GETTING STARTED chapter 236

I loved working with Ralph Shellrude, the District Superintendent. Reuben Strecker was the Pastor of Church Growth and a man of great passion and integrity. They were great men to work with.

We didn’t exactly have a regular day to meet. We had to find a day we were all in the office at the same time. One of the problems of working in a district was the constant need to be on the road. As it turned out, I was at home the most.

My office was upstairs, slightly removed for whatever “action” there was. I was determined not to become a paper pusher even though that seemed like it was going to be the easiest way to let large groups know what was going on. I did have to learn to use the telephone – an instrument I have never liked. I want to see the faces when I talk. It tells me much more than words.

I had decided I would just go along the first year, do what was asked of me and not try to rattle the ship with too many new ideas. However, I must say, my mind was racing with what could be done. I would begin by continuing the work of Daryl Dale.

The district already had a Bible quizzing program so I got caught up with that program. They needed a quizmaster and I had no idea who to ask so initially did the job myself. I called coaches and set up a few meets having coaches meetings at the start of each meet to get acquainted and figure out what needed to be done. I don’t remember how many churches were initially involved, but it was a small group.

I began to tackle the problem of how to begin charging for attendance at Family Camp. The first person I contacted was Chip Morris, the director of Canby Grove Conference Center. I wanted his perspective. After hearing his side, I knew something had to be done. We were killing our own camp. He would not address any of the issues of the program, just the burden the program was on the facilities. He wanted us to use the camp, but could we find a way to help pay our way. That was certainly fair to me.

I began to get semi-regular phone calls from one of our pastors in the greater Seattle area. He had strong opinions on pretty well everything I should be doing, and especially about what I should do about Canby Grove Conference Center. I tried to explain to him that I had responsibility for only one camp in one week of the year, but he seemed to think I was responsible as the director of the facility. Nothing I said ever clarified that in his mind. We would get into heated discussions about it with him telling me what I had to do and me trying to explain it that what he wanted was not my responsibility nor did I have the authority. That only made him mad and made me dislike him more with each phone call — and there were lots. He did not take kindly to the thought of a specific charge to use our very own camp, and threatened not to come or bring his people. Why did we have to pay for something we already owned? He resented it in all the years he remained in our district and never liked me from the very beginning. I was not very cooperative.

The camp orchestra was loved or hated. There was no middle ground. It was a volunteer group of musician who brought their instruments and would played for all the singing. Many thought they were terrible and should be stopped. Others liked the idea of a volunteer Orchestra harkening back to the good ole days and a sense of history. Herman Bohl and been directing almost since the beginning of time. He loved it and certainly wanted to continue. I needed balance.

In the end, I kept the orchestra, celebrated Herman, but asked one of the districts great younger music pastors to come and lead worship and bring his pianist with him — his wife. The orchestra played before the service began. The week was tense, but we survived and the future was secure. We kept the orchestra only a couple more years when Herman was no longer able to direct.