were in Caulfield but to no avail. God who had provided so abundantly a year and a bit before now seemed to have closed off every option.

So we moved the other side of town to Vermont, and rented the now vacant vicarage. Our eldest was now at Melbourne Grammar Senior School which is relatively easy - that is to say bus then train then tram – to get to from Vermont The other three were at Melbourne Grammar's Junior school at Caulfield (Co-educational for those who are wondering) This was not possible by public transport so Sue drove them on her way to and from work at hospital, which being part time she could coordinate.

My first impressions of St' Luke's Anglican Church Vermont were not good.

Before I had a chance to do anything good or bad I met a man at the vicarage beck fence (which bordered the church) who had idolised Jack. My “hello” triggered a torrent of angry abuse in return. The churchwardens explained it away – he was just angry to see anybody in “Jack’s” house. This man continued this violently hostile attitude all the time I was there.

Then there were the Parish Staff. I had built up a team ministry at Lang Lang, so I was looking forward to working with staff, I fondly thought that the weekly staff meeting would be times when we would encourage and build each other up, as it had been with the team at Lang Lang. I could not have been more wrong!

The staff consisted of a “one-quarter time” youth worker, a “half-time” pastoral worker and a “half-time” secretary. There had been a full time curate but he had left at the same time as Jack and parish finances no longer ran to getting another curate (the decline was already showing).

The youth worker, Nick, was an engineer about my age. His thing was explosives and he travelled all over the world consulting. His parish work had to be fitted around this schedule. He was all “alpha male”: lean, muscled, in jeans and T shirt, his already grizzled hair cut short. It was only later that I would learn that he only tolerated one or two males whom he considered no threat in the senior youth group he led. Over the years all other males he pushed out. The resultant group, largely 20’s and 30’s single women I heard referred to as “Nick’s heifers” Nick was married to Jane who was music leader; they had three thoroughly delightful young boys.

The pastoral worker Pam was a single lady in her late twenties. She had been hired a couple of years back on Nick’s recommendation. Together they belonged to a select “community” within the church which was led by Nick. This community seemed an attempt to at least partially re-create the early Jerusalem church model of believers sharing their lives and their possessions. It was a very tightly bonded community.

The secretary Judy was a middle aged mum with semi-grown up children and married to Barrie who lead the “4 wheel drive club” which was very big at the church. Barrie from the start showed his great regret that because no one expected Jack to resign, he had not stood for election as either Churchwarden or Incumbency Committee member. This meant that his “party” in the church was not represented in the selection of a new vicar.

As only a locum I was “under their radar” so to speak. Judy was sweet and efficient. To Nick and Pam, I was just someone who had to be there because of inconvenient church practices which required a priest to celebrate communion - both Sunday morning services were communion. They soon put me in my place. Nick produced the roster he had compiled : I was to preach here and here, lead services here, here, and here. Pam then chipped in, she had planned a preaching theme, they were preaching through a book (not of the bible, a devotional book by someone) and I was to preach on this chapter and that chapter. The evening service was a charismatic “youth” service – which was, as is ironically often the case, attended by people of all ages. And I was down to lead here and here. Nick’s body language made it clear that any questions I had I could keep to myself!

I did have a question. If the evening service was charismatic why did they not ask me what my spiritual gifts were rather than just putting me down on the roster for a bit of everything? At our charismatic service at Bayles I had always preached – that was my particular gift. Ross had always lead the worship – that was his. And having seen someone who really did have a spiritual gift leading worship I knew I could not do it! (well not in any more than in purely human strength.)

My question was answered at the first evening service. For fully ten minutes at one point Nick, who was leading kept the congregation on their knees in silent prayer while he coaxed “I sense one of you has a word from the Lord, come forward”. For ten minutes!

I had read very widely and this behaviour corresponded to something I had read described by Watchman Nee the famous Chinese Pentecostal. Nee termed this behaviour “Soul-ish” - ie it is what happens when the Holy Spirit is not acting and humans are trying to fake it! I had also seen real “words from the Lord” – they didn’t have to be coaxed like that! Some of the “Caring Christians” girls at Lang Lang had found God used them to mutually counsel each other. Frequently one would say later “I just opened my mouth and all these words came out” Typically the person being counselled would on hearing the words burst into tears and say “yes that is true, but you couldn’t possibly have known that about me” and there would be real healing.

What I saw at this first evening service was so fake that it made me angry! Next evening I went to see Nick and said in a more diplomatic way what I have outlined above. Wow! He really did not take criticism kindly! In fact he did not take criticism at all! I was sent packing in short order. His attitude is best explained by something he said to me much later – when I was the vicar of the parish. He said to me: “You were only appointed by the human Church; I was appointed to lead this congregation by God!” That was indeed his attitude right through!

Otherwise the locum months were uneventful. After a while the Parish incumbency committee unanimously agreed they had found their man: me. The bishop did not. He had someone else in mind. The Incumbency committee were all men who pre-dated Nick and the others who had arrived once the church was successful. one was “crispy” evangelical, one moderately Charismatic and one very Charismatic. They had prayed together been convinced together and now faced off against the diocese together. They prevailed and I was appointed.

When it was announced in church there were cheers – except for Nick’s supporters some of whom openly wept.

As a “PS” the incumbency members told me Jack had planned to get rid of both Nick and Pam, and advised me to take the archbishop’s offer of the parish on the condition that they were moved to positions in other churches. I didn’t. Would it have made any difference in the end? I think not, but you may judge for yourself.