Dear Judy,
I read you online quite a lot and sometimes like what you say.
Here’s a question. Our church has a pretty healthy congregation, about 500 or so members. Most of them come at least twice a month, which is okay by me. I’m not a hell-fire clergyman.
But we have some I don’t know at all, except maybe to say ‘Hi!’ because they come only on Easter and Christmas. And some of these folks have relatives who never attended my church, but the relatives want to have me supervise their funerals and say a few kind words about the deceased and how great they were.
I hate to say no. On the other hand, I don’t even know these folks. I’m tired of praising distant relatives of distant congregants whose virtues and failings I never got to witness first-hand. I’m sick of writing hypocritical eulogies about supposedly devout Christians never were seen at church.
What do you suggest?
Pastor Ralph
Dear Pastor Ralph,
Just say No.
Thanks for writing
Judy
