Chapter 49 Called out of Babylon

When I was first asked to pastor on Long Island, I was disappointed. I felt called to the city. I had no interest in pastoring in the suburbs. But Long Island was beginning to feel like home. My dad had given Karin and me money for a down payment on a house and we were house hunting. The prices still seemed completely out of reach, but it was exciting to look, especially in the neighborhood south of the church near the water.
With the school closed I was no longer at war with the Robinsons. Mabel had been largely neutralized. Trevor took care of the Huntington Church. I was in love with my daughter. Things were good with Karin. I deeply appreciated the relationships we had built with the Babylon church members. Life was sweet.
The one disturbance was a nagging suspicion Elder Kretschmar was going to ask me to move to Manhattan after Herbert Roehn retired or perhaps he would ask me to pastor the Greenwich Village Church. This had been my dream when I came to New York from seminary. But now I wondered why I should uproot and start all over somewhere else.
The canal lined with boats just a couple of blocks from the church was magic, especially on sunny afternoons. I loved the clack-clack of halyards on the aluminum masts, the raucous call of gulls and the smell of seaweed, fish and salt water. I could settle down and live here for a very long time. But there was a nagging sense in the back of my mind that I was being called to Manhattan.
I went back and forth in my mind for weeks, then months. Finally, one Thursday night as I was praying, I said to God, “All right, I give up. If you want me to go to Manhattan, I’ll go.”
About nine the next morning, I answered the phone.
“Hello, John McLarty speaking.”
“Hi John. This is Lydia at the conference office. Can you hold for Elder Kretschmar?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, John, how's it going? How’s Karin and your daughter?”
“They’re great. Thanks.”
“Say John, do you think you could come in to see me sometime next week?”
“Sure. When’s best for you?”
“What about Monday, say 10:00?”
“No problem. I’ll be there.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you then.”

I hung up laughing. Okay. So I was going to Manhattan. I talked to Karin that night. “Well, I think we’re going to Manhattan.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Elder Kretschmar called today. He wants to see me on Monday.
“Did he tell you what he wanted to talk to you about pastoring in Manhattan?”
“No.”
“Then how can you be so sure that’s what he wants to see you about?”
“I just am.”
“Whatever.”

Monday, I was at Elder Kretschmar’s office. His secretary informed him on her intercom I was there. A minute later, he opened his door and greeted me with his usual big smile. “Come on in John. How are you?
“Here, have a seat. Tell me how are things going in Huntington?”
“Trevor’s doing fine. He seems to understand the people and manages them well. I don’t hear any complaints. I think their attendance is picking up a bit.”
“Terrific. And how is Babylon?”
“We’re having a lot of fun in Babylon. Our attendance is pushing a hundred. Our tithe is up. Some men who had been very much on the edge of the church for years are getting more involved. Mabel has about given up trying to run things. I’d say it’s going to pretty good.”
“That’s great to hear. Listen, John, I have a big request. You don’t have to say yes. But I need some help. I want you to go to the German Church in Manhattan. But it’s complicated.
“I think you know that Herb Roehn is planning to retire at the end of the year. I’ve met with the board there and asked them to hang on till he retires, then we’ll get them a new pastor. But they have insisted I put someone in there now or they will all scatter to find other churches. Most of them don’t live near the church, so it would be natural for them to find churches closer to where they live. But I don’t want to lose this church. I could just let it become a West Indian church, but I’d like to save that congregation for the Anglos in the city.
“So I have to find someone who can step into that church now and work with Herb until he retires and then take over the church. That’s what I’m hoping you will do.
“I know that Herb is hard to get along with. He’s crotchety. His members don’t like him. But if I don’t find someone to go in there and work with him now, come January, we won’t have a church there. If you’ll do this I’ll back you up. If he gives you too hard a time, you can just call me and I’ll come and talk to him. You don’t have to do this, but I would really appreciate it if you would. I can’t think of anyone else who could do it. Could you pray about it and see if this is something you could take on?”
“I don’t have to pray about,” I said. I’ve already prayed about it. In fact, I Thursday night when I was praying, I told God that if you called me to Manhattan, I would go. So, I don’t need any time to think or pray about it. However, I do have one condition. I’ll take this on, I ‘ll work with Elder Roehn, as long as you agree that you will not get involved unless I specifically ask you to do so. You won’t call Elder Roehn, you won’t visit the church or talk to the board members unless I ask you to.”
I could see the puzzlement on his face. He didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure?” he asked. “You know Herb is famous for his temper. Nobody can work with him. Part of the reason the church members insist that I send in his replacement now, while he’s still there, is they have such a hard time getting along with him. At least the head elder does.”
“Look, I’ll go. I’ll deal with Elder Roehn. But I have to have your agreement that you will stay out. You won’t talk to him or get involved unless I specifically ask you to.”
“Well, if that’s what you want, I guess I can do that.”
“Okay, when do you want me to start?”
“I’d like you to start next week. You could announce your move this Sabbath and then start the next week at the German Church.”
“I think that is too precipitous. We been at Babylon for four years. The people there are our friends. They deserve a bit more time for the transition. We need more time to say goodbye. What about the end of the month? That would give us four weeks to try to get things in order so we don’t leave too much unfinished business when we leave.”
“Okay. That’ll work.”
“I’ll tell the board at the German Church. They were interested in having you come because at least you were someone they knew.”
“All right, you talk to Kurt Paulien. But let me tell Elder Roehn. Okay?”
“If that’s what you want.”
We knelt on his prayer rug and he prayed for my new assignment.