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Processing the impending departure of the Schlomers

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By Larry Short

Martin and Kim Schlomer
Pastor Martin & Kim will celebrate 25 years of ministry at Elim on March 31.

As the whims of scheduling would have it, I am the lucky one who apparently drew the “short” straw to write the Last Word the week after Martin and Kim announced to the congregation their departure from Elim as of the end of this May, after 25 years of ministry.

I’m going to be very honest and vulnerable here. Martin (and his encouraging, shepherding heart) is a large part of the reason Darlene and I have “stuck with” Elim these 24 years. (We arrived about a year after he did, and were privileged to have lunch at his home and strike up a friendship the very first Sunday we attended.)

When Martin and Kim shared with the Elders last month what they were planning, while I (rationally speaking) was excited for how the Lord is working in their lives, on an emotional level, it was a punch to the gut. Let’s just say that someone had to fetch a box of tissues.

Over and over again, since then, I’ve repeated to myself what I know to be true: “This is God’s church. It’s not Martin’s church, nor does it belong to any of the rest of us. I know He has a plan for our good. We can trust Him.”

But of course, telling yourself what you (rationally speaking) know to be true, and feeling it deep within your heart, are not necessarily always the same thing.

Despite my emotional reaction to this news, I want to acknowledge some of the “positives” that I have observed since Darlene and I have been made aware of the Schlomers’ impending departure:

  • Martin and Kim are excited as they approach the possibilities of their new assignment. Martin is already throwing himself quite energetically into his training, working toward his certification as a hospital chaplain. More than anyone I know, he has always had a sense of what I call “holy unrest.” What he preaches from the pulpit, he really desires to live out in his life. Two years ago, when I was laid off from my job and began driving for Uber and Lyft, and shared with him my delightful discovery of how God was using me to love and serve total strangers in my car who didn’t yet know Christ, I could tell Martin was excited about what I was experiencing. He shared his frustrations that he often, as a pastor, was unable to find sufficient opportunities to share Christ with those who are not yet disciples, despite his strong desire to do so. So this is a chance for him to put some rubber on the road, so to speak. I think he will be an awesome chaplain and am excited to hear what God does.
  • This is clearly an opportunity for the Elders to pull together and do what we are called to do, to shepherd God’s church. More than once recently, we have heard it said among us: “We have been anointed for just such a time as this. In God’s economy, there are no accidents.” I’ve appreciated the way I’ve already seen the Elders dig in, pray, process their feelings and their questions, seek wise counsel, and carefully consider what the future may bring. This is not easy, but it is what God calls us to do. Our prayer is that we will be united in love, so that the devil might not have an opportunity to do what he would really like to do, bring this church down in disunity.
  • Our district superintendent, Bruce Martin, has wisely pointed out that such transitions are often the times that God really works to “reformat” a church into the image that He desires it to be. Complacency comes way too easily.  Are we reaching people for Christ? Changing lives? Making disciples? Impacting our community through compassionate service and testimony? This really is an opportunity to rethink how we “do church.”

As I am writing this, the announcement has not yet been made to the entire congregation. We fully anticipate that a wide range of emotions and concerns will be expressed. We want you all to know that as Elders we do not (yet) have all the answers! This news has hit us, just as it is now hitting you, but just a few weeks earlier is all. It will take time for all of us to process together what this means. But please understand the following firm commitments that we as Elders have already expressed to one another:

“Our Constitution calls us as leaders to observe and enforce a very cautious and rigorous process for selecting a new senior pastor. It lays out steps for that process and we are engaging in a sequence that will take months to complete even before we are ready to solicit and receive applications for the role of senior pastor. At present, therefore, no one is being considered or will be considered for the role. We are simply not there yet.”

In short, this is a time for prayer and patience. We must get this right.

Our “next steps” right now are to:

  • Prayerfully offer this entire situation to God. It is an opportunity for Him to continue to shape Elim as He desires, or even to change that shape if He so desires. Our job will be to pray and to listen, and as leaders to act once we hear from God. Therefore, our first official step will be to call a team of Elimites committed to prayer to meet face-to-face on a regular basis to bathe this entire situation in prayer. (Please contact me if you would like to be a part of the team that is forming. Our first meeting will be February 11.)
  • Celebrate well the amazing contribution that Martin and Kim have made here in their 25 years of ministry (as of March 31), and to bless them as they depart/
  • Ensure that Satan finds no opportunity  to divide us and bring us down. We will do this by prayerfully seeking timely truth-telling in love, and unity in the Holy Spirit; by guarding our hearts and guarding the integrity of the process. Elim is an extraordinarily healthy church, and we trust we will emerge from this challenge even more so.
  • Communicate well, transparently and honestly, with a congregation that will be both grieving and celebrating and experiencing a range of emotions just as we as Elders have done in the past month as we have learned about this impending transition. We don’t yet have “all the answers” and shouldn’t feel pressured to make others think we do. We will seek to discourage undue speculation about what will happen in the future, but we will prayerfully commit to proceeding toward that future as God leads us. We must come alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ and help you all express how you are feeling at this difficult time. We must listen, without rushing to judgment.

We are here, and we want to walk through this with you, in a healthy way. Please reach out to any Elder if you have questions or concerns that you would like to process … and we will listen. Thank you, and God bless us all as we trust in Him!

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DEATH

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By Martin Schlomer

Death. No matter how often we encounter it, we never get used to it. Even when we expect it, when it happens, it feels unexpected.

This morning at 6:30, I received a call from my sister-in-law telling me that my father just passed away. He had been in very poor health for many years, yet he lived to see 89 years old. If you’ve been around Elim for a few years, you know that my father’s relationship with his children was conflicted. For 50 years, these relationships were complicated by his physical and emotional pain and, to some degree, mental illness. He didn’t want to be this way. No one ever does. It just is. There were times when he would be kind, empathetic, and even joyful. Then there were times when that would all change. No one understood why, and I suspect neither did he. 

As I processed our family’s loss, I was able to experience deep gratitude to my father and to my heavenly Father. I know Earl Schlomer wasn’t the man he wanted to be.  I can’t hold this against him. Instead, I can identify. All of us feel this way! However, I rejoice that he is now a new man! He is now the man he aspired to be (1 John 3:1-3)! This never takes away the tears, but it does fill them with hope and meaning.

No one is ever born with the tools necessary to overcome their physical, emotional, and even mental challenges. All of these demons conspire to sabotage our most sincere aspirations of who we long to be. This is why we work together to learn from one another, to equip and encourage one another in these aspirations, and to show grace when we fall short, which will happen daily! This is why it is critically important for us to bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Don’t lose hope! On some expected but unexpected day, we will be the person we aspire to be! Until then, we choose to give grace, love well, and hold onto hope. God’s grace is GREAT!

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What Hinders

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by Brian Waple

Growing up, I was never really good at playing basketball. Watching others play, the game seemed so easy and straightforward: dribble the ball down to one end of the court while making your way past the opposing players, then find someone open to pass to or shoot for the basket. It wasn’t the dribbling or the passing or even the opposing team that was hard for me. I just couldn’t shoot straight. Regardless of how many times I practiced (with other guys or alone), I wasn’t able to throw a straight shot. I still can’t. As much as I wanted to, something kept hindering me.

When we talk about the things that hinder us, sometimes (as in my case) it simply boils down to the lack of physical ability (as it turned out, I was much better at tennis). But sometimes it’s things that we struggle with every day in our lives and for whatever reason we can’t seem to overcome. Paul addresses this in his letter to the Romans, when he says, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it” (Romans 7:18-20, NLT).

Pastor Brian’s message on Sunday really struck me. When he was talking about what hinders us from sharing the message that God has given us, there were a number of hindrances he spoke about, but one really poked me in the eye: busyness. I am always letting busyness (busy with work, busy with home, busy with family, busy with church) get in the way of spending time with God and others, building relationships, and living the life God has created me for. I allow the busyness to control me.

As I said earlier, sometimes we struggle with things that we just can’t seem to overcome. Many times, this is the sin nature Paul speaks about living through us and controlling us. But, God is calling us to give those burdens over to Him, and He will provide a means for us to see past the hindrances and live the life he has called us to. If we are willing to engage with God and acknowledge those hindrances, He will show us the way to let go of what holds us back. Then, we are free to share the message that God wants the world to hear.

So, I ask that you join me in naming those things that hinder you. Give them over to God. And discover the freedom that awaits you.

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My Peace I Give You

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By Jeff Foerster

The secular symbol for peace is a broken upside down cross bound in a circle. Rather than spend valuable time investigating its origins, I’d rather consider the brokenness of the cross of Christ. This brokenness enables us entrance into God’s household and adoption into His family. The cross brings brokenness to our spirit and allows humility to reign in our hearts and upon the soil of our lives, producing a harvest of righteousness, of peace with God and of peace toward one another.

When salvation comes to a person, that person has seen themselves as they truly are—helpless to save themselves, broken from recognition of sin and inability to correct it, let alone to atone for what has already taken place.

When peace flows from a person, that person has seen others in the same light—helpless and in great need of forgiveness. Just as your Father has forgiven you, so forgive one another. Pity was taken on us, so extend the same. Simple, right?

It ain’t rocket science.

Quite frankly, rocket science is easier—or at least less costly. Launching projectiles is simple physics—perform this action get this result. You’ll need millions or possibly billions of dollars to break Earth’s gravitational pull. We can do this without divine intervention, by following laws set in place . . . by God . . . sustained by Him . . . ugh, there goes my illustration. Our dependence on Him is more pervasive than may appear to the eye. Being a person of peace requires relationship with God and frequent submission to Him, for unlike aeronautical engineering, the heart is in play.

Peace requires pursuits be in place.

First, seek the presence of God in prayer and remembrance historically and presently. Remember what God has done throughout history to reach out to mankind, loving him graciously. Presently recall what God has done in your own life and the lives of those around you—ask others to help you think on this as well. Why bring these to mind? Because it is necessary to be a recipient of peace before one can be a giver of peace. One has to genuinely possess something before it is offered to another. Otherwise, it looks a lot more like fraud. Fraud with “good” intentions.

Secondly, choose to focus on others, rather than yourself, as they face difficulties from within and difficulties from without. Choosing to see them in this light helps clear the fog of personal drama and desires, and it stokes the heart to love like Jesus.

These guidelines are just that: a guide to channel the working out of salvation, the Spirit of God in the believer. True peace cannot be manufactured by human will. Peace can only be shared from the abundance of it, granted from God.

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A New Year

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By Brian Sharpe

It’s 2019!!! Think about that for a moment. What is the earliest New Year’s you can remember? One of the most memorable for me was 2000. Leading up to Y2K, people were getting extra supplies so they could still function just in case all the computers stopped working. Tomina and I spent Y2K in Anchorage, Alaska, with my sister and her husband. On New Year’s Eve we were hanging out at a house that overlooked Anchorage. When midnight hit there was a brief second of anticipation, wondering if anything was going to happen. Ultimately, nothing happened. We had a fun night of playing cards in a beautiful house.

As we think about a new year starting, it should move us all to evaluate what matters and what we want to see happen in 2019. When we aim for nothing, we hit nothing. When we aim at something, it helps us see if we hit the bull’s-eye or not. What is our aim based on what we value most for 2019?

This makes me think of Paul in Philippians 3:7–14. I love this passage. I believe it is a passage that we should all read when we are evaluating what matters and what we want to aim for.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

            I love this passage. Forgetting the past and looking forward is what everyone is trying to do during the new year. Paul was doing this close to the end of his life. He wanted to forget where he had been and all he had done and focus solely on reaching the end of the race and receiving the heavenly prize. Is that what we are aiming at? When we set our resolutions and goals, are they focused on who Christ desires us to be as we are conformed to His image? Or are they focused on bettering ourselves, our family, or financial situation? These focuses aren’t bad, but if they are not rooted in who Christ wants us to be, I believe they are missing the mark.

            My prayer for us is that 2019 would be about the things of Christ, that we would aim for being conformed to the image of Christ, valuing what He values and aiming at what He has called us to aim at, which is to be a disciple who makes disciples. When we get to the end of 2019, may we look back and be able to count the number of people we have an influence toward Christ as we build His kingdom until He comes again.

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Remember!

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By Dan Amos

This year, our family exchanged gifts and had our family meal on December 23. It’s our newest phase of life, in which Fran and I no longer set the agenda but coordinate getting together with our sons’ three families and their families. But when we did, as we’ve done for dozens of years before, we read of Christ’s birth from Luke’s account. It’s difficult not to think of Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas, but I read from the NIV instead of King James. Even this set off an amusing discussion of translations among the now four families being created out of our one.

The following evening, we participated in the Christmas Eve service in which Brian and the team led us through the story of Christ from Old Testament prophecies to His birth, death, and resurrection. Brian repeated throughout Israel’s history how families recounted the prophecies pointing to the Savior that was to come. In reading the story of Jesus’s birth, we continued the tradition of retelling His birth from a virgin in the town of David and all to God’s glory.

Martin and Brian led us through December to the annual celebration by recounting essential doctrines: the Trinity, how we are created for God’s glory, and how we shattered that glory with sin. God provided the solution for our sin in the form of Jesus—our one and only way to redemption.

These are fundamental doctrines of our faith. Yet throughout the Christmas season, I was bombarded not with truth but with Santa, excessive consumption, and annoyingly odd commercial images intended to make me think of a smell. There was no mention outside of church of Jesus.

Israel was given festivals and commemorations precisely to help them remember. The Christian church was given Communion to remember Christ’s death and resurrection. Christmas will cease to be a remembrance if we let it.

So when we study doctrine, we keep it firm in our understanding and the core of our faith. As Martin pointed out, even within the churches of America, too many fail to understand the divinity of Christ and what he has done for us. The power of the Gospel is rooted in the truth of God’s revelation of himself.

Charles Schulz got pushback from his producer about including New Testament Scripture in the Peanuts special. But he countered with, “Bill, if we don’t, who will?” That remains our question today. If we don’t hold to the truth, if we don’t speak it and remember it, who will?

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