Here's the problem.
I am in a church that I've really enjoyed, but lately there have been a few problems that I've found very irritating.
1. My child is being harmed by another child in Children's Church. She called it to my attention, and I spoke with the child's mother, then with the teachers. The situation still is not resolved, and my daughter at times walks out of the class with bruises, or asking me to retrieve personal items the child has stolen, or near tears because the child was taunting her. When she tells the teacher's what is going on they do not help, they say ok, go sit down, or find another toy, or blow her off in some way, it's not taken seriously. I've pulled her out of the class and she didn't want that, but she didn't want to be hurt and made fun of either.
2. I had a personal situation in which I needed someone to talk to. I'd never gone to the pastor or his wife for advice before, but really needed to talk about some spiritual issues and most of all have someone listen who could understand and pray with me. I turned to the pastors wife and never really got to address any issues. I got a few basics in, and the next thing I knew she was giving direction on what I should do. I didn't want that. I didn't appreciate it because it wasn't even given in a sympathetic manner but it sounded like she simply wanted to give me a piece of her mind, and in the end she told me my kids should be in school and that I don't need to homeschool as I probably wasn't capable of giving them all they needed. That wasn't even part of the conversation. We didn't pray, not that I wanted to by the end of the conversation. I'm used to being challenged on the homeschooling deal, but it really hurts for it to be coming from the pastors wife and said in a way that I found degrading.
3. More and more I keep feeling like I'm in the wrong place and not fitting in. Most of the people there have money and I don't. I have physical problems that keep me from being useful in ways other than financial, so in the end I feel pretty much worthless and it doesn't help to hear the sermons on how financial support for the church is so important and how everyone should have a duty in the church or they're nothing but pew warmers, and how the pastor can't stand people like that. They say go to them and they'll find a job for you in the church, but of all the things I listed on the papers they hand out asking what your abilities are, they picked none of them and tried to have me do something I wasn't able to do.
It's to the point where I'm beginning to not want to get up on Sundays and go anymore.
The pastor isn't very approachable and apparently either is his wife, although both claim to be. The pastor always comments on how pastoring is his calling, but he hates it when people backslide and his least favorite thing to do is visit people who are slipping because he has no patience for that. Well, how is he supposed to be approachable and a decent pastor if when one of us has a spiritual problem we already know those kinds of problems irritate him and are his least favorite part about being a pastor?
